KCHR's ‘Cosmos Malabaricus Summer School' from August 11
The event will explore Malabar's history, heritage, and Dutch archival sources. It will be held at Gama Heritage Residency, Fort Kochi. The programme emerged from the Cosmos Malabaricus (CosMa) project, aimed at decoding, translating, and contextualising Dutch archival materials related to 17th–18th century Kerala, according to a release.
Noted scholars such as Jos Gommans, Lennart Bes, Lekshmi Subramanyam, and Mahmood Kooria will lead thematic sessions. The event will also host discussions on Dutch language learning and the challenges and opportunities in translating primary sources. The programme will feature archival workshops, cartographic field work, and academic and heritage roundtable sessions, it said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
International workshop on research potential of Hortus Malabaricus begins in Thrissur
The Hortus Malabaricus Botanical Garden and Research Institute (HMBGRI) inaugurated a two-day international workshop titled 'The Research Potential of Hortus Malabaricus' at its campus in Nedumpura, Cheruthuruthi on Saturday. The event brings together a global gathering of researchers, academicians, students, policymakers, and conservationists to discuss the historical, ethnobotanical, and scientific relevance of Hortus Malabaricus — the seminal 17th-century botanical work compiled under the direction of Dutch Governor Hendrik van Rheede. The text, brought into wider academic use through the monumental translation by Professor K.S. Manilal, remains a cornerstone for botanical studies and traditional knowledge systems in India. The workshop features expert-led sessions focusing on research opportunities in taxonomy, ethnomedicine, genomics, sustainable resource use, and conservation policy. Particular attention is given to the bioactive compounds and sustainable extraction methods related to medicinal plants listed in Hortus Malabaricus. Speaking at the inaugural session, Anne Cremers, Deputy Consul General of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, said: 'The Netherlands deeply values its international partnerships, and one of our most significant collaborators in the field of sustainable biodiversity is India. The immense research potential of the Hortus Malabaricus has brought us together for this important conference, and we commend the efforts being made to explore its botanical richness.' Dr. Anil Kumar, Chairman of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB), emphasised the urgency of conservation efforts: 'The establishment of the Hortus Malabaricus Botanical Garden as a living repository sets a powerful example of how to honour a centuries-old botanical legacy while creating pathways for genomic research, community benefit, and long-term resilience. In this context, I would like to draw attention to the urgent need for genomic conservation of wild spice relatives that are endemic to the Malabar Centre of the Western Ghats, a landscape rich in ecological, cultural, and historical significance,' he said. Sam Santhosh, founder and trustee of SciGenom Research Foundation (SGRF) and visionary behind HMBGRI, said: ' Originally launched as a conservation project by SGRF in 2015, HMBGRI now serves as a hub for taxonomy, ecology, and sustainable use of native plant resources of the Western Ghats.' Anoop P. Balan, organising secretary, noted that the workshop is a critical step toward recontextualising the Hortus Malabaricus within modern science. The workshop will continue through August 10, with expert panels, interactive discussions, and field visits aimed at fostering collaborative initiatives and promoting Kerala's botanical heritage on a global platform.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
KCHR's ‘Cosmos Malabaricus Summer School' from August 11
The Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) will organise the 'Cosmos Malabaricus Summer School' in collaboration with Leiden University here from August 11 to 14. The event will explore Malabar's history, heritage, and Dutch archival sources. It will be held at Gama Heritage Residency, Fort Kochi. The programme emerged from the Cosmos Malabaricus (CosMa) project, aimed at decoding, translating, and contextualising Dutch archival materials related to 17th–18th century Kerala, according to a release. Noted scholars such as Jos Gommans, Lennart Bes, Lekshmi Subramanyam, and Mahmood Kooria will lead thematic sessions. The event will also host discussions on Dutch language learning and the challenges and opportunities in translating primary sources. The programme will feature archival workshops, cartographic field work, and academic and heritage roundtable sessions, it said.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
'Let's go fly a kite': Capturing wind for clean energy in Ireland
AI image BANGOR: On Ireland's blustery western seaboard, researchers are gleefully flying giant kites, not for fun but in the hope of generating renewable electricity and sparking a "revolution" in wind energy. "We use a kite to capture the wind and a generator at the bottom of it that captures the power," Padraic Doherty of Kitepower , the Dutch firm behind the venture, told AFP. At its test site in operation since September 2023 near the small town of Bangor Erris, the team transports the vast 60-square-metre (645,000-square-feet) kite from a hangar across the lunar-like bogland to a generator. The kite is then attached by a cable tether to the machine and acts like a "yo-yo or fishing reel", Doherty said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Stylish New Mobility Scooters Available for Seniors (Prices May Surprise You) Mobility Scooter | Search Ads Search Now Undo "It gets cast out and flies up, the tether pulls it back in, over and over again, creating energy," he said, testing the kite's ropes and pulleys before a flight. The sparsely populated spot near the stormy Atlantic coast is the world's first designated airborne renewable energy test site. And although the idea is still small in scale, it could yet prove to be a mighty plan as Ireland seeks to cut its reliance on fossil fuels such as oil and gas. "We are witnessing a revolution in wind energy," said Andrei Luca, operations head at Kitepower, a zero-emissions energy solutions spin-off from the Delft University of Technology. "It took nearly 25 years for wind turbines to evolve from 30-kilowatt prototypes to megawatt scale, and decades to offshore wind farms we see today," he added. The system flies autonomously, driven by software developed at the university in the Netherlands, but Doherty acts as the kite's "pilot" on the ground, monitoring its flight path for efficiency. The kite flies up around 400 metres (1,300 feet) and reels in to about 190 metres, generating around 30 kilowatts for storage. The force spins "like a dynamo on a bike", Doherty said, adding that "it generates up to two and a half tonnes of force through each turn". The electricity is stored in batteries, similar to solar photovoltaic systems, with the kite currently able to fully charge a 336-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery. "That's a meaningful amount of energy, sufficient for powering a remote outpost, a small island, polar station, or even a construction site," Luca said. "Add additional kites and we can power a bigger island." 'Mobile, flexible' According to Doherty, a chief advantage of the kite system is its flexibility and swift start-up capability. "We can set up in 24 hours and can bring it anywhere, it's super mobile, and doesn't need expensive, time- and energy-consuming turbine foundations to be built," he said. A kite system is "way less invasive on the landscape (than wind turbines), produces clean energy and doesn't need a supply chain of fuel to keep running", Luca added. During January's Storm Eowyn, which caused widespread and long-lasting power outages in Ireland, the system showed its value in Bangor Erris, according to Luca. "Paired with a battery, it provided uninterrupted electricity before, during and after the storm," he said. Ireland's wind energy sector has long been touted as full of potential. But progress on large-scale delivery of onshore and offshore turbines has been held up by planning delays and electricity grid capacity constraints. The Irish government has set ambitious targets for offshore wind energy to deliver 20 gigawatts of energy by 2040 and at least 37 gigawatts by 2050. In 2024, Irish wind farms provided around a third of the country's electricity according to Wind Energy Ireland (WEI), a lobby group for the sector. This compares to the UK, where, according to trade association RenewableUK, wind energy from the country's combined wind farms first reached 20 gigawatts in November 2022. The ability of airborne wind energy (AWE) systems to harness high-altitude winds with relatively low infrastructure requirements "makes them particularly suitable for remote, offshore or mobile applications," Mahdi Salari, an AWE researcher at University College Cork, told AFP. But he said Kitepower would face challenges on "regulation, safety, and system reliability". Such technology however could plug gaps in places where "land availability, costs or logistical constraints hinder the deployment of traditional wind turbines", Salari said. By the 2030s, he said: "I expect AWE to contribute meaningfully to diversified, flexible and distributed renewable energy networks". Discover stories of India's leading eco-innovators at Ecopreneur Honours 2025
