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Cholayar: Tributes to a River

// May 17th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Culture and Ecology

Cholayar or Chalakudy Puzha as it is known downstream is one of the largest rivers in central Kerala.  It originates from Anamalais and Nelliampathy slopes in the Western Ghats and joins Arabian Sea after merging with the waters of Periyar near Paravur.   It is world famous for its waterfalls at Athirappally, Vazhachal and Charpa.

Green Glory: Athirappally Falls in Cholayar

The river also hosts the relic patches of unique riparian low-lying forests, extremely rare in Kerala.  It is home to four species of horn-bills: Malabar Grey, Indian Grey, Malabar Pied and Great Indian Horn-bills.  The fish diversity (more than 100 species) of the river and the bird diversity (more than 200 species) of the adjacent riparian forests are amazing.  It is the last resort of an ancient tribe called Kadar who live by the river at Vazhachal range.  The riverside ancient route to Valparai and Pollachi connected Kerala with the Tamil country for centuries.

Cholayar at Athirappally

The thickly forested islands in the river are also home to rare and endangered flora and fauna.  The Cholayar basin is also part of an elephant corridor stretching from Parambikulam to Puyamkutty.  Large mammals like Gaur, deer (Sambhar, Barking and Mouse deers) leopard and tiger are also abundant here.  The human-leopard conflict is a serious menace in Malakapara.

Riparian and Islet forests of Cholayar

In the last week of  April 2010 I visited the banks of Cholayar with Adv. Sureshbabu Thomas.  We stayed at Athirappally near the river.  We explored upstream up to Sholayar reservoir near Malakapara bordering Tamil Nadu en-rout to Valparai.  In the oil palm plantation below the Athirappally waterfalls my friend spotted a spotted dear and calf.

Spotted Deer and calf in Oilpalm plantation at Athirappally

This was an alarming surprise for us as the western slopes of Western Ghats are not known for this species which is abundant in the eastern and dry slopes like Parambikulam.  It could be an indication of changing climatic and vegetation patterns.  We saw plenty of Malabar Grey Horn-bills on the way as well.   Giant Squirrels and butterflies are quite common in the riverine vegetation and sparkling glades.   This unique biodiversity hot spot is also under increasing threat from big dam projects that would eventually maroon this invaluable gift of nature.

Malabar Grey Horn-bill in Vazhachal forest

Malabar Giant Squirrel in Vazhachal

Blue Mormon and Blue Bottles

First Malayalam Book on Cultural Politics in Kerala

// April 23rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Culture and Ecology

My first book in Malayalam happens to be the first book in my mother tongue dealing directly with the politics of culture in Kerala.  Samskaram, Prathinidhanam, Prathirodham:  Samskara Rashtreeyathilekkulla Kurippukal (Culture, Representation, Resistance: Notes Towards Cultural Politics) is on the politics of writing, film and various forms of culture.

Notes towards Cultural Politics (Malayalam)

There are a few books on cultural studies and cultural criticism in Malayalam but there is hardly any title dealing directly with contesting sights of culture.  There is a broad notion that cultural studies is cultural politics itself.  But the real locations of struggle and fight within the realm of culture/s are always invisible and intangible in the ‘balanced’ academic analyses. The ethical and political questions of exclusion and democracy are often sidelined as something that are outside literature and culture.  So even cultural studies is exclusionary, elitist and hegemonic in Malayalam literary culture.

The counter hegemonic and radical subversive acts against dominant and elitist culture are carried forward by little but deviant epistemological practices.  Challenging and continuously destabilizing and rewriting existing notions of culture, polity and society are part of the democratic cultural politics.  Expressing and marking the difference of historical and social experience and the politics of subject formation are also part of this practice in a society where slavery and extreme forms of brutal marginalization were practiced for many millenniums.

Cultural elitist discourses, transcendental mysticism or dogmas, hegemonic notions or practices of culture are rejected and critiqued.  The themes varies  from literature to film and music to pop culture.  The work is a collection of critical essays and notes written and published in leading journals in Malayalam like Bhashaposhini, Mathrubhumy, Madhyamam, Kalakaumudi, Pachakuthira, Suchakam etc in the last decade.  It is divided into two parts.  The first part includes essays on literature and the second part includes essays dealing with pop film, music, art and visual culture.  The book also contains a foreword by Prof. P P Raveendran.  It is published by Fabian Books, Mavelikara (90INR).