Travel Agent In Kerala

Text a ticket an instant hit among state youth

KOCHI: The Indian Railways (IR) has introduced a paperless mode of ticket vending, by which vital details regarding reservation will be sent to a customer via SMS.
The latest option that was launched on February 1, by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Department (IRCTC) has become a hit among young Keralites.
The SMS sent by the IRCTC will contain all important ticket details like PNR number, train number, date of journey, class, name and number of passengers, coach and seat number and the fare paid. The SMS, combined with a valid photo identity card in original, will be treated on par with the electronic reservation slip ( ERS).
If the passenger is unable to produce the SMS in case of loss or discharged mobile or laptop, he can continue with the journey after showing proof of identity and paying a penalty of Rs 50 a ticket.
A senior IRCTC official of the south regional office told TOI that the SMS facility is a 'green initiative' by the Railways. "With our website registering nearly 9 million visitors in 2011, it is unimaginable the amount of paper wasted as printouts. Through the SMS facility we expect to pave way for an environment friendly approach and reduce paper usage," the official said.
Edwin Thomas, an HR professional in the UAE Exchange in the city, is excited about the new option. "Some months ago when the Railways allowed treating the screenshot of an e-ticket, displayed through laptops, palmtops or mobile phones as equal to the print-out of the ticket, I stopped carrying printed tickets. The new option has taken it a step further and I believe that the definition of 'e-ticket' is complete now," he said. Santhosh Iype, a PGDM student of SCMS, Kochi, believes that the initiative will help reduce the usage of paper while booking e-tickets.
However despite the wide recognition of SMS facility among youths, senior citizens like Sankar Menon, a former state government employee, prefer to wait in queue and get printed tickets. "I am also tech savvy, but previous experiences have taught me that IRCTC's e-services are not reliable. It is a common phenomenon for the website to hang just when we book tickets. It is too early to say that the SMS option will be hassle-free and so for the time being I prefer the good old paper method," he said.
The SMS will contain ticket details like PNR number, train number, date of journey, class, name, number of passengers, seat number and the fare paid. This combined with an original valid photo ID, will be treated on par with the electronic reservation slip.

Brahmi script found at Edakkal

KOCHI: Noted historian and archaeologist M R Raghava Varier has confirmed the presence of Brahmi script at the ancient Edakkal caves in a remote part of Wayanad district. The latest discovery makes it plausible that the cultural diffusion of the Indus Valley civilization was more widespread than usually thought. Varier said it was the Dravidian form of Brahmi script that was seen at the Edakkal caves.
"The Brahmi script I found can be read as Sree Vazhumi which is believed to be the Tamil equivalent of Lord Brahma. It has been found close to the carving of a human figure with an outsized phallus. The practice of providing an inscription beneath a carving or etching is very much part of Indian tradition. This indicates that Edakkal caves were also a fertility cult site," he explained.
The Brahmi script is believed to be used between fifth century BC and sixth century AD and several historians and archaeologists connect it to the ancient Indus Valley civilization.
Their location at Edakkal caves may lend more credence to the view that the civilization may have extended to southern parts of the country as well, and was not confined to northern and central India alone. "The Jain and Buddhist sanyasins staying in these caves (viharas) used to give lessons in scripts, grammar, poetry, medicine and astrology. There is evidence that they used the Brahmi script,'' Varier said.
"Surprisingly the Brahmi script had evaded the attention of numerous historians, archaeologists and epigraphists who had visited and studied Edakkal caves in the past. Even I took note of it only when I had gone there last week, though I had visited it several times in the past," he clarified.

Aamir Khan visits Fort Kochi

KOCHI: On Tuesday, fishermen resting in the Fort Kochi beach watching the sunset had a surprise visitor. The man who alighted from the white Mercedes that pulled over at the beach was none other than Bollywood actor Aamir Khan.
With a posse of security personnel and the crew of a national integration documentary as part of 'Incredible India' project, he wished all those present at the beach and walked up to fishermen near the Chinese fishing nets.
After observing it, he enquired about the functioning of the net. Meanwhile, the crew set up the camera and other equipment and started filming.
Later, the actor joined the six-seven fishermen who were pulling up the net. After the catch came up, he bade good bye to the fisher folk.
The arrival of the actor and the filming of Chinese nets have perked up the fishermen who face a lot of issues related to the maintenance of the nets.
"Earlier, there were around 30 Chinese nets in the area. But the number has come down to around 12 as they have become less profitable," said Antony Kureethara, councillor, Kochi Corporation.
"It costs around Rs five lakh to erect a net and requires about ten persons to operate it. But the income generated from it has decreased significantly. So, the government should intervene and save the iconic Chinese nets of Kochi," he added.
On Monday, Aamir was in Alappuzha for the filming of the 'Incredible India'documentary.