Kottayam (Kerala), Sep. 8 : Abraham Thomas of Kerala out of his deep affection for the pachyderms has prepared a huge cemetery, which enables the giant animals to be laid down in peace here.

Thomas has so far buried more than 55 elephants, from within the State as well as the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu at his Palakunnam Estate, which is spread over 150 acres at Manimala in Kottayam District of Kerala.

The cemetery has enabled the elephants to be buried and leave the world with dignity otherwise the unattended carcass lie around and get rotten.

Kochi, Sep. 3 : Onam, the 10-day harvest festival of Kerala started on Tuesday with Athachamayam, a great pomp and show parade at Tripunithura, the seat of the erstwhile Cochin royalty, near Kochi.

Later, the parade is taken out through the narrow streets with thousands of people watching and participating in the celebrations.

Also known as Athakosham, this festival attracts many tourists from India and abroad to Tripunithuva its highlights being ancient and modern art forms such as folk dances, competitions and other entertainment programs.

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 3 : The CPI-M led LDF Government in Kerala has decided to extend reservation in higher education to economically backward students among the forward castes.

Ten percent seats will be reserved in government-run colleges and in case of universities, the quota will be 7.5 percent in view of the reservation pattern stipulated by the UGC, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan told reporters after a cabinet meeting here on Wednesday.

The quota will be applicable for degree and postgraduate courses, he said.

Kochi, Aug 28 : The business capital of Kerala, Kochi will soon have an international landmark in the form of the biggest shopping mall to further boost the business and lifestyle growth taking place down south.

The “Lulu International Shopping Mall” has announced the launch of its shopping mall, which according to the company, will be the biggest in India.

To be located at Kochi in Edappally, the project will be spread across more than 17 acres of land with a built up area of 20 lacs sq. ft. The total project investment is Rs. 1200 crores.

In order to increase its capacity coverage, the Palakkad telecom district of Bharti Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is planning to set up nearly 27,000 broadband lines and 50 additional mobile towers.

While speaking with mediapersons K L Jairam, BSNL general manager said, “There is a spare land line capacity of 60,000 in the district and a spare capacity of 30,000 for WLL which could help provide instant connections to as many persons.”

Alappuzha (Kerala), Aug 10 : The annual snake boat race held here on Saturday attracted many tourists, including several from abroad.

Over 50 boats, of small and big sizes, including 16 snake boats, participated in the 56th Nehru Trophy Boat Race at the Punammada Lake in Kerala''s Alappuzha District.

Snake boats or "Chundanvallam" races, as they are known in local parlance, are very popular in Kerala, dubbed as the Venice of the East for its backwaters, especially around the harvest festival of Onam.