Megha Varier
TheNewsMinute
Kerala, India
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Past articles by Megha:
'Ayyappanum Koshiyum': A powerful film that goes beyond the clash of male egos
*Spoilers ahead Like its name suggests, director Sachy’s 2020 release Ayyapanum Koshiyum is a movie about two men. The title characters -- Ayyappan Nair (Biju Menon) and Koshy Kurien (Prithviraj) -- are men who belong to entirely different backgrounds, have different life experiences and lead non-identical lives. But what brings these two men together in a nearly → Read More
Why people living along the Kerala coast want sea walls
“We don’t want to go anywhere. Where will we go? This is where we were born and brought up. We can’t even imagine living somewhere else.” This is the collective thought of the residents in Eriyad panchayat near Kodungallur in Thrissur district, Kerala. These people have been living near the sea, making it their life and livelihood, for generations. But now, their livelihood → Read More
Kerala CM writes to TN CM on Mullaperiyar dam, says water level should be brought down
With the water level in Mullaperiyar reservoir staying at an alarming 142 feet despite the shutters being opened since the wee hours of Wednesday, the Kerala Chief Minister has written to his counterpart in Tamil Nadu seeking intervention in regulating the water level. → Read More
Heavy rains: KSRTC cancels bus services from Bengaluru to many parts of Kerala
A Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) inter-state bus plying between Karnataka and Kerala was stranded on a flooded road in Wayanad on Wednesday, due to the heavy rains. The bus that started service from Kozhikode to Bengaluru on Tuesday night, broke down in Sulthan Bathery, after which, the passengers were put on another bus and the journey resumed later. The → Read More
Kerala rains: Palakkad inundated as shutters of Malampuzha dam raised further
With heavy rains lashing Palakkad district since Monday evening, all the shutters of the Malampuzha dam were raised even higher, leading to many places getting inundated. Following continuous rainfall since Monday evening, all the shutters of the Malampuzha dam were raised from 45 cms to 54 cms, letting out more water. This has reportedly affected places such as Shekharipuram, → Read More
Migrant worker dies in Kerala, days after he was attacked for ‘stealing a hen’
Months after a tribal man from Attappadi was lynched to death in Kerala, another gruesome incident from Kollam has now surfaced. A migrant labourer from West Bengal died on Sunday, days after he was attacked by two men who’d accused him of stealing a hen. According to the police, 50-year-old Manik Roy died following an injury to his head which he had sustained during the → Read More
Priest who took Kerala woman’s confession, blackmailed for sexual favours, in custody
A day after the Kerala High Court rejected the anticipatory bail petitions of three priests of the Malankara Orthodox Church accused of raping a woman from Thiruvalla, Fr Job Mathew has been taken into custody by the Department of Crime Records Bureau, Kollam on Thursday. While some reports say that he surrendered, others say he has been arrested. The police is yet to give an official statement. → Read More
A Kerala teen gave his life to save two others from the sea: Remembering Firoz
As France beat Belgium to mark its place in the World Cup finals on Tuesday, the people of Kadalayi in Kannur district – where one of the biggest fans of France lived – were in mourning. They couldn’t come to terms with the loss of 14-year-old Firoz, whose notebooks and walls were filled with the colours of France. The brave teen had put his own life in danger to save his → Read More
Did Kerala church cover up rape by a priest for 4 years? Survivor goes to cops
Even as the Malankara Orthodox Church is mired in an ugly controversy over rape charges against four of its priests, yet another case has now emerged. On Monday, a 39-year-old woman from Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district accused a priest of the Orthodox Church of raping her in 2014. At the time of the incident, the accused Fr Binu George was serving as the vicar of St. Mary's → Read More
For 30 yrs, Kerala man and family lived illegally in UAE fearing arrest, deportation
Until a week ago, 60-year-old Madhusoodhanan and his six-member family lived in a run-down villa in Sharjah, UAE. They lived in constant fear that they could be arrested at any time for living in the country without proper documents. Deportation, on the other hand, would mean tearing his family apart. A Kollam native, Madhusoodhanan is married to a Sri Lankan national Rohini. → Read More
Mohanlal claims Dileep issue was on AMMA's June 24 agenda, documents show otherwise
On Monday, actor and President of AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes), met the media at the Press Club in Kochi. The move comes after AMMA was severely criticised for reinstating rape accused Dileep into the organisation. → Read More
I was targeted: Malayalam TV actor accuses director of mental and sexual harassment
A prominent woman television serial actor from Kerala has accused the director of her show of misbehaving with her on the sets and also alleged that he sent her inappropriate messages. Actor Nisha Sarangh, who plays one of the central characters in the serial Uppum Mulagum that airs on Flowers TV, alleged that she was removed from the show without any explanation. She said → Read More
Eerie resemblance to missing student Jesna has made life hell for this Kerala teen
A few weeks ago, when her friends at school told her that she resembled Jesna Maria James, a young woman who had gone missing in March this year, 17-year-old Aleesha Sainilladdeen laughed it off. Aleesha bears a striking resemblance to Jesna, especially as she wears similar spectacles and also has braces on her teeth. Being mistaken for Jesna has become a daily feature in → Read More
Hope to change ideas about tribal people with 'Karinthandan': Director Leela Santhosh
Leela Santhosh is on the verge of fulfilling her dream of becoming an independent filmmaker. On Thursday, Leela, who is from Kerala's tribal community, stands one step closer to her dream, with the first-look poster of her independent venture Karinthandan releasing online. The film will tell the story of Karinthandan, the tribal leader and chieftain of the Paniya tribal community in Wayanad.… → Read More
Kerala’s hijab-clad powerlifter’s dreams turn to despair as sponsors pull out abruptly
A few months ago, 23-year-old Majizjiya Bhanu swept into the headlines for being the only hijab-clad powerlifter in the country. However, despite her many achievements, sponsors have pulled out in the last minute and now she is not sure she can participate in the World Arm Wrestling Championship 2018 to be held in Turkey. Read: Meet Majiziya Bhanu, the hijab-clad powerlifter from Kerala → Read More
Kerala govt allots 2 additional seats per course to transgender persons in colleges
In a move being lauded as a progressive step towards inclusive education, the Kerala state government has decided to allot seats for transgender persons in colleges. The Higher Education department issued a government order on Tuesday, stating that two additional seats would be allotted for transgender persons in all courses. → Read More
Kerala Orthodox church 'sex-for-silence' row: Crime Branch books 4 priests for rape
The Crime Branch (CB) in Kerala on Monday booked four priests of the Malankara Orthodox church on charges of rape and molesting a woman. A man from Thiruvalla had alleged that five priests of the church had been sexually abusing his wife for several years, after one of them threatened her using her confession secret. Four priests viz. Fr Abraham Varghese, Fr Job Mathew, Fr Johnson Mathew and Fr… → Read More
Neither Kerala church abuse victim nor a 'stock image': STOP circulating her selfie
Pathanamthitta-native Dr Anju Ramachandran was not following the Kerala Orthodox church’s sex-for-silence case. Until she was forced to. On June 25, a former colleague called her up to tell her that an audio clip of a man accusing the priests of sexually harassing his wife, that was circulating on WhatsApp along with a photo: A photo of hers. "I was shocked to see that my photo was being shared… → Read More
Watch: Kerala Hindu women on how they were confined at a yoga centre, tortured
21-year-old Ashitha, a native of Kannur district in Kerala, smiles weakly when asked about her parents. Ever since she managed to escape from a yoga centre in Ernakulam in 2017, where she spent seven long months, she has hardly heard from her parents. Siva Sakthi Yoga Centre also doubled up as an anti-conversion centre where Hindu women in relationship with men of other → Read More
Stalker throws acid on Kerala woman in train, police detain him
An 18-year-old woman from Kerala sustained burn injuries on Saturday, after she was attacked with acid by her stalker, while traveling on a train. The attacker has been identified as 20-year-old Arun, who has been taken into custody by the railway police in Kollam district. Police say that the duo had been in a relationship, but had ended a few months ago. According to the railway police, the… → Read More