Trikartika - The Festival of Lights in Kerala By Ratheesh Sundaram

Festival das Luzes em Kerala, India - por Ratheesh Sundaram

Thrikarthika, or Trikartika, is the festival of lights celebrated in Kerala on the Kartika Nakshatram (star) in the Malayalam month of Vrischikam(November – December). It usually falls on the full moon day in the month and on the day all the houses, streets and temples are well lit with traditional oil lamps. The festival is mainly observed in South Kerala.

Thrikarthika festival is not dedicated to any particular God or Goddess in Hindu pantheon. But some people do claim that is dedicated to Shakti – popularly known as Bhagavati in Kerala. Some people claim it is an ancient form of nature worship.On the Thrikarthika day after sunset, houses, streets and temples are decorated with special oil lamps. Earlier people used to make use of the shell of Marotika to light lamps. Now the Marottika shell is widely replaced by clay diya (known as idinjil or chirathu) and candles.

The stems of banana (plantain) and tender leaves of coconut tree are used to decorate the Thrikarthika lamps. The lamps are placed on the banana stems supported by coconut leaves.

People who have domesticated animals also decorate the cowshed and other places used by animals. Special food is prepared using Tapioca, elephant yam and other tubers with lot of grated coconut on the day and is known as Kartika Puzhukku.

The full moon night and the Thrikarthika lamps complement each other giving an awe inspiring feeling to the viewers.

Ratheesh Sundaram

Photos from Second Street(Randam theruvu) East Fort Trivandrum Kerala India

8,9-12-2011- 7:30 pm

Tributo a Ragavhan Prakash, ativista indiano que morreu em um acidente na madrugada de ontem.

Nossa singela homenagem ao amigo e ativista indiano, Prakash Ragavhan, que nos deixou ontem a noite, ele sofreu um acidente de carro proximo a Estação de trem e não resistiu.
Prakash, era um homen de bom coração que lutava pela causa dos Dalits e tinha uma ong que cuidava de crianças em risco social. Vai fazer muita falta professor!.

Blog que o Prakash mantinha para se expressar: http://dalithumanrights.blogspot.com/

"A man who loves friendship and believed in Social Equality and JUSTICE.
Hate all type of injustice and Discrimination in the name of CASTE.

I am the 1 st among five children of an agrarian family in Aleppey dist,Karuvatta, Aleppey Kerala. I do my studies in
NangairKulangara and Ernakulam up to PG.When i was a student i struggle a lot for food besides books and uniform.When i grown up i do every work including agrarian work for finding the fee for my studies.Now i am employee, orator, writer and social worker with a mentality to do something for the deserved and the poor students. For that now most of the time.I am married, my wife working as a Teacher in Polytechnic and i have two kids the elder one is in 11 class and younger one is in 9 th.I have 3 sisters and one brother and mother
When i was 20 years my father died.i my self look after my brother and sisters.Every one is well to do and have employment in govt. service.Now i am settled in Mavelikara.
I do service of an NGO, working for the rights of the community and had working for the students availing assistance for their education besides awakening camps, trainings etc.
And after all , i am a COMMON MAN WITH A HEART ."

Auto-descrição sobre o senhor Prakash no seu perfil do Facebook

Descanse em paz grande homen. Fotos  enviadas pro Ratheesh S. do local do acidente e do local onde R. Prakash foi enterrado.

Rest in Piace mestre. Respeito e condolências a sua familia.

Elza Cohen e equipe India Link Brasil.

Sanghumugham Beach, Trivandrum by Ratheesh Sundaram

Street Photogrpahy near Sanghumugham Beach, Trivandrum, Kerala India by Ratheesh Sundaram

Saiba mais sobre a Praia Sanghumugham 

Streets of Delhi (photographs) by Rohit Arora

I am sending the photographs as you wanted to include on your blog. These photographs had been taken on the Streets of Delhi. Its being pronounced as "Dilli" by local people. Rohit Arora, Delhi - India - Imagens enviadas por email, capturadas por Rohit Arora nas ruas de Delhi, India. Para saber mais sobre o seu trabalho: http://csrohitarora.blogspot.com/ www.flickr.com/photos/rohit_arora

Referencia. 'Dilli' is a multiple-award winning documentary that has played in over 50 international film festivals across North America, South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. Connect with us at: http://www.facebook.com/blackticketfilms Synopsis In this city, a dream is born everyday. Simple dreams. Patient dreams. Millions of people across India leave behind their homes and families, in the hope of finding a better life in Delhi. Completing 100 years as the capital of modern India, Delhi today stands at the crossroads of time. Among the fastest growing cities in the world, this is also the city that is home to India's second largest slum population. As Delhi straddles through its different worlds, Dilli tells the story of this city, as seen through very different eyes. Shot in the heart of this bustling megapolis, Dilli finds its storytellers in the men, women and children who are the invisible hands that continue to build this city of dreams. Directed by: Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh Camera: Sushmit Ghosh Editing: Rintu Thomas Sound Design: Pratik Biswas Music: Wes Freeman, Ishaan Chhabra, IP Singh (Menwhopause) Black and White photography: Sayan Dutta Graphics: Ashutosh Guru Production Manager: Pulkita Parsai Art: Rhea D'souza Produced by: Black Ticket Films and Robin Raina A Black Ticket Films Production, 2011 For more information about this film, contact blackticketfilms[at]gmail[dot]com

Youth Protest for Dam Reconstruction By Ratheesh Sundaram

A peaceful candle light march demanding a reconstruction of 116 year old Mullaperiyar dam 

which is in a grave danger to the 35 lakh people of kerala . This march was in Sanghumugham Beach Trivandrum Kerala India

they made a pledge and later they did a peacful candle light march to the sand made dam at beach .

The Mullaperiyar dam is the bone of contention between Tamil Nadu state and Kerala

Its a 116 years old dam constructed

The whole problem has its roots in the past. The dam was conceived of as far back as in 1895 on the Periyar river to divert part of its waters eastwards into the rain shadow affected districts of the neighbouring Madras province, mainly the present Madurai and Ramnad districts. Kerala has some 44 rivers originating in the Western Ghats besides getting the benefit of the monsoons. Except for three of them, the rest flow westwards into the Arabian Sea. Periyar is probably the third largest. At that time the Maharaja of Travancore agreed to lease the dam site for 999 years to the then Madras government. The Army Engineering Corps constructed the dam in Idukky to district divert part of the Periyar waters to Tamil Nadu. The first dam was washed away in the rainy season. The British Army Engineering corps took up the work as a personal assignment, raised funds for the purpose and completed the dam. This arrangement, with the Tamil Nadu staff manning the sluice gates and other works continued till the 1980s. Tamil Nadu by an unwritten agreement sold rice to Kerala. The arrangements continued even till after independence and helped control floods in Kerala. In 1960 a hydel project was established downriver at Idukky on the assumption that the waters would be available during the monsoons.

There was heavy colonisation of the areas down river in Kerala with land hungry people populating the area with a vengeance. Trees were cut down. Schools, colleges, hospitals and habitations sprang up all over the place. Micro-climatic changes followed, with rainfall falling. As time passed the Idukky dam failed to fill up. Power generation fell. The diversion at Mullaperiyar was blamed for all these happenings. Kerala wanted the storage level to be brought down to 132 feet. The then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MG Ramachandran readily agreed to the plea. When in the 1980s the level was brought down, Tamil Nadu suffered. Some 8,000 hectares in Tamil Nadu’s rain shadow districts suffered.

Pressure mounted on Tamil Nadu to raise the storage level again to 152. Kerela countered it with hectic campaigning at the centre and placating influential persons in Tamil Nadu. It has been reported that a study by the Centre for Earth Science Studies in Kerala had found that the dam will not be able to withstand an earthquake of the magnitude of six on the Richter scale at higher water levels if the epicentre of the earthquake is near the dam. Several earthquakes of lesser magnitudes have occurred in the state during the past two decades and scientists have predicted the possibility of earthquakes of magnitude six occurring in the state. The chances of an earthquake occurring in the vicinity of the dam too are high because of the presence of major lineaments and fault zones in the region.

Central government studies however held that this contention was unfounded and that with repairs the dam height could be raised. Then came the argument about threat to the wildlife population in the area. A study on the impact of raising of water level in the Mullaperiyar reservoir of the Periyar Tiger Reserve was carried out at the instance of the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state in 2001. The team included scientists from the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI), Centre for Water Resource Development and Management (CWRDM) and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON). The report has suggested that all kind of wild fauna including wild boar, gaur, sambar, otters, elephants and birds that nest in the reservoir will
be adversely affected if the dam height is raised.

One estimate of the crop losses to Tamil Nadu, because of the reduction in the height of the dam, between 1980 and 2005 is a whopping Rs. 40,000 crores. In the process the farmers of the erstwhile rain shadow areas in Tamil Nadu who had started a thrice yearly cropping pattern had to go back to the bi-annual cropping.

What will happen now? Will Kerala fall in line with the Supreme Court direction? The issue is expected to hot up only by the time the monsoons set over Kerala , One major problem that Kerala will face will be the heavy colonisation of the down river area which emerged after the reduction in the height of the Mullaperiyar dam. Vast colonised areas could be submerged.

Fotos e texto por Ratheesh Sundaram, Trivandrum, Kerala - India

Streets of Kumaran Kovil

Street Vendors of Kumaran kovil

Kumaran kovil is

one of the

Famous Temple for Lord Murugan in Tirunelveli District Tamil Nadu state

.

Kumaracoil, also called "Kumaran

Koil" is at the foot of the Velimala Hills in Kalkulam Taluk about 15 km North West of Nagercoil and three km east of Thuckalay. This place is known for its famous temple dedicated to Lord Muruga

otherwise known as Kumaran. The temple is built on the top of a small hill about 200 ft (61 m) height and faces east and can be reached by a flight of

steps.Goddess Valli and Devayani, the spouses of Subramanian, is also enshrined in the temple by the side of the main deity. Here,

Lord Muruga is in the form of a child . The statue is of a height of 8' 8" (highest Murugan statue in Tamil Nadu)

Photography is prohibited inside the temple so i just only cover the streets!

India (Ratheesh Sundaram | Kerala| Trivandrum)_ Link_Brasil (Elza Cohen | Brasil)Belas imagens de cenas das ruas da India capturadas por Ratheesh Sundaram, "Streets of Kumaran Kovil

STAY by Gods Robots (General Release)Alam Khan

STAY by Gods Robots (General Release)

Falling Feat Alam Khan (son of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan )

enjoy this new electro indian dub

enjoy !!!

Congratulation - ELZA COHEN

Elza Cohen has won second place in a Photo contest conducted by a leading Italian Fashion Magazine (Streets and People )

We wish her more success in her career and life !!!

Congratulations !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep photographing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

Team India Link Brasil

A View to Click (Trivandrum |Kerala | India)

Kathakali - Subhadraharanam

Margi Theatre

Margi is an organization dedicated to the revival of Kathakali and Kutiyattom, two classical art forms of Kerala, the south-western state of India. ‘Margi’, the

Sanskrit word means “pursuit of aesthetic values which are universal and everlasting”. The organization provides Gurukula system of training for these classical art forms and also holds regular performances. Highly stylized, oral and personal, in Gurukula, the ancient Indian concept of education students reside with the Guru or teacher.

Margi also conducts performances outside the country. In its history spanning over three decades Margi has always strived for the revival of the unique art forms of Kerala.

http://www.margitheatre.org/

Kathakali - Subhadraharanam (3rd day) Arjjunan : Inchakkattu Ramachandran Pillai Gadan : Margi Mohandas Sreekrishnan : Margi Vipin Sage : Margi Peethambaran Subhadra : Margi Vijayakumar

Gear- Nikon D5100 with 50mm 1.8 fG ,18-105mm and 70 - 300mm
29-11-2011 6 pm Margi Theatre ,Trivandrum ,Kerala ,India

The International Film Festival of Kerala..

9th – 16th December 2011

The International Film Festival of Kerala is a yearly event organized by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. The festival is recognized by the FIAPF thus making it part of a prestigious circle of specialized festivals. The 16th edition of IFFK will be held at Thiruvananthapuram (formerly known as Trivandrum), the capital city of Kerala in the South of India from 9th – 16th December 2011.

More infos interviews ,articles and updated photos will be posted during the festival !!!