Mala Dhawan and her sister, Sonia set up the nonprofit trust in 2010. They only showcase products that are made by hand – right now there are about 40 members in the collective. Urban and rural artists, as well as those from the hilly regions will be represented at the crafts bazaar. You’ll find anything from beeswax lip balm and silk sarees to household linen and carpets here.

The four I’s that are pillars of the organisation are:

Innovate: Evolve and reinvent products, designs, mediums and experiences

Interact: Participate! Encourage young people to develop a love of working with their hands and older ones to develop or reignite a hobby.

Inform: Build sensitivity and appreciation not only for the end result of handmade work but also the process and effort involved.

Include: Transcend social and economic barriers to build a community of artists and like-minded individuals. 

Besides Mala Dhawan and Sonia, A Hundred Hands has others, too, as founders and advisory board members. Bindia Thapar an architect by training and an illustrator by choice. Prem Subramaniam has worked in the fields of Engineering, Tourism and CSR. Melissa Arulappan is interested in and good at baking, cooking, and is a public relations consultant. Pankaj Wadhwa is a successful entrepreneur

The handmade products are sold via community bazaars, workshops, volunteer programmes and corporate tie-ups.

The competition will be based on three themes – the big kite, the best humanitarian message kite and the best innovative kite. There’s no age limit for the competitions. The winners will get prizes, certificates and membership in the Team Kerala Kite (Club) promoted by KLF. Kite Life Foundation is an NGO promoted by a group of kite flyers. KLF conducts workshops for students and offers new dimensions in kite making.

For details and to register, log on to www.kitelifefoundation.org or call 9895455115/9847328146.

Tourism Minister Anil Kumar will be the chief guest at the event. The seminar aims to look at discussing direct and public-private partnership (PPP) model investments from non-resident Keralites in tourism projects.

For The Groupie: Go On A Bus Tour

Bus tours for groups take you around Cochin to visit at least five to six major tourist spots. Most travel agencies also arrange for a guide to travel with you; that makes life so much simpler!

For The Adventurous: Hitchhike

Although this isn’t a very safe option for women, if you’re adventurous enough you can try it. Grab a map and hitch a ride on a motor cycle or car on the road. If your companion has time, then he or she will take you around to see the churches, temples and famous Chinese Fishing Nets.

For The Water-lover: Hire a boat

As there’s a lot to see in and around the city of Cochin, especially Fort Cochin and Kumbalanghi, hiring a boat or a ferry ride are good options. A country boat or a pedal-boat in the lagoons is the best way to watch village life close at hand.

For The History-Lover: Take A History Tour

With big names such as Dutch Palace, Hill Palace and Archaeological Museum, Kerala Folklore Museum, Indo-Portuguese Museum and Kerala History Museum, you will have plenty on your hands if you wanna know about the history of Cochin and Kerala. Learn about the state’s and city’s demographic landscape, ancient history, lifestyle and other details at these museums. Some of them also have light and sound shows and special movie screenings.

For The Strong Legs: Engage Yourself In A Walking Tour

Fort Cochin and nearby areas can be visited on a walking tour. The streets are fairly wide and neatly-decorated. Shopkeepers on either side will beckon you to their shops. So will the small restaurant owners! A walking tour keeps you updated on the details and helps you to maintain your fitness as well.

For The Eco-Conscious: Hire A Bicycle

If you are bothered about the carbon footprint that you’re likely to leave behind when you go about in a vehicle, then choose a sturdy bicycle and cycle away! The streets are cycle-friendly and you can watch life going on, from a very close distance.

As there are no other harbours between Fort Kochi and Arthungal near Alleppey, the South Chellanam continues to be a busy one. It receives about a hundred fishing boats daily, from Fort Kochi and Munnambam to Kollam and Alleppey. The numbers will only go up as the season gears up.

The captain of the St Francis Club, K. Arun Kumar was all smiles as he zoomed past Nehru Trophy winners Devas rowed by Jesus Boat Club. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race held in Alleppey before this event is another world=famous boat race. It was instituted by Nehru himself, after he visited the area in Alleppey. Devas team were glad when they won the Thekkaodi women’s category. This grand boat race is the only one of the kind named after the Indian President.

There were several tourists and locals who flocked to witness this superb event. The watery track itself was more than a kilometre long, with people flocking on either side.

This new venture will attract a lot of ships and cruises to dock here for repair. It will add a lot of employment opportunities for locals.

The promotional video, shot at the Varappuzha backwatrers, was unveiled recently. It was conceptualised by Bollywood film maker Priyadarshan and the music composed by music director Ousepachen. The two-minute video transposes cricketing movements and Kerala’s traditional martial art of kalaripayattu in a beautiful manner. You can get more than just a glimpse of Kerala’s official animal, the elephant.

A Mobile Film Festival, screening movies from the third world countries, was conducted by the two organizations last week. The current one has been seeing many participants and attendants. As the venue is centrally located, it is easy for tourists to visit, too.

Besides this, Cochin has the Vallarpadom Terminal coming up. So, too, the Kochi Metro Rail project. All these ventures will boost Kerala’s tourism potential.

The show is on from February 10 and goes on till the 16^th, at the Siva Temple Ground in Cochin. Guests to the show can see flowers and plants from countries across the planet as well from all over India. There will be flowering plants, medicinal ones, bonsai, decorative plants, seeds, and more will be sold.

One of the main attractions is a 500-foot artifact based on ‘Flowers and Egyptian Mythology’, which will enthrall visitors with beautiful sculptures. You can try your hand at flower arrangements, too – there are competitions for kids and adults on February 11 and 12. Plus, there’s gonna be cultural and entertainment events every evening at the show.

Built in 1503 as a wood-and-brick structure, it is the first European church in India. Initiative has been taken by The International Forum for Cultural Heritage Tradition (IFCHAT) to persuade the UNSESO and other world organisations to declare the St Francis church as a heritage structure.

Like last year, this time’s IFFK will conduct competitions for films produced or co-produced in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Other categories are world cinema, documentaries (in film formats), short fiction (in film formats), retrospectives, homages and tributes. There are many prizes and attractive cash awards to be own.

The event will start at 6.30p.m., but the grooming sessions had already started on the third of this month. The ladies will be guided by Mr Arun Ratna of Fashion Runway, Mr Sameer Khan of the Elite Model management, Ms Valentina Mishra of Valen’s Model Management, Mr Jayagopal and Mr Jaison Paulson of Jaison Fitness First.

The judges are former Miss India and actress Ms Swetha Vijay, Tamil actress Ms Aditi Chibber, Telugu Actor Mr Kaushal Prasad, model Ms Simer Mottiani, model groomer Mr Manish Khullar, media personality Mr Vijay Babu, fashion Designer Mr Sajimon Parayil and media personality Mrs Thoshma Biju

The winner of Hairomax Miss South India 2010 will be presented a gold-plated crown designed by Mrs and Mr Prakashan Parakkat. She will also get Rs one lakh. Other titles of the day will be Miss Beautiful Hair, Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss Beautiful Skin, Miss Beautiful Face, Miss Beautiful Eyes, Miss Congeniality, Miss Cat Walk, Miss Perfect 10, Miss Talented and Miss Photogenic.

Owned and operated by Bangalore Bharath Airways Private Limited, a company that has over 20 years of experience in Helicopter operation, the service will be a boon to the tourism industry here.

The Helicopter used for the service is the American-made Bell-407, which can easily carry two pilots five passengers. The CIAL has made arrangements with TDB, the board that operates the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, to use the service to transport pilgrims up to Sannidhanam.

This four-day event will have in attendance 551 international and 1621 domestic buyers. People from 54 countries will be taking part in it. The highest number of buyers is from the UK. Several ministers, tourism directors and other important people will add glamour to the event.

The island, which also has an international marina, will invite many tourists and travellers to the state. All around Kochi there will be celebrations and revelries. It is the country sole marina! Here, visitors will be received in houseboats and luxury yachts anchored at the marina.

Attendees will also get to watch a promotional film on Kerala Tourism during the inaugural function, which was premiered in London’s Saatchi Gallery. Today, the 24^th, witnessed many business sessions of the Mart. Everything from houseboats and cruises to resorts and facilities will be discussed here in the next two days. There will be travel agents, airlines, event managers, tour operators, travel writers, media personnel and other who will benefit from Kerala’s tourism industry.

In the next two days there’s going to be a lot of programs – cultural, art-related and ethnic. Gear up!

The additional flights have begun from the first of this month, and will be increased in a phased manner, continuing into the next month. This service will be of great importance to Kerala’s soaring tourism industry as well as to its regular flyers. The Guld region has a large section of Malayalees, working and living there. Plus, a huge number of tourists, too, visit Kerala during the peak season, just after the Monsoons.

The ‘slide’ Bible will be a major attraction. Made by R&D dept of NCR Corporation at Dayton, Ohio of USA, the slide Bible contains all 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, but the font size of the letters are so teeny that you need a microscope to read them! On one slide you can read 1245 pages of the holy book!

The event, which will start on the September 2, is organised by Asia’s largest publishing house for biblical books, OM Books. Their head office is located in Secunderabad. At the book fair, besides varieties of Bibles, you can also peruse through and buy over 15,000 books, Christian music products, novels, theological resources, gifts and accessories.

A lot of locals and tourists come to watch the rigorous practice sessions as much as the main event itself. They cheer their favourite teams in hordes. The popular name of the races is ‘Vallam Kali’. The Nehru Trophy Race takes place on the Punnamada Lake, in Alappuzha, The 58^th edition of the race will be held on the 14^th of this month.

The snake boats are specially designed and redesigned for the event. They are taken out months before the race and repairs made.

Several tour agencies have organised many packages for the month. You will be received at the airport and transferred to the respective hotels. A beautiful houseboat ride also awaits you at Alleppey. You can have your meals onboard. They also provide tours to Munnar, Thekkady, Kovalam and to most of the tourism destinations in India.

Chundan Vallams (Snake Boats) are the most famous category in the races. Other events you can spot use the Churulan vallam, Odi vallam, Vaipu Vallam, Vadakkanody Vallam and Kochu Vallam. The race is conducted on the second Saturday of August every year.

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of Independent India visited Kerala in 1952. He was given a roaring reception by the people of Alleppey, escorted by the huge snake-boats. After returning to Delhi, Nehru donated a rolling trophy to be awarded to the winner of the race. The trophy is a replica of a snakeboat in silver, placed on wooden abacus on which the following words are inscribed, “To the winner of the boat race which is a unique feature of community life in Travancore-Cochin.”