K. M. MARCUS aged 55, a parishioner of St. Thomas Forane Church Attappallam, Kumily left for his heavenly abode on the 23rd of May 2023.
Marcus of Kunnumpurathu House, in Amaravathy is survived by his wife and two children; a daughter Chinju M and son Tins M.
Marcus was a Builder by profession and was currently working on a project in Gavi in Pathanamthitta district. He went to bed after dinner on 22nd night but did not wake up the next morning when his colleagues tried to awaken him. He was rushed to Pathanamthitta Medical College where he was declared dead and a post- mortem was performed.
His Funeral will be held on the afternoon of the 24th May 2023 at St. Thomas Forane Church, Attappallam.
May his Soul Rest in Peace and may God give his family the strength to bear his loss…
One more feather has been added to Kumily’s cap today for yet another daughter of Kumily has turned on the spotlight on our Town. Yes, we are referring to Misha Shajan a native of Rosapookandam, Kumily and a B.Com student of St. Dominics College, Kannjirapally who has obtained the second rank from the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam this year.
Misha Shajan is the daughter of Shajan Thomas Muckumkal, a business man of Kumily and his wife Ponni Shajan a house wife dedicated to her family. Misha who has currently completed her Final Year B.Com has a younger sibling Minta Shajan who is now awaiting her Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) Examination results.
Misha did her 10th Grade from Amalambika Convent English School (ACES) and her Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) Examinations from St. Mary’s H S Vellaramkunnu.
“Kumily Calling” takes this opportunity to congratulate Misha Shajan on her remarkable achievement and wishes her all the very best for all success in the future.
The Reunion of the Vattakandam Brothers which commenced at the Vattakandam playfield on 1st May 2023 is still going strong and the bonhomie and camaraderie among the Brothers is only increasing. After, organising a two day Cricket Tournament for the seniors on 13th and 14th May 2023, they have now organised a one day Tournament for the junior Brothers on 20th May 2023 at the Vattakandam grounds.
The Tournament enabled the juniors to enjoy their summer holidays in a positive manner and give importance to physical exercises, rather than playing games in front of a computer or a mobile.
The Tournament was conducted on 12 overs a side basis and played with a soft ball. The same teams which participated in the Seniors Tournament also fielded their junior teams in this Tournament. The teams which participated in this Tournament were the Super Kings, Vattakandam – Juniors, Kings XI, Kumily – Juniors, Royals Vattakandam – Juniors and Royal Challengers – Juniors.
The first match of the day was between Kings XI, Kumily – Juniors and Royals Vattakandam – Juniors. Kings XI won the toss and elected to bat. They scored 123 runs in 12 overs. Royals Vattakandam who batted second won the match with 6 wickets and 5.1 overs to spare.
The second Match was between Super Kings, Vattakandam – Juniors and Royals Vattakandam – Juniors. Royals Vattakandam who batted first obtained 92 runs in the stipulated 12 overs and Super Kings won the match with 7 wickets and 7.4 overs to spare.
The third match between Kings XI, Kumily and Super Kings, Vattakandam was won by Super Kings with 3 wickets and 10.3 overs to spare by chasing 123 runs.
The concluding match, the finals was between Kings XI, Kumily – Juniors and Super Kings, Vattakandam once again since both teams qualified for the finals on the basis of points. Kings XI won the toss, elected to bat and scored 183 runs. Super Kings, Vattakandam who batted second managed to reach the target with 7 wickets and 11.2 overs to spare. Super Kings, Vattakandam therefore won the Tournament and received the trophy and individual medals.
Kings XI, Kumily – Juniors were declared the runner up and Royals Vattakandam – Juniors obtained the third position.
Adish S was declared the best Fielder and the Man of theTournament. Muhaddis was declared the best batsman while Aromal S was declared the best young player of the Tournament. The best catch of the Tournament was taken by Shahid and Abid Sabeer was declared the best keeper of the Tournament.
The Tournament concluded with the prize giving ceremony. The Trophy for the first place was sponsored and handed over by Habeeb K of UAE Cardamom. The trophy for the second place was sponsored and handed over by Abhubakkar of AMA Sweets, Kumily. The Vattakandom Senior Brothers who sponsored the lunch also sponsored the trophy for the third place.
Following the prize giving ceremony the Vattakandom Seniors also distributed Mementoes to Students of Vattakandom who had passed the SSLC Exam this year.
“Kumily Calling” appreciates the service minded people and organisations of Kumily and always highlights their service to the deprived and marginalised sections of society. One such organisation which has been doing yeoman service especially during the COVID Pandemic is Kumily Rural Organization Of Social Service (KROSS).
One of the few areas in which Kumily is not independent is in the field of Medicare and while basic medical services are available in the Town, Kumily lacks advanced care and Specialty Hospitals. The lack of such specialty hospitals is the reason why many human lives are lost at a young age due to delayed treatment. It is to fill this gap that a group of like- minded people living in Kumily Grama Panchayath got together and thus KROSS came into existence on July 17th, 2019.
The vision and mission of KROSS is to reach out to the marginalized people of the society regardless of caste, religion, color and politics; understand their needs and bring them into the mainstream of the society.
KROSS identifies and reaches out to the afflicted who are economically deprived with the help of Asha workers and Palliative care providers of Kumily Gram Panchayath who are in day to day touch with the grassroots.
Within a year of its formation, India was hit by the COVID pandemic and KROSS served the people of Kumily by providing free ambulance services to the needy, oxygen cylinders at low cost. With the help of Asha workers, KROSS volunteers worked round the clock to meet the needs of families affected by Covid by distributing food kits to needy families.
A big problem faced by bed ridden patients during the COVID pandemic was the shortage of oxygen cylinders. KROSS has distributed oxygen cylinders to the needy patients by charging only a nominal fee towards the cost of refilling. Air beds, Medical beds and Wheelchairs were also provided free of cost to the patients subject to availability.
During this time of distress the Peermade MLA. Vazhoor Soman provided one lakh rupees worth of supplies to the afflicted in Koottikal, Kokkayar, Kuttiplangad region based on the recommendations of KROSS.
During COVID, study materials including TV were distributed to the needy students. With the help of KROSS, many nursing students were able to continue their studies by paying the semester fees of students who faced financial difficulties.
Due to constraints KROSS does not provide free assistance to all. While the deprived are provided free services, people who can afford it are charged a nominal cost towards use of services such as ambulance etc. The proceeds from the ambulance service are used by KROSS to purchase medicines for the needy patients.
There are many instances when KROSS’ ambulances have been able to provide timely help and save lives. The recent instance when a little girl swallowed an earring on the night of 17th May 2023 and had to be rushed by ambulance to a hospital located 110 kilometres away is a case in point of how KROSS saves lives.
KROSS’ volunteers also work in Kottayam to provide emergency assistance in the Hospitals including the Kottayam Medical College, which is depended upon by most poor and middle class patients.
KROSS’ many services include but are not limited to:
Free transport of dialysis patients from Kumily Gram Panchayath to the nearest Dialysis center and back home.
A care home for elderly and bedridden patients.
Special training for educationally backward children
Empowerment of widows and deprived women by imparting vocational training and providing them income generating activities.
Special mention must be made of the services of KROSS’ President Shaji Arakkal, Secretary Fa. Littu Jacob and their Treasurer, Biju Kallukulam along with their Project Committee Members Antony Allenchery (Chairman), Majo Karimuttom (Co-ordinator), Biju Paul (Secretary), Bibin Puthan Peedikayil (Treasurer) and Jayakuttan (Office in-charge)
Members of the public can contact Biju Beenas on 9447612273 and Mahan P C on 9447288321 For emergency ambulance service requirements. Dialysis patients in need of support can also contact Jobi Jose (Joint Secretary) – 9037761426
All those who would like to help KROSS in the achievement of their objectives may contact any of the individuals listed above and help them in any manner for indeed KROSS is doing commendable service.
Kumily Calling salutes all the Members and Volunteers of KROSS and wishes them all the very best for all their future projects and activities.
The Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC – 10th Grade) Exam results were announced by the Education Department of the Kerala State Government on 19th May 2023. Candidates appeared for the State Board Examinations from 5 Schools situated within the Kumily Gram Panchayath and we are delighted to share that all 5 Schools have jointly achieved 99.9% Results.
The Kerala Board of Public Examination is the State Level Education Board of Kerala. It is administered by the Government of Kerala. The board is responsible for conducting various examinations on the basis of a unified law.
The State Board follows a grading system to encourage students and promote uniformity. The highest Ranking is “Full A+” which is awarded to those who have secured more than ninety percent in all subjects. A student has to write 10 papers and secure above ninety marks in all ten papers to secure a “Full A+”.
The Five schools which had candidates appearing for the SSLC Examinations this year are the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School (GVHSS) & Teachers Training Institute, (TTI) Kumily, the Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Amaravathy, the Monkompu Aundy Iyer (MAI) High School, Murukkady, the St. Mary’s HSS, Vellaramkunnu and the St. Thomas English Medium Higher Secondary School, Attappallam
This year a total of 525 students appeared for the SSLC Examinations and 74 students have secured a Full A+ in the Gram Panchayat.
The individual breakup of the respective Schools is given below:
Out of a total number of 63 students who appeared from the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School (GVHSS) & Teachers Training Institute, (TTI) Kumily, 3 students obtained “Full A+”.
The Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Amaravathy which has 7 students who have obtained a “Full A+” out of a total of 115 students who appeared for the exam.
A total of 67 students appeared for the examinations from the Monkompu Aundy Iyer (MAI) High School, Murukkady and 6 of them have obtained “Full A+”.
162 students from the St. Mary’s HSS, Vellaramkunnu appeared for the examinations and 24 of them have secured “Full A+”.
Of the 118 students who appeared from the St. Thomas English Medium Higher Secondary School, Attappallam a total of 34 students have obtained “Full A+”.
“Kumily Calling” takes this opportunity to congratulate all the successful candidates and wish them all success in the future.
The people of Kumily are known for their courage and compassion. Such courage and compassion was exhibited by Dini K Joseph, an ambulance driver attached to the Kumily Rural Organisation of Social Service (KROSS) who responded to an emergency call from Murukkady to help a three year old girl who accidentally swallowed an earring.
The incident took place on 17th May 2023 at about 7.00 p.m. The parents, Manu and Saritha took the child to a nearby hospital where an X-ray revealed that the earring was lodged near the lungs of the child and required immediate, specialised attention. The Ambulance was therefore called and Driver Dini K Joseph responded to the call. He rushed the girl to Marsleva Medicity Hospital in Pala which is located about 110 kilometres away and reached the hospital in an hour and ten minutes
Anyone who knows the roads around Kumily can tell you that driving a distance of 110 kilometres within the short span of 1 hour and ten minutes is not an easy task. Added to the nature of the roads the drive after sunset is fraught with risks and would normally take more than two to three hours. However, Dini K Joseph rose to the occasion and saved the child’s life with his courageous driving fuelled by his compassion.
Dini was ably supported by the local police and a few other ambulance drivers who escorted his vehicle and cleared the road as Dini rushed along at breakneck speed to save the child.
“Kumily Calling” salutes Dini k Joseph and wishes him a Blessed and Successful life
We are aware that Kumily is a Tourist Destination and is home to many interesting locations including Thekkady Lake; but did you know that Kumily is also the headquarters of the Mabuni Shito Ryu karate Do International?
Yes, the Shitokai Karate Temple, located near the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Kumily is the current headquarters of the Do which is affiliated to the Izumi karate International, USA and is certified by the World Shito-Ryu Karated Do Federation of Japan.
The Mabuni Shito Ryu karate Do used to operate out of the Tribal Community Hall at Mannakudy until 2017 when the Shitokai Karate Temple was constructed. Interestingly, the land for the construction of the Temple was obtained on a 10 year lease and the same was built by their Karate Masters within 4 months.
The Mabuni Shito Ryu karate Do International recently conducted the Interstate black belt competition at the Shitokai Karate Temple. Recently the Mabuni Shito Ryu karate Do conducted their Colour Belt Training Test at the Shitokai Karate Temple on 15th May 2023. The Temple also regularly conducts Idukki District level colour belt tests as well as black belt tests and Training Camps.
Shihan O N Raju is the Country head of the Do for India and also in charge of all Competitions held in India while Shihan Elizabeth is the Kerala State Head of the Do.
The Mabuni Shito Ryu karate Do has many achievements since its establishment; especially during 2016 when the students of the Do won many accolades and medals.
At an international meet held in Kozhikode during 2016 a 14 year old student named Varsha of the Temple won a gold medal. 11 year old named Ajith won the 1st position in Fighting and the 2nd position in Katas at a Tournament held in Tamil Nadu during 2016. Another student named Vaani obtained the 1st position in fighting and second position in katas at Tamil Nadu in 2016. 11 year old Chandra won the National Level Girls Championship held at Cumbum, Tamil Nadu. Mruthula aged 17 won state level Kumite first position held at Anakkara and also won the second position at the All Kerala meet during the same year.
Other achievements in 2016 include 15 year old Vishnu who won first the position in state level Kumite, 8 year old Gayathri who became the national level champion in Kumite, Abhijith aged 12 who won the first position in the State level katas, Abhirami aged 7 who won the 2nd position in Kumite at the Kerala Cup Championship, Ragi aged 10 who obtained the 2nd position in Katas at the State level, 14 year old P V Shivaprasad who won the 1st position at the national level for Fighting, Jiji Mol aged 15 years won the 1st position in at the national level in katas, while 11 year old Ammu also won the 1st position in katas in her age category.
What is noteworthy about all these youngsters are that they all hail from Tribal backgrounds and have grown up to become winners.
The Foundation for the activities of the Do in Kumily was laid by Shihan O.N. Raju who was then a Sub Inspector at the Kumily Police Station. Shihan Raju joined the Kerala Police Force during 1988. He was only a brown belt at that time. However, he became the District Champion twice and went on to become a black belt in 1991. He came 2nd in the State level Kumite Tournament in 1993 and later became champion in 1995. He obtained the 3rd position in the National Championship during 1996. He is currently an Asian referee and the only one from Idukki District to become a judge of the Asian Karate Federation.
It was through the efforts of Shihan O.N. Raju that Sensei Aneesh. C, took up serious training. Aneesh was the son of a green Belt holder and became interested in the sport after watching his Father practice when he went on daily jogs with him. Aneesh initially learnt karate from Sensei Thomas. Later under the tutelage of Shihan O.N. Raju he obtained his black belt in 2007. He later went on to take the National level Test and subsequently started taking classes for Children in Kumily. Aneesh is currently a fourth grade black belt and a National Referee, who participates in Karate Competitions across India.
It was due to the effort put in by Shihan Raju and Sensei Aneesh that the the Shitokai Karate Temple was born.
Aneesh who is a Tribal youth is currently conducting training for Student Police Cadets and self defence classes for the Excise Department’s Vimuktha team. He also handles classes organized by Government for girls under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) programme and also conducts training for Dheera Scheme under the Kerala Government’s Women and Child Welfare Department.
Sensei Aneesh and Shihan Raju handle students across 7 States of India and have disciples in all 14 district of Kerala. As aresult of the hardwork put in by these two individuals children from the Kumily Tribal area have now excelled in Karate in state and National level competitions. More than 20 children from Kumily Mannan Tribal colony between the ages of 6 and seventeen who were trained in various categories have now achieved success.
We at “Kumily Calling” wish the Mabuni Shito Ryu karate Do International and the Shitokai Karate Temple all success in all their future endeavours.
We are proud to share that our very own Dona Punnoose, student of the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School (GVHSS), Kumily has received the State level “Best National Service Scheme (NSS) Volunteer Award” of the Vocational Higher Secondary Education (VHSE) section for the academic year 2022 – 2023.
Dona Punnoose, who is a resident of Amaravathy, is the eldest daughter of C P Punnoose and T A Jini. Her Father who was an auto driver had to quit working due to an accident suffered by him. Her Mother is a staff at the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Vandiperiyar. She has a younger brother named Don Punnose who is a student of seventh grade of the Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Amaravathy.
Dona was the School Pupil Leader (SPL) at her School and was also the Parade Commander of the Student Police Cadet (SPC) during her high School days. She has won prizes for her folk drama and songs at the District Kalotsavam during her high School days. Dona also obtained an Upper Secondary Scholarship (USS) during her seventh grade. She used to participate in all arts & sports competitions at her school and has won several prizes for the same.
Dona obtained a Full A+ in her Secondary School Leaving Certificate SSLC Examinations. She is currently awaiting her Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) results.
The NSS Unit of the GVHSS, Kumily has carried out more than sixty activities and the top ten among these were selected and sent to the State Level Vocational Higher Secondary Education (VHSE) NSS Office. This got Dona noticed by them.
As part of the NSS activity, Dona along with other NSS volunteers also produced a short film “Say Yes to Life; Say No to Drugs”, in which Dona sang, acted, wrote the lyrics and composed the music.
Dona also participated in the National Integration Camp held at Gulbarga, Karnataka during February 2023. All these activities resulted in her obtaining the State Level Best Volunteer Award.
We at “Kumily Calling” have great pleasure in appreciating her and wish her all success in all her future endeavours.
The ICSE – 10th Grade results were declared on the 15th of May 2023 and we are pleased to share that Kumily’s own Amalambika Convent English School (ACES) located near the Thekkady Check Post has once again come out with flying colours. This School which is said to be among the top-rated Schools in Kerala with an excellent academic track record has lived up to its reputation once again with ten students.
Amalambika Convent English School (ACES) located near the Thekkady Check Post is one of the popular schools in India and the only ICSE School in Kumily. The school was established in 1977. It is a Co-Ed school affiliated to Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE). It is managed by the sisters of the Teresian Carmelite Congregation.
The following candidates are the top three rank holders of the 10th Grade in the School.
Nadhanya Zara Shiju the first rank holder of the school who has obtained 97 percent in the Examinations. Nadhanaya has also obtained 1st place in the Malayala Manorama State level Bala Jana Sagyam programme. She is also the art champion of her school. Her proud parents are her father Advocate Shiju Xavier and Mother Sushmitha Shiju who live in Koodapuzha House, Walardy, Vandiperiyar. Our hearty congratulations to them
The second rank holder of the School is Amruthasri. S. who has secured 94 percent. Her proud parents are Srikumar B Nair, the Father and Savitha. S. the Mother. We congratulate them on the occasion.
The third position in the School has been obtained by Anies Dhanya Joseph who has scored 93 percent. We congratulate her and her proud parents, Joseph T D and Mercy Joseph
We would also like to congratulate the top three rank holders in the HSC (12th Grade Exams) from Amalambika Convent English School (ACES)
Rohal S who secured 94 percent. His proud parents are Senthil kumar D & Nadiya S
Santhosh S who scored 93.5 percent to obtain the second place. His happy parents are Shivakumar A & Nalini Devi
Lijin Santosh Joseph who obtained 86 percent. His pleased parents are Santosh Joseph & Siji.
We congratulate all these students and wish them all the very best in all their future endeavours.
We have heard about people who have left our shores to settle in foreign lands but here is the story of a lady whose family migrated to Tampin Village, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia where she was born and brought up but she then returned to India to study and later get married here.
Such an interesting personality is Susheela Stephen who returned to India in 1968 to study at the Teresian College, Mysore and then got married to settle down in Kumily during 1974. What is all the more interesting about her multi faceted personality is her passion for baking and how she has made her passion an entrepreneurial activity.
Yes, Susheela Stephen is a home baker par excellence who undertakes orders for cakes and pastries not just from around Kerala but from other parts of the world as well. During festivals such as Christmas, Susheela receives bulk orders from Cochin, US and other places and prepares over 500 plum cakes for Christmas.
Besides being a home baker Susheela also sells spices online and is currently a Director of Amaana Plantation Resort which is owned by her family.
Susheela is strongly supported by her husband in all her activities. She has two children; the Son, who holds an engineering degree, manages the family’s resorts while the daughter who is a dentist lives in Dubai. Incidentally, Susheela also has six grandchildren whom she loves dearly.
According to Susheela “cooking and baking is my passion; my inspiration for cooking and baking was from childhood and school”. She has also studied Home Science as a subject and has also been a beautician though she now focuses only on baking which she started doing commercially from 2010.
Susheela also conducts baking classes and workshops on a regular basis and interested individuals can contact her through the number given at the bottom of this article.
Susheela’s designer cakes are baked in her kitchen at Chottupara, Periyar PO, and if you ever feel the urge to have a yummy designer cake on special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries just pick up your phone and dial: +91 98951 32177
