KERALA - GOD'S OWN COUNTRY

The preparatory material for Orchard India Scholarship Examination, 2010 carried a question :"Why is Kerala called God's Own Country?" for primary students. Our exploration got us the following responses.Which answer fetch you the score? Rather how would your kid/ward respond to this query? Conclude yourself !

In Hindu Mythology, Kerala was created by Lord Parasurama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. So, land of Kerala from Gokarnam to kanyakumari was created from sea by the axe thrown by the Lord. This was gifted to his devotees to lead a peaceful life. 

Another myth is that under the guidance of Lord Parasurama, Guru and Vayu decided to install the holy idol of Lord Vishnu in Rudrathirtha(Boolokha Vaikunda),the present GURUVAYUR. Being God's abode,this land is considered pure and divine too.Hence the name gained more acceptance.

In every nook and corner of Kerala, there are Hindu temples, Christian churches or Muslim mosques. The location Palayam in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram is an apt site for this religious diversity at hands reach. Even with so many places of worship, most adjacent to each other, there is great religious tolerance and communal harmony. Hence the adage is valid.

Kerala has developed from a "lunatic asylum" status during the period of Swami Vivekananda.There has been socio economic and cultural reformations in all sectors like education, health, sanitation, child care, literacy etc. Kerala has now evolved as a "model"of development in many aspects. Hence aptly phrased as above.

Kerala is a paradise for tourists. Its biodiversity from Arabian sea to Western Ghats, rivers, lakes, backwaters - a network of water bodies clubbed with forests, wildlife all make Kerala God's own country- being blessed with natures' wealth. 

The slogan "God's own country" was first used by Dr.Vipin Gopal, when he  created the webpage on Kerala in 1993. Later KTDC adopted this to promote tourism campaigns.Adage was popularised by Dr.Babu Paul, during his tenure as Director.Now the slogan holds global super brand status.

Literally the word Kerala means land of coconuts. Ayurveda is a popular traditional medicine that has its roots in this small state. 

LETS LEARN ABOUT MANGO

Mangoes are the national fruit of India, Pakistan and Philippines. This is the national tree of Bangladesh.

Mango is also the king of fruits. This is because of its taste, colour and beauty.

Vedas praise mango as a heavenly fruit.It represents the joy of life.
Mango leaves are hung on doorways. It is believed to ward off evil. It is a symbol of harmony.
Mango leaves are also arranged in brass pots with coconut as a symbol of prosperity.
Thus mango fruits and leaves are part of many religious ceremonies.It represents potential perfection in Hindu Philosophy.

Mango is also called as a super fruit. Mangoes are rich in dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals and pigments. Unique Phytochemicals in mango are Mangiferin, lupeol, euxanthin etc. Mango peel contains Urushiol, a chemical that causes skin allergy in susceptible people.It contains fibre that helps in weight reduction. Its also contains substances that improves our heart and brain.

A MANGO A DAY GIVES US A FAIR COMPLEXION AND MAKES OUR SKIN SOFT AND SHINING...

The word Mango comes from a Malayalam word MANGA.It is a fleshy stone fruit. Its scientific name is Mangifera indica. It belongs to family Anacardiaceae.


India, our country is a leading nation both in cultivation and production of mangoes. About 1/3rd of world's mangoes are grown in India. Our production is 13.6million tonnes a year.As per statistics,we export 40000 tonnes to more than 80 countries for  a total revenue of 85 million dollars.

Mango is cultivated in most frost free tropical countries and warm sub tropics too.In orchards, multiple cultivars are often grown together to improve cross pollination. These are mostly propagated by grafting.

There are hundreds of mango cultivars. The popular varieties of South India are Alphonso, Banganapalli and Kesar. Dussheri and Langra are popular ones in North India. The current world market is dominated by the cultivar Tommy Atkins. The premium variety of Australian mango is R2E2. Popular mango variety of Pakistan is Chaunsa. There are many dwarf varieties of mango that grows to 2.5m height. These are called Condo mangoes.



Mango trees have a long life. They live for more than 300 years.Tree grows to a height of 40m and has a canopy of 10m radius. It provides enough shade for an outdoor class in a gurukula !

Leaves are simple evergreen. Kids pluck these leaves in play class and use for hand free drawing. These leaves are initially orange to pink in colour and rapidly change to glossy red and when mature to dark green. Of course the senile leaves are yellow and as it dries turns brown ! Do observe flushes and tender leaves when you are under a mango tree...

Flowers are small, white and has a sweet smell. Fruits ripen in 3 to 6 months.

Annual International mango festival is conducted at New Delhi, where more than 500 types are featured on a single platform for 2 days.(http://www.hellotravel.com/events/delhi-international-mango-festival)

In Calicut also annual exhibitions are conducted by Agri- Horti Society, at Gandhi Park. (See a report on last mango mela at : http://calicutnet.com/news/news-reports/rajesh-2011/tradition_farming.htm)

Mangoes are part of traditional cuisine and agro-processing initiatives.

• sweets, candies.
• smoothies like lassies and milk shakes.
• jam, jelly, burfi.
• raw mangoes in pickles, brine, chutney and curry.
• non aerated mango drinks - frooti(Parle Agro); jumpin (Godrej); Maaza (Coco Cola); Slice (Pepsi) etc.

MARRS SPELL BEE- AN AID TO IMPROVE ENGLISH VOCABULARY

MARRS, is organising a series of tests for pre school, elementary and higher level students on English. Classes 1 to 12 are split into a total of six different categories.At the elementary or primary level, the test has few rounds.

FIRST ROUND AT SCHOOL

The first round is conducted during June to December at the respective schools. All interested students can register by paying a fee of Rs.150.00. This covers expense for study materials also. The test has two parts - a written round that is basically dictation, followed by identification of the correct spelling and word from a set of jumbled words. All those who score the cut off mark can then attend an oral test on the spelling of some other words. Those who qualify are selected from the school. The topper is naturally the winner. But additional qualifiers are also selected to attend the next level.

SECOND ROUND- INTER-SCHOOL AT DISTRICT LEVEL

The inter-school competition is the second level for the test. The registration fees is Rs.400.00 per student. Study materials are the same as in earlier round. Here the kids take up similar dictation and jumbled words for written round and spell out orally for the oral round. Here also winners and qualifiers from each district are selected to participate in the next level.

THIRD ROUND - STATE ROUND

The third level is a state level test. In this case the registration fees is Rs.600.00 per student. for participation. Here the oral round has thrust on pronunciation of the word to be spelled out.Written round has dictation, usage of words, jumbled words and so on. from this round students have to start learning phonemics, ie the script of the language. An additional book on pronunciation would be provided to help kids learn this.

The District level orals and State written are conducted together.( 3rd round)

The State orals and National written are conducted together.(4th round)

National orals and International written are conducted together.(5th round)

International Orals is the last and final round of the programme. 

For 2010-11, the last lap goes on January6th and 7th,2012 at Al Nahda Girls School, Abudhabi.

A 10 hour coaching on pronunciation is arranged for those who wish to enroll at a fee of Rs.1500.00per student between each of these rounds.Altogether 4 or 5 such sessions (each at Rs 1500 ) or a repetition of the same when available at extra fees equip kids on phonetics to a great extent. Participants are free to attend the test without this orientation also.

MARRS has also introduced a regular coaching programme at Kochi on all Sundays from 10am to 12 noon for a span of 6 months and the fees is Rs 1200 per month.

NATIONAL ROUND

Here, in the written test, children have to additionally focus on grammar and usage of the language;idioms, phrasal verbs etc. In the oral round students have spell it, phonetics and synonyms and antonyms.
The registration fees for the round is Rs 1000 per student.

INTERNATIONAL PRELIMINARY ROUND

This written round encompasses all aspects from round 1,dictation, jumbled words, usage, synonyms and antonyms, idioms, phrasal verbs. Registration is Rs 2000 per student.

INTERNATIONAL FINALS- ORALS ONLY

This is the last round and is a meeting point for all spell bees, both winners and qualifiers for the last round. Registration fees is Rs 5000 per student. This year the venue is at Abu dhabi and warrants meeting formalities for international travel. Students being minors have to invariably be accompanied by their parents.

While the in between rounds involve lot of domestic travel, the final round necessitates an international trip. For all rounds of the competition and the orientation programme, travel, food and accommodaton are extra and has to be borne by the participants themselves...

The study materials provided by MaRRS at different stages are only a preliminary guide and not the content for the competition. The grade of participants is available online for the National Oral Round only. This in fact helps decide participation in the final round. However, if such results are readily updated after every round, it would help parents and teachers to guide students to tide over their lacuna and thus equip their kids in a better way from an earlier period itself.

Our kids have come up to the last round and from my personal experience, the test is a good chance to improve their vocabulary. Participation spirit is enhanced and sustained by the child friendly approach adopted by MaRRS.However most activities are an addition to their routine school affairs and extra curricular activities, if any.This makes the spell bees truly busy bees...

The rates noted are as per last year's programme and may get revised.
To sum up, a participant who reaches the last round needs Rs 9150 as registration fees alone.
Orientation would need another 9000 INR.(1500 * 4 + 3000)
All other expenses vary - food, transport, accommodation, etc - depending on location and extent of travel required to attend each level of the competition.



 Please visit the website for more details and clarifications.
http://www.marrsspellingbee.com/index.php