Cherpulasseri Sivan- maestro of Maddalam

Shri.Cherpulasseri Sivan is well known eminent Maddalam Artist who performs in Temples and Temple festivals. He a very popular Maddalam Artist and in fact one of the most recognized artists of Pancha vadyam. Shri Sivan belongs to a traditionally famous family of Cherpulsseri who prrform on maddslam.As a matter of Fact the TempleMusic instruments were being played by a community known as Ambalavasi community. But Shri Shivan Chrrpulasseri belongs to a Nair family who are as a matter of heredity playing Maddalam and also used to take part in Temple arts like Kathakali. When time changes the traditional story also changed.Nowadays whoever possess proficiency in a particular art can perform in stages as well as in Temples.The restrictions belonged to Temples were gradually changed according to convenience. Playing Maddalam in Keli is a specially gifted branch of the Temple musical instrument Maddalam.It isnot as common as Maddalam in Pachavadyam. Panchamaddalam Keli is to be performed by Five artists simultaneously and that is the speciality of playing all together upto the rythm of this branch of Temple Arts. Shri.Sivan had training from Gurus at Sadanam annd other organisations..He leant different ways of playing Maddalam for Kathakali and other branches ofArts where Maddalam is included. He also learnt from different Gurus different forms of playing Maddalam The most popular was Mohini attam branch art like Kathakali. Mohini attam consist of Thillana,Jathiswaram and Alarippu where Maddalam is played differently. From mega experience in playing maddalam differently in different areas and also for Nadaswaram,Kathakaliand Mohini attam Shri Cherpulasseri Sivan today is veteran in all the art forms he is performing. He plays in Cherpulasseri Ayyappan Temple also where he had got trained in the early stage of learning. Maddalam is one of the sweetest Temple music instruments in Kerala.The rhythm of Maddalam is as good as Chenda. I was lucky to view his performance of his recent programs in Namboorkavu Temple a suburb of Thrissur city.Hence this blog to describe his talent with Maddalam. Let us wish Shri Sivan Cherpulasseri a long happy life of entertaing vast groups of admirers of Maddalam in different Temples and other stages for a long time to come SreedharanMundanat 14th July 2019.

World Environment Day 2019

Since 1974,the United Nations deciided to take more interest in Global protection of Environment & Human environment by celebrating a day called World Environment day.The day was fixed on 5th of June every year. Over 100 nations took part in celebrating this day by declaring a particular topic for an year.The year 2018 belonged to India and the topic was "Prevention of Plastic pollution".Accordingly,many seminars were organized and the need to avoid use of plastic bags ,bottles and vessels were banned in some places.Generally people stopped usage plastic covers and avoided burning of plastic materials in the open.However some incidents do happen for want of proper plants to destroy plastic scientifically.. However,now people are aware of the detrimental after effects of usage of plastic. Many cases of fish and such aqua friendly birds and insects used to die as a result of eating plastics bags and other material floating on the rivers and other water resources.Different Governments have made laws banning Plastics. In due course,it is believed the use of plastic would be totally eliminated in India. This year 2019 the topic is "Air Pollution"China is the nation suggested by United Nations to undertake the prevention of various sorts of Air Pollution. Human beings can not stop breathing. But certainly we can stop breathing polluted air and instead breathe air of pure quality by taking precautions and arrangements. Approximately,7 million people all over the world die pre maturely due to breathing polluted air.Out of this 4 million deaths are occuring in Asia Pacific. World Environment Day would urge people and Governments all over the world,organizaetions,societies,industry and communities the need for protecting air as pureand free from Pollution. Altogether exploring the possibilities to secure pure air can be studied and approprite steps to enforce availability of clean air be achieved.Ensuring renewable energy and green technologies to improve pure quality of air in all regions and cities is a must for good health and living conditions. The facts about air pollution around the world are basically as under: 1)92% of people world wide do not have clean air to breathe. 2)As a cost of welfare measures,the Global economy expenses touch 5trillion US Dollars every year. 3)Ground level Ozone Pollution is expected to reduce staple crop yields by 26% by 2030. The main types of sir pollution are: 1)Agriculture pollution,2)House hold Pollution 3)Industrial Pollution 4)Transport Pollution and5)Waste pollution. In all the above emission of Caarbon,smoke by burning, decaying and throwing out wasteful material to fill water resources are the main reasons to pollute air and make people breathe bad air to affect health is the main problem affecting humanity Already methods are in torce to prevent pollution out of these sources. But the need of the hour is to totally eradicate such pollution. People should take more interest and feel concern about these pollution and try to avoid them by employing suitable measuresThe Government can make and implement Laws and regulations to avoid air pollution. The system of fireworks and crackers during celebrations and festival also are reasons for sir pollution Unless people themselves take necessary steps to prevent pollution of air at home ,a total system of avoiding air pollution can not be achieved India after undertaking eradication of plastic pollution last year,whether in fact achieved the aim is still unknown .Every Nation is responsible for the fulfillment of the aim of the year by taking collective responsibility. Just assembling in different places and conducting symbolic functions and taking photographs as a proof of abiding by the principle alone will not serve the purpose of introducing the system prescribed by the United Nations. SreedharanMundanat 5th of June 2019

Jack fruit and it's Juniors.

The jackfruit is a very sweet and tasty fruit. The Government of Kerala in South India had declared it as the State Fruit rightly.In the past the Jackfruit being one of the best fruits in the world was neither properly looked after nor even the people of Kerala considered it as a valuable fruit. It was a common sight even in advanced roads where vehicular traffic was heavy Jackfruits during it's season used to fall from the tree and got spread all over the roads .There were no takers for the fruit inspite of availability in plenty.No reason can be attributed to this kind of neglect except it is a bit tuff to break it and remove the fruit from it .Always when one try to do it a lot of sticky substance in liquid form used to come out of the fruit and make one's hand also sticky and difficult to remove it.nowadays,however eat methods have been discovered to operate it. Many ,perhaps did not know by applying a bit of coconut oil and washing away with soap the sticky substance from hand can be easily removed. The jackfruit tree is one of the fruit trees that can grow well in places like India without any special care. The picture on the top is Jackfruit tree.It's product Jack fruit is inside the thick needle like shell. Experts in Kerala especially villagers can tell from the size ,appearance and smell whether a jackfruit is matured enough to become fruit.If after taking it out from tree and found not fully fit to be a fruit,it can be kept for a couple of days to get it become fully ripe,the hard skin on the Jackfruit can be removed with a sharp instrument like knife and then by splitting into two partsa pale yellow pulp bulbs which are edible can be found.This can be removed into pieces.A full size Jackfruit can contain 40 to 50 such pulp bulbs. This is very sweet and full of nutritioous value. The seeds of Jack fruit also can be used for curries and also if fried adding masala and salt be taken as chips.the interior of Jackfruit if not allowed to ripe and split into two parts as mentioned above,the pulps which has not assumed yelloyish color can be cut into symmetrical pieces and after adding salt can be fried.Before it becomes black and when in light brown color it should be removed from the oil and spread in a plate for sometime to get the oil particles removed from it.Then it can be consumed as chips of banana.It is of very good taste as much as banana chips if not better. This young pulps which have not become ripe can be used for making dishes with Dal.This can be taken along with rice or Chapathis. Besides,the ripe pulps can be used for making kheer also .it is also highly tasty.Apart from this the sweet pulps can be fried using a peculiar method on low fire for long time to make a dish called " Chackavaratti" which can be kept for long period of time.Any Kerala housewife can tell how it is exactly made.This is a speciality of Kerala and extremely tasty and one can not stop taking it because of the special taste .the Keralites living abroad and in Gulf always take this during the season of jackfruit which is normally Still May.But during other months also in limited number of places. So unlike other fruits, the Jackfruit is a multipurpose fruit.In olden days the Jack fruit was liberally consumed by lower class of people more. Since it was popular with lower class,the higher class dispensed with using jackfruit .This was also one of the basic reasons why jackfruit had remained unpopular But nowadays jackfruit has become more popular.Since 2018,the price of jackfruit has also enhanced as a lot of demand from other states and from abroad . The big Jackfruit has two Juniors also in Kerala. The picture in the middle above is called "Kadachackka " in Kerala.it is smaller in size but in shape and the shell outside it is exactly like the senior jackfruit in the top picture. It's interior never gets ripe to become sweet.in other words it is not a fruit identical in all respects without the sticky liquid coming out while cutting it.It is ,however used for making curry by using masala and mustard to fry in oil.It is very tasty with rice and also suits Chapathi and Porota/Parantha( in sindhi& Hindi) This Kadachakka is also called Bread fruit and seema Chakka This unlike Original jackfruit( Top picture)has no seeds to use as vegetable. The third picture is a fruit called AINI chacka orin some places Anjilli Chakka is seen in Kerala alone in India.Nowadays it has become a rare commodity and can be seen rarely in Kerala also. It can be seen in a Famous Mahakshetram of Kerala called Thrikkakkara Vamanamoorthy Temple in Ernakulam.It can be seen behind the Mahaganapathy Temple an upadevatha of Mahadeva Temple. In shape it is identical to Jackfruit and can be called junior to Jackfruit. The skin once removed,one can see the sweet pulps in a form of a oval shaped collection.one can remove each fruit by hand.Each fruit contains 30 to 40 pieces .It is very sweet.one can eat a fruit fully in one sitting.it's sweetness can be experienced only when one eats and can not be explained. It is very rarely found in fruitshopes. But one can get more details from the Krishi Bahavan nearby. The Jack fruit and it's Juniors(except kadachackka which is not sweet)are going to be the craze of the Nation and most sought after fruits in India and abroad. SreedharanMundanat 16th of May 2019

Avittathur Mahadeva Trmple

There is one very old ahadeva Temple built by Agastya Muni according to four very old inscriptions found in the Temple.This Temple is in the Thrissur District of Kerala State .This is a very ancient Temple over two thousand years old .The place was originally named Agastyaputtur. Later on ,sometimes the name was changed as Avittathur.This historical Temple exists in an area where once upon a time Bhrahmin settlement existed..This area is supposed to be one of the 64 such areas existed in Kerala This Mahadeva Temple is about 2000 years old. Avittathur Siva Temple was well known for protecting and practising Temple arts form known as ChakyarKoothu and Koodiyattam. Similar to Kathakali in the costumes xxthis art form was of very humerous nature of pleasant mocking of the members of the audience also A very entertaining form of Koothu and Koodiyattam were originally existed only in Temples and were not popular outside the Temple in other stages. A very famous artist of Kuuthu and Koodiyattam who performed in this Temple for more than 2 decades Shri Mani Madhava ChaKyar was responsible for this curious rare art form finding light out side the interior premises of Temples.

ShiMadhava ChaKyar very boldly and devotedly staged the art outside Temple also who made a lot of followers He was a famous scholar in Sanskrit. He had ability to convince everything by Rasabhinaya and Netrabhinaya . His knowledge and mastery of the principles of Koodiyattam like Theory and Practise were considered superb. He was a veteran teacher of both ChaKyar Koothu and Koodiyattam He was ,in fact,the authority on these two branches of Temple Artforms . His earnst effort made the Artforms popular in Kerala&India.He had trained even followers of foreign origin. He is the receipient of various titles and Awards.in 1021 he got Mudramothiram from Bhattan Thampuran of Kodungallor Kovilakam. All kovioams at Kottayam,Thripunithura, and all other Kovilakams in Kerala. Maharani of Trsvancore honoured with Ponnada through UplorvParameswara iyer. The cental Government has honoured him with Padmasree in 1974. Shri Madhava Chakyarvwas a regular performer for two decades at the Avittathur Mahadeva Temple Avittathur Temple is in Irinjalakkuda near Chalakkudi ,Kerala State,India. Dedicated to Shri Vadakkumnathan Temple of Thrissur on the occasion of famous Pooram 2019. SreedharanMundanat 12 th of May 2019.

Roger Federer-Master of Lawn Tennis

Roger Federer is undisputedly the greatest Tennis Champion of today in the world. Tomorrow is the day in which he is appearing in yet another final of the Miami Open. While wishing him yet another title tomorrow ,let me take this opportunity to remember his latest achievements as a tribute to him from an ardent fan of him for the last many years. The last time I was feeling sorry for him with unbearable agony was when a youngster had beaten him in the Australian Open 2018. But surprisingly he was not at all upset by the event! In the 4th found of Australia open he was beaten by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the worst surprise of Australian Open. Thereafter,Federer was seen playing in the Dubai Open 2019 to take a sweet revenge on the same youngster to complete his 100 the title of his carrier.I t was an unforgettable moment of unexpected surprising pleasure for me.All the despair I had been keeping with me suddenly ended as if Sun light did to Mist. I was so glad that day and marked it as a day to remember for ever. Here are s few of his achievements of the carrier of the Swiss Maestro. All carrier achievements of 30 Grandslams.None in the recent time had achieved sushi a Glory. The greatest among Tennis ttles called Wimbledon,he had some 8 times. Australian Open Titles 6 times. US open titles 5 times. There are many more instances of various laurels Referer had won during Long carrier. We wish Roger Federer tomorrow yet another Miami Open title. Long Live Roger Federer SreedharanMundanat 30th March 2019. In

Exchange of Jersey at the end of a football match.

The procedure of exchanging of Jerseys of two football teams has a story behind it.

The story is in brief as follows: In 2003 the United States of America had lost a football match 1-0 to Brazilian the Confederation Cup.but when the final whistle blew in Lyon France,the American defender Greg Berhalter Walked off the field with a moment from a tough night. In his hands Berhalter recalledthat night recentlyit was heavyhelpfulness of wistfullnesd and not for loosing the ball that lead to the game,,'s only goal.A few days after the games,at a hotel in Paris where,Ronaldinho was then the famous star for St-Germain, Berhalter sent his dirty clothes for cleaning.Into the bag,he absentmindedly tossed the iconic yellow and green jersey. Needless to say it never came back from Laundary. The exchange of Jersey at the end of a match is a longtime ritualthat is well established in the sport even as it has evolved.With each swap, there is usually a story. Often,the tales are perdonsl,speaking toa player's standing in the game or marking a chapter in his carrier. It is just a sign of respect after a game in which you fight each other ss if kicking orv killing,but at the end of the game again you become friends. The gentlemanly ritualis believed to have begun in in 1931 when France had beaten England for the first time. The French players were so ecstatic that they asked English players if they could have their jerseys for keepstakes The English obliged. At s world cup the exchange took place only in 1954. In 1966 England defeated Argentina 1-0 In quarter final.The match was so rough and vicious .The coach of England And Ransey scalled Argentina Players animals. He also stopped one of the England players exchanging Jersey to Argentina player.The rivalry continued until 1998 when Diego Marston's had a God given goal againstcEngland when Beckham had a red card. Later on the sportsman spirit was restored when the Los Angeles galaxy was played between Barcelona and AC Milan. Later on in 2006 works cup Jerseys were exchanged between Trinidad Tobago and Paraguay. Now Jersies are of more importance. Players likeDavid Beckman, Lionel Messy,Christian Rinaldo,Wayne Rooney,And Ronaldinho keep Jerse for remembrance. SreedharanMundanat 22nd March 2019.

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE 2019

https://m.timesofindia.com/sports/cricket/ipl/top-stories/ipl-2019-auction-how-the-franchises-spent-and-how-teams-are-stacked-up/amp_articleshow/67150455.cms#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s This year all the new look teams in the IPL 2019 beginning on the 23rd of March 2019 are equally balanced with Batsmen,Bowlers and Wicket keepers. One can not distinguish a team particularly until the league is in progress. However,basically the matches depends upon the number if rubs sciredand the target kept for the second team to bat. Taking into account all these into account ,the Chennai Superking headed by MSDhoni seems to be favourites to attract the fans. The other teams to watch are Royal Challengers ,Bangalore ,Punjab Eleven and the Sunrisers . This does not mean Delhi Capital and Mumbai Indians are lagging behind. So all teams can hope for wins on their days of Play. Areal trend can be observed only after the progress. One peculiarity for Chennai Superking is the extraordinary ability of their wicket keeper and their willpower and willing news to play for win. Dhoni is specacial batsman suiting the pattern of the IPL. He has the power and mind to apply according to circumstances to build Besides Dhoni is more actibmvecabd prominent when defeat looks at him and change defeat into a a Golden Victory. So let us welcome every team to the event to show their capability to entertain us SreedharanMundanat 21st of March 2019