From: tstpcc@gwunix1.gwu.edu (Paul C. Chemmanoor)
Newsgroups: alt.culture.kerala
Subject: F.A.C.K. [rel 1.8] Welcome to Alt.Culture.Kerala
Date: 24 Jan 1993 19:32:10 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
Reply-To: "Paul C. Chemmanoor" <tstpcc@gwunix1.gwu.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


F.a.q. for Alt.Culture.Kerala.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Revision: 1.7
Current Originator: paulchem@tigger.cs.colorado.edu

Changes from last release <<
1. Information about maintenance of the recipe database given.
2. News-to-Mail server information given.
3. Some facts about Kerala added.
>>

This is a regular weekly posting that explains alt.culture.kerala to new users.
This article attempts to answer some of the questions that are 
frequently posed in this newsgroup. 
This includes how to access alt.culture.kerala (a.c.k.), how to post etc.

In addition some information
about Kerala and malayalam are provided as a basis for understanding
what this group discusses.

Information about how to post to ack and how to access a.c.k by mail
and other network related information is given in this article.
People who are new to newgroups in general and ack in particular
may find this article very useful.

This F.A.C.K. is in multiple parts.
(I) Questions and Answers about a.c.k.
(II) Information about Kerala.
(III) Recipes from Kerala.
(IV)  The Ackerlist.

It is intended to be split into separate sections once these
sections grow to their final sizes.

Parts III & IV have already reached a size that justifies
their separation from this posting.

Any sections marked with [ ---- --- -- ] are to be filled in 
future releases of the F.A.C.K. Responses are invited from the
readership for these entries. Readers are encouraged to send in
other questions that they feel are relevant to be included in the
F.A.C.K. Please direct responses to the current originator.

Part - I : Questions & Answers.


Q (1) 	What is alt.culture.kerala ?
A (1)	This is a newsgroup devoted primarily to discussion of the
	culture of the people who originate from the state of Kerala
	in the south of India. Its charter includes 
	(i)	Books.
	(ii)	Films.
	(iii)	Nostalgia.
	(iv)	Social Issues.
	(v)	Politics. 
	(vi)	News.

	relating to Kerala or its language : Malayalam.

Q (2)	When was alt.culture.kerala formed ?
A (2)	alt.culture.kerala was formed in September 1992.

Q (3)	How do I post to alt.culture.kerala  if I dont have 
	access to newsreaders or I dont have post priveleges ?
A (3)   Mailing the article to alt-culture-kerala@cs.utexas.edu
	will cause the article to be posted on alt.culture.kerala.

Q (4)   What is the scope of distribution of articles in alt.culture.kerala ?
A (4)   alt.culture.kerala has a world-wide distribution.
	Most newsreaders including rn will automatically insert a 
	line describing distribution during posting of an article.
	The default distribution is "world" for alt.culture.kerala.

Q (5)	Why dont I get alt.culture.kerala at my site ?
A (5) 	Since the usenet news mechanism relies on internetworked
	machines, any site which acts as the sole source for another
	site can control what groups the downstream group recieves.

	This is also the reason why some sites show 0 articles all
	the time. The best way to solve these problems is to contact
	the local news admin who will be able to better brief you 
	about your options.

	The news mechanism involves store-and-forward type algorithms
	for messages. This creates a need for disk space on a very large
	scale. So system admins have to be selective about what groups
	they carry. Certain newsgroup hierarchies are as a convention
	carried always, like the soc. and rec. groups. 
	The larger degree of freedom allowed in the creation of the
	alt. hierarchy groups lends itself to abuse, with the result that
	many sites avoid carrying alt. groups.

	alt.culture.kerala is planned to be moved into the soc.culture.kerala
	in the future, thereby assuring that most sites will carry it.

Q (6)   My site doesnt have news. How do I get to alt.culture.kerala ?
A (6)   telnet to bbs.oit.unc.edu
	The system will tell you the rest.

	An alternative way to get the newsgroup by e-mail if you have 
	a e-mail address either bitnet or internet is :

	Send a message to paulchem@ucsu.colorado.edu
                       or mchundat@essex.ecn.uoknor.edu
        with	'SUBSCRIBE ACKMAILSERV'
	in the subject line.

	To get info about the server, send mail to paulchem@ucsu.colorado.edu
	                               or mchundat@essex.ecn.uoknor.edu
        with 'INFO ACKMAILSERV'
	in the subject line. You will recieve a description of the service by
	e-mail.


Q (7)   What kind of articles can I expect to see on alt.culture.kerala ?
A (7)   Articles that in the past have appeared include
		(i) Discussions on the concept of Dowry.
		(ii) Feminism in the indian and keralite context.
		(iii) Nostalgic articles about kerala.
		(iv) Recipes and hints for getting stuff for keralite cooking.
		(v) Dating vs Arranged Marriages.
		(vi) Articles about "ackers" -- the insider word for readers
		     of alt.culture.kerala.
		(vii) Lyrics from malayalam film songs etc.
                (viii) Discussions on freedom of expression and moderated
                       newsgroups.

Q (8)  What are the places to see in Kerala on a visit ?
A (8)  [-- --- --]

Q(9)   What is acksharam/KairaLi ?
       Acksharam/KairaLi is the magazine of a.c.k.
       The format of a/k is be :

(1) Editorial.
(2) Articles on current topics.
(3) News from Kerala.
(4) Fiction- Poetry.
(5) Fiction- Prose.
(6) Humour.
(7) Travelogues.
For any information about a/k or for pledging contributions
or sending in articles send mail to any member of the commitee.
            The a/k: commitee.
Santy Kumar --     skumar@eagle.wesleyan.edu   ,
Mathai Chundat --  mchundat@essex.ecn.uoknor.edu  ,
Dominic Kailath --  kailath@donald.aix.kingston.ibm.com ,
Jacob Thomas --    jacobt@nynexst.com  ,
Paul Chemmanoor -- paulchem@tigger.cs.colorado.edu .

Q(10) What is the proposed amendment to the charter of a.c.k. ?
      In the last few weeks of Dec 1992, there appeared two postings
      which were felt to be unsuitable for posting in a.c.k. by some 
      ackers because of the treatment of religion they contained.
      To get a picture of what the majority on ack think about this
      issue, a vote was proposed.
      The result was released on 8th of Jan, 1993.
      The vote decided 33 to 3 for amending the charter to disallow 
      religious propaganda.

Q(11) What are News-to-mail servers, how can I help to set up such
      servers ?

      Since there is a significant group of people who can not get
      usenet newsgroups by regular newsreader, a voluntary service
      is provided by sites, that compress all articles appearing in 
      a newsgroup in a day and sending them out as one packet to all those 
      who request the service.

      Currently there are two operating sites:

      mchundat@essex.ecn.uoknor.edu
      paulchem@ucsu.colorado.edu
   
      Another site is under preparation at kailas@cs.psu.edu.

      ackers who have experience in c & unix can help by setting up
      such sites at their own locations. Contact any of the sites listed
      here.

Part - II: Information.

Kerala.

Population stats of Kerala, Courtesy Ajit Nair at auburn univ.
***********************************************************************************
Population of Kerala: 25,453,680
Area                : 38860.57 sq km


DISTRICTS               AREA (sq km)            POPULATION
*****************************************************************
Trivandrum		2186.00			2,596,112
Quilon			2687.50			2,192,901
Alleppey		1360.58			1,865,580
Pathanamthitta		2518.98			1,107,658
Kottayam		2195.50			1,697,442
Idukki			5149.62			  969,292
Ernakulam		2358.19			2,535,294
Trichur			2993.90			2,439,543
Palghat			4389.80			2,044,399
Malappuram		3632.30			2,402,701
Kozhikode		2333.30			2,245,265
Wyanad			2125.60			  554,026
Cannanore		2968.00			1,930,223
Kasargod		1961.30			  872,741
*******************************************************************
Source: Malayala Manorama Year book 1989
*******************************************************************

Kerala: The Land. [The encyclopaedia brittanica ]

Kerala, one of the smallest states of in the republic of India, was formed 
in 1956. It has an area of 15,005 sq. miles.  [38,863 sq. km. ] about one 
percent of the total land area of India.

The state stretches for about 360 miles along the Malabar coast on the
western side of the Indian penninsula; its width varies from 20 to 75 miles.
It is bordered by the states of karnataka on the north, Tamil Nadu to the east
and the arabian sea to the west. The capital is in Trivandrum 
[now Thiruvanandapuram ]. Isolated from the deccan plateau by the mountanious
belt of the Western Ghats, but with a long coastline open to foriegn influences,
Kerala has evolved a unique culture. It is a highly politicized region, but has a long tradition of religious amity. 

It is an educationally advanced state with its own language, Malayalam, and 
has the highest rate of literacy among Indian states. Women in Kerala enjoy
a high social status, thanks perhaps to its historic matrilineal system.
But the hills of Kerala are inhabited by some of the least advanced tribes of
India.

Kerala is a land of great natural beauty.
From the majestic heights of the Western Ghats the country undulates westward
presenting a vista of  silent valleys clothed in the richest green. Among the 
many rivers that glide across the plains to merge their waters with the 
Arabian sea, the more important are the Periyar, the Pamba and the Bharatha 
puzha. Along the coast, sand dunes shelter a liked chain of lagoons and 
backwaters the still waters of which are studded with sea-gulls and country
canoes plying at a snails pace. The silence of the clear skies is broken only 
by the coos of koels, a type of cuckoo, and the frequent flutter of cranes
perched on the embankments. The highest peak of penninsular India Annai Mudi
is located in this state.

The climate is eqauble and varies little from season to season.
The temperature normally ranges from 80 to 90 F in the plains
but drops to about 70 F in the highlands. The state gets its due share of 
both the southwest as well as the northeast monsoons, and the rainfull
is heavy, averaging around 118 inches annually.


Malayalam.
----------
[ --- -- --- ]


Malayalam-English Transliteration scheme for A.C.K.
---------------------------------------------------
[Courtesy of Mathai Chundat]

The Malayalam Alphabet
________________________________________________________________________
Vowels                               
________________________________________________________________________
a   aa/A  i    ee   u   oo   R~   
                              
e   E     o    O   ai  ou   am   a:

u + a = wa                            
________________________________________________________________________
Consonants With                      Combination of Consonants 
Group Numbers                        0.  Double consonants
				     n.  Combination with the group 'n'.
________________________________________________________________________
1.                               
ka   kha    ga   gha    nGa      
		            0.	 k~ + ka = kka, g~ + ga = gga
				 nG~ + nGa = nnGa

                            2.   k~ + tha = ktha

			    3.   g~ + da = gda
				 g~ + na = gna

                            6.   k~ + ya = kya, k~ + sha = ksha
				 k~ + La = kLa, k~ + Ra = kRa

				 kh~ + ya = khya

				 g~ + ya + gya, g~ + ra = gra
________________________________________________________________________
2.
cha  Cha    ja   jha    nJa      
			    0.   ch~ + cha = ccha, j~ + ja = jja
				 nJ~ + nJa = nnJa

		            2.	 ch~ + Cha = cCha
				 
				 j~ + nJa = jnJa
				 
				 nJ~ + cha = nJcha, nJ~ + ja = nJja

		            6.	 ch~ + ya = chya

				 j~ + Ra = jRa
_______________________________________________________________________
3.         
ta   Ta     Da   Dha    Na   
			    0.   t~ + ta = tta, D~ + Da = DDa
				 N~ + Na = NNa

		            3.	 D~ + Dha = DDha

                                 N~ + ta = Nta, N~ + Ta = NTa
				 N~ + Na = NNa
_______________________________________________________________________
4.
tha  Tha    da   dha    na   
			    0.   th~ + tha = ttha, d~ + da = dda
				 n~ + na = nna

		            4.   th~ + Tha = tTha, th~ + dha = tdha

				 d~ + dha = ddha

				 n~ + tha = ntha, n~ + da = nda
				 n~ + dha = ndha

		            1.   th~ + ka = thka, th~ + ma = thma
				 th~ + ya = thya, th~ + sa = thsa
				 th~ + bha = tbha, th~ + Ra = thRa

	                    6.   Th~ + ya = Thya

				 d~ + ya + dya, d~ + ra = dra

				 dh~ + ya = dhya, dh~ + ra = dhra
_______________________________________________________________________
5.
pa   pha    ba   bha    ma      
			    0.   pa + pa = ppa, b~+ ba = bba
				 bh~ + bha = bbha, m~ + ma = mma

		            5.   m~ + pa = mpa, m~ + ba =mba

				 m~ + ga = mga

		            6.   m~ + Ra = mRa, m~ + La = mLa
________________________________________________________________________
6.
ya  ra  la  va  Sa  sha  
sa  ha  Ra  zha La  TTa   
			    0.   y~ + ya = yya, l~ + la = lla
                                 v~ + va = vva, S~ + Sa = SSa
				 s~ + sa = ssa, L~ + La = LLa

		            6.   l~ + ya = lya

				 v~ + ya = vya, v~ + Ra = vRa

				 S~ + Ra = SRa, S~ + La = SLa

				 sh~ + ya = shya

				 s~ + ya = sya

				 h~ + ya = hya, h~ + La = hLa

				 L~ + ya = Lya

                            3.	 sh~ + ta = shta, sh~ + Ta = shTa
_______________________________________________________________________
chillaksharannGaL
_______________________________________________________________________
l  L  n  N  R  m
_______________________________________________________________________

III. Recipes.

     Here recipes from kerala are collected and made available.
     If you have a recipes for a kerala dish please send it to 
     paulchem@tigger.cs.colorado.edu for inclusion in the list.

     Recipes are posted once a fortnight as a separate article.
     This database is being maintained by shanty kokkat at 
     cs911093@ariel.yorku.ca
     Any contributions or queries please direct towards her.

     A recipe server is planned to be set up which will then
     allow addition and query of recipes just like the ackerlist
     server, which is mentioned below.

IV. The Ackerlist.

The ackerlist is a list of people who read or use a.c.k. 
and wish to have their names and other info available to 
the net.public. 

To access this list send mail to paulchem@ucsu.colorado.edu
with "ACKERLIST SEND" in the subject line.
To add your name and info to this list send mail to paulchem@ucsu.colorado.edu
with "ACKERLIST ADD" in the subject line.

Please get the list and look at the format using the "ACKERLIST SEND" before
adding your data via the "ACKERLIST ADD".
Please note that the SEND request mail body will be ignored,
while the ADD request has to have your info in the mail body.


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.    ~ ~                                                                  .
.    o o         signito ergo sum.                                        .
.     |       i sign therefore i am.               paul chemmanoor        .
.     =                                            washington d.c.        .
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