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K is for Kerala, My Native Land - The God's Own Country


K is for Kerala, My Native Land
kerala-back-waters bharatdarshan.info
The next letter for the day at A to Z is "K".

The Word Kerala came first in my mind when I thought of the letter 'K'

Map of The Tiny State of kerala with its districts. Pic. Credit.  veethi.com
I can very well say that its one of the lovely and beautiful place in the world.  I am so happy to be born in this beautiful place on earth.

A typical Kerala House. Pic. Credit. Keralatourism.com
Number of tourists are attracted to this state to enjoy the beauty of this states God given  nature.  This sate is also known as  “God’s Own Country”  those who visit this lush green place they all will agree with this name or statement given to this southern state in India.

Thekkady One of the Tourist Centers In Kerala. Pic. by Shibu Thovala
Few years back I posted one post in my knol pages and a migrated version of that story you can read at my blog page Philipscom.  Its about Kerala’s water carnivals and Onam one of the major festivals of Kerala.  These carnivals are famous and is one of the major attractions to the tourists to this state. By visiting the below link you can read more about it. Aquatic Panorama of Kerala


For More Pictures from Kerala please visit my Photo Blog


And to know more about this beautiful place 
and its flora and fauna please click on the below link. 


Another link to 

A picture from Kerala by Shibu Thovala





J is for Jerusalem And Jesus Christ


J is for Jerusalem And Jesus Christ

Picture Credit. 
Confident Living Magazine
Pic. by Dr. Woodrow Kroll
Jerusalem:  It is the holy city for Jews, Christians and Muslims.  It is the capital city of a tiny land called Israel.

  In the 1948 Arab Israeli war it became divided into two Israel and the Arab Country of Jordan.  Israel held West Jerusalem and Jordan controlled East Jerusalem.  Israel won East Jerusalem in the brief Arab-Israeli war of 1967 and combined it with the western zone.  West Jerusalem is the modern part of the city. East Jerusalem includes the Old City the place for many ancient monuments of holy places.

Jews consider it a holy city because it was their political and religious center in Biblical times.  Around 1000 B.C. King David made Jerusalem the capital of the united Israelite tribes, later David’s son Solomon built the first Temple of the Jews in the city.  Christians consider it holy because Jesus Christ was crucified there, and many events in his life on earth took place in this city.  Muslims believe that Muhammad, the founder of Islam rose to heaven from this city.  It is their third holiest city after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. 

Pic. Credit. A to Z Challenge
Jerusalem‘s three-fourth population is Jews.  They live in West Jerusalem where some Christians and Muslims too live. At the same time East Jerusalem’s majority are Arabs, about four-fifth of them are Muslims. Rest is Catholics of the Byzantine Rite or people belonging to Greek Orthodox or Roman Catholic churches.  In short this city stands like a glittering diamond in the geographical centre of the earth.  And the destiny of all mankind is bound up in the life of this unique city.
Interestingly this city is also known as the city of three Sabbaths—Friday (Muslim) 
Saturday (Jewish) and 
Sunday (Christian).



As said, though it is a tiny little land its presence is visible almost every day in newspapers and other visual media.  If one look from the perspective of the Word of God, one begins to understand the battle that is raging over the status of Jerusalem, the immigration of Russian Jews, the resettlement of Judea and Samaria, and the very principle of Israel’s continued existence.  From its inception it has been set apart from other nations.  That uniqueness of separation is still continuing and it’s fighting for its survival in the midst of a hostile world. 

Why its presence is visible every day in the media? What is it that important to this little nation of over a five million people, occupying less than the one percentage of the earth’s surface?  Why such a nation be a stumbling block in international affairs, major nations are discussing it seriously in their debates and decision making?  And why is it the most sought after fiercely contested piece of real estate in the world?

To find out an answer to these questions one need to go into the pages of Bible and need to set Jerusalem and Israel apart from the rest of the world.  The Bible says: "The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein"  (Psalm 24:1). However God lays special claim to Israel in general, calling it “My Land” and Jerusalem in particular, calling it “My City”


In the eyes of man this city may not qualify as the biggest, the brightest or the best city in the world.  Yes, it lacks many features as the world count as best or greatest city.  Yet it holds a great splendor and glory that is incomparable to many other cities of the world.

Yes, its uniqueness stems from the fact that God has chosen this city to be the capital of His Kingdom.  From His Throne in Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus will rule over the nations, and from the nations people will come up to Jerusalem to worship the King.  The whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord and that glory will emanate from Messiah’s Throne in Jerusalem!

Of all the cities in the world, only Jerusalem is referred to as
The Holy City                                     (Isaiah 52:1)
The City of the Great King                 (Matthew 5:35)
The Throne of the Lord                      (Jeremiah 3:17)
The Place of God’s Name                    (2 Chronicles 33:4)
The Object of God’s Love                   (Psalm 87:1-3)
The Cause of God’s Joy                       (Isaiah 65: 19)
The Dwelling Place of God                   (Psalm 135:21)
The Seat of God’s Government            (Isaiah 2:3)
A Crown of Glory and a Royal Diadem (Isaiah 62:3)
The City of Truth                              (Zechariah 8:3)

In this sense, Jerusalem is the most ‘elevated city on the face of the earth!

But today it may be a dim reflection and at worst, a contradiction of its God-given designation.  But people of faith can see through the eye of the Spirit, the restoration of all things that the prophets have spoken.  This process of restoration will be completed in the day of our Lord’s appearing



Jesus Christ: The Savior of the World.


But unfortunately for many Jesus Christ is just a leader of one of the greatest religion in the world.
Yes Christianity or Christian religion was founded on His life and teachings.   But a majority of Christians believe that He is the Son of God who was sent by God the Father to earth to save humanity from their sins.  Even a good number of non-Christians too believe that He was a great and wise teacher lived ever.  In reality He is the Savior of the world. Those who believe in Him have everlasting life.  Yes this belief in Jesus Christ has united people from many lands.  Christians make up the largest religious group in the World.  Muhammad, the founder of Islam regarded Jesus Christ as a great prophet and adopted many of His ideas.  Moral standards of equality, responsibility and care for the weak owe much to Jesus’ lessons in brotherhood and kindness.

The first four books in the Bible’s New Testament tell about Jesus Christ and His life. These books are called Gospels (Good News).  

You can read these books here at these links: 



       1.   Matthew 


2.   Mark 

3.   Luke  

4.   John  
Here is a visual treat for those who want to see these Holy places.  No need to go to Jerusalem, sit at home and see those lovely places.  To watch and read more about this visual effect please click on the below link:


Thanks For Your Precious Time.
P V Ariel & Associates
Secunderabad
A.P. India.




Source:
The Holy Bible, (The Bible Gateway).
Bible Country, by Dr. Woodrow Kroll
Confident Living Magazine (The Good News Broadcasting Society)
Bible Sabdasaagaram, G Susheelan
Halley’s Bible Handbook Halley
The Holy Spirit and Israel, Bruce R
Israel’s Final Holocaust. Dr. Jack Van
The World Encyclopedia
Church History
Google.com









I is for Interview: Yet another interview from a foreign land:Jidhu Jose the Blogger from Doha Interviewed me,,,,,



“I” is for Interview: Jidhu Jose the Blogger from Doha Interviewed me…


Yet another interview from a foreign land:

Jidhu Jose, an IT Engineer by profession, and a Blogger cum photographer from Doha interviewed me today in the hectic schedule of A to Z business.  

I present it here for your further reading as well as  my take for the day,  Yes, Today’s Letter is “I” I is for Interview


Can you tell us a little about yourself and your blog?


I am Philip Verghese ‘Ariel’, a native of Kerala, commonly known as the “God’s Own Country”.  Born and brought up in the villages of Pothanicadu, near Moovattupuzha and Valanjavattom near Thiruvalla, Kerala, India.  Presently I am working in a Christian Organization as an editor to its publication division.  I started blogging, (not exactly blogging) writing at a very young age.  Started writing Malayalam poems, articles and stories.   And a good number of them were published in the leading Malayalam publications like the Malayalam Manorama Daily, Balarama, Deepika Daily, Kuttikalude Deepika, Balayugam, Poompaatta, Balabhoomi etc My main genre is spiritual or religious ones, and I published a good number of articles, and poems in the print media.  At a later stage I entered into the secular field and published many number of letters, stories and poems in English and in Malayalam languages. . I was a regular contributor to major English publications like India Today, The Week, Outlook, The Open Magazine, Tehelka and The Sunday Indian etc.   And at a later stage one of my colleagues suggested me to write on web pages or to start a blog page of your own. I thought, it a good idea to start a blog page of my own.  And I did a search and found out few platforms and started posting materials to them and finally concentrated on Google’s Knol pages and then Google’s blogger pages.  And now I am regularly post blogs in my English (Philipscom) and Malayalam blogs (Arielinte kurippukal – Ariel’s Jottings).  Some of my writings translated into Hindi and Telugu languages.


For further reading please click on the below link









H is for Hyderabad and Secunderabad (Twin Cities) Our Beautiful Cities


Charminar, Hyderabad
H is for Hyderabad and Secunderabad (Twin Cities) Our Beautiful Cities

Though I am born and brought up in Kerala one of the southern states in India, I am replanted to this city almost 30 years back.  Now I am part and parcel of this big city.  Thirty years after now when I look back, I can see the tremendous  developments taken place in the city in recent past.
Here is a glance of this city’s history: 
Until it became a state of India in 1950 it was an independent nation.  In 1956 India reorganized its states and divided Hyderabad  among the states of Bombay (Gujarat and Maharashtra), Mysore (Now Karnataka), and Andhra Pradesh. 

Golconda Fort
Hyderabad was part of the Mogul Empire from 1687 to 1724. Then a Mogul viceroy (governor) made it independent.  During 1800 Britain gained control of Hyerabad’s foreign affairs.  The NIzam’s (rulers) of Hyderabaad were  famous for being among the richest person in the world.  Though they were Muslims, four fifths of their subjects were Hindus.
When India was partitioned in 1947 Nizam refused to join either Pakistan or India. Clashes followed between Muslim and Hindus.  In 1948 India set up a military government in Hyderabad.  When Hyderabad state was partitioned, Hyderabad City became the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Mecca Masjid
It has several historical monuments, 

 and Charminar is one among them 

 and it was built in 1591.The building 

 has four minarets (towers) and four 

 arches through which the main 

 streets of the city pass.

It is one of the biggest trading centers, for textiles, guns, glassware, paper, flour, railway cars etc.

Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies 650 square kilometres on the banks of the Musi River. According to 2011 census its Population is 6,809,970
Founded: 1591
A Road side fruit vendor Pic by P V A
Though Hyderabad and Secunderabad  are two cities and is  known as twin cities.  The name Seunderabd is rarely used outside it is known or called as twin cities.  Secunderabad’s  history runs parallel to that of Hyderabad, with some scholars claiming that its origin was technically established back to the time when Hyderabad was also formed.   Hussain Sagar,  a manmade beautiful lake built during the reign of  Qutub


Some of the scenes captured from Secunderabd/Hyderabad City

Pic by P V A
Pic by P V A
Pic by P V A
Shahis in 16th century, separates Secunderabad from Hyderabad.  In spite of the close connections between the two, though, both cities have a  mixture of cultures, with Secunderabad having fully developed under a direct British rule while Hyderabad has been a princely state ruled by the Nizams.


Pic by P V A

Pic credit Google.com

Pic by P V A
Secunderabad  was established in the 18th century, when Hyderabad was under the reign of the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Sikandar Jah. It was founded in order to station the French and, subsequently, the British troops back when the British and the French established their hold over India. Secunderabad holds one of the chief British military stations in India and as of now is the headquarters of the 9th Division of the Southern Army.  It also includes Bolaram, the former military station of the Hyderabad contingent which has now been merged in the Indian army, and Trimulgherry, the artillery military station that, today, is now a well-developed suburban part of the city.  In 2007, Secunderabad celebrated its 200th year of formation.
The Muslim community  in Hyderabad constitute  about  40% of the total population.  In the whole of Andhra Pradesh State Hyderabad has the largest Muslim population, their presence is felt strongly in the old city of Hyderabad.

Pic by P V A
Hyderabad population is also constituted of Christian groups of different denominational are found in the city, though at a very small scale,  you can see a good number of  churches throughout the city. The prominent ones are situated in Hyderabad’s  Abids area  and Secunderabad.  Also there are a good number of  Christian education institutions are scattered all over Hyderabad and Secunderabad cities.  Apart from Telugu speaking people a large number of the population is Tamilians (or Mudaliars) and they have managed to maintain their distinct identity across the centuries.  Malayalees (Keralites) Bengalees, Kannadigas, the business communities of Marwaris  and parsies are also settled in these cities.  

The headquarters of the Indian Railways’ South Central Railway is situated in Secunderabad. The oldest and largest railway station in the Twin Cities, the Secunderabad Railway Station, is in this city. Telugu, Hindi, Urdu and English are the main languages of communication of the Hyderabad population.
Watch this video The Glory of Hyderabad

Another video A Visit to Hyderabad City:  You can watch the historical places, business centers, high tech cities and one of the world’s largest studio complex (Ramoji Film City)  etc in this video
.Video Credit YouTube/ kiltedprogrammer

Though Hyderabad’s glory is in its high peak there is a sad part too.  The traffic system in this city is one of the worst; one can find a most terrible traffic system here in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. 
Watch this sample video for your reference;


The latest report says that,  “The population under the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits is all set to cross the one crore mark by this year end of which the electorate will be around 70 lakh. This was disclosed by election commissioner H S Brahma on recently.   

As per the 2011 census, the urban population of Hyderabad city was more than 77 lakh. The population of Greater Hyderabad urban conglomeration was estimated to be above 91 lakh. The population of the state is 8.7 crore and is set to cross the 9 crore mark by the end of this year with 5.81 crore voters. (A news report form The Times of India).

Source:
World Book,
History of India,
Wikiepedia, 
Times of India,



Ann's Blog: G is for Garlic and Ginger:

 by_moka898-d5y7ras DeviantART
The other day, people around the world celebrated yet another Health Day. The celebrations show that.... For Further Reading Please Click on the Below Link:
Ann's Blog: G is for Garlic and Ginger: 

G is for Google Oh! No! G is for God the Almighty



G is for Google Oh! No! G is for God the Almighty

Picture Credit Google.com
Yes, these days for  getting an answer for a difficult question or for that matter for anything and everything people rush towards  Google Search.

Letter for the Day 7
But sad to say that many a time it fails to give an apt answer to your query.  Instead they go more into trouble and chaos as the web world could not provide a right answer or solution to their problems, may be their may not be such a learned person out there to post or upload such answers in the portal.

Sometimes may be because of the frequent power failures or may be due to the server problem or computer failures you may not be able to get the right answer at the right time. 

But one thing is for sure and I firmly believe and recommend to all of you that there is one Person who can answer to all your questions.   And ha, He is available 24 hours a day. You can approach Him for all your problems at any time, there is no restriction to approach him.  You may need a prior  appointment to meet a political or a religious leader, but here the Creator of all this Universe do not prescribe any rules of appointment, that is the greatness of this Creator God.

Yes, Your search ends at Jesus’ foot steps.

Yes He is the best answer provider or solution provider  to all your problems.

Meet Him today.

 I am sure that will change your lifestyle altogether and infact,  your everything.  

 I am doubly sure that an encounter with Jesus Christ will be an amazing and blessed thing in your life.  Your life will be in His hands safe and secure.

May God help you to take  refuge  in this God—The Creator of this Universe!

 No other name on this earth will take you to a safe place.

To know more about this God,  please take time to read The Bible.  

 A version of this miracle book can be find here at this link.  BibleGateWay

May God Bless.

Thanks for your patience.

Keep in touch.
Keep inform.

 Yours Sincerely.

 Philip.

 PS:
If you have any questions on this issue, you can contact me at any time my contact details are given below:
email: pvariel at gmail dot com
phone: 91 09700882768
Or you can drop a comment at the below comment box.
Thanks.
p. v.


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