Varkala; a mesmerizing beach

Dominated by red cliffs and green coconut trees, Varkala beach in Kerala, South India, is really mesmerizing with its beautiful landscape.

In Varkala, nature is in its pristine glory. Shining white sands and cloudless skies touching the blue waters make a composite picture of the beauty and awesomeness of nature. The red cliffs, extending about two Km, stand towering on the beach like silent sentinels. Moreover a view from the hilltop is simply astounding.

Tranquil and isolated, you can have a relaxing holiday day at Varkala। Far away from the madding crowd, the beach is so fantastic. The sunset at Varkala is astounding with the sun slowly going down the horizon and the sky filled with red and orange hues.
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Aranmula; land of metal mirrors and snake boats

Aranmula, a backwater tourist destination in South India, which has a magnetic charm, is famous for its snake boat races and mirrors. Enjoy the deep green luxuriant vegetation, chirping of birds and the splashing sounds of oars of the canoes and houseboats.

Located close to Thiruvananthapuram, this picturesque tourist destination is bordered by hills on one side and sacred River Pampa on the other side.
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Bask in the warm sun and admire the floating lilies in the backwaters. Just lay back and enjoy the beauty of the simple village life.

One of the most important tourist attractions here is the Aranmula boat race, held during the harvest festival of Onam. Enjoy the elegantly decorated snake boats moving through the serene waters of River Pampa. Just watch the more than 100 oars men splashing their oars.

The Parthasarathy temple, an ancient temple located here, is also another attraction. This temple is famous for its murals, which were carved out during the 18th century.

Another great attraction of Aranmula is the Aranmula Kannadi (mirror). This metal mirror is notable for its secretive construction. Only the local craftsmen of Aranmula are exponents in making these mirrors, which reflects image from upper surface of reflecting material, where in Glass mirror image is reflected from bottom layer where the mercury is pasted. These metal mirrors are also a reflection of a rich cultural as well as metallurgical heritage of a golden past. Well, an eighteen-inch tall Aranmula Metal Mirror adores the British Museum in London, which shows its uniqueness.

Aranmula is about 16 km from Pathanamthitta district. It is preferable to stay in Pathanamthitta, where you can come across moderate hotels.
Aranmula is well connected by road to Pathanamthitta. The nearest airports are the Nedumbassery International Airport in Kochi and the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The nearest railway station is at Thiruvalla.

July 22: A Black Day in Indian Democracy

July 22 was a black day in the history of Indian democracy? When the confidence motion moved by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was being debated over in the Lok Sabha, three BJP legislators showed wands of currency in the house, allegedly given to them to switch sides.
Just a few hours ahead of Mr Singh's reply to the debate on the confidence motion, the dramatic scene unfolded with the BJP legislators showing the bribe money, which they claim was offered to abstain from voting. The opposition's demand for a resignation was not heeded to by the speaker and even the Prime Minster was so adamant in his position. Any Prime Minister would have resigned in such a circumstance. But Mr Singh was so adamant. It seemed that he just wanted the motion to be cleared in his government's favour. Nothing seemed to move him. Even a corruption unravelled in the highest office of the country did not have any impact on him; he was so adamant.
The result came out in favour of Mr Singh and his government. They got 275 votes as against 256. His government won the confidence motion in a small margin of 19 votes, a victory of bribery.
In the realms of Indian democracy, July 22 will remain a sad day, a day of "corrupt victory". Mr Singh cannot claim his victory to be one based on the true principals of democracy. A naked truth of corruption and bribery in the history of Indian parliament has been unfolded. The victory is only a naked display of money power. Once again it has been established that politics is "money power" and politics is business?
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Teacher’s killing; all in the name of a textbook

A schoolteacher in Kerala has been allegedly killed by political activists who were protesting against the Marxist government’s education policies. A gruesome act has been performed.

A protest in the name of protecting religious pluralism as opposed to secularism has led to the brutal killing of James Augustine, who was allegedly kicked or trampled by the protesting Muslim Youth League activists in the southern district of Malappuram. And more pathetic is the way the politicians, the opposition political parties, reacted to the tragic incident.

The Congress, which is the second largest party in Kerala, along with its ally, the Indian Union Muslim league, are trying to portray the death as natural one. They said that Augustine had no major injuries and alleged that the Marxists were trying to take mileage of the situation.

Meanwhile, the ruling Marxist government had said that Augustine was a martyr of the unscrupulous strike. They blamed the Muslim league activists and also the Kerala Students Union (students wing of the Congress party) of unleashing terror in the state in the name of a book when the government had already made it clear to revise the book.

Whatever the opposition and the ruling may say or allege each other, the question here is something different. Both the Ruling and the Opposition had debated in the state Assembly for hours on the real cause of the teacher’s death but they did not indulge into the social aspect of the gruesome murder.


It is not just the killing of a teacher, but it shows us how the political scene in Kerala is changing. The political parties are trying to create fear through crimes, which is not good for the state. Is it that Kerala, which has a history of peace, giving way to treacherous political activities? It is something that Kerala has to divulge into.

The politicians, who are supposed to be with the people, are trying to shatter the peace in the society. For petty political gains, the politicians and the political parties do any kind of vulgarity and not ponder over the consequences of their acts on the society. They even do not think that they survive because of the people and their acts are condemnable.

The Opposition parties and religious organisations had been opposing the Class VII textbook, alleging it propagated atheism and communist ideology among students. The protest is still going on even though the Marxist Government had decided to revise the textbook. The protestors want the complete withdrawal of the textbook.

Nuke Deal Not a Family Matter

The Congress- led United Progressive Alliance government has decided to seek a vote of confidence in parliament on July 22 after the Marxist party withdrew its support on the contentious Nuclear pact.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is adamant in signing the deal with the US, has said that he will approach the International Atomic Energy Agency if the government wins the confidence motion. If not, his government will retract from the deal. It only means that his party, the Congress, will do all horse-trading in the limited time to keep the government afloat, be it giving some ministership to the minor political parties. The Samajwadi Party, which had earlier voiced concern over the deal, is now openly supporting Mannmohan Singh and his government. They have declared to vote with the government. There are also several minor parties who eye for a cabinet berth.
It is not a matter whether the Government wins through the confidence motion or not. But even if they win the motion, it would not be on the majority of the votes. It would be just on one or two votes margin that they would be wining the motion. Well, does it mean that they have the full confidence of the people of this country in signing the deal, when half of the legislators had voted against? This is absurdness on the part of the government.
Well, the question is about Confidence Motion and going to the IAEA, a paradox that has no parallels. Mr Manmohan Singh's utterance that he would withdraw from the nuke pact if his government fails the confidence notion is befooling the people of this country. The Nuke deal should have been made public and the government should have brought in a vivid discussion across the country on the subject. A debate on the subject should have initiated by the government involving academicians, nuclear scientists and politicians before its Prime Minister took an adamant stand on the issue. This nuclear deal is being signed between India and the US and not between Manmohan Singh or the Congress and George Bush. The way things move seems that it is a family matter between Manmohan Singh and Bush. Well, if Manmohan Singh and his Congress party did not have anything to hide on the deal, why then they have not publicised it. But it seems that the congress and Manmohan has some hidden agenda behind the whole deal. Moreover, the deal could have been signed after a new government forms in US and also in India, where elections are due. What urgency is there in getting the deal through? Can't it be put on hold and debated across the country?
India is a democratic country and it seems that people are losing their rights at the hands of some politicians, which should not be tolerated at any instance. Even after getting Independence way back in 1947, India is still being channelised or ruled by some outside force; the ghost of yesteryears still clings on us. India has drifted a lot from its secular, social non-aligned, democratic and welfare aims. Our politicians have become puppets at the hands of some external forces.
The Marxist party and other eminent nuclear scientists have voiced their concern on the deal saying that it will compromise on the country's sovereignty and it will be a bolt on the country's self respect. The Marxists stand is appreciable in this but at the same instance deplorable. Appreciable in the sense that they have taken a bold stand upholding the country's cause and deplorable as this was not a situation to have withdrawn the support. Less than a year to go to the polls, this was not the right time for the Marxist to have left the government. Now the withdrawal doesn't seem to do any good as the Congress had enough time to bargain with other parties for clinching a support base. If the Marxists had withdrawn earlier, then it would have been called as a strong determination on their part. But this itself has only paved for the Congress party to have a foothold on the entire issue, may be paving the way for the nuclear deal. The Marxists, who had been with the Congress till now, have to pay a heavy price for supporting Manmohan Singh's government.

Skin, care, dry, normal, glowing

People are becoming more beauty conscious. A glowing, fresh and healthy skin is what all men and women desires and admires. A dream cherished by all, paying more attention to skin care will help in maintaining the proper charm and look.
In skin care, it is always better to know the type of skin that you have. Normal skin, which has a good balance of oil and moisture, reflects a healthy skin and needs only less treatment. Dry skin, prone to wrinkles, gives a dry appearance and oily skinned people will have a greasy appearance. Then there is the combination skin, a combination of oily and dry skin. But each skin type needs different care and treatment.

People with dry skin should use moisturiser creams and lotions during the day and night, which helps in maintaining moisture thorough out the day. It is better for a person with oily skin to cleanse twice or thrice to get back the glow. A person with a Combined Skin should always take the pains to take care of the oily and dry parts.

Whatever type of skin you have, it is cleanliness that goes a long way in maintaining a proper healthy skin. A balanced diet with vitamins and nutrients, bathing in water mixed with lime, oils and bath salts, cleansing the skin regularly and steaming helps in getting back the charm and glow of the skin.

Regular cleansing of the skin rinse away the dust and other impurities. Always use a mild face wash to cleanse the face twice daily. Toning also helps in maintaining a healthy skin. The toners help in removing any unwarranted particles that might have been left after cleansing and also helps in closing the Skin pores.

Removing dead cells is another important aspect that goes into maintaining a healthy skin. Exfoliating helps in removing the unwanted dead cells. Hydration also helps in keeping the skins healthy.

Talking of vitamins and nutrients, the Vitamin E enhances skin beauty. Even dermatologists prescribe Vitamin E and one can see that almost all the cosmetic products have Vitamin E.

In the market, you can come across dozens of cosmetic products that promise a glowing, charming and healthy skin. It is always better to choose quality skin care products and cosmetics according to your skin type.
A healthy skin is also means a healthy body. Keep the skin healthy; get the charm of your life.
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Religious sentiments and a textbook

Religion becomes controversial again. In Kerala, a small state in India, a seventh standard social science book has sparked political and religious controversy. The religious organisations and Opposition parties have found a chapter in the textbook as spreading communism and atheism. They also say that the Marxist government was trying to propagate Marxist ideology through the book.

Even after the Opposition and the religious organisations protesting against the controversial book, the government is so adamant of not withdrawing the textbook. Meanwhile the government has appointed an expert committee to look into the complaints raised regarding the textbook.

A chapter in the social textbook tells a story of a boy born to parents of different religions (Hindu father and Muslim mother). At the admission time, the principal asks about the religion. The father says that the boy will choose his own religion when he becomes mature. The Opposition parties and the religious groups have questioned it asking if the statement reflected secularists’ idea or anti-religious sentiments. But what is the rational of their questioning? In this modern world, inter-religious marriages are common and no parent can insist that his or her son should be brought up according to his or her ways. It is better that the kids choose, if at all needed, later when they mature.

Another controversy is based on India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru’s vision on religion. The textbook quoting Nehru says that he did not want religious customs to be followed at his cremation. But those who oppose the textbook say that Nehru’s words were misinterpreted only to propagate atheism.

Moreover the history has not been twisted to influx Marxist ideologues. Kerala’s freedom struggle is associated only with farmer’s struggles and if this struggle was not mentioned, then Kerala won’t be having a freedom struggle to say. And no one can say that these farmer’s struggles, which are part and parcel of Kerala’s should not be included because Communists were involved more in it.

Soon after the book was introduced, the Congress party’s youth and students wing went on a rampage on he streets with agitations and protest meetings. For the last one week, the Youth Congress and the Kerala Students Union (Congress’ youth wing and students union) activists clashed with the police in the streets. Many persons, including police personnel, were injured and public property was damaged. Even the Congress took up the agitation in the state assembly and outside.

Along with the political parties, the religious and caste groups have joined the demand of withdrawal of the textbook. The Church has threatened to launch a statewide agitation if the government failed to withdraw not only the controversial chapter but also the entire textbook. Several Muslim organisations have also joined hands with the opposition and other religious groups against the Marxist government.

With all the controversy looming around, I feel that there is no need to withdraw the textbook as it only sends a good message. Even at a tender age, there is no need to inject religious sentiments. Let the boy think of his own religion or let him become even an atheist, a true human being. In a world, where religious fundamentalism is on he rise, let the children learn to be humans. It builds up tolerance and inculcates secular thoughts among the students. The book is a stepping stone in this regard and why then this hate drama.