Thiruvananthapuram, commonly known by its former name Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration population is around 1.68 million. Located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland, Thiruvananthapuram is a major Information Technology hub in Kerala and contributes 55% of the state's software exports as of 2016. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the "Evergreen city of India", the city is characterised by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills.
Thrissur is a city and capital of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala and the 20th largest in India. Thrissur is also known as the "cultural capital of Kerala" because of its cultural, spiritual and religious leanings throughout history. The city is built around a 65-acre (26 ha) hillock called the Thekkinkadu Maidan which seats the Vadakkumnathan temple. Thrissur was once the capital of the Kingdom of Cochin. It is located 300 kilometres (186 mi) towards north-west of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. One of the main cultural events in Thrissur is the Thrissur Pooram, which attracts quite a number of tourists and travellers.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest communist party in India. There are different views on exactly when it was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by the CPI is 26 December 1925. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), which separated from the CPI in 1964 following an ideological rift between China and the Soviet Union, continues to claim having been founded in 1925.
Kattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian musician and playback singer. Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional and cinematic songs. He has recorded more than Eighty Thousand songs in a number of Indian languages, including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Bengali, and Telugu as well as Arabic, English, Latin, and Russian, during a career spanning more than five decades.
Muhammad Kutty Paniparambil Ismail, better known by his stage name Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning four decades, he has appeared in over 400 films, predominantly in Malayalam language and also in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and English.
Arackaparambil Kurien Antony, better known as A. K. Antony is an Indian politician and attorney who currently serves as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, representing the state of Kerala for the fifth consecutive term since 1985. He also currently serves as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Action Committee of the All India Congress Committee, Congress Working Committee, and member of the Central Election Committee.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is a political party in India. It is recognized by the Election Commission of India as a State Party in Kerala.
G. Sankara Kurup, better known as Mahakavi G, was an Indian poet, essayist and literary critic of Malayalam literature. Known as one of the greats of Malayalam poetry, he was the first recipient of the Jnanpith Award, the highest Indian literary honor. He served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 1968 to 1972 and received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest Indian civilian award, in 1967. He was also a recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and Soviet Land Nehru Award.
Suresh Gopi is an Indian film actor, politician, playback singer and television presenter. He works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and has also appeared in few Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bollywood films. Suresh has acted in more than 200 films and is a recipient of a National Film Award and Kerala State Film Award. He currently serves as a Member of Parliament (MP) in Rajya Sabha. Suresh is also a philanthropist, social worker, and advocates for environmental protection.
The history of Kerala, India, dates back many millennia. Stone Age carvings in the Edakkal Caves feature pictorial writings believed to date to at least the Neolithic era around 5,000 BC, indicating the presence of a prehistoric civilisation or settlement in this region. From as early as 3000 BC, Chera nadu, currently known as Kerala had established itself as a major spice trade centre. Keralam, the then Chera nadu had direct contact across the Arabian Sea with all the major Mediterranean and Red Sea ports as well those of the Far East. The spice trade between Kerala and much of the world was one of the main drivers of the world economy. For much of history, ports in Kerala were the busiest (Muziris) among all trade and travel routes in the history of the world.
Prithviraj Sukumaran is an Indian film actor, producer, playback singer, and director, who predominantly works in the Malayalam film industry. Additionally, he has also worked in Tamil, Bollywood and Telugu film industries. In a career spanning over a decade, Prithviraj has acted in more than 100 films and has received several awards, including the National Film Awards, Kerala State Film Awards and Filmfare Awards South.
Pinarayi Vijayan is an Indian politician who is the current Chief Minister of Kerala, serving since 25 May 2016. A member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), he was the longest-serving secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) from 1998 to 2015. He also served in the government of Kerala as Minister of Electric Power and Co-operatives from 1996 to 1998. Vijayan won a seat in the May 2016 Kerala Legislative Assembly election as the CPI(M) candidate for Dharmadom constituency and was selected as the leader of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and became the 12th Chief Minister of Kerala.
Ottaplakkal Neelakandan Velu Kurup, popularly known as O. N. V. Kurup or simply and endearingly O. N. V., was a Malayalam poet and lyricist from Kerala, India, who won the Jnanpith Award, the highest literary award in India for the year 2007. He received the awards Padma Shri in 1998 and Padma Vibhushan in 2011, the fourth and second highest civilian honours from the Government of India. In 2007 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by University of Kerala, Trivandrum. O. N. V. was known for his leftist leaning. He was a leader of All India Students Federation (AISF). He died on 13 February 2016 at KIMS hospital in Thiruvananthapuram due to age-related illnesses, aged 84.
Madavoor Vasudevan Nair was a veteran Kathakali artiste.
Alappat Sreedhara Menon, known as A. Sreedhara Menon, was a south Indian historian from Kerala. He is best known as the State Editor (1958-68) of Kerala District Gazetteers (1961-1975). He served as registrar of the Kerala University from 1968-1977, before retiring in 1980.
Kerala Blasters Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala. Kerala Blasters is one of the ten teams to have been part of the Indian Super League (ISL),the top tier of indian football since its inception.Kerala is widely regarded as one of India's top teams. They play in the league under licence from All India Football Federation (AIFF). The club was established on 24 May 2014 and began their first professional season a few months later in October 2014.
