On March 26, many cities across the world will be switching off lights during the WWF Earth Hour. Bangalore is one of them! It is scheduled for 8.30 p.m. and India will be observing it for the third consecutive year. The best of the initiative is that even historical monuments, tourist sites, malls, colleges and historical buildings such as Qutb Minar and Gateway of India will be part of this.
What began in 2007 in Sydney, with two million people switching off their lights for an hour, has now become the planet’s biggest campaign against global warming.
Follow the Earth Hour 2011 this month end and see what a difference a simple turn of the switch brings to our Earth.
The first phase of the Vyttila Mobility Hub project is underway. Once completed, it will serve many purposes. The grand first phase was inaugurated by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. The KSRTC double-decker bus, the first bus to start service from the terminal was flagged off by Transport Minister Jose Thettayil.
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 Cochin Flower Show 2011, which will be organised by the district agri-horticultural society, will showcase many floral extravagances. A huge range of fruits, vegetables and related products will be on display and for sale by many farmers, agricultural councils and other companies.
The show is on from February 10 and goes on till the 16th, 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.
With as many as 64 countries attending and 40 of them participating in the Aero Show India 2011, it is gonna be a grand event to look forward to.
Read here: http://travel.homestaykarnataka.com/2011/02/07/aero-india-show-2011-in-bangalore/
The St Francis Church of Fort Cochin is a very famous religious and tourist landmark of Cochin. It is well-known as the place where the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama was buried for a years before his mortal remains where taken to Portugal. This church will now be considered to be named a heritage monument by the UNESCO.
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.
The fifteenth edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala will be kick-started in Trivandrum tomorrow. It will go on for a week, and features many films, documentaries, meet-the-director sessions and seminars. This annual event is organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala.
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.
Pretty ladies, all decked up, will be vying for the Hairomax Miss South India 2010 crown on November 6, at the International Convention Center in Cochin. The audition was conducted on October 19th at Wyte Fort Hotel in the city. The final four contestants are Aiswarya Muraleedharan, Geethu Christy, Priyanka Mohan and Denita Anand.
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.
The humble elephant in India is now a National Heritage Animal! Kerala is in the forefront of news related to this declaration: a large population of India’s elephants is in Kerala. Besides wildlife sanctuaries and zoos, they are also owned by temples and private individuals.
Conferring the status of the National Heritage Animal for the elephant was one of the important recommendations of the 12-member Elephant Task Force. After their report was received by the Union Ministry for forestry on August 31, the status was conferred on the animal on October 13.
This is a major boost to the welfare of elephants in the state as well as for tourism. A bulk of the tourists visiting Kerala make it a point to trek in the hill stations and nearby sanctuaries, where elephants are a majority.
Cochin International Airport ltd (CIAL), the airport company in Cochin, has just launched a Heli Taxi service in Kerala. It will be used to ferry tourists to different parts of the state. During the peak season, even pilgrims will benefit from it.
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.
The 2:29 p.m. local from Churchgate, in Mumbai, created history. It was driven by Mrs Priti Kumari, the first motorwoman on the Western suburban line. This thirty four-year-old homemaker and mother, hailing from Bihar, was attracted to the trains when she was holidaying in the city a couple of years ago.
Priti had to finish a year of training to get to where she’s right now. She was instantly taken to the speed at which the trains travel. This is surely an unusual career, but she seems excited – so are the locals who travel by her train. It’s a first with difference.
