After five years of toil, singer Bijulal C.H. is savoring the fruit of his hard work. Braving many odds, this visually impaired singer has now successfully secured a Ph.D. in music.

Mr. Bijulal, who suffers from partial blindness as a result of Retinitis Pigmentosa, was recently awarded Ph.D. for his research on the topic ‘Concepts of Navanidhi Bhakti and its significances in the compositions of Saint Thyagaraja and His Highness Swati Thirunal'. The research, which he started in 2004, was done under the guidance of S. Bhagyalekshmi. This is not the first time that Mr. Bijulal is proving his academic brilliance and musical talent. He secured the third rank in M.A. Music from University of Calicut. He has also passed UGC's National Eligibility Test (NET) in music. Mr. Bijulal, son of C.P. Harilal and Vijayalekshmi, is residing at Vanchiyoor in the city.

Bijulal is also the brother of Maithry member Lijulal, who helped organize the XNY'10 event early this year.

More articles on Bijulal's achievement available at these links:
Article-1 | Article-2 | Article-3

Gaint Redwoods were a common sight in the San Francisco Bay Area before we clearcut these to build the homes and other structures everywhere. One of the last redwood groves, just North of San Francisco near the city of Mill Valley was just waiting to be "harvested" when William Kent, a visionary conservatioinist, bought it, and then donated to the government.

Although it was suggested the grove to be named after Mr. Kent, he requested it be named after the much more recognized conservationist, John Muir.

The park is just 1.5 hours from South Bay, and it is a great place for families. Beautifully paved trails are stroller-friendly and kid-friendly. There is a cafe and gift shop close to the visitor center.

Stinson Beach, Mount Tamalpaias, the quaint town of Mill Valley, Tennessee Valley Beach etc. are a short distance from the park.

Don't forget to stop by the town of Sausalito where you will find lots of gift shops and restaurants. It also offers a great view of the City of San Francisco, various islands and the bay.

Slideshow of pictures from our visit to Muir Woods.

Gayathri & Adithi sing "കണ്ണാം തുമ്പീ പോരാമോ..." at Maithry Onam 2010.

At Maithry Onam 2010, a very funny skit was presented by Anil Nair, Priya Pillai, Gopakumar Pillai, Duleep Pillai, Sathish Menon and Anuja Rajendran. "Dushyettaa... Shaku Vilikkunnu!"

Slideshow of pictures from the skit:

Here are the videos from the skit:

Here are a few videos from Maithry Onam 2010

Check out these and other videos at Maithry Facebook page.

Semi-classical dance by Malavika Anil & Meenakshi Anil

Kids dance "Kalyana Kacheri..." at maithry Onam 2010.

Dancers: Rhea, Rakshita, Gowri, Rachel, Parvathy, Amy, Keerthana, Gayatri, Milan, Rohan, Aalaap, Ryan, Tavish, Leo, Pranav & Rishabh

Maveli arrives at Maithry Onam 2010

Ananda Natanam @ Maithry Onam 2010

"Kalabham Tharaam... " dance by Aavani Sree.

by Sharmila Gopinathan, Liz Alex, Heera Pillai and Ligy Samuel.