Kerala Tourism, Munnar get ready for rare flower show
Thiruvananthapuram, July 11: Kerala Tourism and the state's Munnar are all set for a rare spectacle - happening once every 12 years - when the hills at the hugely popular tourist resort will be carpeted with the blossoms of the 40-odd varieties of a tiny reddish blue flower.
The Strobilanthes kunthianus is locally called 'Neelakurinji', neela meaning blue and kurinji the local name for the flower.
The last time this marvellous spectacle occurred in 2006 and generally the time this phenomenal blooming begins towards mid July and ends in October.
Another attractive sight to the naked eye will be the majestic Nilgiri Tahr, the endangered mountain goat found in these area, ambling down the hills that are swathed in neelakurinji blossoms in all their grandeur.
The Kerala Tourism Department on Wednesday launched a microsite - www.keralatourism.org/neelakurinji - on blossoming of Neelakurinji, as there will not be an inch of space in Munnar with tourists coming in large numbers.
Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran launched the microsite which is rich in content and has detailed information regarding the tourist attractions on the way to Eravikulam National Park near Munnar, saying that it will help tourists explore more interesting facts about Neelakurinji and realise the real beauty of the place.
A 21-page e-brochure is also available on the site that enables tourists to get all the information about Neelakurinji. The e-brochure can be downloaded and be sent via WhatsApp.
Neelakurinji mainly blossoms abundantly at Rajamala, Eravikulam National Park, located along the Western Ghats.
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UP Cong chief Ajay Rai hospitalised after fainting, stable
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai was hospitalised here after he fell unconscious due to low sodium levels, party leaders said on Saturday.
They said he was admitted to Medanta Hospital on Friday evening and is stable.
"Ajay Rai was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Lucknow at around 6 pm on Friday after he fell unconscious as his sodium levels had dropped. He fell unconscious at his residence in Lucknow. For the entire day, he was engaged in party programmes and had also gone to the airport," Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi told PTI.
Congress in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Avinash Pande told PTI, "Now, he (Ajay Rai) is stable and I am also reaching Lucknow."
Medanta Hospital Director Dr Rakesh Kapoor told PTI that Rai collapsed at his home on Friday evening and was subsequently admitted to the hospital's emergency ward.
Medical examinations revealed that Rai was suffering from a sodium deficiency and elevated blood pressure. Doctors administered immediate treatment and he is doing significantly better now, Kapoor said.
A team of doctors is monitoring his health. Rai is conversing with others and his condition is stable, he added.
In a post on X late Friday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Rai a speedy recovery.
Rai hails from Varanasi and had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against Modi from the parliamentary constituency. The Congress appointed him as the Uttar Pradesh unit chief in 2023.
