POPULAR HANGOUTS IN COCHIN

KOCHI MAY be a happening place, but it was yet to imbibe the hangout culture that had caught up in a big way in similar cities across India. The restrictions put by the police after fall of dusk and the nuisance created by flashers, way-side Romeos, drug addicts are just some of the issues that people face. But things are changing abruptly. The mushrooming of ice-cream parlous, eat-outs, the Hill Palace Museum, Horticultural, and Internet kiosks with cabins are increasingly becoming the hangouts for the young crowd. The scenario is on a change mode as big malls are going to open soon. Bay Pride mall was the only real small mall, but now the Oberon mall supposed to be launched by August 2008 will be a big boost. Also other malls will be launched by 2009 such as Lulu mall (suppossed to be biggest mall in India), Forum Mall in Maradu, Gold Souk in Vytilla, Abad mall in MG road etc. (still a lot I dont remember).

Going by the metro meter there's good reason to believe that Kochiites are under the spell of fast foods.

The increasing crowds at the fast food joint like Pizza Hut, Chic King, Hot Breads et al are a testimony to this fact. Natty and neat, Chick King has literally revolutionised the fried chicken industry in the city! The crunchy chicken, the French fries, the bun and the coleslaw salad truly makes it the divine combination. Forget about what the health freaks tell you. (0)

KR Bakers is popular for its sweets and its fast version of slow food. In spite of being a bakery, it serves all the dishes that would constitute a full meal. Their USP is that since the food is always ready, it is served quickly and therefore is ‘fast food’. Its menu features parathas, chapatis, various vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, fresh juices and aerated drinks. You can also check out the pastries and confectionary items here.

Tandav is more a nightclub than a bar and has a dance floor. It's become quite a popular hang-out in Cochin. Tandav is a place to chill out. Some will call it a fun place; some may call it a pub. For others it can be a nightclub and for some a discotheque. It is basically a place for people to have fun. The DJ and the bouncers are the final authority at the place and there are two types of membership, one by invitation and the other though open will be thoroughly scrutinised

The other pubs or kind of place for night life are Formula 1 DJ pub - First and Best Dj pub of Kerala featuring the resident Djs, Experience the House, rave, Hip-Hop and all... The one and only real Hang-out of Kerala. It is located at MG road sputh end near Medical Trust. It is owned by swedish nationals. Its part of True wealth Hotels (P) Ltd.

Youth feel that the potential offered by the romantic backwaters, the shimmering beaches and the public parks should be better utilized. Kochi lacks a lovers' enclosure, a place where couples and pairs can spend some time together. There are whole lot of places to hangout in Kochi, but we have to provide an environment for people to come out.

At Fort Kochi, there is Kashi Art Café, where couples can chat amidst a good ambience, savoring snacks and lunch, while taking a look at the exhibition of paintings. Some hotels there serve food in the jetties jutting into the backwaters.

Hmm so far we never talked about the most popular hangout in Kerala - The Marine Drive.

Major fast food joints, including Marrybrown, DiMark, Barista, Coffee Bar are present along the walkway. The view of the setting and rising sun over the sea mouth, and the gentle breeze from the Vembanad Lake has made Marine Drive an important tourist destination in Kochi.Hundreds of people (both natives, and tourists) throng the walkway during the evenings. The walkway starts from the High Court Junction and continues until the Rajendra Maidan. There are also several boat jetties along the walkway.

Here are the list of popular hangout in city -

1) Marine Drive

2) Subhash Bose park

3) Durbar Hall grounds

4) Pizza hut

5) Chick King, Baskin Robbins

6) Bimbis

7) Avenue Regent

8) FortKochi beach, Chinese fishing nets, walkway

9) Mattancherry - synagogue, art galleries

10) Wellington Island park

11) Bolghatty island

Also areas like Vpeen walkway, Cherai beach, Hill palace in Tripunithura with deer park, Childrens park near subhash bose park, Veega land for whole day fun, Puthuvype beach and light house, Boat ride in Vembanad lake near Marine drive, also parks in Maradu. Then the suburban areas like Ezhattumukham etc. But by the launch of malls all life style is going to change.

When you consider the other cities in Kerala or south India, Kochi stands out. Trivandrum doesn't even have a great hangout other than Kovalam beach. Now a days Shanghumugham beach is also on upfront. The city of Trivandrum does not have a reputation for being a place that is youth friendly. It is also the only capital city in South India that has not taken to the mall, multiplex and Mocha (a Coffee shop chain) concept. Youngsters don’t have many choices when it comes to places where they can hangout with their friends. (no hangouts in Trivandrum)

SEE IT OUT ALL.

Again at last finishing of with another snap of marine drive.

Awaiting you comments.

Regards,

Vivek Shenoy P

07.45 PM

05-07-08

VOLVO OCEAN RACE IN COCHIN

The Indian stopover will come at the end of the second leg of the race from Cape Town, South Africa. Kochi will be the first of three new ports in Asia.

The seven yachts participating in the race will arrive in Kochi in December 2008 and will stay for 10 days, before starting leg three to Sentosa Island in Singapore. A race village spread over 2.5 acres will be set up near the BTP berth at Willingdon Island.

The booming shipping port on the Malabar Coast is one of India’s foremost tourist destinations and the race stopover is expected to bring thousands of additional visitors to both Kochi and the State of Kerala. The Kerala State Tourism Department envisages the event will bring significant visibility as well as economic benefit to the region.

Kochi’s selection was confirmed at an official ceremony at the Abad Plaza. Andy Hindley, Race Director, signed the port agreement along with Mr. N. Ramachandran, Chairman, Cochin Port Trust and Mr. KG Mohanlal, Managing Director, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.

Kochi certainly holds the key to the Asian leg. It is best located for the race route. As Mr. Ramachandran points out, “Choosing any other Indian port would mean a major deviation in the whole route that has now been planned.” The organisers expect the event to draw approximately 250,000 people to Kochi and generate around 50 million dollars in economic impact. There will be a lot of activity while the boats are in. The boats will be taken out of the water, be given full checks and an extensive maintenance and repair programme will be undertaken. The race sailors will do official media conferences and interviews when they arrive.

The Yachting Association of India (YAI), an active advocate of the race coming to India, sees the hosting of a stopover as a key component in India’s ongoing campaign to establish itself as a venue for hosting major sporting events following its successful bid to stage the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010.

“Hosting one of the world's top three sailing events will obviously boost any future bid to host major sailing as well as other sports events in India," said Commander Ajay Narang, Honorary Joint Secretary-General, YAI. “It will also be a tremendous fillip for local sailing,” he added.

In underlining the importance of the Indian stopover to the evolution of the race, Glenn Bourke, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, said: “It has always been part of our vision to take the race to different and wider audiences and we are delighted that Kochi has become part of that vision.

100 FLOORED INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE AND DEVELOPMENTS NEAR AIRPORT

Kochi, the Queen of Arabian Sea, which has been a shadow of its past for a long time, is now in the limelight as one of the most actively emerging cities not only in India but in South Asia.

Way back in 1999, Cochin International Airport was the first airport project in the country implemented under the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model. Currently, it ranks as the 4th largest airport in India in terms of international passenger traffic—after Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai—and the 7th largest airport in terms of domestic passenger traffic. Cochin International Airport Ltd, the airport developer and operator, is now looking at replicating the successful model in other states and countries. It also wants to develop an Aerotropolis around the airport.(Read the interview)

Area in and around the International Airport is developing at a fast rate. The projects coming up and under various stages are Aerotropolis, which means an Airport city that includes 18 holed Golf Course of International standards, Two Five star hotels and few budget hotels, trde and cultural village, exhibition and convention centres, amusement parks, food courts, multiplexes, shopping malls. Also it will include an IT park, BPO park and Biotech park.

Airport authorities held talks with Cochin University of Science and Technology for establishing an aviation academy and also in talks with IIMs for a programme in aviation management.

Interestingly Airport is planning is to have a flying school. Flying School would like to use the old Cochin airport runway for a few hours a day and offer revenue share to the Indian Navy. Old Cochin airport is situated in Naval Enclave in Wellington Island area opposite to Vathuruthy.

Airport is setting up a Rs 60-crore centre for perishable cargo with a Rs 15-crore grant from the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, which will handle 30,000 mt of export-import cargo a year and held talks with airlines like Etihad and Emirates to start a dedicated cargo service from Cochin. They have started constructing an exclusive cargo bay for this centre.

The local panchayat, Nedumbassery is one of the highest revenue earners in the State in terms of collection local taxes / other taxes levied by the State and Central Govts. It is developing at fast rate to become perhaps into a town.

Two Four star hotels are coming up in MC road, One at Kalady and the other near Airport.

These developments are coming up only in Airport area alone even making Kochi city to feel shy. The mammoth developments in Airport vicinity is unimaginable for any other airport in the world, as Kochi has strong base in Tourism. No other airport in Kerala has even a percent of the majesty that this airport has! The passenger traffic has heavily declined in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode airport once the International airport started functioning.

100 FLOORED INTERNATIONL TRADE CENTRE:

The Board of Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) has appointed Mumbai-based Zoom Developers to provide full design consultancy services for the proposed International Exhibition and Trade Centre at Kalamasserry near Kochi. The trade centre is planned in the prestigious Kinfra Hi-tech Park cluster and is expected to be operational in three years.

The project is coming up on 40 acres of Kinfra land at Kalamasserry, 25 km from Cochin International Airport and 26 km from the seaport. The trade centre is to have world-class facilities and will be built in Kerala style of architecture, according to Kinfra officials. The exhibition hall and the convention centre are expected to have an area of 5.6 million sq. ft. The convention centre will be designed to be used as a theatre, if required.
The project will also include a 5-star hotel of 31 floors providing 400 rooms, a 100-storey office tower which will be one of its kind in India, and a shopping mall spread on six floors. The trade centre is coming up in a five-storey building. Other amenities include a club house, service apartments, restaurants, ATM centres, a post office, Internet café and multilevel car parking.

It is great to see that all these developments are coming up in Kochi. Now what Kochi needs is basic infrastructure developments. Projects are going ahead to cope up during monsoon. Usually in the past years during the rainy seasons Ernakulam used to drown! But now its level is low and conditions improved. Recently East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram was in news as the area get fully drenched even if it rains for few minutes. Ernakulam doesn't have to face such shame now.

The Kochi area also needs to be expended from the present meagre area. It should be expanded up to Kodungaloor, Cherthala etc and should comprise of many other areas like Perumbavur, Chalakuddy, Pallipuram(Cherai area) etc.

HOPING FOR A BRIGHTER KOCHI!!

BEST WISHES

VIVEK SHENOY P
14.15 HOURS

RADIO MANGO IN KOCHI

Radio mango will be functional by May 10 as per reports. They consider the launch of Kochi station as a challenge.(again there are all chances for delay)

As Kochi is been considered as a Metro city, there shouldn't be any discrepancies and the programs must be the best. They are reviewing how it works in smaller cities like Calicut, kannur etc.

From all these they will take out points to be cared for and then launch....

KOCHI RADIO MANGO FM WILL THE BEST FM IN KERALA....

WATCH OUT FOR IT...

QUEEN VICTORIA IN KOCHI

March 26, 2008:
The Cruise Liner "QUEEN VICTORIA" which is the most luxurious liner in the world called at KOCHI Port on 26th March, 2008 in the morning. The luxury cruise liner arrived on schedule at 7 a.m from Chennai with 1,798 tourists and 1,008 crew . It was the 40the cruise liner to arrive at Kochi Port since April 2007. Kochi port is Number 1 in India in terms of arrival of Cuise Ships. The tourists were given traditional welcome at the port with a rousing reception complete with caparisoned elephants, kavadiyattam and traditional chendamelam.
They visited places of interest in and around the city, in buses and boats.

Captain Subash Kumar, Deputy Chairman and senior officers of Cochin Port Trust greeted the Captain of the ship, Christopher Rynd and exchanged plaques to mark the maiden visit of Queen Victoria to Kochi.

During the ceremony the Captain said that Kochi was the most beautiful port in this part of the world and appreciated the efforts made by the Port Trust for a hassle-free visit by the vessel and its tourists. (Picture on right: ship arrives FortKochi as people gathered in mass)

Queen Victoria Left Kochi at 6 pm on the same day to Mumbai. Tw more Cruise ships will arrive in Kochi this month.

Scores of people assembled at FortKochi to view the majestic ships leaving the city. It was indeed a memorable site to see QUEEN VICTORIA leaving Kochi.

Kochi expects 8 cruise ships in April.

VIVEK SHENOY P
7.30 PM

RANKING OF KOCHI?

Here is an assortment of some of the solid facts regarding the City of Kochi which have come recently in news. Many of us neglect these facts and thus stand way back in knowledge about our city and state as a whole.

1) HVS International is an Indian hospitality industry. HVS conducted a survey to find out top eight markets in South Asia. Managing director of HVS released the survey results according to which the following are the top eight emerging markets in India:

1) Lahore

2) Islamabad

3) Ahmedabad

4) Pune

5) Vizag (Vishakapattanam)

6)KOCHI(COCHIN/ ERNAKULAM)

7) Chandigarh

8) Bhubaneswar and Mysore

The rating was done on the following basis such as rate potential, demand growth, product orientation, infrastructure, site availability, replacement costs, induced demand and new supply risks.

Among the top eight markets in India included Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, Jaipur, Bangalore and Kolkata.

It is really great news as far as Kochi is considered where state government does little to improve infrastructure though it is the most developed and biggest of the cities in Kerala.

2) Knight Frank studies on emerging cities were released in June 2007. It rates Goa highest in terms of infrastructure.

The study rates KOCHI as an important transport and investment hub.

Also Kochi gets benefits due to its location. It rates Kochi as the major tourist destination in Kerala due to presence of top tourist locales in and around Kochi. The study drew attention as it was published in The Times of India.

3) Many of us aware of the fact the Kochi was chosen as the best place to live in India. The parameters used were health, education, environment, safety, public facilities and entertainment. Kozhikodewas placed second after Kochi and then the Capital city Thiruvananthapuram in number 4 spot. Interestingly Thrissur and Kannur were in 7^th and 9^th position. It was a boost to overall tourism sector in Kerala.

4) Air Ticket sale: Around 40% of airline ticket sales on the internet in India come from the four main South markets of Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi according to latest reports from online travel portal cleartrip.com published in The Times of India(Jan 21, 2008). Of the 40% of share from South these are the % from the following cities:

1) Bangalore 40.42 %

2) Chennai 24%

3) Hyderabad 24%

4) KOCHI 10%

The main advantage of Bangalore is that it has highest percentage of techies in India. Look at Kochi where it is coming up only and still ranks among the top cities in India. The techies are less in Kochi even when compared to Thiruvananthapuram or probably Coimbatore.

IT boom in Kochi is not fallacious, it is really happening in Kochi. Infopark is undergoing expansion. Recently the CM of Kerala inaugurated Tejomaya building at Infopark. He also laid foundation stone of Signature tower which will be completed in 2009. It will have twin towers of 21 floors. It will become new landmark in IT industry in Kerala. Unlike in Thiruvananthapuram where only state government IT Park is expanding, in Kochi the scenario is different where private players are investing for IT parks. Smart City project which is in limbo now when materialized will turn Kochi into IT hub of Kerala and in turn India.

5) As a matter of fact Ernakulam division of LIC retained its top slot among 105 divisions in India.

5) The below given are the words of Kerala IT secretary Ajay Kumar:

“We may not have big cities except for Kochi, but the State as a whole has superior facilities than other smaller towns in the country. That is where our opportunity lies”.

He was presenting the vision of the State in providing impetus to the growth of the IT industry at a meeting organized by the Kerala Information Technology Alliance (KITA), a non-profit, non-political global organization formed to bring Malayali IT professionals across the globe on a common platform, at Infopark on January 07, 2008.

6) Cochin International Airport is FOURTH in India in terms of International flight operations.

7) Cochin International Airport Limited(CIAL) is ranked third in the world in terms of balance between investment and profit, Cochin International Airport Ltd. is regarded as the most successful investment venture of the State and has the biggest duty free shop of the country.

Kochi is been thoroughly spotted and it is a strong contender to be a metro. Today Kochi is the only Metro City of Kerala. The government needs to concentrate more on Kochi. It doesn’t mean that the government should focus only on Kochi.

Kochi is the arguably the ideal starting point for exploring the unfathomable diversity and beauty of Kerala, rated in the top three tourist destinations by the World Travel & Tourism Council and featured in National Geographic Traveler's '50 greatest places of a lifetime'.

The beauty of Kochi lies in its backwaters. Although it locks the city, it adds to the glamour of this bustling city. The skyline of Kochi across the Marine Drive is famous and not to forget the WORLD FAMOUS CHINESE FISHING NETS AT FORTKOCHI, which is shown as sign of Kerala abroad.

All efforts should be taken to enhance the developments in Kochi. Not to mention about the vital developments going to take place in Thiruvananthapuram.

While Thiruvananthapuram is a step ahead of Kochi in terms of number of research based institutes, Kochi is far ahead of the capital city Thiruvananthapuram in terms of industries, shopping, night life, tourism, entertainment, sports etc, while both the cities are competing in terms of IT.

But reports make it clear that Kochi is their favorite IT destination. So government needs to expand the present facilities in IT sector in Kochi so that the IT companies can settle in their desired destination rather than the given place by the government of Kerala.

ALL THE BEST WISHES TO KOCHI, THE QUEEN OF ARABIAN SEA…

VIVEK SHENOY P

MARCH 20, 2008

9.25 PM

COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - A WONDER AIRPORT!!

For the residents of Kochi, the old airport at Wellington Island is a nostalgia these days. The old airport was at naval premises. The old airport was too small to handle the needs of Kochi. Also, due to security concerns a new airport was inevitable for the city. There came the NEW COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT at Nedumbassery.

Nedumbassery is a small village in between the two major towns Aluva and Angamaly. It is 30 kms away from Kochi city and 40 kms from the Traditional Capital of Kerala - Thrissur. It is considered to be such a place endowed with natural beauty and courteous people. Nedumbassery was earlier a place where people found it difficult to find takers for their land. But today realising the worth of their land, people are, increasingly, adopting a wait-and-watch approach towards land deals. Nedumbassery has enough water resources to meet with increasing populace.


ABOUT THE AIRPORT:


The Cochin International Airport is the First International Airport in India built by Public Private Participation. It was commissioned in June 10, 2000. The stake from Central and Kerala Government is only 26% combined and the rest amount put in by NRI's and other major organizations. The airport is owned by Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL).

The Cochin International Airport has a runway of 3400 metre which is equipped to any aircraft which is operating today in the world.

Specialties of Cochin International Airport :

1) It is the Busiest Airport in Kerala.

2) It is 4th busiest airport in India in terms of International traffic after Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. (00) It handled 2.5 million passengers in domestic and International routes during 2006-07.

3) It is only airport today in India other than Mumbai and Delhi which can handle Airbus 380.

4) It has a full length parallel taxiway of 3400 metres which was completed recently which will help to land flights and take off within minutes. Earlier it was a common site of aircrafts waiting to land and take off.

5) A 35-billion-rupee master plan involving construction of an 18-hole golf course, business centre, hotel chains, malls, industrial and IT parks and logistics centre has been developed by CIAL to generate revenues.

6) An aircraft maintenance centre.

7) Runway 0f 3.4 kms is one of the longest in India.

8) Kochi accounts for nearly half the total aircraft movement in and out of Kerala.(001)

9) Ranked third in the world in terms of balance between investment and profit, Cochin International Airport Ltd. is regarded as the most successful investment venture of the State.(0000)

10) Around 40 % of airline ticket sale in India come from South Indian Airports mainly Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. (0012)

In a few years to come Nedumbassery will upgrade itself as a developed Town.


Development Of Kochi!

The city's history dates back to 3000 BC when traders from various parts used to arrive to Mattancherry (Old Kochi) for Spice Trade. Kochi maintained its position in spice trade as the spice traded from Kochi is regarded as th best in the world.

Earlier it was Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad which took long strides in development. Now it is the turn of Kochi to follow. Due to a number of favourable factors, Kochi is fast becoming an important IT hub in the country.

New Developments in Kochi Airport :

1) Cochin International Airport (CIAL) has initiated efforts to effectively tap the big potential to export perishable items like vegetables, fish and meat through the airport.

Centre for Perishable Cargo (CPC) is to be constructed by CIAL with the financial assistance of the Centre and State Horticulture Mission. CPC was the second one in the country and it would ensure the cold chain process for fruit, vegetables and other perishables, enabling them to reach the overseas customers without losing their freshness.

CIAL expects a 12 per cent growth in the export of farm produces from the State with the commissioning of the proposed system.(000)

2) Kochi Airport to be partly closed for seven months:

Almost 200 out of 400 weekly domestic and international flights in and out of Kochi will be severely affected with the airport authorities deciding to close the runway from 10 am to 8 pm every day for seven months starting November this year. The entire runway needs to be recarpeted.


3) CIAL plans of Low Cost carrier.

Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) is looking at forming a joint venture (JV) to kick off its much awaited low-cost carrier (LCC), Air Kerala.(002)

4) The Cochin International Airport is planning to construct a new domestic arrival terminal and five extra parking bays. Out of the five new parking bays, three will be constructed immediately and the rest after September 2008.(003)

5) Air India plans to extend New York flight to South. Bangalore along with Kochi is being actively considered by the airline as it will ensure direct connectivity to New York.(0012)


Till the inauguration of Kochi's New Airport almost all of the domestic and cargo traffic was handled by Trivandrum International Airport(shown here).

But now Kochi has overwhelmed Trivandrum Airport as Kochi today handles around 52% of Kerala's traffic. The rest is handled by Trivandrum and Calicut International airports. Also Mangalore airport of Karnataka and Coimbatore airport of Tamil Nadu serve the Keralites.

Hey just consider the following things :

Kochi is of course a small city in comparison with Mumbai and Delhi. But the city is spreading to new area making it really big and making it a Metro City of Kerala. The population of Kochi is approaching 2 Million mark only but still it is a happening city and is 4th busiest airport in India. It often competes with Bangalore and when all the big projects become a reality in Kochi it is unimaginable how the city will develop.


Today the area near Nedumbassery and Kakkanad is called as New Cochin showing that city is developing beyond leaps and bounds.

So the contribution of CIAL in the development of Kochi is absolutely huge.

My caption of the blog says that Kochi is the only city in the world where 22 different community live together in harmony. This plays a major role in changing the face of Kochi and it differentiates Kochi from other cities.


Hoping for better Kochi

In Him

VIVEK SHENOY P
FEB 05, 2008
11. 30 PM

Mosquitoes in Kochi

Mosquitoes are giving sleepless nights to the residents of Kochi. With weather conditions turning favourable for mosquitoes to breed, the menace is assuming bigger proportions. The sunny days and chilly evenings are considered to be suitable for this.

The Corporation has allotted Rs.10,000 each to all the divisions for cleaning smaller drains. This step is being taken for preventing the breeding of mosquitoes in drains.

But don't mislead by this that Kochi is the only city with Mosquitoes!!

Kochi is the place which was affected to a lesser extent when Chickungunya was threat to Kerala. It was Pathanamthitta, Kottayam which were seriously affected along with Allapuzha.

If mosquito menace is so much I am in doubt why Kochi was affected less!!??

Shenoy

T

RECENT EVENTS IN KERALA.

VOLVO OCEAN RACE

The World’s most famous Ship Race called as Volvo Ocean Race will pass through Kochi. The Indian stopover will come at the end of the second leg of the race from Cape Town, South Africa. Kochi will be the first of three new ports in Asia.(0)Kochi was selected over Goa and Mumbai due to Kochi’s strategic location. “Kochi is blessed with deep waters off the port and has a wide channel that provides an arena for people to view the race,” the race director mentioned.(1) The seven yachts participating in the race will arrive in Kochi in December 2008 and will stay for 10 days, before starting leg three to Sentosa Island in Singapore. A race village spread over 2.5 acres will be set up near the BTP berth at Willingdon Island.(2) This year it is the first time that the Volvo Ocean Race is passing through Asia. The race will go across 11 nations covering 39000 nautical miles with 9 stopovers. An agreement was made between the race director Andy Hindley and Kerala Government.

3000 beds alone are set to be required for the race organizers and participants. It is said that around 10,000 foreigners will come to Kochi. Over 40 channels across the globe will telecast the Volvo Ocean Race live. What else does Kochi need for a better advertisement? It will boost the economy of the state.

With the race to start in few months the major challenge for Kochi is to build race village of International standards for the participants to enjoy for about 10 days!

Brahmos Aerospace in Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala hi-tech industries (KELTEC) have been taken over by the defense ministry and now will be called as Brahmos Aerospace. It is situated in Chacka near the Tivandrum airport.

This has happened only because of the sincere efforts made by the Union Defense Minister Mr. A. K. Antony who hail from Cherthala. He handed over the key of Brahmos Aerospace to CEO Dr. Shivathanupilla who is named as the missile man of India. By this Kerala becomes the third unit for the production of High speed Missiles after Bangalore and Hyderabad. There were many efforts from defense ministry to pull down the unit being started in Trivandrum as they said that it will be poor market.

But Antony specified that around 1000 crores of rupees will be invested in Defense field thus transforming Kerala into a major Aerospace destination.

CMFRI and CIFT celebrate Jubilee

January 4, 2008:

How many in India especially in Kerala know that about 35,000 fishing boats in sea were designed in the research institute situated in Kochi!! The union minister Sharad Pawar inaugurated the 50^th anniversary of Central Institute of Fisheries Technology commonly called as CIFT. The beginning of CIFT was very humble in a rented building in Chittoor road in the year 1957. CIFT was located in the present location in Wellington Island in 1967. The present Director of the institute of CIFT is Dr. K Devadasan.

Today India is in 6^th position worldwide in the Fisheries area.

Also today new ship built by CIFT for fisheries research will be launched.

Adding to the glitz and glamour of the achievements of CIFT is another research institute in Kochi called as Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). It is celebrating 60^th anniversary today and will be presided by the Union Minister Mr. Sharad Pawar.

The inception of CMFRI was in the year 1947 with Chennai as the Headquarters. But in the year 1971 headquarters of CMFRI was shifted to Kochi.

The latest research work done by scientists in CMFRI is development of latest technology for reproduction of ornamental fishes.

COCHIN CARNIVAL

There is only one answer for the question “Where is the biggest celebration occurring as part of Christmas and New Year in Kerala”? It is the historic FORTKOCHI in Kochi City. This years Cochin Carnival was the event in which most number of foreign tourists participated in India. The carnival was flagged of on December 13, 2007 and various cultural events were conducted as part of Carnival. The events include Painting, sports events, rangoli, cultural events, swimming. The most glamorous event is BEACH RACE.

On January 01 there was carnival procession which started from Veli grounds. The procession included various events like dance, rally, fashion and imitating dress show. Also there were many floats in the rally which made people to think over and ponder about it. Koovapadam Brothers won the First prize for float event which displayed Perunthachan’s shilpashala.

The procession concluded at the historic Parade ground at Fort Kochi. Kochi city Mayor Prof. Mercy Williams presided over the function. Mattancherry MLA V. K Ibrahimkunju, Fort Kochi RDO Mr. Joseph and other MLA’s, counselors etc were present for the award ceremony. K J SOHAN who is called as the FATHER of COCHIN CARNIVAL gave a small speech.

25^th Anniversary of COCHIN CARNIVAL in 2009

Next year it will be the 25^th time that Kochi is celebrating the carnival and the mayor told that it will be made a grand event next year with funds from the Kerala government.

KJ Sohan said that when Mahatma Gandhi came to Veli beach in Kochi during pre independence he quoted “KOCHI AS EPITOME OF ADVENTURE”. Sohan also added that next years carnival must be made a huge event and its fame to reach all over the world.

Bane for Fortkochi?

One bug and the whole history and culture of Fortkochi is under threat. I am talking about the creepy crawly Shafique (17) who was arrested for molesting a Swedish lady. Though the Swedish faction didn’t file a complaint he was arrested and the procedures followed by Kochi police really deserve accolades considering the Mumbai event where the City Commissioner said not to blow up the incidence and failed to take action.

This incidence caught national attention. “We can’t let the hooligan’s escape” this is what the Kochi city police commissioner said after arresting the culprit. Mumbai and Kochi is often ranked high for safety for women, but one sinister affair like this can spoil all the other great things whatever it may be. All these events will only contribute to bring down the tourists to India.

ETHNIC FOOD FESTIVAL IN KOCHI

National Ethnic Food and Cultural fest, the first of its kind in the state was conducted in Kochi as there are around 14 major communities in Kochi living in harmony, which is absolutely inimitable anywhere in the world. The fest was conducted from January 5 to 10. The main specialty of the food festival in Kochi was that the food was prepared by the housewives of particular community residing in Kochi.

There were food stalls from Kannada, Andhra, Tamilian, Konkani, Thulu, Punjabi, Oriya, Bengali, Gujarati, North Indian, Rajasthani, Portuguese communities. Also there were stalls for Kerala style, Chinese, Arabian, Italian etc.

The timings were 4.30 pm to 10 pm and the turnout for the event was absolutely overwhelming. There was unimaginable rush at the fest for the last day.

Kochi believe it or not is the only place with such a cultural integrity in the world and it is evident if one takes a ride across the older part of Kochi like Mattancherry and Fortkochi.

LIST OF FOOD – BE READY TO DROOL

The food festival was absolutely a mega event considering that it was Mini India inside the Marine drive Ground where the fest was held.

The Portuguese food stuffs were roasted tongue of cow, tripe of cow, Souvlinge Culculse, roasted duck, Beef vindalu, Bibinca, Matrony etc which were new to Keralites.

The Oriyan delights were Feni, Manda pitha, muga pitha, Chenna poda, Potala kasa, Chhencheda etc which was organized by Cochin Oriya association. Favorites among the Punjabi food were Corn chat, Punjabi bullet, Khas hara bara, tandoor, Ginger chicken etc served along with elegant Punjabi music.

Andhra stall served Hyderabadi dum biriyani, chicken biriyani, chilli bhajji, special dosa etc. Kerala Banga Samskriti Sanga also had attractive stall serving typical Bengali fish fry etc. Kannada stall served Aval, Nippatu, Jowar roti, Dharwad peda, Bhajji, Protien rich soup etc.

Gujarati stall was famous and it contained Dabeli called as Indian burger apart from Parathas and chats. Thulu, North India stall were also with peculiar food items. Thulu stallhad manjal dosa, Boli etc.

The Tamil stall was funny as it served Dosas which were too big and other typical Tamil dishes like Oothappam, Pongal, Curd rice, Puliyodharai etc.

I initially thought that I won’t spend much time in Konkani stall as I am Konkani myself but the stall had some of the special foods that I rarely have eaten. So I got interested and had many other dishes also. There were dishes like Panjagadhayu – Payasam/Kheer, Pal pongal, Hittu, Rontos, Cabbage dosa, Rose milk etc.

These were memorable days that I will hardly forget. Also a stage was set where cultural programs of different communities were held. Thus these festival days made me a binge eater again and I feel myself that I am a food connoisseur from this day.

THUS KOCHI MADE THIS EVENT A BIG HIT AND I AM WAITING FOR THE FOOD FEST OF 2009!!

GCDA and TRIDA will be suspended next year.

The development authorities of the cities of Cochin and Trivandrum will be closed down from next year as claimed the Government. The development body for Calicut city was closed last year in April.

The Government have sent letter to the authorities asking explanation of following matters: Projects undertaken now, Estimate of the projects, Authorities profit for the last 3 years, Expense, Expense for salary, Vacant posts, people working in deputation, number of people working for daily wages etc.

But the decision to close the GCDA is set to cause widespread protest in Kochi considering the development that GCDA has made to The City of Cochin such as Kaloor International Stadium, Marine Drive, Marine Drive Ground Maidan, Subhash Bose Park, Residential colonies, other parks in various parts.

If the decision is implemented then it will be a major set back for the present projects like roofing of the International stadium and Ring road.