Meitra Hospital to help Malabar Artists by bringing up Art Pavillion at Hortis Arts Festival
Kozhikode: The Kochi Biennale Foundation is gearing up to unveil a dedicated art pavilion at the Malayala Manorama Hortus Arts and Literature Festival, designed as a platform to spotlight local talent from the Malabar region. The pavilion, supported by Meitra Hospital, will provide emerging artists in Kozhikode and surrounding areas with a space to display and sell their work without leaving their native region.
Faizal Kottikollon, chairman of Meitra Hospital and founder of KEF Holdings, along with his wife Shabana Faizal, view this initiative as a stepping stone for artists in Malabar, helping them nurture their craft while staying connected to their roots. The couple, who have long championed regional development, are committed to promoting Malabar’s artistic potential.
"Our land is home to countless talented artists, but many struggle to make a sustainable income from their art," Faizal shared. "Currently, artists often have to migrate to Kochi or beyond to find opportunities. With the Kochi Biennale event making Kochi a thriving art hub, we felt it essential to create a similar stage in northern Kerala, where artists in Kozhikode can perform and sell their work locally, generating income without leaving their homeland."
Both Shabana and Faizal envision the Art Pavilion project developing in the same spirit as the successful Nadakkav School Project, a model school with international standards that inspired similar projects in places as far-flung as Kenya, Bengaluru, and Srinagar.
For Faizal, supporting art is a way of sharing life’s privileges. "True happiness comes from giving back," he noted. "Instead of profit-driven ventures, we’re now focusing on education and health, areas that need urgent support. Art plays a crucial role in enriching lives, and this pavilion aims to uplift both artists and the community."
In line with their community-centered approach, the Kottikollons recently launched Thula, a new venture in Chelari, blending traditional medicine with modern practices. "Thula isn’t about profit; it’s a first-of-its-kind initiative to integrate traditional methods for restoring the body’s natural balance with contemporary medicine," Faizal explained.
While the couple was inspired by the famous botanical treatise Hortus Malabaricus, they see Thula as a means to honor India’s heritage of indigenous healing knowledge, shared by legends like Itty Achuthan. Thula also taps into local talent by featuring artisans, weavers, and Kalaripayattu experts from Kozhikode, creating further opportunities for the region’s skilled artists.
About Faizal and Shabana Kottikollon:
Founders of the Faizal and Shabana Foundation, the couple has actively transformed educational infrastructure across Southern India. Since its inception in 2007, the foundation has contributed over INR 340 million ($4.5 million) to rebuild schools using prefabricated structures to replace decaying classrooms. Shabana Faizal, originally from Mangaluru, is the daughter of Late B Ahmed Haji Mohiudeen, a prominent business and community leader, while Faizal Kottikollon is the son of Malayali entrepreneur PK Ahammed, chairman of the Peekay Group of Companies.
With the pavilion at the Hortus Arts and Literature Festival, Faizal and Shabana Kottikollon continue their dedication to preserving and uplifting Malabar’s artistic culture, opening new avenues for the community’s creative talent.
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'Kuch nahi bachta hai': Rahul Gandhi visits local barber for a trim and his story
New Delhi, Oct 25: Hard-working poor people have been robbed of their dreams due to falling incomes and rising inflation, and new schemes that will allow them to take home savings are needed, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Friday as he interacted with a barber at a shop here.
Gandhi shared a video on X of his visit to the barber shop in Uttam Nagar's Prajapat Colony. He was seen in the clip enquiring about the barber's problems while getting his beard trimmed.
"'There is nothing left!' These four words of Ajit Bhai and his tears tell the story of every hard-working poor and middle-class person of India today. From barbers to cobblers, potters to carpenters -- falling incomes and rising inflation have robbed the working class of their dreams of having their own shops, houses and even self-respect," the former Congress president said in his post.
What is needed now are modern solutions and new schemes that will increase incomes and bring back savings, Gandhi said.
There is a need for a society where talent gets its due and every step of hard work takes you up the ladder of success, the former Congress chief said.
The Congress also posted a video of the interaction on its X handle.
"Today Jananayak Rahul Gandhi ji got a shave at Ajit ji's shop in Delhi and understood the struggles of his life," the party said on X.
Since his Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra and his Manipur to Mumbai Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Gandhi has been interacting with a cross-section of people from mechanics and cobblers to labourers and bus drivers.
He often posts videos of his numerous interactions and highlights the plight of various sections of society.
"कुछ नहीं बचता है!"
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 25, 2024
अजीत भाई के ये चार शब्द और उनके आसूं आज भारत के हर मेहनतकश गरीब और मध्यमवर्गीय की कहानी बयां कर रहे हैं।
नाई से लेकर मोची, कुम्हार से लेकर बढ़ई - घटती आमदनी और बढ़ती महंगाई ने हाथ से काम करने वालों से अपनी दुकान, अपना मकान और स्वाभिमान तक के अरमान छीन लिए… pic.twitter.com/1gYGdui2ll
