Its been over 2 years since this initiative was created, and over 1 year since this blog took the shape of its current form and design. The first one year, almost, there was only one author, and we posted only one article. And we had just one comment from a teenage girl from some corner of Kerala (I think) about how difficult she finds being a girl in Kerala, and how she whole-heartedly supported the intiative. In 2005, we revamped the site and began posting articles more regularly and the readership grew ever since.
As some really energetic, enthusiastic and focussed Keralite bloggers have now joined hands, and we have set about discussing how we can really make this initiative a success, I thought it might be wise to bring out some of our observations as a post..
As always, first things first: The kind of support (and the resistance!) has been tremendous over the last few months.. We are so happy to see the kind of support we have received from the blogging community, and to some extend from the media and even officials in Kerala. Presently, wonderful ideas are being discussed, and some great minds are applying thoughts, on how we can fastforward our initiatives..on how we can make the general population understand that we have an objective, and we are not just passing our time with this blog.
The very idea of putting together this blog was to have a common platform where likeminded people could join hands towards the common goal of a developed and better Kerala. Where we could develop a base to reassure people that collectively we will be able to make good changes..Where we could create awareness..Where we could break-away from the mentality that has kept Kerala in the dark and has brought in stagnation.
Over the last couple of months, one important feedback I got is the level of fear shared by a lot of the people from the government and public..There was a general sense of fear to come out in support of such an initiative in public..especially since this process would at some point entail going against politicians, parties, govt babus and even individuals who shared different views. After all we are not a political party ourselves with goons and thugs on board to greet violence with violence or abuse with abuse. (perhaps having such a team is an idea to consider!). I realized that this is a very genuine concern, especially when I looked back and recollected the amount of abusive and threatening emails I get already from "anonymous" readers - which I never respond to or bother about.
But when you think of including more people, this becomes a stark reality - that we have to figure out how to deal with. A blog is safe for most of the readers as they can comment in a pen-name or as an anonymous person... if we plan to make a more proactive platform, how far can we manage to include people without them "fearing" the untoward? After all, some of the malayalis have a tendency to protest violently against what they dont like. Or simply put: Will an IAS officer support any initiative, however progressive or people centric it is, if it was against the interests of the ruling party?
Another important observation: ultimately we will have to include the people IN kerala..otherwise we are risking ourselves of getting branded as a whimsical or fancy idea of a few people "sitting in some comfortable location" "out of kerala" and "yapping about development without doing anything concrete".. I have put these in quotes based on the general feedback from people within kerala. ofcourse, in most of our cases we are living our lives in kerala, but what I mean to convey is the cunning way some people are already discounting our efforts..making statements like these will harbour doubt in the minds of the masses as to how much we may be able to achieve..and this concern along with the fear-factor I mentioned above will ensure not too many people JOIN us..but will continue to be apathetic and silent spectators.
This is also brought out by the fact that for each new article, we have currently about 5k-10k "viewers", but at the maximum only 10-50 people comment..and even out of the 50, most are anonymous.
So as much as there is an excitement in me seeing the collective efforts and the enthusiasm from fellow bloggers..i can also see the amount of resistance, and practical difficulties in making the initiative more INCLUSIVE...thats the challenge we will face..whether by including the people living outside kerala and only the others who share the same sense of progress within Kerala, will we succeed? or do we need the masses within kerala also to join hands? If its the latter, we will have to wait until the urge to change sweeps into the local minds..which at the state of current affairs, will take a long while. Especially given the fact that polarization into a political mindset begins right at the school-level in Kerala. (we can see most of the entrances to schools and colleges covered with banners of political parties and their youth outfits)
So after all this while, we have not still received those three-lakh supporting emails we mentioned in our vision statement, but with the current level of enthusiasm we are sure we are not far away. For some, this post may have a sense of victory..But no, this is not a give-up post..not at all..but just putting across some of the challenges we see as we begin to move forward..as we poise ourselves to take this initiative to the next level.
(This is the modified version of an email written to some of the other authors of this blog as part of our discussions)
THE 'SAVE KERALA' INITIATIVE
Sunday, November 12, 2006
The "Save Kerala" Initiative - SitRep
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56 comments:
I feel doing something about what you believe in, even tiny steps like a blog, is highly commendable than simply thinking about it. More than anything I applaud the time and effort taken to maintain this blog and keep the initiative alive.
To every progressive effort like this, there will be resistance and criticism (that's always easy to do right?) but I feel that the amount of resistance to an extent shows that this blog has managed to strike a raw nerve among its readers.
Good work guys! I am sure the number of supporters is only going to grow going forward.
@ quills - thank you..and thank you for being part of this initiative. if nothing, i just hope there is at least one person who would have changed his mindset and left with a better sense after reading our blog (even if that person does not ever acknowledge it publically).
The smug assumption that the so called "air conditioned intellectuals" are nothing but hot air(!) has empahtically been proved wrong by SK. Kudos guys!!!
Hi All ,
Definitely this is very good initaiative from your side. But before analysing that this has been a good victory so far , how is this a victory so far??? There have been very good debates and good understanding thougts put by the members on recent happenings but have you done anything to change the system apart from simply messaging and debating .
Definitely you guys are doing a good job and I appreciate your commitment that you have for our land but i would advice putting those thoughts into practical action will be real VICTORY.
Regards
Nidhin
@ silverine - thanks for the support always. much appreciated.
@ nidhin - the fact that you say its a good initiative, good debates and good understanding is by itself a good sign, and much appreciated.
we are trying to make practical changes. but there has to be a beginning.. it has to begin by changing the mentality of the people. and thats where the true victory of this blog will be - not in any demonstration of power on the street or show of force.
so i guess we are on the right direction if we consider that we are having good debates and good understanding among our readers.
excellent..
@ Mind curry
Brother , can u say how you are going to change the mentality of the people????
Every citizen should consider social commitemnet as his responsibilty , Every citizen should realize all the governmnet properties are his too property ..
Are you trying to change the peoples mentality to the above .Then certainly it is great
But if it is trying to change people's mentality to yours,it is just another politics only.I am not saying Politics is bad but you people were against politics ,thats why this doubt arised.
Also if you switch on any television channel there are numerous debate programmes where people are also directly involved to say their opinions. So these channels bring the people's opinion in front of government and many issues are getting solved.
Changing People's mentality itself means majority of the population except you guys are thinking wrongly. I can't understand the logic behind this.People are educated , matured and each and everything they do whetehr it is right or wrong they are doing it puposefully only ,they are not fools.
True revolution occurs by not waiting for the revolution to happen itself but by taking initiatives in each and every day apart from our proffessional life to bring about revolution.
I appreciate your guys purpose to bring about a clear and uncorrupted society but the path you are using I think is wrong .
good job...mindcurry and all you wonderful guys in this team...you all bring a voice and vision that we seldom get to hear in kerala's powerful media networks or among our people.
in many ways kerala has always looked set to be a place the rest of india and we malayalis can be proud of...but the promise and the potential is sadly getting wasted day by day.
there will always be cynics to the approaches this blog takes because of the kind of leftist vision keralites have developed at home...as you rightly pointed out, dont think about the readership now, think of what it will become a few years from now when i believe blogs will become as powerful as our newspapers...then this solid base you have all worked so hard to pave will start producing tangible results.
good luck and keep going strong.
@ nidhin - you make a lot of sense, and to most of the questions you ask, there are answers within your comment itself.
its not that we are trying to make people think like us. what we are trying to do is develop a platform where a lot of people can participate and decide whats best for the state and its people. we are trying to unite people that have no pure political leanings that veer towards parties.
i absolutely agree there can be no distancing ourselves from politics. ultimately we will need to be a part of the system or machinery. but if we can influence atleast the thought processes or the way issues are perceived by our people, then there is hope for victory.
i also agree that innumerable tv programs are attempting to do the same and there are plenty of successful. we are happy about that. but i dont think thats some reason for us to think we cannot do anything more.
Every citizen should consider social commitemnet as his responsibilty , Every citizen should realize all the governmnet properties are his too property ..
that certainly sounds perfect..but i dont think we see anything like that in real life in kerala, do we?
People are educated , matured and each and everything they do whetehr it is right or wrong they are doing it puposefully only ,they are not fools.
yes the whole idea is to try and create awareness and the will to change that purpose.
i think from our many posts its evident what a paradox kerala is..on one side there are many positives we can boast about..but on the other side, behind covers, lie the pathetic state of affairs - be it politics, women's rights, development, governance or anything.
if we could muster enough will to change those negatives, then kerala will be the best place to live in. and like most of us agree, that change has to begin within ourselves.
if you think the path we have taken is wrong, then you are most welcome to suggest alternate practical and wiser paths. because that kind of participation is what is intended on this blog.
I forwarded the link to this forum to around 50 Mallu friends :), Had been watching this forum nearly an year and this is my small contribution. Stay anonymous since I do not have a blogspot account yet.
Ramesh
@ jiby - thank you so much bro. i also believe blogs will be as powerful a media as newspapers some day. and thats the whole idea here.
your comments and views have been eye-opening and valuable. some day when you have the time, your active participation in the form of articles will also be a great boost. for now go crack that CSE.
@ ramesh - thats excellent..we believe, every act and move will count..and what you have done is great. thank you again.
Nidhin, i cant understand why you belittle a sincere, unique effort from a small group of people who are trying their best to build a community on this online platform which is just in its infancy. people like you are so fascinated with revolutions...there are other paths too...the basic problem here is that you dont think of us bloggers as being part of the media and as people who do try hard to strike a "revolutionary"(to use your word) path in our daily lives...you dont have the belief that the contributors to this blog and dedicated readers like us have that these writers can bring change to a kerala that has stagnated in all fields for the last 30 or so years...just bcoz of the complacent attitude of the politically aware, mature, educated and cultured malayali you spoke of.
sorry mindcurry and the rest of you guys, couldnt resist replying to Nidhin. just delete my comment if it is not apt.
@Mind curry
Brother , what i meant is instead of trying to make a new platform and bringout revolution , why cant you bringout revolution in the existing system.
And one thing how can u forget the developments and changes happened to the life of ordinary and poor people of Kerala by some great Communist personalities. Of course some of the present communist members are diverting a bit from the original ideology and trying to establish a name for themselves .This may be because of some egos or to uphold their own view points etc. But there are still great leaders in Left who are capable .So isn't it better to bring through these debates and discussions anything wrong happening in the society to the government ?????
We can also bring out the issues through medias and the many corruptions , mafia ,gundaism , through the media . It is not easy and we have to commit ourselves more to it .That is where real social service comes......
Mind curry may be we can discuss more on this.. May be u might be having more valuable suggestions which I also would like to hear and try to grasp.
Regards
@Jiby
Better try to read what I have written and reply to that exactly.I just tried to express my opinions and I didn't try to dishearten anyone.If what I said doesn't make sense u can point out that and reply.
I didn't categorise u guys as bloggers , I just consider you me everyone as part of this society only.
you told "you dont have the belief that the contributors to this blog and dedicated readers like us have that these writers can bring change to a kerala that has stagnated in all fields for the last 30 or so years...just bcoz of the complacent attitude of the politically aware, mature, educated and cultured malayali you spoke of. " --> Last 30 years you were saying we stagnant, wqe didnt have any development????????
Yes there were some policies which failed , and corruptions that took place, and very serious issues that were not looked into properly. The complacent nature comes when there is no one to react and raise voice against all these.Instead of trying bring out a new platform to build and waiting and seeing all the wrong things happening in the society why are you not pointing against these things in media or i public or to givernment??????????
Then I can say all of us are complacent , Me,you , everyone.......
And if u make a new platform, you are sure that will not have any corruption , any differences in opinions,any ego???
These are all part of human behaviour , once we find some one is going the wrong way try to oppose and take remedy against it at that point .allathe ellaam sambavichondirikunnathu noki ninitu ellaam vashjalayaitu puthioya oru platform thudangunathil arthamundo kootakara.athe njan udheshichullu.
"sorry mindcurry and the rest of you guys, couldnt resist replying to Nidhin. just delete my comment if it is not apt." ---> hahahhaha And what is this Jiby kochu pillere pole??????
Tough job :) and good luck
Hi Guys,
I agree that there should be some way of connecting to the "real citizenry" of Kerala. One thing I was thinking of was a political, not-for-profit organization. I have no clue what advertising rates are in Keralas news papers, but if we can raise enough money to put out a 1/2 page infomercial about serious issues and alternate solutions [basically, promoting a reality based approach to the problems facing our soceity].
Where would the money come from? Well personally, I am ready to put a little money where my mouth is. Wont be much, I guess, only in my dreams am I rich :-).
Also, since you have around 4k visitors a day, you should do google adds or something similar.
K.
@ jiby - what you said is the bitter truth..but there wont be many willing to accept it..thanks a ton..and thats why we need you to write more.
@ nidhin - so why isnt anyone bringing out a revolution in the existing platforms? coz those who want to, cannot..and those who can, dont want to.
i differ about your idea of "capable left leaders" but i shall reserve my comments for the moment.
We can also bring out the issues through medias
sadly we are not as lucky as you to bring out our views and ideas through "medias" yet..until we are, we will stick to our blog..which we believe in..and are sure will become as powerful as the "medias" you talk about one day.
May be u might be having more valuable suggestions which I also would like to hear and try to grasp.
yes i do..plenty..and you can begin by reading our previous posts..we have made plenty of suggestions and discussed a lot of issues.
i would also like to respond to your comment to jiby. what he said is very true. last 20-30 years kerala has just been sitting on its previous achievements. the amount of progress and development we lost over those years is unimaginable..and the reputation we have created for ourselves is even worse. we have just hidden our trash behind carpets called literacy, social development and culture. its about time we cleaned it up. so atleast the next generation does not have to go work in "gulf" or other states.
i am sure many years ago, when they started the first newspaper many people like you would have wondered who needs something like a newspaper. anyway..thats besides the point..
@ cj - we know :)
@ vinod - thanks vinod for visiting us.
yes even we are thinking of an ad..but before that we need a proper site in place..so that there is enough on the blog that will catch their attention, inspire them and be a part of this initiative.
we do get about 5k viewers per article..not per day..
whether we choose to call ourselves an organisation, initiative or group, collective action is important for sure. we are thinking along the same lines.
MC, nice summary of what's been accomplished till date and what remains to be done.
@Nidhin
"Brother , what i meant is instead of trying to make a new platform and bringout revolution , why cant you bringout revolution in the existing system.
And one thing how can u forget the developments and changes happened to the life of ordinary and poor people of Kerala by some great Communist personalities. Of course some of the present communist members are diverting a bit from the original ideology and trying to establish a name for themselves .This may be because of some egos or to uphold their own view points etc. But there are still great leaders in Left who are capable .So isn't it better to bring through these debates and discussions anything wrong happening in the society to the government ?????"
Nidhin, I don't think we are calling for an outright revolution. But you have to agree that certain freedoms cannot be taken for granted today in Kerala. I think many people who read this blog will appreciate the general discontent with certain issues in Kerala - and so far, we haven't had any meaningful forum to discuss because the local media (newspapers, magazines, etc.) represents vested interests in conveying their opinions. Any publication stands the risk of playing to a certain interest group. Can you say the same for our blog?
About your last point - bringing the issues to the notice of the government. Do you really think our rulers are not aware of our discontent? I think they have a very good idea that these issues are real problems. But as with any other system, this system is also resistant to change. As long as they don't feel like the majority of the people believe that things have to take a different path, they are going to sit quietly. And I don't blame them for that, because I could be a minority for all they know. But, I don't believe that - I believe that the majority of the public do believe in their deepest corners of their hearts and minds that something is seriously wrong in a society that has to separate its breadwinners from its families to ensure a living. What are we about? We are about listening to that voice and helping it get heard. Whether the current government does that or a future one, I don't care what their ideology is. Because an ideology is only as worth as much as its results.
If we were truly anti-this or anti-that, there would be a censoring process. And I can stand 100% behind this blog and claim that we have no such editorial policies except for instances where commentors or posters may paste something obscene...but that happens rarely. Just take a look at the commentaries following each blog and you get the spectrum of opinions.
I just want to repeat and reiterate Mind Curry's words - This blog is a starting point for change. You ask, what change? Well, there's always a need for change when there is a problem. We wouldn't be discussing these issues if everything was proceeding smoothly. No, the intention of this blog is to bring those issues to the front that often seem to be hidden by sex scandals, meaningless fashion discussions and all that useless crap that seems to pervade local media.
I am glad in a way that you are anxious for some real action. A few of us have been discussing this topic and debating what is the next step for this blog. You brought up a good point - service. I believe there is real value for community service in Kerala. In high school, I used to run a student group focused on an orphanage. (JLR - read about it at http://www.aisb.ro/secondary/cas.html) We used to teach them English, take them outdoors, play football, and cook them lunch on the weekends. It was needless to say, a very fruitful activity for me because I learnt a lot about basic human needs during that process. We are seriously thinking about similar projects in Kerala.
But, I am still not satisfied with doing just that. Call me a perfectionist, but I believe in the old Confucias saying - "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."
My belief is that in a developed society, educated young men and women find jobs and lead healthy social, physical and intellectual lives within that society. Can you then call Kerala a developed society? If you can't and still want to strive for perfection, read on.
I feel that community service has to be complemented by social public action, otherwise it remains a band-aid solution. To do that, we have to assess what is that the public wants and provide them with that voice. I have no monetary interest in doing this, but I will stand 100% behind it, because I love my home too damn much.
@Everyone
A thousand years from now, when they write Kerala's history, they will write about how a sliver of land holding 30 million people came as close to paradise as possible as any other place in the world. And they will say how that state fell into slumber for another twenty years. Let us not end the story that way. Let us strive so that one day, this blog becomes the starting point for a whole new lease on life for that beautiful land we all call home.
@abhishek:
A thousand years from now, when they write Kerala's history, they will write about how a sliver of land holding 30 million people came as close to paradise as possible as any other place in the world. ........ Let us strive so that one day, this blog becomes the starting point for a whole new lease on life for that beautiful land we all call home.
That was so beautifully and accurately expressed. I am 101% with you guys on this initiative for we all need to contribute, in every little way possible and only a collective effort can achieve this dream.
Excellent! Feel real proud to be part of this.
Very well said Abhishek. You summed it up so eloquently.
One great thing I liked about this initiative is that it is fueled by young people like ourselves..
I've been looking for a platform like this ever since I was 15, finally, I found one when i am 21. Thank you so much, Mind for starting this blog from 0. We traveled so much from there and We have a long way to go now! Saving Kerala is a continues mission that will take generations. We are ready to do our part.
Moving forward, there will be challenges.. It will be challenging to transform ourself from an idea to a tangible initiative. It will be even difficult to converge and unite different thoughts/point of views/egos toward a common goal. However difficult our goal is, it is what we intend to achieve. I am all ready to move toward the next level!
@Mind Curry
First of all it is upto you to differ your opinion about "Capable Left leaders". According to Comrades AKG , EMS, Krishna Pillai and numerous others did nothing for the benifits we are enjoying today????? Ok if you meant presesnt LDF governmnet is not capable ---> what about VS ,Kodiyeri , M.A Baby,Srimathy Teacher ,Thomas Isaac, Elamaram Kareem ---> you say all of they have been completely inefficient so for in this small period??????
"sadly we are not as lucky as you to bring out our views and ideas through "medias" yet..until we are, we will stick to our blog..which we believe in..and are sure will become as powerful as the "medias" you talk about one day." --------> This is not impossibe man, u can send any sicial relevant matters to programmes Like Kannadi , Sakshi and some other similar programes are there in various malaylam channels. But you have to put more effort, it is not simple as writing.
I am not saying we progressed so much in last 30 years.Definitely the graph of progress from 80s had gine below than before. But i oppose what Jiby said it had stagnant. Then what about Techno Park ,kerala reaching 100% literature ,InfoPark,Kudumba Sree, Peoples Planning ,Self Finance Collges etc.......... I am not debating but for your information most of these have been in LDF rule. Later Self Financing colleges almost came to the position of commercialising higher education .Left student organisations have fought very much against it and even they the present governmnet failed to implement the revolutionary education bill by M.A Baby ,hope it will be implemented next year.
I am not debating to support Communist Party in Kerala , but if you say Communist leaders are not capable then we have to see each and every case in the past 50 years (i dont hae that much knowledge about each and evry case , in that case lets analyse each and every year in the past 50 years) . I am not saying they are best , they are also commiting mkistakes (but definitiley not as UDF and one thing LDF is not at all corrupted which UDF is hugely).
Its just that we can't look only for development in Kerala , still Kerala is the only state who has higher education given so cheaply ,also farmers suiciding has been a great problem.So we have to consider all the part.One thing Centre is not allowing funds to Kerala in the same proportion as its needs.Also we are having enormous debts. Yes definitely some investments in public sector like business park is going to come. there are other projects also in the pipeline.We the people have to make sure all the projects including those in the pipeline and whichever cases government is taking time to implement after proclaimation ,all t5hese are implemented. It is not easy we have to react through media or take up those proffession fully or find part time for that. There is provision now for each and every citizen having the right to know each and every policy passed. for development we have to consider who are lagging behind socially and economically also.
Ok apart from all these if you are going to form a new Platform what new changes and what new policies you would bring in the existing platform????????
Can you please list some ideas which you have in ideas like what all needs to be changed in the system.Coz even if the leadesrhip make policies it is the adminstrative educated people who will be exceting these policies..
Even in high IT comanies and other big orgnaisations Management has a big role in the adm,instration same in society also,So could you please give me abrief idea of what all you are trying to bring...........may be i will change my views and beliefs once you present your ideas
@Abhishek
"Nidhin, I don't think we are calling for an outright revolution. But you have to agree that certain freedoms cannot be taken for granted today in Kerala. I think many people who read this blog will appreciate the general discontent with certain issues in Kerala - and so far, we haven't had any meaningful forum to discuss because the local media (newspapers, magazines, etc.) represents vested interests in conveying their opinions. Any publication stands the risk of playing to a certain interest group. Can you say the same for our blog? " you are right about the publications in Manaroma , but read the articles in Mathrubhumi ,People's democracy etc many relevant social isuues have been drilled to the bottom in these......... In the blog yu are still discussing in the top layer ,no one is coming to the bottom , in the top itself you are trying to make advertise your blog most rather than drilling down .One thing the discussion about Chiken Guniya in previous article was excellent .I liked many points and informations provided there.But rest every time discussion has been restricted to top layer , i donno whther you guys are unable to go to the bottom or you dont like about it.But you have been trying to glorify your blog and then many applaudes from others ....Isn't this polistics coz i felt so........ Also the initiative you took you people have considered this a very great effort then what will you say about the communist leaders who completely involved in social service even giving low priority to their family and also suffering a lot ????????? Just saying all these because you people are doing a good job but dont think only you are doing , there are many in the society from either parties who are engaged totally into social service. Yes it is because of few (kerala leaders are the least corrupted in India) corrupted leaders the system is lagging behind.Also 90% of the corrupted leaders are from UDF only not for debate its pure fact.
"About your last point - bringing the issues to the notice of the government. Do you really think our rulers are not aware of our discontent? I think they have a very good idea that these issues are real problems. But as with any other system, this system is also resistant to change. As long as they don't feel like the majority of the people believe that things have to take a different path, they are going to sit quietly." --> This thought is wrong Abhishek , governmnet will take actions , but those who are excuting like police or CBI may be unable to solve and even if solved Jurisdiction it will take long time to solve .So the people who are executing is the same and LDF is not like if it is in the likes of majority of the people only they will take actions , its purely because of your ignorance and prejudice nature about Communists. It may be right about Congress rulers.
"Ideology is worth only when it makes results" absolutely correct Abhishek.The ideology has been making results , it has been people who were not able to execeute this ideology properly . the ideology has never failed..The ideology when executed properly by Lenin in USSR and EMS in Kerala has been a success and people enjoyed huge amount of benifits.
"This blog is a starting point for change. You ask, what change? Well, there's always a need for change when there is a problem. We wouldn't be discussing these issues if everything was proceeding smoothly. No, the intention of this blog is to bring those issues to the front that often seem to be hidden by sex scandals, meaningless fashion discussions and all that useless crap that seems to pervade local media. " --> my dear Abhishek again you are just playing around the bush. Everyone knows many things happening in society should not happen , it is exactly what remedy to be taken and how it should be taken that gives the results. You people are also want to change the evil but didnt tell how u going to change. So i asked in the previous post "Ok apart from all these if you are going to form a new Platform what new changes and what new policies you would bring in the existing platform????????" what reforms and what innovative ideas you have.I would like to know the new revolutionary ideas .
"I am glad in a way that you are anxious for some real action. A few of us have been discussing this topic and debating what is the next step for this blog. You brought up a good point - service. I believe there is real value for community service in Kerala. In high school, I used to run a student group focused on an orphanage. (JLR - read about it at http://www.aisb.ro/secondary/cas.html) We used to teach them English, take them outdoors, play football, and cook them lunch on the weekends. It was needless to say, a very fruitful activity for me because I learnt a lot about basic human needs during that process. We are seriously thinking about similar projects in Kerala."
Very glad to hear this Abhishek and even we are doing some sort like that , if you want you can check in http://jyotis.co.nr/ .It is not only just us who are doing others are also doing . but what we all are doing is not something great , these are some thing which we are all capable .Many people have sacrificed their life for Social causes which is really motivating for other young guys.
"My belief is that in a developed society, educated young men and women find jobs and lead healthy social, physical and intellectual lives within that society. Can you then call Kerala a developed society? If you can't and still want to strive for perfection, read on.
I feel that community service has to be complemented by social public action, otherwise it remains a band-aid solution. To do that, we have to assess what is that the public wants and provide them with that voice. I have no monetary interest in doing this, but I will stand 100% behind it, because I love my home too damn much." ---> Abhishek the people's representatives selected by the people are bound to do the duties and is they are not doing it is the duty of the people to point.Yes it is not as easy as I say and pointing each and evry issue and bringing it into givernments front which leaders are unaware and speed up the actions which are dragging is itslef a revolutionary step. Earlier it was not easy as media hadn't the power it had today.Now many issues are foccussed by media.If you consider this as your home , then in our home if the leader our father is not doing his job correctly it is we who should point out and it is not we are throwing out him and taking responsibility he hardworked so much for all of the household.
"A thousand years from now, when they write Kerala's history, they will write about how a sliver of land holding 30 million people came as close to paradise as possible as any other place in the world. And they will say how that state fell into slumber for another twenty years. Let us not end the story that way. Let us strive so that one day, this blog becomes the starting point for a whole new lease on life for that beautiful land we all call home.
" --> again advertsing your blog with catching words , as you only said it is when put into action that matters. Let us stop these self praises and try to put those or come up with actions..........
Long Live Revolution
@ abhishek - thats sooo inspiring abhishek..
we have to constantly keep thinking and doing whatever we can..however small it is..towards that one goal.. and that is all that we need to do..and i would call THAT a revolution more than anything..
way to go folks..
@ quills and babin - we are glad to have you with us.
@ nidhin - thank you for all those wonderful thoughts..i see that you are a blind believer in the hollow ideology that is communism. as for your arguments, or debates if you prefer, let me just say that we have absolutely different ideas and thought processes. so let us do our bit and you continue to do your bit, coz it all seems to be in the name of good. only that i just wish all that dedication and energy that we see in us doesnt go wasted over the years.
@Mind Curry
"thank you for all those wonderful thoughts..i see that you are a blind believer in the hollow ideology that is communism. " --> Mind curry , I thought I will be getting the answers fro my questions.It seems like you are deabting with me.Whether I am a blind believer of communism is not what matters, the relevant thing is what I told is relevant or not and I expected healthy reply from you yaar.But the way you said "Hollow Communism" showed the nature of the political mind u r having. First of all whether Communism ideology is failed or not you never mentioned any point.Also I didnt debate to show Communism is the best and even if I debated i would get such cold replies.
I expected you guys would be having definte goals, ideas and giving answers to the questions i asked rather than accepting defeat when asked about your true aim. I think you guys are inspired by Manirathnam's YUVA and not having any further ideas.
you told "as for your arguments, or debates if you prefer, let me just say that we have absolutely different ideas and thought processes. so let us do our bit and you continue to do your bit, coz it all seems to be in the name of good. only that i just wish all that dedication and energy that we see in us doesnt go wasted over the years" --> again i am telling staring any thing whether it is some organisation , group it should have some basic ideas , aims, goals , ithought this would enter your mind and you would be answering me healthly as to exactly what objectives you have and how you are going to execute your objectives. But all the way in all articles you have been saying we are going to do we are going to do , but friends pls what and how you are doing do this "going to do" .I was inspired by the way you guys have something that you want to do , but what?? I know again i will get reply like WAIT AND SEE . Also you told it is in the name of good --> alol political parties are started with this motive only not with bad motive , even after having certain objectives they are gtting deviated and you haven't even said exactly what you are going to do.
anyway all the best
@ nidhin - i didnt see any real questions that i could answer sensibly and feel happy about..instead there were more statements about characters like kodiyeri and baby and all..i'd rather let you just believe in what you do than debate about them..
once again, the best you could do for yourself, and for us if you care like you seem to show, is to go back and read all our posts.
no nobody is asking you to "wait" or "see". thanks.
@mind curry
I just satrt seeing your blog few days before and start replying and so far i founf nothing apart from praising each other for no reason.
If you feel my asking "what objectives you have and how you are going to execute" then i hope i get answers for this not beating round the bush like my question is not sensible , or go back to the posts and read.
Even if my question is not sensible I am one of the citizen and u people trying to do something for the society in which I am also a part , if you can't answer the simple question I asked what rite you have to blame politicians ??????
Expect more mature response rather than childish response.
@ nidhin - sorry this is becoming a one on one..but..asking you to read our earlier posts was not to dismiss you off..but because we feel we have written and discussed a lot of issues and probably considered steps worth taking as we go forward. reading those posts will probably answer at least some of your questions..you dont expect me or any one of us to repost the articles or summarize them here i hope.
again as we mentioned more than once now, this is some beginning for us - despite what you think this is..and how we finally implement our ideas and plans is a challenge ofcourse. at least we are discussing something and trying to create awareness among our readers..thats the least we are doing right now if you prefer to hear that.
@mind curry
Ok then atleast tell the discussion topic where you put in your views..... coz i am seeing 3 posts and didnt see anything .
Also if anyone ask you this question , aperson who is not using blog or ionternet , will ask him first try study to use internet then go this blog , there you will see our ideas .you people who are so socially commited find this appropriate????? This itself shows how much commited you seems. Coz if i praised you and said good work you would reply thanks for u being part of us. But when criticism comes you are washing your hands off .
In democracy each and every citizen has the right to criticise and i didnt use any abuse or anything just asked some questions which I had in my mind ,if you are not able to reply directly to this then how u will face serious issues when comes????
Mind curry just think about it and answer , also aprt from these 3 posts where I can find other posts???????????????
@ nidhin - very true..we are also learning a lot of things with the valuable thoughts and criticism from you.
as of now our initiative is in the form of a blog..and we expect most people who land here to have some basic knowledge about the net and blog. when we do have our initiatives spread onto other platforms, we will surely try and include easier to understand features.
as of now google has provided a feature on the right side called the sidebar. on it you will find two sets of links that lead you to earlier posts: Previous Posts and Archives.
Thank you again for taking the time. Glad to have you as our regular reader.
@nidhin
If you have any questions about this blog, just ask. Didn't realize you weren't aware that the blog has an archive, but please take the time to read through it entirely before hurling accusations because then you only damage your own cause.
"--> again advertsing your blog with catching words , as you only said it is when put into action that matters. Let us stop these self praises and try to put those or come up with actions.........."
You got it, we will present actionable plans. But, many of us have jobs and can't sit here every 5 minutes replying to your comments. What would I suggest is that if you are serious about broaching a certain topic and "stop[ping] these self praises", present a topic and take the time to present your arguments coherently. Many of our critics have the tendancy to address a million issues in one paragraph which doesn't leave much material to answer to. The reason I brought this up is that while we were discussing hartals and bandhs in one articles you didn't touch on the subject of what you think of such phenomenon and dragged in a whole slew of other issues. That just loses the focus and prevents us from finding common ground if there is any. Of course, some people do bring up multiple issues in their posts, but the best way to address any of those issues is through a detailed response. In his latest posts, MC was providing a summary of the history of Kerala in his opinion and the history of this blog. It is our prerogative, if we are interesting in having a serious debate, to pick on one topic to respond to at a time. Otherwise, the debate just gets reduced to a lot of name-calling and unfair personal mud-slinging (watching MTV and other silly accusations - note that I personally don't buy into this nonsense, despite the fact that I don't watch it).
@Mind curry
i will read other posts.anyway still unable for you to answer and i have to find my on no problem.Sandesham enna cinemayil party enthu kondu thottu ennu chodikumbol Sankaradi parynna marupadi poleyundu . anyway i have become a regular reader because the issues u were putting were genuine but after wards unable to drill down.
@Abhishek
Its correct everyone having job , and so not able to reply mine but everyone has time for other posts .
"please take the time to read through it entirely before hurling accusations because then you only damage your own cause." -> engane???
Abhishek I asked somevalid points in my previous post in Kerala 50 years.I expected a discussion on that.did anyone discuss. If the answer is everyone is busy and have no time then how about the big posts posted earlier????
Pinne for the issues concerning Bandhs and Harthals --> i mentioned points exactly to the point itself. I also mentioned other things so that I thot u guys will come out of this narrowminded shell and could think a little broader.The points i mentioned were not losing focus if u read each and every paragraph carefully u cud understand.
anyway now i am feeling u guys are elusive when u find it difficult to reply . anyway i will continue reading other posts and give my replies ....
@ nidhin - i am sure with a little help from you we will be able to "drill down" further :)
enjoy reading.
nidhin
Atleast we are trying to project the issues facing the people of Kerala. When we talk about issues, most of the issues in Kerala are created by communist and we have to talk/discuss against them. The communist supporters always believe that they are correct and your discussion proves again that point.
You talk about EMS, AKG etc as great. Agreed.You include people like Kodiyeri as capable- Capable in what? Goondaism?
Good that you didn't start talking about Cuban or Russian revolution.
@Brijesh
Have u seen or experienced or have any prrof of Kodiyeri's Gundaism.It is one the many false rumours against Kodiyeri.Kodiyeri have the guts to sayopenly.When police brutally beat students who striked for the change in the deterioting education system in self financing colleges, Kodiyeri said openly if this continues "Nammal bombudakki Police station aakramikum if this continues" ---> This is what evryone considers gundaism.
Communists not saying they are correct any wrong which pointed against them they are ready to correct.Pinne nowyou have made this clear this blog is meant for spraeding "ANTI COMMUNISM". But for being being anti against anything we have to make sure that concept or thing is wrong and vague.But just with some minimum knowledge and being against is what we are against.
Lets not discuss this here as you are finding just as a rebel.Let us analyse the phase Kerala has went through these 50 years not BRIEFLY but DETAILEDLY and how communism has been a wall against Kerala development , then I will accept you.if you want we can discuss this through mails. But for that also we 2 need to know each and every phase Kerala has went through these years.
Is it is ok Brijesh?????
Also Mind curry we can discuss Globalisation through mails. ok?????
@ nidhin - i shall respond to just the globalization issue..earlier you said you wanted to discuss it..and i invited you to write a post on it..then you said you have no knowledge about it..now you want to discuss it again...so i am telling you again, with your knowledge (limited or extensive) on globalization, please do write a post..we shall certainly discuss it.
once again, for the record: this blog is not about politics..but about kerala..but then we cannot avoid politics totally.
how you perceive us is based on your outlook, perception and intelligence; and we are not going to comment on it.
and please rest assured that we will continue to do what we are doing on this blog, with or without your support.
@Mind Curry
Not discuss politics was what initially I too thought .But it was you people were playing politics.The "ANTI-COMMUNISM" itself is politics.....And you are mentioning points everywhere to support anti-communism.Any neutral who has common sense could make it out that you are playing politics like indirectly supporting UDF.Naturally as a Left supportist I want to eliminate the wring notions you people are having.But once again Brijesh told this blog is meant for anti-communists only --> clear case of whether you are playing politics or not.
If not discussing politics not blaming anyone and try to discuss and come out with solutions meant for society.So I asked question like what your main agenda is how you are going to execte,you asked me to go back and read the posts.That is where I became suspicious that you are having no defined agenda.
Mind curry the one thing I hate very much is contradicting my statements and that is too iritating.First I was ready to discuss , It was you who told send a mail to you and if valid you will post it.Who are you to check whther it is valid?????That is why I thought of not posting it again.
But now again I came back because you people are blaming communists for forming trade unions,strikes, not completely supporting Globalisation and hence against development.
Mind curry the one thing I hate very much is contradicting my statements and that is too iritating
boss, then dont contradict yourself..did i force you to? or are you saying that my contradicting your statements is irritating?? i hope not :)
anyway, i said we will post the article on this blog ONLY if its worth it. otherwise your post can be discussed in emails as you say. this is nothing unique for you..we first ask all authors to send us the articles, and we go through them to ensure that it meets a certain standard and is devoid of abuse/ explicits and so on. and i am the blog admin to decide whether to post or not - not that i fancy being the admin or feel so great about it..but someone has to do it right.
the point is, please go ahead..write your thoughts about globalization..or even anything else thats relevant to kerala's development - social or economical. we will discuss it. all that energy you have (and is spent on writing comments) must be put to better use nidhin. so instead of these comments, we now request you to write an article.
"Not discuss politics was what initially I too thought .But it was you people were playing politics.The "ANTI-COMMUNISM" itself is politics.....And you are mentioning points everywhere to support anti-communism.Any neutral who has common sense could make it out that you are playing politics like indirectly supporting UDF.Naturally as a Left supportist I want to eliminate the wring notions you people are having.But once again Brijesh told this blog is meant for anti-communists only --> clear case of whether you are playing politics or not.
If not discussing politics not blaming anyone and try to discuss and come out with solutions meant for society.So I asked question like what your main agenda is how you are going to execte,you asked me to go back and read the posts.That is where I became suspicious that you are having no defined agenda."
@nidhin
To the extent that discussing what needs to change in Kerala for things to improve requires discussing politics, political parties and political agendas, that is acceptable. If the Communist ideology is seen by soem as an impedement to that process, even those people will discuss that here. If the UDF ideology is seen as an impedement to progress, that will also be discussed. It doesn't matter which political organization any of us supports, whether it be LDF, UDF, Congress, CPI etc, as long as you are able to argue coherently. Have you ever considered that being against most of the elements of the communist agenda can be mutually exclusive from supporting UDF or other so-called opponents of the left coalition? I am frankly, not a supporter of any party. I am a supporter of individuals and their beliefs and actions. I frankly don't believe that any political parties are capable of any coherent thought currently. Yet, I can find common ground with UDF supporters on this blog, because most of them tend to discuss the issues at hand creatively, and not through the constant barrage of someone exploiting so and so. So, I believe while discussing these issues here, we are charting out an agenda that is independent of the political scene. So, if tomorrow, a party stands up and says that we are categorically against hartals (not strikes, mind you, because the two are as different as apples to oranges), I will support it irrespective of who it is as long as I believe that party is not going to renege on its promise. Even the LDF. Because I believe that hartals are the single most visible impedement to Kerala's progress. But I personally will have a harder time getting convinced that the LDF is going to come out and ban hartals. Do we need to discuss why?
In the process of discussing issues on this blog, if people place themselves at different points of the right-center-left spectrum on different issues or not at all, that is their prerogative. But, you will notice that we argue on more than one occasion very often that many of the problems in Kerala arise from people's steadfast devotion to an ideology, i.e. a way of perceiving the world in classes and divisions. We want to move away from that way of thinking because it is a destructive mode of thinking.
So far, we have fundamentally disagreed on certain issues:
1. the necessity for violence and
2. The right to hartals
and we could continue beating the bush there. But I don't know what that's going to achieve, because every other discussion seems to devolve into how I live my life (i.e. my TV watching habits) preventing any real discussion.
@Nidhin
We always send our articles to Mind Curry because we have entrusted him with the editorial responsibility of this website. It is solely his discretion because he started this blog.
The reason he wants you to post is that we are more interested in your fleshed out thoughts rather than immediate responses. My biggest question for you then is what is your view of how people earn a livelihod according to communism? That is, what does communism mean? Some of us have a view of what it means. What is your view? Perhaps you can write about that. I feel this is more relevant and pertinent a topic to Kerala than globalization which is too broad a topic to address here.
@Abhishek
Ok Abhishek I will write an article on that and send it to mindcurry(To mindcurry@yahoo.com I suppose).I will convey my views how communism could better the lives of people today than anyother party.
Hi Guys
Have to say, I really admire your initiative. This blog has really helped me to be in touch with the issues happening back home. With relevent articles pertaining to the issues faced by Kerala, it has often forced me to think about my home state.
Also your site has helped me do something which i'd never done before; having a discussion with my dad (who is a professor of Economics)- and holding my own in this on Kerala's politico-economic issues ....
One thing which has bothered me when i go home, is the focus on sleaze/ scandals ; and lack of attention to real issues of economic importance in the local Malayalam media. Hope this is something you can work on for starters; how about a regular column in any of the dailies maybe; in malayalam- reaching out to the common man.
Waiting for a concrete agenda and actionable ideas to come up in this forum and hope you have means to get it to those in power..
@mind curry
I have mailed the article to ur yahoo id.I have tried my maximum to anlayse the 50 years of kerala and it is a long post.I hope u will post the article in the blog.
@ nidhin - as you noted i did post your article, and then took it off as it was mostly copied and pasted from an online source. will wait until you can come up with an original post. thanks.
We all get our dose of Fundamental Rights in our Civics classrooms, but no one says anything about the Fundamental Duties.
Like JFK said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country".
Cheers Guys. Nice work.
@mind curry
yes i cpoed and pasted some facts.is that any wrong in that.I thot we are discussing about realities ind curry rather than coming up with our own madeup vesions and then debating.s their any meaning in that???????????
I copied facts to anlayse and then support the view........... and you thing the other statics were cretaed by the users itself???????Mind curry this is a clear case of biasing. I am very much disappointed.anyway u guys conitune ur UDF suporting agenda al the best............
@ nidhin - lets be realistic..taking info for reference is one thing..but copying content and sprinkling your words in between to make it look like yours is outright plagiarism.
as i said, i was ready to post YOUR article..and i did too..but i removed it only coz a lot of the content was copied. send me ur original work and i am still open.
@mind curry
I copied the FACTS from the past(or from the hostory) and put on my own THOUGHTS only.How is that I could make up my own facts from the past????????????
If I had copied the thoughts exactly from some article you are rite , but I made use of some refernce to bring in the facts and then put on my thoughts ,whats wrong in that??So u mean to come with our own made up facts????????????????you mean to come up with our own madeup stories of the past???????
Is this being realistic??????
@mind curry
See Thrugh out all the posts I just specified generic points and you were not able to think in that perspectve.Some times u told I am not sensible, sometimes u told I am self contradicting .That is why I analysed the 50 years from some refernces so that I could put on my thoughts with those REAL FACTS.Then it will be more realistic.
Bt if u feel my thoughts are also copy pasted please send those lines to me which u think I copy pasted.
I think this sounds fine
@Nidhin
Copying and pasting any statement (fact or opinion) from other sources is unacceptable unless you place it in quotes. Also, when you take information from another source, you must always cite it.
This blog has a strict editorial policy against plagiarism. What is plagiarism? - REGARDLESS OF INTENT, the failure to provide proper acknowledgment of your use of another's work constitutes plagiarism.
MC has always maintained a high standard for the articles posted here. Any person wishing to post those articles has to follow those standards.
keep going
all the best
@Abhishek
I am not here to improve my language or my way writing.I know very much my essays are not that of high standard.Also why should I waste time writing the same facts into my own words when there is original fact.We are here to discuss the real facts and comne put with solution based on that rite. Then why should I try to waste time creating my own article.I am here to create or share my own THOUGHTS. Even if I write my won words how is that going to impact the real impact of the situation.
Plagiarism comes when I copy anothers views or thoughts , here I copied the important sentences,Also you are saying like I copied the whole thing.The real and important incidents in these 50 years only I copied.Why should I translate that into my own words ,is this blog to put marks on the quality of our writing or to anlyse facts anmd come out with solutions. You people have been making your own version of the history so far and the others getting fascinated believe all these woithout proof.When I am trying to give prrof u are denying that by saying I am copying.If I am copying the thoughts too it makes sense , but the facts only I copied.
If I am going to give the relevant linkis I am not sure no one will read the whole thing , tahts why I copied. Anyway I thougt not replying to u but I dont want to levae this blog creating an impression to others I am quitting coz I dont have anything to say. Also all through my posts I had proved that u have nothing to reply than beating round the bushes .
@Nidhin
"Even if I write my won words how is that going to impact the real impact of the situation."
Because of the Heisenberg principle, which says that there is not such thing as a spectator. The quality of your words directly affect the debate. If you don't take the time to write clearly and lucidly, you lose credibility. Because that shows that you are not sincere and looking for the easy way out. If on the other hand, you do take the effort to write in your own words, people will appreciate that it is at least your own words, and you gave credit where due. But you took the easy way out and said to yourself, "why does it matter whether i copy someone's else writing, even if it is just facts." I am not going to repeat the definition of plagiarism, but one thing you have to realize is that the quality of an idea is not independent of its origin, because without people, there are no ideas.
I am not trying to have the last word here, but just want to change your way of thinking about how people write.
How can I join this group?
I find your articles well researched, original and well researched. My e-mail id is Sumalsn@gmail.com
Hey i just came across ur blog today for the first time today and 'm really impressed by the fact and figures given,...
But 1 thing i would like to say that this wining and bitching and pessimism is not going to get us anywhere, we need to be more progressive and constructive in our approach.. and also things are not that bad in kerala as u make it seem to b.. I am frm 1 of the NIT's where they hav quotas for ppl from every state , and in my experience life there in kerala is much better than in other places...
Anyway its a really good initiative, planning to come back here regularly here on.
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