Muziris heritage circuit in Kerala is one of the tourist circuits identified by the Ministry of Tourism for large scale promotion. Muziris heritage circuit generates great interest among natives and tourists alike in Kerala. It is expected to be open to tourists this year. Rs.17-crore road/canal development project is planned by the Kerala Government. Artefacts, paintings and documents have been identified to be displayed at the museums. The Muziris heritage circuit would showcase the life and times of the ancient port town and would be an educational experience. Kodugallur, land that once used to have trade contacts with Rome, Greece, China and Persia, was known as Muziris in its hey day. Recently this has been contested by archaeological findings at a nearby place called Pattanam. Muziris, existed till first century AD, was the gateway for various religious faiths like Christianity, Judaism, Islam and others to India. St.Thomas, the apostle of Jesus Christ is believed to have set

Dandelions. A Russian variety of Dandelions could be the new source of rubber. There are researches going on in Germany and US to extract rubber from the plant's sap. If found successful Dandelions could be a better option to produce rubber than traditional rubber tree - Hevea Brasiliensis. Read more about this from The Economist.

GKSF went past with out enticing many shoppers. This was on the expected lines. GKSF lacks leadership commitment and a sound strategy. Strategy part was discussed in an earlier post. To add to that, the event was marketed only by few sub-standard TVCs and outdoor ads. Also there were few occasional claims by various ministers including home minister. I failed to understand the involvement of home minister to declare the event a grand success. Few prize winners announced during the event would have done wonders. The brand GKSF was hijacked by many jewelers in their ads as if the prize money is from them. It is known that GKSF is a government initiative but who is leading and driving the event. Is ministers the right people to drive such an event? Is it such an event that we would not need a full time CEO who would promote the event round the year and across the world? To sum it up, GKSF got a long way to go to prove its worth for any budget to be allocated by a sound marke