The most influential media conglomerate in Kerala, Malayala Manorama, may have to deal with 'skeleton in their family cupboard'. As per a report in Tehelka Magazine , Arun Mammen is believed to have parked illegal money (black money) in a Swiss bank, LGT Bank of Liechtenstein. If the report has some truth in it,  Manorama may have something to explain, as Arun Mammen is from the family that runs and controls Malayala Manorama group. I do not have access to exact and complete shareholding details of Malayala Manorama, but the perception of educated public in Kerala is that the Mammen family owns Malayala Manorama. Something that is in the public domain is the ownership of MRF Ltd. Arun Mammen is the Managing Director of the company that reported more than Rs.8,000 crore sales in the financial year 2010. Promoter and Promoter group shareholding pattern of the company available at MRF website shows, The Malayala Manorama Co Ltd, M. M. Publications Limited, M M Corporation and man...

Sasi is an auto-rickshaw driver at Vyttila junction in Kochi. He has seen the transformation Vyttila underwent in the last 25 years. When he started, he was the 3rd auto-rickshaw driver in the junction. Among the earlier two, one passed away and the other moved to goods carrier auto in some other part of city. Thus, Sasi would be the senior most driver in Vyttila. It was a regular on-the-trip conversation for me. My inquisitiveness, sometimes bizarre, led me to think of the Vyttila then and now. According to Sasi, Vyttila was then a 'Y' junction with roads to City, Thammanam, Aroor and Tripunithura. It is now probably the biggest traffic point in Kerala with most number of vehicles passing in a day. Vyttila now has 4 main roads connecting City, Tripunithara / Vaikkom, Allappuzha, Palarivattom and two smaller roads connecting Aroor and Thammanam. Sasi remembers 7 autos at the junction then and it is now more than 200 autos. Sasi fondly remembers listening to the songs played b...

An estimated 5 crore (50 million) people undertake the 68-day Sabarimala pilgrimage every year. Pilgrims donated a staggering Rs.120 crore (Rs.1.2 billion) last year and is estimated to have crossed Rs.130 crore (Rs.1.3 billion) this year. It is a huge business. Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) is the administrative body of as many as 1,208 temples across the Kerala State and the board manages Sabarimala too. People in the board are often known for their proximity towards either of the two large political parties in Kerala. Corruption, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds are alleged against all successive boards. Makaravilakku (a light seen on another hilltop from Sabarimala on one of the last few days of annual pilgimage season) is indeed a man-made phenomenon . Pious people throng Sabarimala on that particular day believing it as an act of a supreme power. Railway board ran 674 special trains this Sabarimala season. This was in addtion to 660 sleeper coaches and 30 AC sl...