Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Plight of the Brahmin Community-how to tacle the issue.

                             Plight of the Brahmin community and its solution
The Tamil Brahmins in Kerala form a bout 3 % of its population.Their families are seen distributed throughout the state.As the community as a whole took keen attention in giving the best possible education to their chidren ( both male and female )they have generally been able to weather out the adverse conditions faced by the community like the LandReforms Bill,reservation policy in both the educational and employment and promotion  spheres,Vote bank politics etc.
    In the early periods Brahmins outshined all others in the fields  of  administration ,judiciary and even in the agricultural fields.The Tamil Brahmins in Palakkad owned very large areas of paddy fields which they leased out to peasants who could reap a fortune with their expertise in farm labour.With very few exceptions the Brahmin land owners were most considerate to the tenants and helped them in case of crop failures.I have many examples of such humanitarian attitudes.The tenants also loved their Bhooswamis and rendered all possible sevices to them.
    With the legislation of the Land reforms bill by the first EMS ministry,these landlords became paupers overnight.They had their small portion of a house in the Agraharam.For manyTamil Brahmin families in Kerala this was a testing period. They dicided to seek jobs like accountants,stenographers, typists,office managers etc in cities like Mumbai,Calcutta,Delhi etc .Many could settle very well in those places where the imparted good education to their children.As people who lost all their landed assets they knew more than all others the importance and advantage of good education.The subsequent generation also flourished well on the strong footing in the academic field.
          With the dawn of the IT revolution the Tamil Brahmins with their good command over English languageand accounting skills were accepted everywhere.There has been a revolutionary change in the living standards of our people.Many Brahmin youths have become leading foreign exchange earners of our country.Their hopes of getting proper recognition in the society has been richly fulfilled.
                      How to go further ?
             We cannot be complacent on the  basis of the laurels earned in the past.The roadmap that we prepare carefully for the future alone will help us to weather out any adverse circumstances.The people who dream of a bright tomorrow for their younger ones have to think collectively about a suitable action plan for the next  ten years at least.
              An action plan for Perumbavoor
Perumbavoor is a town with around 160 brahmin families.We have a large number of professionals from a variety of fields who can be of use to the community either physically or through the telecom facilities.Those who are wellplaced in reputed companies can help the budding generations to get familiarized with the sectors which have maximum scope for the coming decades.This will help them and their parents to equip them with the required skill.Let us try to provide a brighter future for them.
        We have a building and enough open space in the plot owned by the Perumbavoor unit of the Kerala Brahmana Sabha.Presently the building is let out to an advertisement agency who have their screenprinting facilities set up there.The KBS can utilize this building for its educational and cultural activities .3 or 4 computers and an internet connection will help many of our youngsters to acquire skills in the IT fields.We can make the services of experts in the field for making it an attractive destination to students from other communities als which will add to our income and also social reputation.Getting a meager sum as rent and spending the same for unproductive items is ruining the building also.
           Also there is ample scope for preparing sweets , pickles,condiments ets and market them to outside places where our own people live in large numbers.They will definitely welcome such a venture and help the unit to grow to great heights.The expertise available within our community can be used for the welfare of all.Along with joining Mullaperiyar issue,representation for the community in boards etc these basic issues benefitting the community with our own efforts should receive our attention.  The present Kalyana Mandapam and BhajanaMadam buildings can be used occasionally for any such activities.The huge funds that we raise should thus be used for the benefit of our brothren.MANAVASEVA IS THE BEST FORM OF ISWARASEVA
                             Plight of the Brahmin community and its solution
The Tamil Brahmins in Kerala form a bout 3 % of its population.Their families are seen distributed throughout the state.As the community as a whole took keen attention in giving the best possible education to their chidren ( both male and female )they have generally been able to weather out the adverse conditions faced by the community like the LandReforms Bill,reservation policy in both the educational and employment and promotion  spheres,Vote bank politics etc.
    In the early periods Brahmins outshined all others in the fields  of  administration ,judiciary and even in the agricultural fields.The Tamil Brahmins in Palakkad owned very large areas of paddy fields which they leased out to peasants who could reap a fortune with their expertise in farm labour.With very few exceptions the Brahmin land owners were most considerate to the tenants and helped them in case of crop failures.I have many examples of such humanitarian attitudes.The tenants also loved their Bhooswamis and rendered all possible sevices to them.
    With the legislation of the Land reforms bill by the first EMS ministry,these landlords became paupers overnight.They had their small portion of a house in the Agraharam.For manyTamil Brahmin families in Kerala this was a testing period. They dicided to seek jobs like accountants,stenographers, typists,office managers etc in cities like Mumbai,Calcutta,Delhi etc .Many could settle very well in those places where the imparted good education to their children.As people who lost all their landed assets they knew more than all others the importance and advantage of good education.The subsequent generation also flourished well on the strong footing in the academic field.
          With the dawn of the IT revolution the Tamil Brahmins with their good command over English languageand accounting skills were accepted everywhere.There has been a revolutionary change in the living standards of our people.Many Brahmin youths have become leading foreign exchange earners of our country.Their hopes of getting proper recognition in the society has been richly fulfilled.
                      How to go further ?
             We cannot be complacent on the  basis of the laurels earned in the past.The roadmap that we prepare carefully for the future alone will help us to weather out any adverse circumstances.The people who dream of a bright tomorrow for their younger ones have to think collectively about a suitable action plan for the next  ten years at least.
              An action plan for Perumbavoor
Perumbavoor is a town with around 160 brahmin families.We have a large number of professionals from a variety of fields who can be of use to the community either physically or through the telecom facilities.Those who are wellplaced in reputed companies can help the budding generations to get familiarized with the sectors which have maximum scope for the coming decades.This will help them and their parents to equip them with the required skill.Let us try to provide a brighter future for them.
        We have a building and enough open space in the plot owned by the Perumbavoor unit of the Kerala Brahmana Sabha.Presently the building is let out to an advertisement agency who have their screenprinting facilities set up there.The KBS can utilize this building for its educational and cultural activities .3 or 4 computers and an internet connection will help many of our youngsters to acquire skills in the IT fields.We can make the services of experts in the field for making it an attractive destination to students from other communities als which will add to our income and also social reputation.Getting a meager sum as rent and spending the same for unproductive items is ruining the building also.
           Also there is ample scope for preparing sweets , pickles,condiments ets and market them to outside places where our own people live in large numbers.They will definitely welcome such a venture and help the unit to grow to great heights.The expertise available within our community can be used for the welfare of all.Along with joining Mullaperiyar issue,representation for the community in boards etc these basic issues benefitting the community with our own efforts should receive our attention.  The present Kalyana Mandapam and BhajanaMadam buildings can be used occasionally for any such activities.The huge funds that we raise should thus be used for the benefit of our brothren.MANAVASEVA IS THE BEST FORM OF ISWARASEVA.


















Lessons of Piravom bye election

                  Piravom bye election-its lessons
The much awaited results of the Piravom bye election have been declared and now is the time for all the concerned fronts and their leaders to assess the advantages and shortcomings which they had during the hectic 2-month old campaign.The top leaders of both the LDF and UDF had put high stakes in the poll by claiming the results of the poll to be an acid test of the performance of the OOmmen Chandy Government during the last 9 months.Now  that the people have given their verdict both the fronts should accept it.
Some main lessons from the election results are
1 ) The people here are not totally committed to any particular party or  front.They are concerned about the quality of governance that they get .
2) People (especially the youths crowd to hear the speeches of Sri VS not because they back him but due to the interest in hearing his adults only speeches which they feel is equivalent to viewing a blue film.It gives them a sudden ‘kick ‘.But that will never be converted to votes.
3) The kannoor style of running a party by protecting the erring leaders at all costs and tarnishing the opponents by abusing them by vulgar languages (through people like VS ,Pinarayi,Jayarajans etc) will not find takers among the voters here.For them all corrupt elements are to be treated alike irrespective of their party affiliations.
4) people here are able to see through the crooked tactics of using communal cards for electoral gains.Setting one community against another by injecting hatred will not help in the long run.
5)Preeches and practices of political leaders do not send the right signals to the people.Leaders  who amass in lakhs and preaching  about armed revolution is a comic scene.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Kunjankutty,the staunch patriot

                          KunjanKutty,the ardent Patriot
Kunjankutty was a carpenter near my ancestral house in Pala.He was a regular visitor to our house.Though he was not an skilled worker,he obliged us whenever we sent a word.His day started by 5 30 am when he would walk from his house  in an interior place to the public library in front of our house.He used to read all leading Malayalam newspapers like Mathrubhumi,MalayalaManorama, Desabhimani,Deepika,Janayugam,Kerala Koumudi,Express(fromThrissur )etc.Occassionally he would handle IndianExpress and Hindu also when we are also in the reading room,but invariably he held it in the inverted position as he did’nt know English.He used to read the Malayalam papers quite loudly so that we all could hear it.
                                By 7 30 am he would move to the nearby teashop for breakfast.(he took only a plain tea from his house.)After  exchanging pleasantries with the fellow customers there during the eating process,Kunjankutty will go to the toddyshop where he had a private corner to keep his tools after the day’s work.He has his Party’s office in the adjacent building.He will give his LEVY to the party fund  befor starting the day’s work.During party meetings or celebration of days for paying tributes to the leaders of yester years he used to donate liberally.
                  He will come to our house by 8 30 with his tools and 3-4 packets of beedi(local made )During his work if somebody goes there he will open some topic for discussion ,and no work will be done till the argument is over.By experience we learned to avoid chatting with him during his work..At times he will spoil the wooden planks given for the work as he may be brooding over some past incidents.Our father who was an expert in managing such occasions would suggest alternative use for the spoiled piece.
    After the day’s work by 5 pm sharp , he will get his wages without any leniency.Once the money is received he is in a hurry.His first pilgrimage now is  to the toddy shop where he will enjoy the local spirit and some nonveg.items.Nearly half of his income goes to the liquor shop.At times he will entertain a few friends also who have tolerated his sermons on politics and international matters.He wiill leave the School (School ,for him ,is the liquor shop )by 7pm along with his ‘schoolmates’ and move mechanically waving his hands to all passers by and shouting loudly.At times he may jump in front of a  moving vehicle and  get hurt.He  manages to get some compensation from the vehicle’s owner which they will spend lavishly the next day. On way back to his hut he has his lottery friend ,whom Kunjankutty sees as Goddess Mahalakshmi’s messanger.He will buy 2 or 3 tickets of various drawdates.But he will buy only Kerala state lottery tickets.
            Once  I asked Kunjankutty  about this wreckless  spending of his hard earned money in liquorshops and lottery offices.Soon came the most convincing reply from the patriot who got the true justification from his party bosses.According to him Kerala government is in trouble and finds it very difficult to pay even the salaries of it’s staff.So it is his moral duty to help the govt by assuring a steady inflow into the treasuries.As excise dept .generates most of this income he becomes part of the state treasury.’If we don’t drink,you will not get your next month’s salary’ was his spontaneous response.With the same patriotic sense he bought only Kerala State lotteries.
              I thanked Kunjankutty for his deep sense of patriotism.Last year the patriot got injured in a motor accident,was laid up for a few weeks and died .I hope more patriots will fill the vacuum created by Kunjankutty.

Kerala in crossroads

                              Some top priorities for the progress of Kerala
Kerala is a small state of India which has many advantages and limitations in developing it with the fast growing demand on the various sectors.
The high density of population,limited vacant land for infrastructure development,want of labourers in the skilled and unskilled groups,large number of educated youths waiting for lucrative whitecollar jobs,shortage of agricultural land etc  are some challenging tasks to be handled carefully.
The availability of large number of educated and well informed people with vast experience in several fields,the presence of a long stretch of lakes and rivers along the length and breadth of the state,presence of several places of rare natural beauty both in the coastal and hilly parts of the state,easy accessibility across the state by land and sea ,the absence of extreme climates etc are some rare advantages for Kerala.
By reckoning these contradictory factors a suitable action plan should be framed ,discussed by expers without any prejudices and then implemented.There should be no room for politics ,communal factors or personal interests.
In my humble opinion the top priority  should be given to the transport sector.The existing road transport system is quite inadequate to handle the movement of people and goods across the state especially when ours is a consumer state.We depend on many other states for almost all the items consumed by us.Rice,oil,sugar,vegetables,fruits,flowers,cement,steel,sanitary items,electronic and electrical goods,automobile components,cosmetics,textiles,paper,machinery goods,sanitary items,most cereals ,and grains,etc .Hundreds of trucks and wagons carry these goods from other parts of India towards our tiny state.
lnland water transport
In most cases this movement of goods can be done along the sea and lakes and rivers.This will lead to saving of costs as water transportation is the cheapest.The use of containers will help to move goods even during rainy seasons without any damage .Also the atmospheric  pollution can be minimized.Traffic blocks can be minimized and road traffic wiil be made much faster.People who work abroad will not miss their flights and lose their jobs in the workplaces abroad.I have heard of several such incidents.Youth can attend interviews on time,and employees can reach their work places punctually.Tourists need not curse the road blocks and can complete their itinary as scheduled.This will make them visit our beautiful land again and persuade their friends also to visit Kerala.Thus tourism will get a strong boost thus multiplying our foreign exchange revenues.Many people can find good employment through this sector.
North-South Express Highway
My next priority is on the highway development.Though we may not be able to widen all the roads in Kerala,there has to be a highway which connects the extreme north and extreme south covering the minimum distance.From these highways people can travel to neighbouring towns or villages  by other roads.The highway should have a width of 100 metres .No construction should be allowed  within a distance of 75 meters from the centre of the road.People don’t use these highways for shopping, but for fast and safe driving.For shopping they will goto the nearest towns.No hoardings should be permitted along these highways.A suitable alignment should be fixed by experts and in no way should it be modified. If the government is sincere about this, people will contribute liberally towards a dedicated fund set up for its implementation.In a state where political parties are raising crores through bucket collections  for conducting their conventions along our highways preventing the very donors of these funds from having a hazardless journey,there willnot be any difficulty in funding this project partly.Long term loans from international funding agencies should be sought for this urgent project.The work should be implemented by companies with proven track record.
Tourism
The development of the expresshighway and inland water transport wii ,by itself lead to a heavy inflow of both domestic and foreign tourists to our state.The government should give licenses to agencies to work as tourism promoters.A list of such promoters should be displayed in the state tourism promotion head office and also in the district offices.This will ensure that the tourists are provided good stay and journey facilities.The district offices can register homestays and hostels who are willing to provide facilities to the visiting dignitaries.Such firms should have trained personnel in their service.The required training should be given by the tourism dept. which should establish a training school for this.If these basic facilities are provided,Kerala will be the most sought after state in India by tourists.The greenary,huge trees of various type and running rivers are not combined in any other place we have visited.We have to cash in on that strength.
Telecommunication facilities
Already we are very much advanced in this field.Tourists should be properly informed about the people in the various places whom they should contact in case of any difficulties including threats from antisocial elements.In case  such complaints are received drastic remedial action should  be taken. A group of police officers can be given additional charge for hearing and solving such complaints .There are many graduates and post graduates and even technical graduates in our police force.Their services could be utilized for this noble cause.They should be given mobile phones and the number for calling them should be available in the district tourism offices.
Information Technology
Here also we are in a much advanced position.But the government should act as a catalyst in the development of the IT field.As far as possible,the new IT hubs should come up in places with low population densities.The IT companies can establish their firms with a low capital so that they can spend more in providind better facilities to their clients.The employees also can live in comfort.With the North-South highway and good interior roads travel will pause no problem for them.The village economy will get a boost also.
But the moot point is,will our politicians who all claim as champions of the people’s right,allow this to happen?They can give any number of excuses for jeopardizing the common man’s lifeby protests,hartals,bandhs road blocks etc but their basic responsibility is for providing a cleaner,safer and happy life to the people who vote them to power.

Friday, March 2, 2012

The concept of shared autos

The concept of shared auto-asolution for Kochi city’s traffic problems
                           Chennai city is witnessing a silent revolution in the public transport field after the commencement of service by shared autos along the numerous feeder routes in the city.Besides providing a much cheaper public transport means,it reduces the traffic density along the main roads during peak hours.They are much cheaper than autorikshaws and stick to certain fixed routes which are displayed in the cab.
At present there are about 5300 shared autos in Chennai city which are used by about 30 lakhs of commuters every day.As these vehicles travel through the feeder routes,the journey distance and time are saved considerably.
While we were in Chennai  during the last rainy season (November ) I  travelled from Pady to Greensroad  ( 14 Km )by shared autoby paying just Rs 20.My friend who travelled by a hired auto had to pay Rs 170 for the same distance.
   It is high time that  we permit shared autos to operate in Kochi city also at the earliest so that the traffic problems facing the  fast growing city is solved to some extent
The shared autos can cover a vast area in the city including Ernakulam,Vytilla,Thrippunitthura,Maradu,
Kakkanadu,Edappally,Thrikkakkara,Panampillynagar,Gandhinagar,Kathrukadavu.Kaloor etc The feeder roads in these areas provide a good harvest for such vehicles which saves much time of the commuters here without their need to walk upto the bus stops.
      Please share this with your FB friends and others.Let us make this dream a reality.