Travel
Scenes From A 100 yrs Old Chettinad House
It was interesting to go around and appreciate this huge, 54 rooms Chettinad house at Devakottai.
This majestic Chettinad house, named RM.M.ST house is at Devakottai. You will hardly miss this house while passing through Devakottai on Rameshwaram road.
This building was constructed almost 100 years back. The materials used are from different parts of the Wold
Floor tiles from Italy, Burma teak and Chinese glass
Found some very interesting things, gigantic Idlly plate, bags and boxes made of wood and bamboo, hospital carbolic soap from England
Now am planning to visit Devakottai again, to see a dozen more houses like this
Inside Namma Metro: Bengaluru Metro Rail
The Bengaluru ‘Namma Metro’ work is in full swing and the first stretch between Bayappanahalli to M.G. Road is scheduled to open in December 2010. Now Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) have kept one replica (I think it’s not replica but the actual one) of Metro coach in M.G road
Namma Metro, Our Metro!
The entrance
The front view
The Metro rail from outside
I like the way people are sitting and pretending as if they are traveling in the Metro rail, pretty high aspiration levels
It’s a good place for time pass too
The route Map
Driver cabin
Now this is like a picnic spot, saw this family spending a good time, they were discussing like” where to get down to go to our home?”
Let us hope that Namma Metro will reduce the famous Bengaluru traffic
Nainamvalappu: The Football Capital Of Kozhikode: Part II
Nainamvalappu: The football capital of Kozhikode: Part II
N.V.Subair,President-NFFA,says there is so much talent here when it comes to football but lack of facilities is the biggest impediment.
Replica of FIFA World cup trophy, made by this person in wood.There is a purpose for this replica of World cup trophy kept here. This trophy is made in wood. During the final of the World cup when the winner lifts the original FIFA World cup trophy, this replica at Nainamvalappu will be handed over to the respective fan club members!so this time members of the Spain fans club lifted the trophy.
Even I had this rare opportunity of holding FIFA World cup trophy, a replica atleast!
Banners from Nainamvalappu!
Holland fans Club
Some section of the people here hope that one day India will make it to FIFA World cup football! Jai Ho!
The only place throughout Malabar where I saw a banner for Korean team!
Some local heroes playing with legendary Pele (good photoshop work!)
And an entire fence wall dedicated to World cup fixture!
NFFA even has a blog dedicated to football related news.
Nainamvalappu: The Football Capital Of Kozhikode: Part I
Nainamvalappu, a small town in Kozhikode, predominantly comprises of fishing community.
Founded in 1996,Nainamvalappu Football Fans Association, NFFA is in constant touch with FIFA. They send regular magazines,a copy of the new rules, brochures and miniatures. NFFA has a mini FIFA museum. “This time, FIFA sent us a gold key chain carrying its logo. We have displayed all our curios here,” says Subair, the President of NFFA.
Zakumi banner ,the Official Mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Gold and silver plated replica of World cup, key chains, buttons, stickers, all sent by FIFA!
FIFA World cup 2010 official poster!
The original Jabulani, official football of FIFA World cup 2010!
Official postcards of all the entire FIFA World cup matches!
FIFA Bag
Members of Nainamvalappu Football Fans Association, NFFA in front of the office.
To be continued..
A journey through Malabar
World Cup football banners: A visual treat! Part VI
This one for the Holland fans!
Found this banner near Nainamvalappu football fans association building in Calicut.You can see some of the fans also, wearing Holland jersey and one guy riding a horse!
A journey through Malabar
The story of FIFA World cup trophy and it’s replica
Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga designed the FIFA World cup trophy. The trophy stands 36.5 centimetres tall and is made of 5 kg of 18 carat gold Produced by Bertoni, Milano.
It weighs 6.175 kg in total and depicts two human figures holding up the Earth. That’s about the original FIFA World cup trophy now,through out my travel in Malabar I happened to see so many replicas of the FIFA World cup trophy!
World cup trophy at Aricode, Malappuram!
This one made by a person named Sukumaran in cement.
It took two days for him to make this. One day for molding and another for painting. He says he has made this World cup for Brazil to win.
This cup was given to the winning team, Brazil in the match organized at a place named Makkarapparamba, near Malappuram and again in Aricode match. There both Brazil and Argentina were declared joint winners.
I also had the rare privilege (as far as an Indian is concerned)to hold the FIFA World cup trophy, I mean at least the replica.
World cup trophy at Nainamvalappu!
There is a purpose for this replica of World cup trophy kept in Nainamvalappu, (considered as the football capital of Calicut) football fans association. This trophy is made in wood. During the final of the World cup when the winner lifts the original FIFA World cup trophy, this replica at Nainamvalappu will be handed over to the respective fan club members!
The person who made this replica!
Myself with the FIFA World cup trophy (replica)! holding the cup for the second time in a week.wasn’t that great?
Even my uncle who arranged all the meetings in Calicut was so happy to hold the World Cup!
World cup trophy at Puthanathani!
This is the biggest replica of FIFA World Cup trophy I saw, stands almost 4 ft, made in Gypsum! in front of the Nice Coffee Day!
A journey through Malabar
Day 4: Puthanathani, Malappuram district
Nice Coffee Day: 2 Argentina, 1 Brazil and 1 Germany please!
Through one of Malayalam dailies, I came to know about this wonderful Coffee shop in Puthanathani, a small town in Malappuram district.
So what’s the specialty of this Coffee shop? and how is it related to the football World cup?
This is one sure sign of soccer mania!almost 4 ft replica of FIFA World Cup made in Gypsum! in front of the Nice Coffee Day!
Set of Brazilian and Argentinian juice glasses! Then I met Mr. Khalid who runs the shop, along with Mr. Abdul Karim. So if you ask for juice you are most likely get a menu like this “Brazil, Argentina, England, Italy, France and Germany”.
“We wanted to do something very different this World cup , and we came out this concept of naming various juices as leading football playing nations”, says Khalid who himself is a juice maker.
And the name is not only in the juice, so you have various tables branded as different nations like
Germany table
Italy, all you have to do is come and sit in your favourite nation’s table, the particular juice, named after that nation we come to you!
The Samba table, for the fans of Brazil!So there are like friends, who will come as a gang and once they enter they split and sit in their respective team’s table.
You have England table also. He is planning to show the semis and final live adjacent to the shop itself so that people can see the matches while sipping the juice.
So I went and sat in Argetina table and ordered, 1 Argentina please!
And enjoyed my Argentina shake, it was complimentary from the owner!
Later in Chennai at Cafe Coffee Day I found this, but according to me Nice Coffee Day is more connected to World Cup Soccer brand and represents the true spirit of people of Malabar towards Football!
To be continued…
A journey through Malabar
United flags of soccer World!
Every where you see only one thing, Flags in different shapes and colour. During the World cup season entire Malabar area will be wrapped by flags of different football playing nations. Argentina and Brazil lead the list but you will see flags of European nations also.
United flags in front of a Club in Perinthalmanna!
A Ladies store in Malappuram town
Argentina flag with bulbs!
This Argentina, I would say wooden flag was unique!
The scene at Nainamvalappu, the football capital of Calicut.
To be continued…
A journey through Malabar
Day 2,3: Malappuram and Calicut
Offers offers every where
I happened to see this banner when I was crossing the Perinthalmanna town. There was this huge banner placed in front of the home appliances store named Janatha Arcade. The banner said World cup 2010 mega sale. 
I got curious to know more about the offers. Lijo, the person in charge of the store said most of the TV brands like LG, Samsung, Godrej and Onida have come up with World Cup offers. Then there was scratch card where one gift was assured. Other offers being Sony is giving a Jubilani, the official football of the 2010 World cup with every purchase of LCD TVs. Then there is cash discount of up to Rs.1000 
Mainly clubs purchase TV in this season. On an average 10 pieces are sold in a day. One of the emerging trends in this World Cup season was the group purchase. 6-10 people, mainly youngsters will pool money and buy TV just to see the World Cup.
Here also the main teams have to reach at least in the quarters in order for the TV sales to pick up.
To be continued….
A journey through Malabar
World Cup football banners: A visual treat! Part V
One more for the Brazil fans!
Lots of action in the Banner. 
On one side Maradonna kissing the hand of Ronaldinho and saying “Oh God, Now even if I die its ok!”. Next to that one Argentina player begging to one Brazil guy, “Please don’t thrash us any more” and another guy telling “Guys, lets go, its Brazil”.
In the middle there is this 6 pointers on why they like Brazil, all statistics on how many times Brazil defeated Argentina!
To be continued..
