If you are Cochin and pay pea nuts to see waterscape, use the Ernakulam Varapuzha ferry serv ice, for a trip that lasts 100 minutes, pay just Rs. 8 (46 rupees makes a us dollar today)
for more details, contact lonathoppil@gmail.com
This is free service, there no money in it for me
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Roads in Cochin - rain water drains
Roads in Cochin are resurfaced in March, that is before the rains called monsoons. The official word is rebuilt. They LOOK, nice, and smooth. If, it is a matter of build, then how long would they last? Would pot holes reappear? Will some body dig the roads to lay cables, pipes and so on?
Most roads have rain water drains, or open sewers on the side, or sides, and sometimes some have none. None or some, there is huge budget to clean them. Clean them because, people throw all manner of rubbish into them. Some dispose of garbage into the drains, and burn them. This is dry season, not much dirty water in drains now (March 2009).
In some places , on Deshabhimani Road, while cleaing roads for so called "rebuilding" much and sand on the road, plus garbage were dumped in the drains, this drains will not drain rain water, - so the roads will be flooded soon!
Most roads have rain water drains, or open sewers on the side, or sides, and sometimes some have none. None or some, there is huge budget to clean them. Clean them because, people throw all manner of rubbish into them. Some dispose of garbage into the drains, and burn them. This is dry season, not much dirty water in drains now (March 2009).
In some places , on Deshabhimani Road, while cleaing roads for so called "rebuilding" much and sand on the road, plus garbage were dumped in the drains, this drains will not drain rain water, - so the roads will be flooded soon!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Is Malayalam a dying language
No never.
Just the same, one must realise, influence of other languages make malayalam much different from what it used to be.
Go the market place, one would never hear the word roti, for bread. Now malayalees use the word bread as if it is a malayalam word. Roti had it origins or rather came via Hindi, but is not fashionable in Malayalam.
Then there is the word keema , Malayalam had no single word for minced meat, and some how the Hindi word has been adopted. Malayalees never used to eat spinach, well the Hindi word palak is used for it, it is resident North Indians who brought spinach into Kerala markets and the word is part of Malayalam language. Spinach or palak is available in the city shops now. It is Tamil Nadu farmer who feeds kerala people and yet another north indian leafy vegetable has arrived in the kerala market. It is fenugreek leaves, no, not just leaves the whole plant has that has arrived here. The world uluvaa, used in Malayalam and Tamil is still used here, but in Ernakulam Market, Methi is understood. Popularised by North Indian customers.
Rice flour was just ari podi, there is yet another word for flour, it is mavu. Dosha mavu for example. Wheat flour was known as gothambu mavu and looks like now the hindi word atta is acceptable. Wheat flour milled and sold by Oman Flour Mills in Muscat Oman is sold as ATTA, so the word has moved to Arab countries as well. Fine wheat flour, bleached and used for biscuites, cakes and parathas, was once known as American mavu, initially this was imported from America. Now no one would know it means, maida has become acceptable name for so called refined flour.
Just the same, one must realise, influence of other languages make malayalam much different from what it used to be.
Go the market place, one would never hear the word roti, for bread. Now malayalees use the word bread as if it is a malayalam word. Roti had it origins or rather came via Hindi, but is not fashionable in Malayalam.
Then there is the word keema , Malayalam had no single word for minced meat, and some how the Hindi word has been adopted. Malayalees never used to eat spinach, well the Hindi word palak is used for it, it is resident North Indians who brought spinach into Kerala markets and the word is part of Malayalam language. Spinach or palak is available in the city shops now. It is Tamil Nadu farmer who feeds kerala people and yet another north indian leafy vegetable has arrived in the kerala market. It is fenugreek leaves, no, not just leaves the whole plant has that has arrived here. The world uluvaa, used in Malayalam and Tamil is still used here, but in Ernakulam Market, Methi is understood. Popularised by North Indian customers.
Rice flour was just ari podi, there is yet another word for flour, it is mavu. Dosha mavu for example. Wheat flour was known as gothambu mavu and looks like now the hindi word atta is acceptable. Wheat flour milled and sold by Oman Flour Mills in Muscat Oman is sold as ATTA, so the word has moved to Arab countries as well. Fine wheat flour, bleached and used for biscuites, cakes and parathas, was once known as American mavu, initially this was imported from America. Now no one would know it means, maida has become acceptable name for so called refined flour.
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