Lodestars ’23

KOCHI: A curated list of personalities, places, and events that grabbed the headlines each month this year January The Seed Man For over two decades, Cheruvayal Raman, who hails from the Kurichya tribe in Wayanad, has been collecting and sowing (and thus conserving) indigenous rice varieties on his farm in Kammana village. The Centre honoured ‘Vithachan’ (father of seeds), as he’s locally known, with the Padma Shri award. February Robo Raman The Irinjadappilly Sri Krishna Temple in Thrissur inducted a life-sized mechanical elephant named Irinjadappilly Raman to festival rituals.

The move reignited the call to rehabilitate captive elephants of Kerala, and keep temple rituals ‘cruelty free’. March The firefighter Battling toxic fumes and searing heat, over 200 firefighters, drawn from across Kerala, worked tirelessly for 12 days to douse the fire at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant in Kochi. It was the lengthiest operation in the history of Kerala’s Fire and Rescue Services.

April ‘Titanium’ Tomy Former Navy aviator Cdr Abhilash Tomy scripted history when he finished second in the Golden Globe Race, the holy grail of sailing. He is the only Asian to finish the nearly 250-day-long solo, unassited and non-stop race. May Kudumbashree @ 25 Kudumbashree, the largest self-help group in the country,turned 25.

Established on May 17, 1998, the programme has transformed ordinary women from economicall-backward families into agents of social change. Today, it boasts over 46 lakh members. June 2018 crosses Rs 200-mark Jude Anthany Joseph’s 2018, a survival drama based on the floods that devastated Kerala, became the first Malayalam film to cross the Rs 200-mark.

The film, which received critical acclaim, starred Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Lal, and Aparna Balamurali, among others. July Minnu Mani sparkles The linchpin of the Kerala cricket team, Minnu Mani got her maiden call-up to the national team for a three-match T20I clash against Bangladesh. She was the pick of the bowlers that series, scalping five wickets at an economy rate of 5.

27. Later, Minnu was named captain of the India A squad. August Over the moon The Chandrayaan-3 mission’s robotic lander, Vikram, touched down on the lunar surface (near its south pole) after a flawless 41-day voyage to script history.

The S Somanath-led ISRO mission steered India into an exclusive four-member club of countries that have achieved a soft landing on the moon. September Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam won the Best Film award during the 53rd Kerala State Film Awards night. Mammootty won the Best Actor (Male) award, his sixth, for playing the lead in Lijo’s hit movie.

Vincy Aloshious, a relatively new entrant in the cinema field, bagged the Best Actor (Female) award. October Team Kerala (Asian Games) With 12 medals, including four gold, six silver and two bronze medals, Team Kerala registered their all-time best performance in the Asian Games. The gold medal winners were Mohammad Ajmal and Mohammad Anas (400m relay), P R Sreejesh (hockey) and Minnu Mani (cricket).

November City of Literature Kozhikode was named as India’s first ‘City of Literature’ by UNESCO. The first Malayalam novel, Kundalatha (1887),has its origins in Kozhikode. Besides this, the city is home to several doyens of literature,media/publishing houses, and libraries.

December Sanju Samson Kerala cricketer Sanju Samson’s maiden international century (108 off 114 balls) helped India clinch the ODI series decider against South Africa. His performance has reignited calls to pick him in the national squad more often. Lt Cdr Dilna K Lt Cdr Dilna K, who hails from Kozhikode, was announced in April as one of the two women naval officers in the fray to embark on the Indian Navy’s next circumnavigation project.

Vande Bharat Express PM Narendra Modi flags off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express linking Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram. Kochi Water Metro The first intergrated water transport system serving the Greater Kochi region began operations in April. It connects Kochi’s 10 island communities with the mainland through a fleet of 78 battery-operated electric hybrid boats.

Arikomban After a chase that lasted over a month, Arikomban, a wandering tusker that was upending lives in Idukki’s Chinnakanal, was tranquilised, captured, and relocated to a forest area near Tirunelveli, about 200km away. The tusker – who hit global headlines – is named Arikomban because of its fondness for rice. Ari means rice, and komban means tusker.

For all his belligerence, residents say that every year, the tusker is seen heading to the Kongini City area, where its mother is cremated. Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema bagged a handful at the 69th National Film Awards ceremony. While Home won the Best Malayalam Film Award, Vishnu Mohan bagged the Debut Film Director award for Meppadiyan.

Aavasavyuham was named the Best Environment Conservation movie, and Shahi Kabir won the Best Original Screenplay award for Nayattu. Actor Indrans also received a special jury mention. H S Prannoy H S Prannoy stunned two-time defending champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark to ensure a bronze medal for India at the World Badminton Championship in August.

The 31-year-old is the first Keralite to win a Worlds medal in badminton. The Kerala tipplers Kerala’s Bevco outlets reported record-breaking liquor sales worth Rs 154. 77 crore in just three days — from December 24 to 26.

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