The Bubble of Kerala must burst An account of how misled the electorate has been.

 In the wake of the recent election debates and propaganda, I happened to fall into a number of charades of words which left me emotionally drained out. One of the key issues of our interest had been the "prominence of Member of Parliaments from Kerala at the center". Being a residental non-malayalee since birth, I was forced to take the "aggressive lad speaking against the motion" stand in most circumstances. There was a dogged effort from my opponents to rebutt any argument I pose with a set of important yet cliched points :

1. Kerala has the highest literacy rate in the country.
2. It is a frontrunner in terms of the HDI.
3. Inclusive development had been the key to the above achievements and panacea of all problems in the state.

Map of Kerala

 I was miserble. Honestly shaken when I was simply overpowered with these dogmatic mantras for every rebuttal. I set out to demystify and break-down the scenario.

Maharajah of Travancore

 History teaches you that Kerala has been a prosperous state since time unknown. Its spice trade with the rest of world and the role of an bridge it played between various trading kingdoms on either side of the seas has been one of key reasons for its prosperity and well-being . And the prosperity of the then kingdoms of Travancore and Cochin can still be observed in the riches and magnificence posed by the temples and monuments.The Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, on whose sands I used to summersault as an 8-year old clad in the traditional silk "mundu", is known as the "El Dorado" of India. Therein resides assets and antiquities whose face value could nothing be short of a 115,000 million dollars. The prudent potentates of Travancore had deposited in order to offset any shortage or crisis that might afflict their kingdom. So the upshot is that Kerala has been, inherently, a well-off state.

Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi, a Dalawa(Prime minister) of Travancore who led the one of the earliest rebellions against the British East India Company.

Barring a handful of dissidents like Keralavarma Pazhassiraja, Kunhali Marakkar and Veluthambi Dhalawa(Also the fictional Kelu Nayanar from Santhosh Sivan's Urumi :P ) who fought for their land, we were never rebellious in the freedom struggle. We had goodwill among the British and the Kings were canny enough to put their acquaintance to the advantage of their people.

Kerala's achievements in education- near cent percent literacy rates, gender equality, free and universal primary education, etc are well known. It is undeniable that Kerala has "one of the" highest literacy rates in the country. At a 93.91% it is only second to the Tripura which recently pipped Kerala with a 94.65%. The per capita spending on education by the rural households in Kerala was reported to be 41, which is almost double the national average. This culture has been deeply ingrained the history of the state.

   

Chrisitan missionaries played a critical role of interweaving various strata of the society through education.

 At the turn of the century, a number of Christian missionaries that gained roots(Catholic missionaries from Portugal and Anglican missionaries from the Great Britain) established elementary schools and institutions across the lengths and breadths of the state which was very keen on promoting education. The awareness of an "educated diaspora" was made pervasive, thanks to such missionaries. The thing of beauty about saintly foreigners is that they act like one. They were truly messengers of the Lord himself(not the Queen :P ). They welcomed people from different walks of life; from a manifold of social segments and strata; into their gates with open arms. Rev.Kuriakose Elias Chavara, a key social reformer of the 19th century, aired the idea of "a school for a church"(which is why schools in malayalam are known as "pallikudam"). Also the kings believed in empowering their people. Their innumerable ties with across the globe resulted in cognizance and eventually they used it for the well being of the people and trend of attaining "Primary education" continued through the decades and has resulted in this appreciable achievement.The contribution of the Highness' of the various kingdom is unparalleled. To quote some, His highness Swati Thirunal installed the Maharaja's College(now University College) and Maharaja's School. He also set up the Trivandrum Observatory which is an outcome of his avid interest in astronomy and physical sciences.

Kerala has the most pleasant climate in the country.

Kerala lies along the coastal line. Neither are we forayed by frequent adverse weather conditions nor any natural phenomena that are precarious. We have a moderate and balanced climate that is the best in the country.The temperature lies between 18ºC-33ºC which is rendered pleasant in a country where it lies between 10ºC to 43ºC.The climate is so pleasing that it allures/allured tourists and migratory aves from across the globe. Part of Kerala's success in achieving near-developed-world levels of basic health indicators results from a rapid expansion of medical facilities. Another part derives from the development of public health and disease prevention programmes by enlightened maharajahs. We have been able to encage deadly contagious diseases from searing through the state.

So in effect, the achievements of Kerala is a focalization of a number of favorable conditions which PRE-EXISTED, contrary to the claims of the so-called linguistic and regional fundamentalists! And I strongly disapprove of and pity anyone who attributes any of this COMPLETELY to a particular political regime in the state.

The aforementioned feats courtesy of the largely historical implications and the marginal contributions of the succeeding legislatives, no doubt laudable, is a thing of the past. The higher education standard in the state is an ignominious affair. It has persistently been on the decline. The reasons cited by various organisations which conduct consensus are : Lack of proper infrastructure, poor teachers to students ratios,etc. There has been an exponential increase in self-financing colleges and schools to cater the societal demand. But significant compromises have been made in the quality of education rendered. Though Kerala succeeds in attaining a near cent % achievement in elementary education, the drop-out rates ascend as soon as the child gets into 10th. Only about 50% of the students who appear for the 10th matriculation examination get through in spite of liberal valuation and provision of grace marks.

The quality of higher education in the state is abysmal thanks to the political parties who have been making the resourceful students their pawns.

Government schools and colleges are plagued by student politics upon whom the two political parties have a commanding say, which has resulted in an employability deficit.As per the Economic Review report  2012, Kerala is in fourth position in unemployment level among states, with an unemployment level of 9.9 per cent.The report indicates that among the larger Indian states, the unemployment level in the state is the highest in India. The ones with "Gulf-NRI daddies" survive while the ones without, cannot find any respite. Manual labourers and small-time retailers are unwilling to pitch their shops and services in Kerala and instead flock to other states like Tamil Nadu  and Maharashtra or the middle-east(and contribute to their respective state's SDP ). Even the ones who graduate are forced to find jobs elsewhere.In the process of catering to the limited segments of white collar job markets within the state and outside,education in Kerala remained frozen as an inert academic exercise. Unravelling this paradox of the low-growth-high-literacy of Kerala throws up some really harsh facts. Kerala, irrespective of all the advantages it had as a resourceful state, is left to languish. Job generation has been in doldrums thanks to some irresponsible governance and policy paralysis. Literacy in the state has become a liability. 

P.s : Kerala accounts for 10% of the total suicides in the country at tops the statistics in student suicides which simply buttresses the fact that the education system in Kerala is haphazard. 

Kerala is the state with least employability; a staggering number of people remain unemployed.

The same conundrum of low-growth-high-literacy can be linked with the lack of adequate industries in the state. The skewed nature of the state's economy has been primarily due to the "money order economy". Kerala lives off remittances and it lacks a manufacturing base. It hasn't been able to attract giants in various fields to set up their shops , when states with lesser HDI and literacy like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have been able to. Kerala's pet projects : The Vizhinjam Port and the Smart City which can provide significant strides in the economy. God knows who is impeding the development of the state? The funnier thing is there has been unprecedented pressurising for a mug's game called Aranmula Airport Terminal.

The proposed Vizhinjam Port project with no environmental hassles has been stalled for reasons unknown.

Reflecting on the leaders who we have sent as our representatives, what have they done substantially for the betterment of the state? Post the E.M.S, K.Karunakaran era, strong regional leaders who laid off all their partisanship and worked for the betterment of the state, we have a dearth of robust leadership. Let it be the Left or the Right, both have priorities greater than what they have been chosen for. We've had many minister from the state in the form of A.K.Antony, E.Ahamed, Shashi Tharoor(MoS), K.V.Thomas, etc but none have been able to channelize their power and position for the betterment of the state. For God's sake, where do these people go after the elections? They sparsely visit their constituency to understand the grievances and plight. If none of the political formations in Kerala could capitalize on the advantageous situation they had during independence, what have they remarkably achieved sitting in the air-conditioned cabins and travelled in beacon lit cars? 

The only detour in the story is with O.Rajagopal of the BJP who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh(1992-2004) and was made the MoS for Railway and later Defence and Parliamentary Affairs under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA Government. Mr.Rajagopal's tenure at the center had been illustrious and lucrative for the state of Kerala.

• 12 New Trains for Kerala including Janashatabdi, Amrita,Ananthapuri, Maveli, Gurudev express trains which have now become an inevitable part of daily travellers across Kerala.
• Doubling of Railway Lines was made possible by BJP. This was one of the major development leap in the history of Indian Railways in Kerala.
•  In 2002-2003, used 14.17 crore Rupees for development of slum areas in Kerala.
• Saved KSRTC from bankruptcy by arranging Rs. 100 crore from HUDCO fund. 550 fast passenger and 350 mini buses were purchased using this fund.
• Prior to the modification of Christian Marriage Act, he called up a meeting of topmost leaders of all prominent Christian Communities in Kerala, which in turn became a milestone in the history. This paved the way to enable Christian women to inherit ancestral properties, which
  was denied to them previously.

 And the list goes on. Domiciled in Kerala, he never again could represent the people in the lower house. For a man who had done such impressive work for the state, it was the most thankless way Keralites could respond. And I will stick my neck to say that none in recent times have been dilligent in what he was entitled to do. And I believe the electorate of Kerala will not be misled by the bogus claims of Shashi Tharoor developing Trivandrum.(He made the people of the state red-faced by his indulgence in the IPL Scam and the dubious mystery death of his 3rd wife is yet to be solved)

"Shashi Tharoor's development in Trivandrum"

This election calls for sensibility and prudence from the electorate. This bubble of ill-information must burst. As the saying goes, "You can cheat all people sometimes, You can cheat some people all the time, but never all the people all the time".  The blog post is a food for thought for all the voters who will cast their votes this summer. And I strongly believe that you will choose your representative wisely. Jai Hind.

Delusion of the Moment : Aam Aadmi Party

This is to all those are deluded by the populist wave happening in the country capital helmed by none but a "man-at-the-right-moment". When a new party is formed with just one idea that makes it stand apart from the flock(the idea also happens to be their USP), add on the widespread discontent against the system, drives people into a state of delirium. What Arvind Kejriwal and his partymen are pulling off in Delhi is a show once put forth by people like Jayalalitha which earned her cult status over the years(not surprising that many a people of Tamil Nadu consider her a Prime Minister in imminence) . What is the viability of the freebie culture in an economically well-off state like Delhi ?

Delhi is a state with 2nd highest per capita income in the country at Rs.175812(only coming second to Goa). If Mr.Arvind Kejriwal and his stooges can note, the people of Delhi aren't bothered to pay. For that case, none in the country is, if what he pays for is available at the right time. The case of Delhi is that they pay for the electricity and the water, yet there are lengthened periods of interruption of both. So what you need to do as a RESPONSIBLE-EDUCATED-MESSIAH of the common man is to expand the source, expand the productivity than satiate and set up vote banks by distributing freebies. I'm looking at a stage when Yogendra Yadav, Prasanth Bhushan and co. will be distributing packets of Dal-Roti in neat aluminum foils by the turn of parliamentary elections stating it to be the only way they can bring down the inflationary effect on FMCG and food products.  Still waiting for the Kejriwal economics to work out.

The only state in the country 24 hour electrically powered is that flourishing state of Gujarat. Power rates always stay stable irrespective of the season(unlike the Congress ruled Andhra Pradesh where the rates are highest in the country and there are major blackouts ranging from 8-12 hours on a daily basis leading to widespread discouragement in enterprising in the manufacturing sector in the state), thanks to some shrewd law-making from Mr.Modi's part : with Projects like the 'Jyoti Gram' and the Asia's largest Solar Park in Charanka, Gujarat which has a capacity of 600MW . The state produces 14000MW of power, of which 2000MW is surplus. The state earns Rs.1800 crores upon selling the surplus power to neighbouring states.

Now I am not sounding skeptic, and I'm just stating facts. I vouch for a man who puts cause above self, I vouch for a man who has proved his credentials in governance and service beyond doubt , I vouch for a true Aam Aadmi. I vouch for a man who doesn't sell the Aam Aadmi like the Aam Aadmi Party and Kejriwal is doing. I vouch for a united India.

Memoir of an optimist : Part 1

Politics isn't the last resort of a scoundrel . There is huge responsibility , pride and a respect which no other profession can claim . You may have ample thoughts and revolutionary ideas . Unless you have the implementation power , it will remain crude sometimes forever . I still remember the earliest exposure as an 8 year old I had , to politics . It was an election summer . There we gypsies and Ambassadors harbouring huge sound systems vrooming across the city roads and roaring the manifestoes and the motto of the parties . Usually there used to be a movie song whose lyrics were manipulated to suit the respective ideologies . The possible logic behind such a move could be : The party parodying the hottest song on chart would garner more votes . There were large processions into our colony in Kowdiar by both the major fronts contesting in the ballot and with the respective candidate leading the pack in the door-to-door campaign. There were promises of advancement , welfare schemes and panacea of all prevailing miseries . I used to stare at them with puppy dog eyes and the leader appeared to be rising to an unprecendented height . That was the day it all began : Be a politician . One who commands respect with a word . One who salvages the country . Images of a heroic white "khadar" wearing men were one of my most frequent dreams . (Interestingly more than the number of times Madhuri Dixit came to my sub-conscious)

On the decisive day , we had our parents and grandparents swarm into the nearest booths to cast a vote (A power which hardly anybody will put to the right use) . But the ones back home , the preteen young guns ,wait in anticipation for the crucial numbers . A week passes without clamour when suddenly you wake up to the noiseof crackers ! Wait , Diwali is a few months away and Vishu is long gone (As it is a popular tradition to burst crackers in Kerala during Vishu. The irony is , to watch the hard-earned money on a Vishu day go up in flames :D ) . Blowing the heat of my steaming Bourne Vita , I hear the reporter declare the result of the ballot in full glory . I recogonize the frequently flashing face on screen as the one who left a deep impact standing at my doorstep . Moments later , there was an open van progressing slowly on the road ,holding out the victor . He waved all around, thanking the electorate for their mass support . This time he neither rocked me nor stared at me with his penetrating and influential eyes . He was too busy squirming in his success least bothered of the young mind he had ignited .

Years have passed . I have seen politicians come and go . I have seen them write thought-provoking columns in dailies . I have seen them erupt into a battle of words in News Channels . But the greatest quality which I noticed they possess is the will power and composed attitude during a debate . They seem to have a tryst with articulation. Its as easy as gulping a glass of water . They make it look so easy. From Martin Luther King to Narendra Modi to Shashi Tharoor , oration is an art for which these men are truly masters ! At least untill sometime ago , I used to wonder if oratory skills are a requisite for good leadership . Reflecting closely on some of the most revolutionary speeches , it has been proved beyond doubt that , it is necessary . I envy them , the politicians . They taught me a very important lesson : It doesn't matter what you say , but how you say . Let it be false promises or about facts which you have the least idea about , standing up for what you say will earn far more patronage than a blunt and spineless delivery .

While counselling the upcoming generations , I believe politics should be described as a viable choice to the future. Rather than highlighting the flaws in the existing system , they should be taught of what a good polician can do . He should be an extrovert . A politician can easily find his ways into the books , in two ways : for noble causes like Nelson Mandela for combating apartheid OR for all the wrong reasons like "A King" who looted "lakh crores" from the common man's wallet ! So its basically preceiving . If we want , we really can mould solid artefacts . Somebody needs to take the initiative . Ask me the best time ? Its now . You may be thrashed and scrutinized for misleading your brothers , but it wouldn't be long before their y impulses realize the fact of the matter .

Hitherto , we have looked at our representatives with sheer contempt . It gets funnier when I meet people with no say or idea about the system , victimize the political community as misdoers and harbringers of all problems . Like the infatuated 8 year old , I still firmly believe politics in no way is an inferior profession . Let us clutch to the hopes of witnessing a stirred responsible group of young energetic men leading the nation from the front leaving behind all prejudices , preconceptions . . .

The Great Indian Paisa League

The IPL reminds me of an instance in an Indian mythological tale . Remember the Kauravas and Pandavas battling out over a board game ?! The Indian Cricket is facing a similar crisis at the moment in which the BCI , the IPL and the players being the Kauravas who play with then biased die . With we , the staunch followers , the ones who have adopted the game as a religion being the Pandavas . At the end of the game , some among us , the bookies get stripped . And then we are set into an year waiting for the next carnival .
              This has been the trend among the youth for the past 6 years . The people are building an extremely vulnerable culture by putting all their eggs into a single basket - cricket . Inherently , it is a gentleman's game . But lately , when big money started indulging in it , it is facing a grave credibility crisis . The recent spot fixing(as they call these mischieves) allegations and charges , both against cricketers and bollywood actors , have raised a cloud of uncertainity over the game . Neither the government nor the governing bodies seems to take up any responsibility on the issue . The IPL and Indian Cricketing watchdog , the Board of Cricket Control in India (dominated by top bureaucrats , politicians and Industrialists) neither want to propose some antidote to the corruption in the game .
          The fact that IPL is flawed is simply not only based on the recent controversies . Money is good for any sports and cricket is no exception . It helps proper structuring , help develop proper roots in the nation , and also the most important , give recogonition to talented youngsters on a bigger stage . But for an economy like India , this splashing of the macro-million figures simply indicates the worst economic slowdown behind us . For a nation where a large section of its population still under the Below Poverty Line(BPL) , these millions of dollars aren't gonna feed their hunger .
             Also just try to recollect certain facts : where does this money come from ? These franchisees anyway cannot make sufficient profits out of this really short version of 76 games . So eventually , they are looking upon their other business ventures to raise the amount . I wouldn't say all the owners are bad . But many of those consortiums which have purchased the teams are flawed . One of them having debts of 1000s of crores to the government of India which is being relaxed by certain high officials . Another owner has a reputation of cheating 30 million small town investors an amount of $4.5 billion ! Another franchise family having close relationships with the founder of India's biggest scam ever! So , ultimately it is the money which rightfully belongs to the people of this nation . It is also decorated with a popular name : "Black Money" ! In a nutshell , IPL simply sets a stage for money laundering .
               Now to the fixing saga . IPL is a game which handle quite huge amounts . So eventually there can be a lot eye popping offers on and off the field which could lure players into playing against the doctrines of sport . They,especially the local players, are bound to be offered sums which they never could've imagined . This makes them offend their own morality and conscience ! Thus leading to spot fixing . Spot-fixing isn't the only bane of the game . IPL is another WWF kind of scripted drama ! It has its chills which goes down the wire , it has its own controversies in the form of on-field exchanges , late night bar brawls . All summing up into a good-looking performance . With the billion fans lauding them quite innocently like a baby while the actors grinning behind their back in the success of having cheated the people openly ! They have taken the fans into such a confidance that , a boy kidnapped and killed his cousin , to obtain a ransom to redeem the money lost on betting .
Talking about legacy . Well yes , IPL is pretty young as of now . Still 6 years old . Let's assume that IPL is straight as an arrow . Apparently , this dumb league doesn't even have the credibility of Ranji cricket . In Ranji , the players play out for their home team . What relation does MSD have to Chennai ?! What is Virat Kohli's relationship with Bangalore ? So in a way , they don't have any obligation to the fans and the land they play for . It's only the pay cheques they receive upon 45 days . Imagine the case of foreign players ! This is so unlike the EPL . The EPL model though has players playing for other counties , it has a pretty well established fan base and solid team structure . Unlike IPL , EPL doesn't auction all the players after a few seasons ! So you have players getting committed !
The government should also rather try to reduce the nation's indulgence into cricket . Where is India's national game , hockey ? The government should realize that cricket isn't a game which brings in glory . It doesn't have a place in the olympics or any other renowned sporting leagues . It is also interesting to realize that barring Australia and New Zealand , every other nation which "Promotes" cricket are developing or under-developed nations : India , Sri Lanka , Pakistan , RSA , Bangladesh ,etc . England "plays" cricket , but doesn't promote it which is visible from contrasting stands of a cricket match and soccer match . I would suggest a lot of diversity in sporting culture for our growing population . If the government could even channel a fraction of the amount which is earmarked for cricket into athletics and other sports , it would surely bear fruit .
                I don't want them to scrap the IPL as a whole . They wouldn't do it because it gets the cash registers ringing . They wouldn't want to give up a method to make easy money . But it needs to make transparency the prime issue . We can imagine the influence a team like the Chennai Super Kings can have when its owner is the president of the BCCI ! No wonder , they have so easily gone through to the play offs on the trot! The BCCI needs to overhaul itself . Throwing out the bureaucrats and industrialists and bringing in those who know a wee-bit about the game . Another one is to set up dedicated enforcement units to check into the proceedings and workings of the league . The sole aim of the units should be to curb the discrepancies . Moreover the number of matches have to be reduced considerably .
At the end of the day , the people must realise . I see future engineers and doctors who are supposed to be the ambassadors of sense and sensibility ,waving the flags and whistling like buffoons at this IPL thamasha ! Even after exposing the truth , they can't convince themselves that IPL is a sham . The nation can't change if not the people !
Jai Hind !

Hype + Lethargy = Viswaroopam : An Apology

I wish to apologize to all my readers on an idiocy I happened to commit a few weeks ago . I made it a point to watch Kamal Hassan's much controversial espionage thriller

Viswaroopam(which apparently I had managed to catch on its premier) yet again , after some genuine requests from some people . And I thought I should rectify that error of giving such a flamboyant and rave review . 

                                     First of all , I agree , that Viswaroopam fortunately doesn't possess any sequences which happen to offend any religious community or group . But the reason why it fails the anticipation of the audience is that it apparently turns out to be the reinforced stereotype . I don't supposedly see any reason how Viswaroopam raises a lot of questions of national conscience ? For an artist , who has inspired aces like Gautham Menon , Bala ; for an actor , from whose movie Mr.Tarantino himself was inspired to do a graphic scene , Viswaroopam is something far from what you expect from an mediocre Kamal Hassan flick ! The greatest mistake which he happened to do with the movie was taking the direction into his own hands . Had it been taken up by somebody much capable in making films in a broader canvas , I would've maybe shifted my support to the movie .

                 It's terribly scripted , exceedingly the former half  ! It doesn't do justice to the audience when you have a suspense about 30 minutes off the mark . But there are some notable scenes in the first half which definitely deserves applause : one of them is the Kathak dance sequence . Dance sequences , which are considered something tedious to shoot with perfection and beautifully ,  was rather exquisitely shot ! Another one was the boy on the swing who retrospects before attempting the suicide bombing . Barring this , the former half is a complete ordeal to watch . At every now and then , you have a feeling , "Hey What am I missing?". You seem to feel , plucking every single hair out of your nostril would be a more engaging affair . Even the performances never seemed to come to the rescue ! Kamal never had something challenging at hand , and Rahul Bose was dull with his ever husky and unclear accent . Andrea Jermiah and Pooja Kumar were pure let downs. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's anticipated score too was a let down . It was hard notice it amidst the chaos Hassan makes on screen . The only solace could be an appreciable performance by Jaideep Ahlawat and the short but effective role by Shekhar Kapur .  

                             Now, before watching Viswaroopam , I made myself up to some previous Kamal flicks once more, directed or 'ghost-directed' by others . Starting with his masterpiece 'Hey Ram' , Kamal had managed to create a cult with this movie . The way Kamal narrated the story is something no filmmaker in India could at the moment emulate ! It was so beautifully crafted , that I started to realise what these guys were actually talking about ! Another gem in narration was his 2004 flick , 'Virumandi' . In contrast to these , Viswaroopam is dwarfed by its own pretence . What Kamal managed to create was raw hype . No offense , but standing up against communities , I start to realise , it was nothing more than a promotional stunt . We would've rather appreciated a lot more substance into this stuff than a heroic projection of the actor . The formula doesn't simply work out any more . And the irony is that , he is busy with the production , of its sequel !

                                                              To all those people , who still conceive Viswaroopam as a trophy of brilliance of Indian Cinema , should better find some time to watch movies of Kamal . And simply draw the comparisons between this and the others . I believe that this movie doesn't even deserve the time consumed for writing up this apology . I just hope , Kamal does justice to himself and the audience with the upcoming sequel . All fingers crossed and optimistically waiting !