What the youth of Kerala can do

 

What the youth of Kerala can do

 Kerala is currently in the midst of a wave of protests by those included in the PSC rank list. Backdoor appointments and permanency to contract posts are in full swing. This is nothing new. This is the dirt that the LDF and the UDF constantly perpetuate. It will be widespread just before the end of the term . It involves party influence, personal influence and ruling party's  fund raising etc. This is one of the many pitfalls of democracy. It needs to end forever.

 The youth of Kerala should become a force to be reckoned with to include this issue in the manifesto. There is a need for a campaign for that now.

Now ,the Kerala Public Service Commission prepares the rank list slowly and it is time consuming. Departments and institutions report vacancies even slower. Two things can be put forward to solve this.

1. The Kerala Public Service Commission should be entrusted with the work of selecting candidates for the posts which need written test and interview.Government should start Kerala Staff Selection Commission with modern facilities for recruitment in all other posts for which Government pays. Arrangements should be made to make the appointment within three months if the vacancy is reported. There should be a law to be passed by the Assembly in this regard. Provisions should be there to take action  on those responsible for delay in appointments.

2. The term of temporary appointments should be fixed at 6 months. The legislature must also pass a law deciding that .No one who takes on a temporary appointment for any reason will be made permanent. The personal staff of the people's representatives, including the ministers, should also be appointed only through the Staff Selection Commission.

 Beyond politics, young people need to be able to make the tough decision to vote only for those who accept these terms and include them in the manifesto. I wish that there would be a forum be formed  from the agitation ground in front of the Secretariat.

A rainy day in Chitaral

Western side of the monument

Rock pillar

A rainy day in Chitaral

I went to Chitaral a year ago with Jayasree,Sajeev and Radhakrishnan . It was in the scorching heat of a midday,but we enjoyed the visit thanks to the  soothing wind of the hills. At that time, I thought of visiting this place on a rainy day. Only recently had it become possible. Sreekutty, Vishnu, Sreekuttan, Vava, Jayasree and I  planned to leave in the afternoon. It was three o'clock when we finally left Nagercoil. Cloudy atmosphere indicated possibility of a rain.When we got there it was doubtful whether the time for entry would be over. It was half past four. Admission is until 5 p.m. We paid Rs.20/- for car parking to the lady who took contract from the panchayat for that. She  has a small shop near by.

 The official entry time is up to 5 but people stay until 6:30, she said.When we began climbing,it started to rain. We carried umbrella and  hats. There is a short walk to the monument. The path is good having  trees on the sides. Cashew plants are abundant in the compound. More than fifty people, including Malayalees, were there then. Many enjoyed the rain, including Sreekuttan. Two young local men were exercising on a rock in the rain. Even though I was getting old, I thought of  join with them. Since Jayasree is with me, it is common to contain such ambitions. She cares about my health!

 Carefully climbed up the hill through the wet rock. The rock is not slippery. We reached the top of the hill through the steps carved in the rock. The view of  Kanyakumari district from Chitral hills is really a wonderful one ,a  confluence of greenery and clouds.

Chitaral Hill had been inhabited by Jain monks since the 1st century BC. The monument was developed during the reign of Mahendra Varman I in the 6th century. The Digambara Temple was built in the 9th century. The entrance to the temple is through a naturally formed gorge. There is a sculpture of Parshvanath and Padmavathi carved in the rock. The guards are Yakshas and cobra. In the left corner is a sculpture of three Tirthankaras standing. Mahavira and Ambika in the middle. Two children, an attendant and a lion can also be seen carved. The descriptions on the donors are in vattezhuth. The  cave temple is in the western side. There is a mandapa, a veranda and a balikallu . The three chambers have Mahavira in the middle, Devi on the right and Parshvanath on the left. Vimana of the temple was damaged due to lightning years back. In front of the temple there is a natural pond on the rock. Going further after the pond, there is another rock. Sreekuttan and Vishnu went there too. Kunju vava enjoyed the rain and the temple surroundings.The rain slowly subsided, we enjoyed it. The threads of rain that obscure the horizons and then the mist began to spread slowly.

In the 13th century, there was a move to make it a Bhagavathi temple and the move still continues. Chitaral Hill is under  the Thrissur region of the Archaeological Survey of India. The monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India have a poor exposure. The same is true here. A museum on Jain influence in South India and a description of the temple can be provided . It would be better to train two or three local people and appoint them on a daily basis . Local body  can provide  guides for those who need them  at a fixed fee. It is also advisable to charge a fee of Rs 10 for entry to the premise. The mobile number of the guide and others can also be given. It is necessary to be able to maintain and preserve the Jain monument by providing more facilities in association with state government and local body, without disturbing the ambience and aesthetics of the temple .

It was raining when we got off. We returned with the pleasure of a happy evening.

Natural pond

Vishnu and Padmavathi

Jayasree in front of the temple

Yaksha in front of the temple

 

Kerala top on number of Covid patients- Is this also considered a golden feather?

 

Is this also considered a golden feather?

 

Now,Kerala has the highest number of Covid patients in India . Will the Government consider it also as an award ?No idea. What was the situation a few months ago. An hour-long press conference by the esteemed Chief Minister in the presence of two ministers as security on either side,one of them was the Minister of Health. He had given  details of the containment  zone, which was being set up even in a panchayat ward . He also announced the amount collected and deposited to CM's relief fund by different organizations. He was not satisfied with health workers performance and handed over  health related  work to the police. Social media contingent projected Kerala being the world's first in handling Covid, projected Chief Minister as a Messiah. No one cared that at this time Kerala was only conducting 50% sensitive antigen tests on a limited number of people,instead of RTPCR test that was advised by the Centre. Malayalis blamed the guest workers coming from other states including Tamil Nadu as those spreading the disease.In fact, Kerala was on a tactical strategy to ensure that the total number of patients diagnosed did not exceed one thousand and that reported deaths were limited to one or two.

 

During this time, more than 50,000 people in Tamil Nadu were subjected to mandatory RTPCR tests on a daily basis. When more than 7500 patients were found there daily, we said,the health sector in Tamil Nadu was in bad shape and should make Kerala as the model.The same time, health department of TN made the daily test up to 75,000. The peak of the disease was detected and then the graph began to decline. It has declined from five thousand to one thousand and now from 38 districts of TN, only 500 people are found sick on a daily basis. The same time , Kerala was moving beyond one thousand and five thousand. Now Tamilians are afraid of Malayalis coming to Tamil Nadu. After the entry of "celebrities" like Swapna and Saritha as political swords , the great victory in the local government elections, Kerala began to ignore Covid just as done by US and Brazil . Now there is no press conference and no statement from CM. All is entrusted to health minister Shylaja.

 

Bars and cinemas were opened to boost the commercial activities and to entertain the public.  Defensive actions ceased. Wedding celebrations are in full swing . The Indian Medical Association and the Union Ministry of Health began blaming Kerala. It is the right time for Vijayaraghavan,LDF convenor to make a statement that this is a destructive act planned globally by ugly forces to humiliate Kerala.

 

Now, there is something that can be done honestly. At least, one lakh people should be tested daily by RTPCR test to control the disease as soon as possible. Then,the number of patients may reach 10,000 daily. Without inhibition, Government should accept the reality and has to take responsibility to prevent the disease and save the people and Kerala . What is needed now is to buy the necessary equipment and expedite the process. It would be a mistake to think that the vaccine will come and everything will be fine. It is better for the government to remember that the vaccine does not help the sick, only prevent the spread

 

Tractor rally- everything was as expected

 

Everything was as expected

 

I was one of the supporters of the agriculture bills from the very beginning. However, I did not oppose the right to protest in a democracy. It was felt that the struggle was being aided by the middlemen who run the mandis in Punjab and the wealthy Punjabis in countries including Canada. Of course, the struggle was fueled by the combination of several neighboring countries that wanted to weaken the country and the united opposition as an opportunity to weaken the ruling party. The forces that want to keep the struggle above the peasants real cause. When the strike went ahead without yielding to the many compromises put forward by the government and the intervention of the Supreme Court, it spread like wildfire to many including on social media.

 

The tractor rally in Delhi was part of that intoxication. The Delhi Police, the Central Government and the protesters knew for sure that the agitation would turn violent . We know the violent history of many freedom struggles, including the Quit India Movement. Gandhiji, the Prophet of non-violence, condemned and stopped such struggles. The Babri Masjid was demolished by a mob. When any agitation escalates, it will be taken over by the vested interests rather than the people in the leadership.

 

That is what happened here too. The flag hoisted at the Red Fort made it clear that this was not a struggle for the needs of the farmers, but a struggle to weaken the country and beat the Center.

 

There should be a buffer zone between the forest and the human settlement

 There should be a buffer zone between the forest and the human settlement

 It is natural for those who start  resorts or start farms  in or near the forest to have to fight with wild animals. It is advisable to leave the wildlife's own space to them instead of  cut down or encroach the space. Humans are the last born on earth. Humans have a misconception that everything they see is made by God for themselves. Perhaps man is a trap set by nature to destroy everything it has made. The complete destruction of the Earth is certain. It can be done by human hands only. It is important to extend the disaster as much as possible. Rulers need to be thoughtful and concerned about the next generation. We need such rulers. Those who killed an elephant at a resort in Masanagudi by burning it with a fire, and those who  trapped a leopard,killed it , shared meat and planned to sell its teeth,skin and claws in Mankulam in Idukki deserve the same punishment as those who kill people.

 The Left was the movement that should have been able to implement the Gadgil Commission report, but they backed down for fear of loosing the vote bank. No one can implement it anymore. The Western Ghats will gradually disappear. Kerala Sastra Sahithya Parishad, a powerful group among the left just translated the Gadgil report to Malayalam,but failed to convince the left rulers to implement it . But, a few creative actions we can do. It is important to create a buffer zone of 2 km between the forest and the human settlement. Another thing is to bring the adivasis out of the forest ,settle them and give them jobs in the forest department. Now, the Government is helping the resort lobby by building roads in the name of the adivasi settlements inside the forest. That should be avoided. Another thing that needs to be done, at least, is to turn jungle roads as flyovers .The  knowledgeable should be prepared to understand that the Earth is the place for all living beings and be able to educate those who are not aware of the fact

Kairali Emporium-SMSM Institute-Traditional artisans' arrears to be settled

Kairali Emporium-SMSM Institute-Traditional artisans' arrears to be settled

 The Handicrafts Development Corporation of Kerala under the State Industries and Commerce  Department has starved the traditional artisans when even the government welfare pensions were disbursed on a regular basis during the Covid period. Sales of handicrafts have come to a standstill as tourism and local celebrations have come to a halt. But the authorities are not even willing to hand over the amount of the sale. Minister EP Jayarajan needs to intervene to pay the amount immediately.

 The method of transaction is as follows

 The artist will receive a message within a month of the product being sold. The amount will be credited to the bank account within three months. So much has happened in the power of e-governance. By March 2020, Covid has upended the system. Sales were down. The amount of the sale was not paid to the artists. Emporium gave a little to those who were constantly coming into the office. Others are in distress.

Earlier system

Before e-governance, money was paid as cash from the office. The payment for the art work was received only when the artist went to office and bribed the accounts wing. Today that situation has changed. But the misery does not end there

Sales method

Kairali acts as an intermediary between artists and consumers. It takes double the amount of the products from the consumer. If artist gives a product for Rs five thousand ,Kairali sells it to the consumer for Rs. ten thousand with tax. That is, twice the actual price. Yet ,the firm delays the payment for 3 months minimum ?

 Solution

Kairali and SMS Institute are part of Kerala, a state of  strong e-governance.Institute can develop  a facility for an SMS to the artisan  at the time of sale. The next day the amount shall be transferred  to the bank account. The government should take the initiative to transform the Handicrafts Development Corporation of Kerala to such an artisan friendly system. At the same time, kairali can provide  the artisans'  address and contact number on the website, so that the artists can sell their products directly too.


 

 

The Great Indian Kitchen

Recently, I saw  Nimisha Sajayan-Suraj Venjaramoodu movie" The Great Indian Kitchen", scripted and directed by Joe Baby, an OTT release . A girl with a passion for dance married to a well educated,employed boy of a ruined feudal family. She was forced to help her mother-in-law, who was a slave to the egoistic father -son duo. After a few days, the mother -in-law went to Bangalore to support her pregnant  daughter. With that, the daughter-in-law  turned into a kitchen-washbasin-laundry- bedroom machine. She was in a state of doing what one didn't like and not doing what one liked. Husband and father-in-law were male egoists and not bothered on the quantum of work she was doing and arrogant on small issues . The hatred that springs up in her, culminated when the untouchability on the menses period and the sabarimala pilgrimage of father-son coincide. There she established her feminist stand and became free by sprinkling the virtue of filth against the male chauvinists.Then, the director  showed us the emergence of   another slave  in her place. The acting of Nimisha, Suraj and the actor who performed the role of  the father were commendable. The film portrays food profanity in the kitchen and on the table in a way that is disgusting to the viewer. The film conveys the message that there may have feudal families still standing.

 I suddenly remembered my family. We were three children, a father, a mother, a grandmother, the workers who were often in the fields, the guests who came at the lunch time. Mother and grand mother had to make food for all of them, and there was another group that included cows, calves, dogs ,hens and cock.That time we never heard of a gas stove,cooking was done using firewood. Laundry  had '501' brand  soap, washing soda  and 'neelam'. (My father was wearing a white mundu and a jubba, mix of neelam and rice starch were a must to make it steady) In addition, they had to prepare food for the cattle too. Needless to say, when it rained, to add to the pain of daily labour, the firewood didn't burn. It was amazing how they handled that Great Kitchen then.

Now, the situation  has changed. We all became small families. Family members  work together to pull  the household forward. Most men  I know, are very supportive on day to day household works.However, even today, there may be people with a low end  chauvinist  character as seen in the movie. They should definitely be shown this movie. It might make a small change in them. There is no doubt that the message is great. 

 The present day Kerala is fast changing.The time is not far off in Kerala when girls will shift to better jobs and boys shifting to household chores. Congratulations to Joe Baby and team for the wonderful presentation of  inner world of a traditional family .