Arundhati Roy is again in the news for her advice to give ‘azadi’ to Kashmir. There is nothing wrong in giving a comment on the state of the nation (or subsequent prescription to soothe wound). But being opportunistic after giving an impression that you are an activist is highly condemnable. Her stand on protection of forest land and tribal rights should be highly appreciated. But unfortunately it is easy to profess but tough to practise. She made a house in forest land where non tribals are not allowed to make settlements. I could only laugh on her double standards when she refused to accept sahitya academy award instituted by govt of kerala while blissfully holding on to the british award( though not instituted by british govt) Man Booker purposely ignoring their imperialism in Iraq and Afghanistan( she only blames US for atrocities). I was amused when she criticised Amir Khan who took a brave( but foolish) stand on sardar sarovar issue. She had said celebrities associate themselves to public issues for cheap publicity and fails to help the cause. Did she make such a childish comment for the fear of losing the centre stage in the movement? I think she should focus on writing (strictly fiction) as many others had advised her. `
I respect Pinarayi Vijayan for his utter lack of interest in building an image using media(unlike his bête noire). But he is known for the pseudo socialist aura that he has developed around him. Here are a few of them
1. He opposed introduction of self financing colleges in private sector though his daughter studied in a private self financing college outside the state.
2. He opposes opening doors for foreign university to set up centres in India but sends his son to study MBA in England( paradise of capitalists).
3. He had opposed computerization introduced in India in 80’s. But these days he carries a laptop with him (with bullets along with it!!!!)
I wonder why these people cannot take a solid stand on serious issues and adhere to it or simply never take a stand on an issue which is not simple enough to have an unambiguous stand.
I saw a poster of the students union of CPM terming the recent murder of a teacher in a brawl related to the cluster meetings in schools as Guru Hatya. They went on to add that they will never forgive murderers of a teacher. I wonder whether they have forgiven the murderers of KT Jayakrishnan, a teacher who was murdered before the students while he was taking class. Oh sorry that was a revolutionary act against a fascist and the executers should be hailed right?
Kerala is like the mega serials which are popular here. Not viewing multiple episodes will in no way affect the understanding of the story. Life in here is so predictable(Its very notorious for being the nightmare of IT professionals working around the country. The most non vibrant city in the country is thankfully mine). Kerala is famous for its reluctance to join the new india bandwagon. When sprawling flyovers and highways are coming up all around the country we still have the worst roads. I must confess that i found it like defending the devil when I had an argument with my cousin ( who happen to cater a strong dislike towards this place) over the future prospects of my state. Why we couldn’t live up to the expectations of the country? We were expected to have a growth comparable to the west or the asian tigers after our remarkable achievements in health sector and primary education. I will try to put down my analysis for this pathetic performance of kerala.
1. Today morning my mother(who happen to be a teacher in a govt school) got a call from a parent . She asked whether there would be regular classes today. She said a student had committed suicide and thought classes would be cancelled as usual. I am not blaming any political party for conducting bandhs or hartals. It is the aspirations and wishes of the public that these outfits are fulfilling. Keralites hate to work in kerala( cliché statement for many keralites). I remember my father regularly checking the health of prime ministers and presidents in the hope of getting a holiday in case they die( though he was the hard working type when in service unlike me). These days general strikes have become more like onam and vishu with channels broadcasting the latest movies and liquor outlets running out of stock on the day before hartal. Recently we made the hartal protesting the Amarnath issue a grand success with as much zest as Kashmiris themselves. I remember days of strike against power tariff hike by the youth wing of Marxist party ( with ubiquitous vandalism of this outfit). Now it is the turn of congress party with surcharge increased by 50ps for every unit. What amuses me is the deafening silence of the youth wing that vigorously opposed previous hikes. The bottom line is why stall the production in the state if both parties know that hikes are inevitable.
2. There is a story about Lalu Prasad Yadav when he was the chief minister of Bihar. He was visited by an angry group of villagers who complained about the pathetic condition of roads in their villages. Lalu answered by saying that these roads are useless for ordinary peasants like ‘us’ as we use bullock carts! The same attitude reflects in the attitude of mallus in their attitude towards roads here with a small difference. What difference does it make to me if a I am going to gulf next year( Bangalore these days). Places like Trichur( which used to have prosperous industries) are fast becoming holiday homes for retired people. The most profitable business here is shockingly real estate(which results in lazy millionaires).
3. We fear foreign aid and investment as it is another form of masqueraded east india company with the horn of imperialism. I wonder if ever that is the case don’t we have the power and smartness to make these investors toe our line like what we did with smart city (I appreciate the CM for being smart in this case)
I can unequivocally say that if we change,all the political parties will change( though they don’t wish to). If we stop celebrating strikes, if we stop yearning for holidays, if we stand together against bad roads and poor universities our state will grow. If not we can blissfully read newspapers in Chayakadas( with our version of an issue) and migrate to gulf afterwards to do our traditional job of serving the world.
