Latest news with #Valsala
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Time of India
Ward member, mother found hanging at home
Thiruvananthapuram: In a shocking incident, a panchayat member and his elderly mother were found dead by hanging in the backyard of their residence at Nediyavila in Vakkom on Monday morning. The deceased were identified as Arun V, 42, a Congress functionary and member of Vakkom grama panchayat and chairman of its development standing committee, and his mother Valsala, 71. Kadakkavoor police registered a case and began a probe. A suicide note was also recovered from the spot. The bodies were found around 6am in the first-floor shed of their house, said police. Arun sent a suicide note to his friends via WhatsApp at 2.50am, citing mental distress caused by continuous humiliation and defamation through social media. The message also mentioned alleged false cases filed against him. Four persons were named in the note. However, the note only spoke of Arun's decision to end his life and had no mention of his mother. This led investigators to consider two possible scenarios: either Arun took his own life after killing his mother or Valsala died by suicide after finding her son dead. The police currently lean toward suicide in both cases, as no signs of forced entry or struggle were found inside the house. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Đây có thể là thời điểm tốt nhất để giao dịch vàng trong 5 năm qua IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Only after receiving the postmortem reports can we conclude decisively, police said. At the time of the incident, only Arun and his mother were at home. His wife Reema and son Tejas had gone to Reema's parental house on Saturday and had not returned. After postmortem at Thiruvananthapuram medical college, Congress workers brought the bodies to Kadakkavoor police station in an ambulance and held a protest blockade alleging that continuous harassment through social media was the reason behind their deaths. The protesters demanded the immediate arrest of persons named in Arun's suicide note for defaming him on social media. The protest was called off after Varkala DSP assured that those named in the note would be arrested within 48 hours.
New Indian Express
18-06-2025
- New Indian Express
Two octogenarians from Kerala amble into Europe. And then, into limelight
For most, retirement is a time for quiet reflection. But for Valsala Menon and Ramani Menon, octogenarian sisters from Wadakkancherry in Thrissur, it has become a 'passport' to explore the world. Their latest feat? A month-long journey across eight European countries, a dream brought to life by the boundless love and meticulous planning of their family. The sisters Valsala and Ramani, aged 86 and 84, respectively, began travelling in their 70s after moving in together following the death of Ramani's husband. Valsala had lost her husband at a young age and worked at the Account General's office in Thrissur. The duo began their journey with spiritual trips across India with the Adhyatmika Prabodhan Sangam group, and soon expanded to several Asian countries, each journey fuelling a desire to see the world. Their dream of Europe was ignited during a visit to Kashmir two years ago. 'After Kashmir, the desire to see Switzerland became very strong,' shares Gayathri, Ramani's granddaughter, who, along with her mother Bindu and brother Gautham, forms the backbone of the two sisters' travel team.
Indian Express
29-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Off Kerala coast, a washed-up container from a sunken ship sparks curiosity, conspiracy theories and some chemistry guesses
A lone, battered shipping container that has washed up on the beach in Paravur, a small fishing hamlet between Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, is the talk of the town. The reddish-brown container, like many more than have beached all along Kerala's coast following the recent sinking of a Liberia-registered ship, has piqued curiosity and, for now, taken a daily staple off the plates of most households in these parts – fish. On Sunday, May 25, MSC Elsa 3, an 184-metre-long container ship, sank while it was sailing from Vizhinjam port to Cochin port, triggering alarm in coastal hamlets all the way from Alappuzha in mid-north Kerala to Kollam further south. The ship was carrying an estimated 640 containers, including 13 with 'hazardous cargo', of which 12 are said to have contained calcium carbide. A solid compound, calcium carbide is not flammable by itself, but it reacts vigorously with water and moisture to produce highly flammable acetylene gas, posing a significant fire hazard. The ship also had 84 metric tonnes of diesel and 367 metric tonnes of furnace oil, the Coast Guard said Sunday. Around Paravur beach, men in khaki have been deployed to guard the container, lest some intrepid local falls prey to curiosity and tries to prise it open. A constable has been deputed to clear traffic as people slow down vehicles on the narrow beach road to check out the container. Taking advantage of the sudden rush of onlookers, an ice cream vendor has strategically shifted closer to this spot on the beach, adding to the problems of the constable who struggles to clear the occasional 'block' – the term used for a traffic jam. There are a bunch of people on the beach shooting reels and shorts with the container in the backdrop, as are children in uniform, who have taken a detour on their way home from school to witness the local spectacle. In this sleepy Kerala town, where the high point of the year are the fireworks at a local temple, the coming of the container is an assured selfie moment. Valsala Srikumar, though, has a harried look. 'I have barely sold anything. The same as Monday,' she says, standing metres away from the ice cream vendor, peddling a full stock of fish on a yard stool by the beach road. Metres away, the container bobs gently as the waves crash into it. All around the container and further south along the coast, the water is white and foamy – one reason why people are keeping off fish. Today, Valsala's husband has ventured out 'to the cleaner parts' seeking a catch, but it's pointless now. 'What is the use if no one is buying,' she says. Fishing boats are moored along the beach, with little activity at the far end where the fisherfolk stay. A kilometer away, at Oottupurayil restaurant in Paravur Kombolam, a market with a cluster of shops, waiter Anees says clients are shunning seafood. 'This is just a phase,' he hopes. Back on the beach, there are speculative guesses on the contents of the container. The locals, helped by WhatsApp forwards and their vestigial knowledge of the periodic table, rattle off names of the multiple chemical compounds the containers ostensibly contained – all the way from arsenic to zinc, lead and mercury. For a populace fed on a steady diet of politics and media, conspiracy theories come easy. 'Is Liberia linked to Pakistan… like Turkey?' a person in the crowd asks, a query that's quickly dismissed by someone else who is more well-versed in these matters. A ship's flag state testifies to the country where it is registered, but much of this is determined by the tonnage tax advantages offered by jurisdictions such as Liberia or Cyprus. Three days since MSC Elsa 3 sank, the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard are trying to contain any oil spill from the ship. Teams of scientists from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, are collecting water and sediment samples across locations on the Kerala coast. The onset of the monsoon hasn't helped, with the surging tides making the operations difficult. While the containers are being removed from the coastline, one by one, a clean-up of the beach waters could be a long way off. Until that happens, Valsala's fishing business could be in some trouble. And despite the optimism of the Oottupurayil waiter, this phase could last a while.
