If you have an appetite for crowds and the visual spectacle of many focused on one task or activity, a pooram will engage you, notes Shyam G Menon.
The temple authorities and jumbo owners even suspected that the conditions of the circular with regard to parading of the domestic elephants during festivals were part of a conspiracy to sabotage the Pooram.
Devaswoms are meant to manage temples, not the faithful. Why didn't they simply stick to their set of responsibilities and execute it well and efficiently?, asks Shyam G Menon.
The display of RSS founder KB Hedgewar's portraits during a temple festival in Kollam district has sparked controversy in Kerala, prompting the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to request a report from its vigilance wing. The images of Hedgewar were reportedly displayed along with the photos of prominent social reformers like Sree Narayana Guru and B R Ambedkar during Kollam Pooram festival here on Tuesday night. TDB sources said the management of Puthiyakavu Temple, a local shrine in the district which does not come under its ambit, is allegedly responsible for the showcasing of the images of the RSS leader during the "kudamattam" as part of the Pooram festivities.
The annual Thrissur Pooram, billed as the mother of all temple festivals in Kerala, will not be held this year in the wake of the nationwide lockdown, the Kerala government said on Wednesday. The iconic festival, known for the parade of richly caparisoned jumbos, performance of traditional music ensembles and a sea of cheering people, was to be held at the sprawling Thekkinkadu Maidan in Thrissur city on May 2 this year.
The case was registered following a complaint filed by KP Sumesh, a local Communist Party of India leader, seeking legal action against Gopi for allegedly misusing an ambulance to reach the Pooram venue flouting police restrictions.
Kerala's iconic Thrissur Pooram, considered as the festival of festivals in the state, will be held this week without people's participation, considering the surge in Covid-19 cases in the southern state, officials said Thrissur on Tuesday.
Ending four days of uncertainty, Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran was given the conditional nod on Saturday to participate in the Thrissur pooram after the animal cleared the fitness test.
The famous Thrissur Pooram festival concluded on Monday without any incident.
Devaswom sources said they were planning to apprise the high court of an earlier supreme court verdict on conduct of the Pooram festival.
Suresh Gopi registered a historic win for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala by winning the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat
At a time when none in Kerala's Left politics questioned the chief minister's authority, MLA P V Anvar hurled a series of accusations against Pinarayi Vijayan's government, notes Shyam G Menon.
As the curtain falls on the campaign for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat on Wednesday, April 24, a ringside view of the closing ceremonies.
The temple authorities reportedly decided to withdraw the umbrella from display after leaders of the Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist raised an objection.
The prime ingredient in Nannari Sherbat is sarsaparilla syrup, made from a tropical root or vine,
Vinod Panicker, a known Poorakali-Marathukali artist for the last 37 years, alleged that the management of some local temples informed him that he could not perform the traditional artform as he lives in the same house where his non-Hindu daughter-in-law lives.
This is your chance to squeeze in a quick trip before the monsoon sets in.
Braving scorching heat, thousands of festival buffs gathered around the sprawling Pooram grounds before the famed Vadukkumnathan temple in Thrissur on Sunday to immerse themselves in the pomp and glory of famous Thrissur Pooram, showcasing the best of Kerala's traditional art and culture for hours on end since day-break.
On Wednesday, Tendulkar had posted the message as part of identical tweets on India's unity sent out by celebrities in response to international pop star Rihanna expressing solidarity with the farmers' stir.
Our focus should rather be on strengthening security measures to prevent Kollam-like tragedies, says Sanjeev Nayyar.
Twenty-year old worker Nirmal was stabbed to death during celebrations at a festival in a temple.
The fireworks were being manufactured for the Paramekavu Devaswom for the May 7 Thrissor Pooram festival.
Prayar Goapalakrishnan, president of TDB, said the board was against banning the pyrotechnics during temple festivals as they are part of rituals.
What is particularly worrying is that the vast majority will not have access to testing or even to proper treatment. These cases could have been avoided if the government had shown the political will to do so, observes Rashme Sehgal.
'Fireworks are dangerous in Kerala where there is very little open space.'
Australia and South Africa advanced to the semi-finals of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup after winning their respective quarterfinal matches on Sunday.
'What we see is the vested interest of political parties. Just to get a few votes, political parties played with fire, they gambled with the safety of the people.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the BJP has emerged as the "third force" in Kerala that will replace the two fronts in the next year's assembly elections.