Thiruvananthapuram, also 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, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and the 21st largest in India. The city is built around a 65-acre (26 ha) hillock called the Thekkinkaadu Maidaanam which seats a large Hindu temple. It is located central of the state, and 304 kilometres (189 mi) north-west of the state's capital city, Thiruvananthapuram. Thrissur was once the capital of the Kingdom of Cochin, and was a point of contact for the Assyrians, Greeks, Persians, Arabs, Romans, Portuguese, Dutch and English.
Onam is an annual Malayali harvest festival celebrated in the Indian state of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. Drawing from Hindu legends, Onam commemorates King Mahabali and Vamana.
Kattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian playback singer and musician who sings Indian classical, devotional and film songs. Yesudas is estimated to have recorded more than 50,000 songs in various Indian languages, including Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, Odia,Bengali, Marathi as well as Arabic, English, Latin, and Russian, in a career spanning six decades. He is often referred to as Gaanagandharvan. He is one of the highly acclaimed singers in India. Yesudas holds the record for singing 11 songs in different languages in a single day. He has also composed a number of Malayalam film songs during the 1970s and 1980s.
Government Model Engineering College or MEC is an engineering college established by the IHRD, located in Thrikkakara, Kochi, Kerala, India. It is affiliated with Cochin University of Science and Technology and APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University.
Alappuzha Beach is a beach in Alappuzha town and a tourist attraction in Kerala, India. Beach has an old pier which extend to sea is over 150 years old. Alappuzha beach host many events annually like Alappuzha beach festival, Sand art festival and many more.
Kerala, a state situated on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Named as one of the ten paradises of the world by National Geographic Traveler, Kerala is famous especially for its ecotourism initiatives and beautiful backwaters. Its unique culture and traditions, coupled with its varied demography, have made Kerala one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Growing at a rate of 13.31%, the tourism industry is a major contributor to the state's economy.
Gayatri Asokan is a playback singer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. She started her playback career with the song "Deena Dayalo Rama" for the film Arayannagalude Veedu under music director Raveendran. "Enthe Nee Kanna" for Sasneham Sumitra won her the Kerala State Film Award for Best Singer in 2003. Her memorable hits include "Chanjadi Adi" from Makalkku, "Thumbikkinnaram" from Naran and "Pularumo" from Ritu.
The city of Thiruvananthapuram has been the centre of cultural activities of Kerala (India) from the time it was made capital of Travancore in 1745. The capital city is a major intellectual and artistic center. The Thiruvananthapuram Museum and Thiruvananthapuram Zoo were started during the reign of Swathi Thirunal (1813–1847) and are one of the oldest of their kind in India. The city's libraries include the Trivandrum Public library, which was started in 1829. The Swathi Thirunal College of Music and 'College of fine arts' are the leading institutions related to music and arts.
Kerala State Chalachitra Academy is an autonomous non-profit institution working under the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. It was founded in August 1998 for the promotion of cinema in Kerala, considering that cinema is the most popular art form in Kerala. The academy was first of its kind in India and was formed on the basis of the Karant committee report (1980), which proposed the formation of a national film academy.
Thonnallur Pattupurakkavu Bhagavathi temple is a famous Hindu temple at Pandalam, India. It is located one kilometer to the north of Pandalam junction, by the Thiruvananthapuram - Angamaly MC Road. The temple hosted the first ever Devi Bhagavatha Sathram in Kerala, from 28 April – 7 May 2010.
The Jose Thomas Performing Arts Centre is a theatre of performing arts situated in Thrippunithura, Kerala, India. It was founded on 26 February 2009 by actor Mohanlal and The Choice Group chairman Jose Thomas who respectively serves as the Chairman and President of the arts centre. The centre is situated in the Choice School complex and has a sitting-capacity of 700.
Kannur International Airport is an airport serving the North Malabar region of Kerala, Kodagu and Mysore districts of Karnataka and Mahé district of Puducherry in India. It is located 28 km (17 mi) east of Kannur town, and 24 km (15 mi) east of Thalassery town, near the municipality of Mattannur in Thalassery taluk of Kannur district in Kerala. It is owned and operated by Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL), a public–private consortium. The airport opened for commercial operations on 9 December 2018.
Kerala School Kalolsavam is an annual event conducted by the Government of Kerala, featuring several art competitions for high school and higher secondary school students of Kerala. The festival was started in 1956, and till 2008, it was called as Kerala State School Youth Festival. The participants are students from classes 8th to 12th. Winners from different revenue districts for a particular event will be competing in state level competition. The event is usually conducted in December–January months of a year and is considered to be the biggest cultural event of Asia. 61st edition of Kerala School Kalolsavam, 2020–21 is scheduled at Kollam.
Melvilasom is a 2011 Indian courtroom drama film directed by Madhav Ramadasan and written by Soorya Krishnamoorthy. It stars Suresh Gopi and Parthiban in the lead roles, and features Ashokan, Thalaivasal Vijay, Nizhalgal Ravi, Krishnakumar and Sanjay in other pivotal roles. An adaptation of Soorya Krishna Moorthy's stage play of the same name, which itself was based on the Hindi play Court Martial by Swadesh Deepak, the film reached theatres on 29 April 2011. It received wide critical acclaim upon release and got a dubbed release in Tamil as Ulvilaasam.
Veettilekkulla Vazhi is a 2010 Indian Malayalam adventure drama film written and directed by Dr. Biju. The film is about terrorist organizations operating in India and how they recruit young Keralites. It stars Prithviraj, Indrajith and Master Govardhan in main lead roles.
Ghar Wapsi is the programme of religious conversion to Hinduism from Islam, Christianity and other religions, conducted by Indian Hindu nationalist organisations Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and their allies. The term owes to the Hindu nationalist ideology that all people of India are ancestrally Hindu and, hence, conversion to Hinduism is one of "coming home" to their ancestral roots.
Myriam Sophia Lakshmi Quinio, known professionally as Paris Laxmi is a dancer and actress born in France and settled in Kerala, India. With her husband Kathakali dancer Pallippuram Sunil, she runs the Kalashakti School of Arts in Vaikom, Kerala.
Veeram is a 2016 Indian epic historical drama film written and directed by Jayaraj. It is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, and is the fifth installment in Jayaraj's Navarasa series. The film, which also takes inspirations from the Vadakkan Pattukal of North Malabar region in Kerala tells the story of Chandu Chekavar, an infamous warrior in the 13th century North Malabar.
Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), founded in 2016, is an annual literary festival held in Kozhikode, Kerala, India. KLF is organised by DC Kizhakemuri Foundation (DCKF) with support from Kozhikode Saamskaarika Vedhi and various other organizations. The festival was first held from 4 to 7 February 2016 in Kozhikode. Poet, critic and former Secretary of Kendra Sahitya Akademi, K. Satchidanandan, is its director. The logo for the festival was designed by artist Riyas Komu.
