Monthly Archives: December 2014

Seeking Malihabad’s Jewish connect

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, World Opinion

Lucknow :

Straight aquiline noses, fair skin colour, chiselled features and a probable connection with the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel could be an addition to the identity of Afridi Pathans who have been dwelling in various parts of the erstwhile Awadh since centuries. In a quest to trace the lineage of exiled Israeli tribes, Jewish scholars from the far-off land of Israel have been guests to Malihabad over the years. Attracting world attention yet again, Malihabad will host Dr Ari Greenspan and Rabbi Dr. Ari Zivotofsky from Israel’s Bar Ilan University on Sunday, to assist their quest to understand more about Afridi Pathans’ historical connection to Judaism based on their hypothesis.

According to legend, ten of the 12 Israeli tribes had been exiled by Assyrian invaders in 721 BC, some of whom settled in India. Afridi Pathans, the supposed descendants of one such lost tribe came to India between 1202 and 1761 AD, making Uttar Pradesh their home amongst various other regions.

Barely an hour away from Lucknow, Malihabad has been home to as many as 650 families of Afridi Pathans, who take pride in their warrior genetics, but are in fact averse to the idea of bearing Jewish roots, if there be any.

The idea of Afridi Pathans tracing a Jewish ancestry grabbed attention when the Indo-Judaic studies scholar, Navras Jaat Aafreedi started working on the subject in 2002. Emphasising his thesis and claiming the lineage of Afridi Pathans to Ephraim, Navras himself an Afridi Pathan, managed to irate his kindred back then while proposing the idea of bearing Jewish roots to them.

In an email communication with Navras, the two scholars have explained how they “would like to understand the history and meet any elders who might hold or remember traditions linking the Pathans to the Jews.” It is believed some of the Jewish traditions bear resemblance to the ones followed by the Afridi Pathans.

In 2002, Professor Tudor Parfitt along with his team from the Centre of Jewish Studies, London University had collected DNA samples from the Malihabadi Afridi Pathans. In 2008, Shahnaz Ali, researching on the subject, blood samples collected from the clan, followed by gathering DNA samples in 2009. Result of the research carried out so far has not been made public, but most of the earlier studies worldwide have refuted such claims of heredity.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / December 21st, 2014

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Afridi Pathans resent linking lineage with Jews

Mahilabad :

On a foggy Sunday afternoon, the otherwise quite Malihabad bounced to its Pathani vigour as a group of Afridi Pathans sat in the orchard of revolutionary poet Josh Malihabadi and conversed with Rabbi Dr Ari Zivotofsky. It was meant to be a session in which the rabbi would have asked the Afridi Pathans questions about their traditions and history, but he found himself facing questions from youth who were anguished about the constant research on their genetics by Israelis. The questions were not limited to what the Afridi Pathans said were “false claims” trying to find their roots to Judaism, but also included the situation between Palestine and Israel.

Rabbi Dr Ari Zivotofsky decided to visit Malihabad to study the historical ancestry of Afridi Pathans in the region, after his interest was aroused in previous research on the subject. Earlier hypotheses claimed resemblance between certain traditions revolving around the common Semitic customs of Afridi Pathans with those of the Jews, hinting towards a probable connection between the two.

“Five years back when Shehnaz Ali visited us in Malihabad to take DNA samples of the Pathans, she misguided us about the real motive of her research. She told us it was to reaffirm if the Afridi Pathans of present day held the same warrior qualities and other characteristics of their ancestors hundreds of years back. We later got to know that it was to find a link of Pathan ancestry with Jews,” complained Ahsan Javed Khan, a raging Afridi Pathan, host to an Israeli scholar visiting the small tehsil, who was in Malihabad researching on Pathan history.

Speaking about his experience of the meeting, Zivotofsky said, “I am not intimidated by their questions but actually surprised with how offended the Afridi Pathans are by this research and how careful one has to be with an apolitical and benign approach.” The young men pointed out anomalies in previous research carried out by other individuals and averred that DNA studies done earlier could found no conclusive result. The Pathans also claimed that the research might have a political motivation in case one of the earlier researches was funded by Israel’s foreign ministry. “The points raised here have intrigued me to follow up on the research done back then. If no conclusive results were found probably the researches couldn’t arrive at the expected results so they didn’t publicise them. I would now like to get into those flaws,” said Zivotofsky.

In the old Kothi of Khalid Yusuf, belonging to the earliest families of Afridi Pathans in Malihabad, Dr Ari spoke about an oral tradition passed on through generations. “I remember my grandmother telling me that we belong to Bani Israel (Children of Israel) and Ephraim, however this does not mean that we are Jews. Why do Israelis want to trace our ancestry to one of the lost tribes of Israel?” said Asad Yar Khan, taking Zivotofsky around his hometown.

“With the knowledge that I am taking from here, it looks like the theory of Pathans having a link with Judaism is more of an oral tradition, and collecting blood samples will not help anymore. We should look into the books now for the research to come together. It could be a better idea to rephrase the research as ‘finding a link between Afridi Pathans and ancient Israel’ instead of with Jews, to whom the people here appear to be averse,” concluded Zivotofsky.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Yusra Husain, TNN / December 22nd, 2014

Home hero leads ATK victory lap – ‘For a sports fan, this is the place to be’

Sports

As Atletico de Kolkata won the first edition of the Indian Super League with a last-gasp goal in Mumbai on Saturday evening, the 17-year-old sat transfixed in front of the television, grateful to be playing football at a time when the game has finally gone international in India.

The Class XII student at Frank Anthony Public School, who captains his team and wears the No. 10 jersey, writes for Metro what the ISL and Atletico de Kolkata’s victory meant to him.

LiamBainKOLKATA22dec2014

The nail-biting football that had the nation hooked for 90-odd minutes on Saturday night was not only a fitting finale to the first edition of the ISL but also a big triumph for Calcutta, which is the place to be for any sports fan like me.

Atletico de Kolkata’s victory completed a rare double for the city – 2014 IPL and ISL champions – while our home-grown forward Mohammed Rafique’s winning goal made me believe that perseverance and dedication matter the most in the quest for glory.

ATK’s never-say-die attitude in the final was inspiring too. I have won and lost many finals and I know how mentally draining it can be. But the ATK players were calm. Your instincts and talent matter but your mindset can make or break you. Big matches are nerve-wracking and brutal to lose.

Super-sub Rafique’s 95th-minute header reminded me of two occasions where I have been in a similar position. During my training at Club Atletico Boca Juniors, I had come on as a substitute in a friendly and scored a late goal that gave my side a 1-0 win. In the quarter-finals of the Keventer Cup 2014, my school team was awarded a last-minute penalty, which I calmly converted.

On the flip side, I have been in the boots of Kerala’s Michael Chopra, who thought he had scored the winner, only to discover that his shot had been saved by the brilliant Edel Bete.

Like Michael, my heartbreak moment had come in the dying moments of a final of the inter-Frank Anthony schools’ tournament, which cost us the match. That’s the harsh reality of sport.

Saturday’s final taught me how a strategy like keeping a defender at the first post (which Kerala goalkeeper David James should have done) or a brilliant save (like Edel’s) can be the fine line between triumph and misery.

Without Luis Garcia in the starting XI and Fikru out of the match, ATK had their backs to the wall from the beginning. They initially lacked creativity in the midfield and Kerala looked a much better team. But Kerala failed to convert chances and I was amazed how Arnab Mondal and Josemi, the defensive stalwarts, and goalkeeper Edel kept ATK alive in the game.

With missed chances at both ends, each side was almost resigned to 30 minutes of extra time until, astonishingly, ATK found a way out of it!

In the end, I think, India was the real winner of the ISL, opening up so many avenues for the growth of football in the country.

The ISL also gave young footballers like me the much-needed push to dream of making it big. It gave me new heroes like Sandesh Jhingan, who makes match-winning tackles; Elano Blumer, whose free kicks I would like to emulate; Luis Garcia, whose skills and leadership qualities I have tried to embrace; and Iain Hume and Steven Pearson, whose stamina and perseverance inspire me.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Calcutta> Story / Monday – December 22nd, 2014

Getting the Royal Look

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

RoyalMPOs22dec2014

Hyderabad :

The bylanes of Charminar have series of shops offering Zardozi work. Most of them have been running the show for the past thirty to thirty-five years.

Stopping by Mohammed Haji at Laad Bazar, the artist, Mohammed Haji himself sits on the floor behind the wooden equipment working on a piece of cloth, held taut with two long pieces of wood and thread to enable him to work easily.

“Though in the beginning of my career, I used to do a lot of work on sarees, I mostly work on blouses now as people these days like heavy blouses,” says the 24-year-old, who started designing when he was in school.

Not being a family business, he got into the craft full-time after his class VII. “I started with helping my brother Mohammed Latif in my childhood as my mother would not like me wasting time. She asked me to pick up the skill as it would make a good source of income in future. I later dropped the idea of continuing schooling,” clarifies Haji.

He now has set up a separate workshop for himself in Laad Bazar and works along with one of his helper.

He says, “The way sarees are pre-designed these days has changed the fashion style.”

Today, we can witness a blend of the past with the present, the old with the modern. Zardozi has become a well-known and fashionable hand embroidery. “Earlier people would prefer heavy zardozi sarees. But now its limited to blouses only. Which in turn is affecting our income,” he rues.

The Zardozi work has not only kept up with modern embroidery but is also booming.

Ranging from gold to silver to the metal one, the craft though has changed with the passing time, Haji is more focussed on using the metal one, which he blends with zari, kundan, lace, chain, beads and resham threads. “But zardozi is what completes the design,” he informs.

Speaking about designs, he says, “Peacock and mango are the most popular designs which people prefer these days. They come up with their own designs. Sometimes if the customer has no idea about the design, I suggest them as per their material and the occasion. They add their own ideas to it and that’s how we brainstorm.”

Budget plays an important role while deciding design he says.

As his workshop is on first floor, there is not much footfall there so he generally picks orders from a nearby boutique.

The materials used to do the embroidery are bought from the city market.

The smallest work takes a day to be completed. “Gold, silver and antique Zardozi is in vogue now. Along with that, people also prefer using coloured ones,” explains Haji.

Each piece is charged as per the design and the materials used for embroidery. The quality check of the Zardosi, Haji says comes through years of experience.

The Zardosi works can specify patterns and motifs to suit their budget and choice. “Normally for a blouse we charge anywhere between `1,000 to `5,000. But for bigger works we charge more,” says Haji.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Pratima Shantaveeresh / December 22nd, 2014

A dawn awaits forgotten people

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Travel & Tourism
Jungle Tales: Saad Bin Jung loves the wild and the wilderness. Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
Jungle Tales: Saad Bin Jung loves the wild and the wilderness. Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

Saad Bin Jung talks about his latest book and what inspired him to pen the thought provoking pages.

Saad Bin Jung is reviving his touch with what we call ‘civilization.’ After spending months in the jungle resorts which he owns in Karnataka and Africa, Saad is seemingly enjoying his life though he would love to return to the jungle at the first instance. After all, holidaying there had never been his intention.

He plays a jungle guide, photographer, observer and lover of the natural life that surrounds him. His visit to the city is with a purpose and closely linked to the life he spends and the thoughts that cross his mind as he watches the animals enjoy the wilderness. He , is currently engaged in a multi-city tour to launch his recently authored book Matabele Dawn. Having dedicated his life to conservation, he has spent time with many tribes, in many parts of Africa and India.

Saad Bin Jung's book
Saad Bin Jung’s book

So is Matabele Dawn a culmination of these experiences? “These fortunate meetings have made me realise that conservation is all about addressing a conflict. The conflict between the authorities and the local people /tribes that live in remote areas of both Africa and India. They are a forgotten people that eke out a living against all odds and live in the buffer regions of our protected forests.” He adds, “It is nice to be back in familiar space for a change. But I would prefer the wilderness any day.” And this wilderness helped Saad complete the book comparing his life in India and Africa. The author and activist describes the book as a thought-provoking journey through the heart of Africa and India. Saad elaborates , “Matabeleland was a thriving nation in erstwhile Zimbabwe. When Cecil Rhodes believed that King Solomon’s mines were located here, he mowed down the tribe. In a matter of months Matabeleland ceased to exist. No such mines were found but beautiful people were annihilated.

The book is about the journey of a few of that tribe, about their trials and tribulations as they move towards Maasailands in search of their destiny. Set deep in the heart of tribal India and Africa, it unfolds an epic saga of two lives in disarray where the solution is more lethal than the problem. Chenjerai is born in the African bush and a nation is wiped out. Shaaz’s birth in Europe heralds World War II. Chaos rule their lives and their search for answers remains elusive. When the veil does lift, it brings them face to face with a terrifying evil, one that threatens not just both their lives but also that of generations to come. From the Matabeles of Lobengula and the Maasai of Mbatiany to the Nawabs of India and the Gonds of Bastar, their quest cuts across the very heart of two mysterious worlds, leaning on each other, creating chaos.

The author claims he wrote the book in a way that enables one to smell the land, touch the wilderness and embrace the people and, above all, be a part of the story that shaped the history of both the regions. Real incidents also went onto inspire the author in Saad. “When I read about our Indian tribal girls in central India being tortured and physically abused, my blood boiled and my mind started to tick. The final straw was when I went to Africa and learnt of the Matabeles. That’s when I knew a book was coming but exactly where and how, I was not certain. Through my travels in Africa, the idea of Chenjerai took final shape and finally when I read the old books on central India, about the Nawabs and the tribes therein, the character of Shaaz was born. That I was upset at the way Africa had been raped is without any doubt. A motive took birth and the final puzzle of the book fell into place,” he says.

The descendant of the Paigah family is also troubled at the ease with which India rescinded on its constitutional assurances. He says, “One such promise being the abolishment of the privy purses; having experienced first hand life among a beautiful set of truly vulnerable people, I witnessed the 5000 year old institution of Indian royalty being wiped out from the face of this earth in but a matter of days. It’s filled me with unending anger and frustration and Matabele Dawn was the culmination of such harsh realities that I was exposed to — both in India and Africa — through my journey of life.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Prabalika M. Borah / December 18th, 2014

Beary Sahitya Academy honorary awards for three

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders

Awards to be presented at Chikkamagaluru on January 10

The Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy will confer its annual honorary awards 2014 on B.M. Ichalangodu, B.A. Shamshuddin Madikeri and Y. Mohammed Beary Edapadavu.

While Prof. Ichlangodu is being honoured for his contributions in Beary language research, Mr. Shamshuddin is being honoured in the field of literature and Mr. Mohammed Beary in the field of education, said academy chairman B.A. Mohammed Haneef.

Mr. Haneef told presspersons here on Monday that the awards would be presented at the Beary Language Conference to be held at Chikkamagaluru on January 10. More than 5,000 Beary-speaking people were expected to attend the event, he said.

The Chikkamagaluru District Beary Federation would be co-hosting the event at the Vokkaligara Sabha Bhavana where the language conference would be held from 10 a.m. and the award presentation would be held from 3 p.m.

B.M. Ichlangod
B.M. Ichlangod

Prof. Ichlangod worked in various colleges in the undivided Dakshina Kannada and has written many works including translation of Koran, and Muslims of Tulunadu. He has also been active in the consumer rights movement.

B.A. Shamshuddin Madikeri.
B.A. Shamshuddin Madikeri.

 

Mr. Shamshuddin has worked as a journalist for many publications in Madikeri and has penned many works in Beary language.

Muhammad Byari Yedapadavu.
Muhammad Byari Yedapadavu.

Mr. Mohammed Beary, after serving the Syndicate Bank for 22 years, established Ideal English Medium School at Edapadavu and has been the president of the Federation of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district English Medium Schools. He is also the president of the committee of families of victims of Mangaluru air crash.

The awards carry Rs. 10,000 in cash and citation. The Kannada and Culture Department has proposed to the government to increase the cash purse to Rs. 75,000 each, but the academy is not sure when that would come into effect, Mr. Haneef said.

The academy has also identified nine personalities to be felicitated during the language conference for their contributions to various fields.

They are: Mariam Ismail, Ismail Azad, A.M. Sridharan and Umar Farooq (for literature); K. Mohammed (for defence); Moidin Kunhi (for medicine); Azala Ayub and B.H. Noor Mohammed (for social service) and Mohammed Iqbal (for singing), he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Anil Kumar Sastry / Mangaluru – December 16th, 2014

Ustad Fayaz Khan to present Hindustani Music Recital on Dec. 15

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

UstadFayazMPOs20dec2014

Mysuru :

Ustad Fayaz Khan will present a Hindustani classical music recital on Dec. 15 at 6.30 pm at Jaganmohan Palace auditorium at the valedictory of the four-day Parangathotsava – 2014 organised by Vasundhara Performing Arts Centre Trust (VPAC Trust), Mysuru.

Profile: Born in a family of musicians of Kirana Gharana on 17th February at Dharwad, Fayaz Khan’s father Ustad Abdul Quadar Khan was a Staff Artiste in AIR and his grandfather Ustad Sheik Abdulla Khan was a court musician in Mysore Palace and Nawabs of Hyderabad.

Fayaz Khan started his training under the guidance of his father (for sarangi and vocal) and at the same time he learnt tabla under the guidance of Pt. T. Basavaraj Bendigeri and Ustad Mammulal Sangaunkar. At the teen age, he started giving performances with senior artistes. He has participated in several music competitions and has may awards including the National Competition of AIR in 1989 (1st prize) and upgraded from AIR. He has accompanied noted artistes of India like late Dr. Gangu Bai Hangal, Pt. C.R Vayas, Pt M.R. Gautham, Dr. Prabha Athre, Pt. Ajay Pohankar, Pt. Anindo Chaterji, Pt. Suresh Talvalkar, Pt. Yogesh Samsi, Pt. Shubhankar Banerji and Pt. Vijay Ghate, on sarangi.

After his father’s demise he went to Mumbai to continue his further training from Padma Vibhushan Pt. Ramnarayan (for 5 years) after that he moved to Bengaluru and started working for South film industries. He has worked with music directors like A.R. Rahman, Rajan-Nagendra, Vijay Bhaskar, Hamsalekha, M.M. Keeravani, Raman Goukula, V. Manohar and Guru Kiran and sang many title songs of tv serials. He has also composed many Kathak ballets and performed abroad.

The awards include: National Award of All India Radio; Aryabhata Award for TV serial; Best Sarangi Player Awarded from Bangalore Music Academy; Pt. Puttaraj Krupabhushan Samman; Kala Kaumudi (Samskruthi Vidya Peetha, Bengaluru) and Yuva Puraskar from Kaladarpan.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News /  Sunday , December 14th, 2014

Bazm-e-Tipu Mushayera

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Tipu Sultan Trust has organised the 3rd monthly Mushayera of Bazm-e-Tipu on Dec. 13 at 7.30 pm at Markaz Al Hind #2798, MKDK Road, Savoy Chowk, Mandi Mohalla, Behind Dargahi Masjid under the chairmanship of Zahidulla Khan.

Interested may contact Ph: 0821-2455607 or 2438786 or Mob: 93412-35607.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Brief  /  Saturday , December 13th, 2014

City top Cop holds Mass Counselling for reformed criminals, mob

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders
A section of Members of Bureau of Modus Operandi at the Mass Counselling in city this morning.
A section of Members of Bureau of Modus Operandi at the Mass Counselling in city this morning.

Mysuru :

In his continued bid to bring listed criminals to the mainstream and aiming to rehabilitate them, now known as Members of Bureau of Modus Operandi (MOB), City Police Commissioner Dr. M.A. Saleem conducted the first-ever mass counselling for nearly 500 members of MOB at CAR grounds here this morning.

Dr. Saleem gave counselling to various categories of members of MOB including those who have been released from prison after serving terms and those accused of crimes ranging from murder, theft, robbery, burglary, dacoity, cheating, criminal breach of trust, circulation of fake currency notes and also minor crimes at all the 16 Police Stations coming under City Police Commissionerate.

There are 4,900 members of MOB in the district including 3,048 from city. Out of them, 500 who attended today’s counselling had been brought from all the Police Stations in city in government vehicles.

Dr. Saleem advised the members saying, “you may have committed crimes in a fit of rage, but you will do well to transform yourselves after serving terms to ensure that the society sees you in a better light.” He also offered to get jobs to transformed members depending upon their educational and technical skills.

Dr. Saleem, further asked the MOB members to change their mindset to gain confidence of the society to look at them as reformed persons and see their family members in a more dignified manner, thus saving their kin from being branded as relatives of criminals.

The Commissioner also collected details on conduct of these members who were divided into nine categories based on the nature of crime committed by them from authorities of all the Police Stations.

DCPs A.N. Rajanna & M.M.Mahadevaiah, ACPs A.K.Suresh, Jai Maruthi and B.T. Kavitha and Inspectors of all the Police Stations coming under the City Police Commissionerate were present during the mass counselling.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News /  Saturday , December 13th, 2014

I like Indore-based designer Asif Shah’s work, says model Zulfi Syed

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

Model Zulfi Syed, who was in Indore recently to participate in a private event, spoke to HT about Bigg Boss, his plans to start a modelling academy and more. Here are excerpts from an interview.

Model and actor Zulfi Syed visited Indore recently to participate in a private event. (Shankar Mourya/HT photo)
Model and actor Zulfi Syed visited Indore recently to participate in a private event. (Shankar Mourya/HT photo)

You have been a part of reality show Bigg Boss. What do you have to say about the ongoing season of the show?

I find the format a bit different now. Our season was more or less based on an international format. Now there is more contact with the outside world and even the number of wildcard entries have gone up. The audiences have better access to housemates as they can talk to them over phone. This wasn’t possible when Bigg Boss started initially.

We heard you are planning to start a modelling academy. Is that true?
I am starting an academy for people who want to get into modelling. There are hardly any schools to mentor aspiring models in India. I am planning to open such a school. We would be visiting cities like Indore and Bhopal and hold workshops for aspiring models. I have a team of experts which includes models like Rahul Dev, Alisia Raut, Praveen Sirohi, Amrita Patki, Shahwar Ali and Aanchal Kumar to guide them. There will be a makeup artist and a fitness trainer. Shakir Sheikh would be imparting training in choreography. We will train them on how to walk the ramp among other things. We will be doing portfolio shoots and if they have potential, we will handle their work in Mumbai. The institute would be called Smoke and we plan to start the project by February, 2015.

What inspired you to start such an institute?
I have been a part of the modelling industry for several years. I felt the need for such an institute. There are a lot of people who come from small towns to Mumbai and they don’t know where to start if they want to become a model.

Many male models have gone missing from the industry.
There is obviously more work for girls. Designers for women have increased in the recent past. Even a lot of male designers have ventured into creating outfits for women. The industry was always ruled by women and I think it will be this way.

What are your upcoming projects?
I am working on a Bulgarian venture which contains a mix of Indian as well as Bulgarian actors. Portions of the film will be shot in Bulgaria. It’s an action-thriller movie. I can’t talk much about it right now.

Which designer’s outfits do you prefer wearing?
I follow a lot of designers. Of late, a lot of interesting names have crept in the market. I like Asif Shah from Indore for his style of suits. Rohit Bal is really good. I also admire Ravi Bajaj, Suneet Verma and Manish Malhotra.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> India-News> Indore / by Hussain Malvi, Hindustan Times / Indore – November 29th, 2014

Coconut plucking: women take giant strides

Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues
A woman undergoing training in coconut plucking at Parangipettai in Cuddalore district.
A woman undergoing training in coconut plucking at Parangipettai in Cuddalore district.

Even though Cuddalore district abounds in coconut trees, the price of coconuts is high. The reason trotted out for such market behaviour is the lack of manpower to pluck coconuts or the high wages the workers demand.

It has created a situation in which even the ripe coconuts are left either to rot on the trees or fall. It has become consternation for the coconut growers to find the workforce on time to harvest, not to speak of the plight of the households having a few coconut trees in their garden.

To overcome the problem, the M.S. Swaminatan Research Foundation (MSSRF) has launched the “Friends of Coconut Tree” programme for farmers and the unemployed youth.

R. Elangovan, Project Officer of the MSSRF, told The Hindu that the six-day training programme organised under the aegis of the MSSRF Village Resource Centre at Parangipettai was intended to help the farmers and unemployed youth learn to climb trees to pluck the coconut.

To start with, 20 persons, including four women hailing from Killai, Nochikadu, Manikkollai and Parangipettai, joined the programme conducted recently. It was conducted in coordination with the Coconut Development Board that provided the device for climbing the trees free of cost.

In-house training

It was a sort of an in-house training as the trainees would stay at the Parangipettai centre throughout the training programme. Besides mastering the tree climbing techniques, they were also taught yoga and pranayam.

Mr Elangovan said the Coconut Development Board had made it mandatory that 30 per cent of the trainees ought to be women.

It was a surprise that four women had come forward to enroll their names in the programme.

One of the trainees, Kausalya, 24, told this correspondent that initially she had hesitation in joining the programme as she lacked courage in climbing tall trees.

But, the device provided by the centre made the job simple and easy. She gained confidence gradually.

However, the centre has prescribed a dress code for women — they should either wear salwar kameez or a pair of trousers to avoid risks.

Mr Elangovan said that after completion of the training programme, Parangipettai Town Panchayat Chairman Mohammad Yunus gave away certificates and the climbing device (free of cost) to the participants.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by A.V. Raghunathan / Cuddalore – December 18th, 2014