KOCHI: Just as the poetry of Changampuzha Krishna Pillai captures intense emotional upheavals, a park in Edappally named after the bard on Friday resonated with overwhelming grief and patriotic passion. The mortal remains of N Ramachandran , who was killed by terrorists in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir , were kept in the park for public homage, before Kerala bid him a tearful farewell. From the minute his body was brought from the mortuary at 7am, a continuous stream of people arrived to pay their l

KOCHI: As the news about the passing of former Isro chairman K Kasturirangan flashed on the television, K Ananthanarayanan wiped away tears as memories come rushing back. Wife Geetha and son Sujith tried to console Ananthanarayanan, the late scientists brother, as he carefully turned the pages of the family album containing childhood photos. He was a very caring brother and called us regularly, enquiring about our health, an emotional Ananthanarayanan, 82, reminisced, sitting at his house Sreyas

KOCHI: In the passing of eminent space scientist K Kasturirangan , the SRV High School in Kochi has lost an illustrious alumni. The school held a special place in his heart and he had always been in touch with the Old Students Association (OSA) office-bearers to enquire about the activities happening there. Right from the launch of OSA in 2003, Kasturirangan had been actively associated with the efforts to improve his alma mater, former SRV OSA president and Krishna Hospital director Dr A K Saba

KALPETTA: The recurring threat of man-animal conflict in Wayanad has intensified fear among residents of Poolakunnu Tribal Settlement in Erumakolli, after 67-year-old Arumugan Perumal was killed in a wild elephant attack near Meppadi. A resident of the tribal settlement, Arumugan became the fourth victim of a wild elephant in the district in the past 14 months. In February, 27-year-old Balakrishnan, son of Karuppan from the Erattukundu Paniya tribe at Attamala in Meppadi panchayat, lost his life

KOCHI: The bullets fired by terrorists at Pahalgam brought to a tragic end a friendship that spanned 37 years. For Sajith Padman, an amateur photographer who works for an oil and gas company in Qatar, the news that his dear friend and brother N Ramachandran is no more came as a big shock. We have lost our leader, says Sajith. I had met him at the Srambikkal temple on Saturday. But I could not speak to him since I was in a hurry. I just waved at him. Never in a million years did I think that it w

KOCHI: Midst emotionally charged scenes, family members, relatives, friends, and people from every walk of life came together to bid a solemn and tearful farewell to N Ramachandran , who was killed in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir . The funeral was held at Shanthikavadam crematorium in Edappally, Kochi, after Ramachandrans body was kept for public viewing at Changampuzha Park and later at his residence in Edappally. It is a moment of deep sorrow, not just for Kerala, but the

KOCHI: With timely police intervention effecting a significant drop in cyber fraud in Kerala , the police have shifted their focus to curbing other forms of cybercrime, particularly the transmission and circulation of pornographic content. According to data with the Kerala Police, the cyber police wings across the state have registered 383 cases since 2016 related to the uploading and sharing of pornographic material online. Between 2016 and February 2025, as many as 175 cases were filed under S

PisThe green-looking, woody-tasting buttery little nut we call pistachio has long been a pantry favourite. In recent years, it has even found fame in modern cuisine. From creamy pistachio spreads to pistachio-stuffed Dubai Chocolate, the glow-up is real! Its subtle sweetness, rich texture and vibrant colour make it a favourite among chefs and snackers alike, proving that pistachio is no longer a sidekick, but the main character. The history Pistachio traces its roots back to the Middle East, whe

K V Madhusudhanan K V Madhusudhanan, former IG of CRPF and head of SPGs Close Protection Team The dastardly attack is nothing short of a ruthless aggression on the collective soul of the nation. As an Indian, it is difficult to forget and forgive. Contrast the vulgarity of selectively killing people based on religion with the words of Aarathi, who witnessed her father N Ramachandran being shot dead. She praised the care she received from the Kashmiri Muslims. This shows the ulterior motive of co

PALAKKAD: The ' smrithi kudeeram ' (memorial) dedicated to Chettur Sankaran Nair -- the only Keralite to have served as president of the All India Congress Committee and the sole Indian on the viceroy's executive council -- is an obscure and hard-to-reach structure. Situated at his ancestral home, near the now-defunct Mankara railway station, nearly 19 km from Palakkad, the site remained largely forgotten, save for the occasional visit on his death anniversary. But April 24 marked a rare moment

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUGP) introduced in universities and colleges is set to enter its second year, arrangements have been made to allow students to switch between colleges and universities and also to avail of the option of changing their major subject of study. The FYUGP structure permits student transfers and course changes at the start of the third semester (second year). Accordingly, Higher Education Minister R Bindu chaired a meeting of major state

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Neyyattinkara Additional Sessions Court will pronounce the quantum of punishment of a 33-year-old man, who was found guilty of electrocuting his wife for her wealth, on Friday. The court had on Wednesday found Arun of Athiyanoor guilty of murdering his wife Shakha Kumari at her residence near Vellarada in December 2020. Arun had married Shakha, 52, without his familys knowledge. As per the prosecution, he was enchanted by her wealth he had an eye on the 10 acres of land

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Peeved at the transport departments inaction over long-distance permits, private bus operators are planning to go on strike. The Kerala State Bus Operators Federation (KSBOF) will take a call on the protest on Saturday. The federation has accused the transport department of stalling approvals despite the Kerala High Court overturning an earlier order that reserved the permits exclusively for KSRTC services. Its been quite some time since the HC ruled in our favour. Still, the

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As yet another monsoon season approaches, the silt-choked Akkulam lake continues to pose flood threat to the capital city. Despite repeated incidents, the long-pending rejuvenation of the lake a vital component of the citys stormwater drainage network remains indefinitely stalled. The lake, which has been rapidly shrinking due to silt accumulation, has lost much of its capacity to retain stormwater during heavy rain, leading to flooding across the city. Experts have cited t

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If there are Christian employees in your school, who draw government salary but do not pay income tax, a report of the same should be submitted within two days to the office of the Deputy Director of Education. This was a strange directive that the state syllabus schools under Areacode educational sub-district in Malappuram received recently from the Assistant Educational Officer (AEO)-in charge.Confusion prevailed as panic-stricken heads of schools rang up higher officials o

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ruling that the 2022 Ambalamukku Vineetha murder case fell in the rarest of the rare category, the Thiruvananthapuram Additional Sessions Court on Thursday handed capital punishment to Tamil Nadu native Rajendran. The court sentenced the 40-year-old resident of Thovala in TNs Kanyakumari district to death saying he was not entitled to any leniency. The parents of Vineetha, 38, and her two minor children were present in court at the time of the sentencing. The court also fined

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With substance abuse among minors emerging as a growing concern, lack of dedicated rehabilitation centres for children and adolescents are becoming a huge challenge in Kerala. There are only two government-aided centres for children in the state and both these facilities are unable to cater to the increasing number of cases being reported. These facilities are yet to get the promised grant from the government. As per the data released by the Excise Department, as part of the

KOCHI: A growing number of inmates, including those convicted of grave crimes like murder, are choosing to turn their lives around by enrolling in regular or online educational courses. However, the authorities are struggling to support their efforts, owing to severe staff shortage. There simply arent enough hands to manage or supervise the educational programmes effectively, said a report filed by the prisons and correctional services department in the Kerala High Court recently. It said lack o

KOCHI: The amicus curiae appointed by the Kerala High Court to assist the court in a public interest litigation challenging the appointment of former finance minister T M Thomas Isaac as an advisor to the Vijnana Keralam (Knowledge Kerala) project has informed that the appointment made is to a department that does not exist. Considering the submission, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice S Manu impleaded Isaac as an additional respondent.It also directed the Kerala

KOCHI: In a disturbing trend, Arathy Menon, daughter of N Ramachandran, who was killed in the Pahalgam terrorist attack, was on Thursday the target of cyber attacks. She faced a barrage of insensitive comments on social media after she appeared before reporters and expressed gratitude to two Kashmiri men who helped the family in its moment of deep agony. Comments that surfaced online took aim at Arathys appearance and demeanour during her media interaction. The remarks grew more vicious after sh

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state health department has mapped 81.6 lakh individuals at high risk of tuberculosis (TB) as it plans pro-active measures for early detection and treatment, as part of its aim to eliminate the disease. These individuals were surveyed from 18 vulnerable groups, including people with uncontrolled diabetes, kidney ailments, past or familial history of TB, and those living in overcrowded, socio-economically disadvantaged areas, such as tribal and coastal regions. Despite a d

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For all its advantages, cyberspace is still full of pitfalls. And frequently, it is the active but vulnerable young minds that fall victim to those. To prevent this, the police and general education departments have joined hands to train around 1.7 lakh schoolteachers across the state on cyber safety and related aspects. The idea: Use the teachers to impress upon the nearly 38 lakh students, right from lower primary to higher secondary sections, in the state the need to use t

Fire and sweat these are the two constants in the life of Aby Joe Mathew, a young boy from Vallarpadam in Kochi, who, in his pastime, wills unyielding metals into shapes that both shock and delight. Abys affinity with the craft began at 18, when he was working at a firm that dealt with stage lighting and sound. One day, whilst tending to some repair works on set, he noticed that industrial glue had fallen on two nuts that he was working with. Though he tried hard, he couldnt separate them. I wa

There was a time when brass utensils were common in Kerala homes. From the lamps lit at dusk to the big uruli, these items were part of regular life. And right in the heart of the city, there was a shop everyone knew, a trusted name in households when it came to their favourite nilavilakku, nirapara, or sturdy brass cookware. Established in 1944 by the visionary P Madhavan Thamby, the shop began with a clear purpose to make high-quality metal utensils accessible and affordable to every household

Theatre aspirants have much to rejoice! Lokadharmi Nadakaveedu in Vypeen, Kochi, is organising a one-of-a-kind workshop for artists, singers and film actors that focuses on voice culture and immersive theatre techniques. The seven-day workshop, to be held from 10am to 6pm from July 6 and 12, will be conducted by Patrick Vella, Kathleen Bell and Lokadharmis artistic director, Chandradasan. Kathleen Bell is a sought-after recitalist and singing tutor. Her present and former students are singing in

Are we returning to a world where slim is yet again being seen as the ideal body image? The concept of the ideal body has evolved over time, swinging from fuller, curvier figures to the slim-waist and flat-chested look, and even to the era of supermodels who championed size-zero and hourglass proportions as the pinnacle of beauty. The crash-diet culture also equated thinness with health, success, and desirability, as well as the growing influence of social media, the pursuit of a slender physiqu

KOCHI: My father was gunned down in front of me and my sons, Arathy R Menon, daughter of N Ramachandran, the Kochi native who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, told mediapersons on Thursday. Arathy, who survived the attack along with her mother and eight-year-old twin sons, was recounting the harrowing ordeal they endured as part of the terror attack, on Tuesday, which claimed the lives of 26 people. The place where the attack unfolded is called 'mini Switzerland'. It is a small stretch

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Additional Sessions Court here on Thursday awarded capital punishment for the Tamil Nadu native, who was found guilty in the Ambalamukku Vineetha murder case. The court ruled that the case fell in the rarest of the rare category and hence Rajendran, a native of Thovala in Kanyakumari district, was not entitled to any leniency. As the judge pronounced its verdict, Vineetha's parents and two minor children were present in the court.The court also imposed a fine of Rs 8 lakh

KOCHI : In fresh trouble for actor Shine Tom Chacko, one more female co-star on Thursday accused him of making remarks with sexual connotations and behaving inappropriately around her on the sets of their upcoming Malayalam movie 'Soothravakyam'. Earlier, Chacko's co-star Vincy Aloshious had accused him of misbehaving with her on the film sets under the influence of drugs. The actress, Aparna John, who is in Australia currently, told a TV channel that everything Aloshious said about Chacko's con

KOCHI: As relatives and neighbours discussed funeral details of N Ramachandran at Neeranjanam, a man in his 60s stood quietly at a distance, visibly overwhelmed by grief. When asked about his connection to the deceased, he replied that his name is Sharath Chandran, who resides on BTS Road, Edappally. A childhood friend of Ramachandran, Sharath moved on to share his memories of the deceased. Many of us had friends a couple of years older than us, and he was one such friend. We spent our childhood

PALAKKAD: In the quiet, story-laden Kumbidi village, in Palakkad district, which once nurtured the legendary author M T Vasudevan Nair, a young leader is reshaping the governance and public service landscape. Sneha P, who in 2022, at the age of 22, became the youngest block panchayat member in the state, is more than just a public servant she is a symbol of generational change, proving that leadership is not bound by age but by vision and action. At an age when most are still mapping out their

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Stressing the need for a third term for the Left government, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that continuity in governance had helped bring significant developmental shifts across numerous sectors. He was speaking after inaugurating the new CPM state headquarters AKG Centre in the state capital on Wednesday. Pinarayi also pointed at the efforts towards building a new Kerala. He said the state had successfully overcome multiple crises and bring in change. People should

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city corporation is all set to roll out a first-of-its-kind emergency palliative care response in the state capital. In an effort to ensure inclusive healthcare for everyone , the civic body has decided to scale up its much-acclaimed palliative care programme by adding seven more palliative care units. At present, the civic body has around 13 palliative care units offering medical care for bedridden and terminally ill patients. The initiative is covering around 6,000 bene

KOCHI: The workshop organised by BJP state committee to discuss the Waqf Amendment provided a platform for a healthy discussion on Wednesday. While, BJP national secretary Arvind Menon claimed that the amendment will save 97% poor Muslims from exploitation by 3% elites in the community, rights activist A P Ahmed and Ex Muslims of Kerala president Arif Hussain supported the amendment claiming that the community should forget the communal arguments and support reformation within the community. Mea

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The entire first volume of textbooks followed by state syllabus schools are set to reach students by May 10, which is almost three weeks earlier than the distribution schedule of the previous academic year. The general education department has set an early distribution target this year despite the textbooks of classes II, IV, VI and VIII and X undergoing a thorough revision. Textbooks for Class X, that has a new syllabus this year, were distributed in schools before the end o

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has recorded a turnover surpassing Rs 1.7 lakh crore. Releasing the data for the financial year 2024-25, KVIC chairman Manoj Kumar said the production increased fourfold with a jump of 347% and sales increased five fold with a jump of 447%. KVIC is providing employment to 1.94 crore people. Manoj Kumar said that unprecedented growth has also been observed in the production of Khadi clothes in the past 11 years. He said that the m

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The University of Kerala has been granted an Indian patent for an innovative process of preparing solar reflective spinel pigments, paving the way for its application in creating dark infra-red reflective coatings. The technology, developed by Prof S M A Shibli and his research team at the Department of Chemistry and Centre for Renewable Energy and Materials, holds significant potential for improving energy efficiency in various applications. The patent, facilitated by the Te

This one began with a hush-hush of easy money and ended with a high-stakes manhunt across blistering highways and the bustling alleys of Surat. When a resident of Kizhakkambalam in Ernakulam recently reported the loss of Rs 7.8 lakh in an online trading scam, it appeared to be just another cybercrime. But what followed was a covert operation straight out of a crime thriller. A special investigation team (SIT), guided by Ernakulam Rural Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena, swung into action. What followe

Maala Parvathi has donned many roles in her life psychologist, social worker, corporate employee, TV anchor and, of course, actor. An avid reader and lover of all arts, she is known among Malayalis not just for her memorable anchoring and cinema roles, but also for her strong personality. For being outspoken, something that gets her in trouble often. In person, however, she doesnt come across as the headstrong woman one would expect her to be. She is warm, loving, sensitive and an artist who lo

KOCHI: Following his social media post condemning the terrorist attack in Pahalgam , actor Mohanlal has become the target of a coordinated online hate campaign. Many users took to various platforms to criticise the actor for his association with the film 'L2: Empuraan', which includes scenes related to the 2002 Gujarat riots. Mohanlal had posted on Facebook on Tuesday: My heart goes out to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. It is devastating to witness such cruelty. No cause can ever jus

KOTTAYAM: In a major breakthrough, the police tracked down the prime suspect in the brutal murders of 70-year-old businessman Vijayakumar and his wife Meera in Thiruvathukkal, Kottayam, using the digital footprint left behind on the victims mobile phone. The arrested individual is Amit Urang, a migrant labourer and former employee of Vijayakumar. A native of Assam, Amit was taken into custody by a team led by District Police Chief Shahul Hameed. According to officials, Amit fled the scene shortl

KOCHI: The police have uncovered significant details pointing to the involvement of Sukanth Suresh P in the events leading to the suicide of a 24-year-old Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer in Thiruvananthapuram. According to the police report submitted to the Kerala High Court, an examination of the late officers bank records revealed that, starting from October 2024, she had been transferring her entire salary to Sukanths account on the very day it was credited. Sukanth, a fellow IB officer, col

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The finance department has directed various government departments and local self-government institutions (LSGIs) to prioritise bills kept in treasury queue before resubmission. The bills submitted in the fag end of the just-concluded financial year were kept in the queue system due to fund shortage. Bills of LSGIs, various government departments and institutions which could not be passed in 2024-25 can be passed without revised administrative sanction. The drawing and disbur

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The harbour engineering department on Tuesday began dredging activities to remove the accumulated sand at the harbour mouth in Muthalapozhi, Thiruvananthapuram, after several days of protest by the fisherfolk and trade unions. An indefinite protest was launched following the shutdown of the harbour due to the sand accumulation last week. Although a consensus has been reached, the fishermen have restricted dredging activities within 20m of the sandbar from the sea. As many as

KOCHI: A Kochi native was among those killed in Tuesdays Pahalgam terror attack. As per news reaching the family, N Ramachandran, 65, son of Narayana Menon of Srambickal family in Edappally, was shot dead by terrorists when he went for trekking along with daughter Arathy to Pahalgams Mini Switzerland around 3 pm on Tuesday. Arathy escaped unhurt. Ramachandran, a businessman who was based in Qatar, had returned to Kochi recently. He went to visit Kashmir along with wife Shiela Ramachandran, Arath

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Over 45 young volunteers hit the Pulluvila beach on Monday evening, running all the way to Adimalathura beach, as part of the Earth Day Marathon, an initiative to promote environmental awareness and marine conservation. Organised by Ocean Students Community (OSC) in collaboration with the Change Can Change Climate Change Foundation (C5), the run was flagged off at 4.15pm by SI Anaf of Poovar Coastal police station. The event, themed Youth Run for the Planet, was a call to pro

PALAKKAD: It began with a poem penned by an eighth grader in 2021 at the height of the COVID pandemic. The verses, expressing unwavering belief in brighter days ahead quiet reflections of a young mind resonated far and wide, eventually finding a place in the preface of the budget speech presented by then Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac. On Tuesday, four years down the line, the poem by Sneha Kannan became the reason for a major development: the inauguration of the new school building of Gove

KOCHI: The decision of the state ground water department (GWD) to impose restrictions on extraction of groundwater from borewells for irrigation purposes in the critical zones of Chittoor and Malampuzha taluks in Palakkad district has triggered protests by farmers. Meanwhile, the Palakkad district groundwater officer has written to the department seeking to relax the curbs to allow crop-based allocation of water. The state had implemented the Kerala Ground Water (Control and Regulation) Act in 2

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Registering an impressive performance in the Civil Services Examination 2024, candidates from Kerala have secured up to six of the all-India top 100 ranks, of which women clinched five. Alfred Thomas, a Delhi-based Keralite who relocated to the state recently, bagged the all-India 33rd rank. Malavika G Nair (AIR 45), Nandanaa G P (47), Sonnet Jose (54), Reenu Anna Mathew (81) and Devika Priyadersini (95) were the women candidates who figured in the top 100 ranks. Alfred, who

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed NORKA Roots to set up immediate support systems to assist Keralites in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam. He confirmed that four MLAs from the state and three High Court judges who are currently in Srinagar, are safe. MLAs M Mukesh, K P A Majeed, T Siddique and K Ansalan are among those in the area. High Court judges Anil K Narendran, P G Ajithkumar, and Girish are safe in a hotel in Srinagar and are ex