Calling progressive minded and development oriented people
- to transform Kerala into a developed and free state,
- to help it break free from the shackles of hypocrisy,
- to eradicate militant unions, strikes and petty politics,
- to make a new Kerala that is proactive and alive,
- to make it the God's Own Country that it is supposed to be.
You can start by joining us here and contributing your thoughts.
To become a member, leave a comment with your email or at wewillsavekerala@gmail.com
Not Everyone's Invited
P.s. You can choose to have your name simply listed in the supporter's list on this blog, or have it linked to your blog.
Read more!
THE 'SAVE KERALA' INITIATIVE
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Kalyanikutty's Woes
This is an excerpt from Shashi Tharoor's (ex Stephanian, U.N Under Secretary General, Author, Diplomat) article on Kerala titled "Looking beyond the backwaters" published in The Shashi Tharoor Column of The Hindu.
It was a response to the innumerable email's and letters he received as comments to his earlier article "Kalyanikutty's Kerala", which celebrated the Kerala Woman.
Few articles of mine have provoked such a storm of a reaction from Keralites as my piece on Kerala's women ("Kalyanikutty's Kerala", Magazine, November 6, 2005). Strikingly, the letters I received came not from the usual sources — outraged chauvinists rising to defend their homeland from insults real and imagined — but rather from the opposite: disillusioned Malayalis attacking their own state's prevailing culture in relation to women.
Two of these stand out. The poet Thachom Poyil Rajeevan puts it bluntly: "It's true that Kerala women can read and write (and) are doing better than Bihari women or the women in the neighbouring states in the professional and social spheres. There may be pilots, doctors, ambassadors, and Supreme Court judges among them. But they cannot come out of their houses after six in the evening. If anyone dares to do so, she is not safe outside in the dark. Any man she comes upon on the way is a potential intruder into her modesty. I don't know whether women in Bihar face a similar threat in public places. But I have seen girls in Madurai Kamaraj University in Tamil Nadu walk fearlessly and safely to hostels late at night after completing their work in libraries and laboratories. Yet I cannot expect (to see) a girl after six or seven on the campus of the university where I work. I have seen many Malayali women walk with confidence in Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi. But when they come to Calicut or Trichur, they become timid. Kalyanikuttys," he concludes, "despite all their claims to literacy and empowerment, are not safe in their home state."
That is a sad enough indictment coming from a man, but even more searing are the words of a Malayali woman reader, Prema Nair. "Oh dear, oh dear!!" she begins. "Are you one of those who have seen everything through the tinted lens of the acclaimed `Kerala model'? Nobody is disputing the favourable development and lifestyle indicators this state has, but please do not confuse well-being with an empowered and independent sense of being. Do we not often also confuse literacy with education?"
>>>>>>>>>
I respect women in many aspects. I respect the endearing spirit and undying energy of a girl. I respect the Mother in every woman, her undying love and forgiveness, fountain of kindness and understanding. But beyond all these basic and inherent qualities of women, I believe every woman should have that dream, that spirit to achieve. I get overwhelmed when I hear stories of successful women, rising to and above opportunities, struggling against rules and retrogressive laws laid down by men and society - there are many such great women from Kerala. And I feel utterly disappointed and sorry to hear about the woman who is willing to be forced to the "comforts" of a "happily married, child bearing and growing old" prescribed life - there are many such women too.
I pray every woman works and has a good career focus, that will help her achieve financial independence - which I believe is the core to a free spirit and freedom of choice in the present world, and will allow her to stand up more strongly against injustice.
(Statistics show 49 per cent of the women who owned neither land nor house had suffered long-term physical violence, compared with 18 per cent and 10 per cent respectively of those who owned either land or a house, and 7 per cent of those who owned both. The effect of property ownership on psychological violence is even more dramatic: while 84 per cent of the propertyless women had suffered such abuse, the figure was 16 per cent for women owning both land and a house. In other words, women’s ownership of immovable property clearly serves as a protection against all forms of spousal violence.
Equally, it provides an escape: of the 179 women experiencing long-term physical violence, 43 left home. The percentage leaving home was much greater among the propertied (71 per cent), than among the propertyless (19 per cent). Moreover, of those who left home, although 24 returned, 88 per cent of the returning women were propertyless. Few of the propertied women returned. In other words, not only are propertied women less likely to face marital violence, they are also more able to escape.)
I hope every woman in this world becomes independent so that they can stand up to injustice and wrong, and walk away from it. I hope every woman has the support to end a relationship that abuses her, without being worried about the social repurcussions and isolation, and without the fear of being branded as a "loose woman" or stories that sing "it's her fault".. *
I hope every woman dares to dream, dream beyond any perimeters set by our so called "conservative" men and push the envelopes of our hypocritic "society". *
I always tell people that "conservative" and "society" are two useless words, used very liberally as a weapon to enforce biased and confounded rules by people who really have no clue or have totally twisted views about ethics, culture or values. Kerala is the epitome of such didactic and hollow thinking. All these senseless "rules" have only created a generation and society thats monsterous and purely frustrated. Men who have no clue of morality but are merely crude beasts. Morality unguided by love, but misguided by lust; love accepted only as prescribed, otherwise branded as immorality. We have in Kerala, men immoral to the core swearing on virginity when it comes to their marriage, and some master deceivers, but nonetheless wanting to hold the torch of morality high publicly. It is only the outward "image" and "name" people are worried about, nothing else, because they lack substance within. And they want such women for life - women who will just bear their children, stay at home, not ask questions, not be independent, who wont think for themselves - while the men go about their merry ways. Keralite men, atleast a majority of them in my regretful opinion, are among the worst behaved among Indians. *
I appreciate Mrs.Nair in the above article and I hope a lot of men and women have been reading those articles in Kerala and asking themselves such questions:
Is a woman safe in Kerala?
Can a woman in Kerala wear clothes she is comfortable in?
Can a woman walk in Kerala without being burnt away by ogling men's stares or put to "shame" by nasty comments?
Can a woman travel in a public bus without being "touched", "pushed" and "brushed" around?
Can a woman feel safe at her work-place? Will all husbands appreciate their wives doing well in their careers without ego and ire?
Can a woman go alone to the movies, day or night, without being troubled?
Can a woman go to a club and exercise or have a drink(probably even a coffee would do) with her colleagues, and not be branded as a "fast and loose" woman?
Can a woman in Kerala live her dreams?
The answer to all the above questions is a big and emphatic No in Kerala.
This is evident from the day to day events that occur in Kerala, interactions from women in Kerala as well as a recent survery in Kerala. All these highlighted the one gruesome and shocking fact that in Kerala, women are abused either mentally or physically to an extent unmatched in any other state in India. *
Some of the glaring stats in the state that has nine out of every 10 women who can read and write and the state produces the largest number of women post-graduates in India:
In Kerala, 62.3% women are subjected to physical torture and 61.61 % to mental harassment at home, as compared to the national average of 37% and 33.5%.
51.7 per cent of rural women are victims of domestic torture in India as compared to the fully literate Kerala, where the figure is 68.8 per cent.
Statistics with the State Crime Record Bureau reveal that the occurrence of rape, molestation, dowry harassment and eve-teasing is growing by the year.
The psychological effects can range from shock, anxiety, fear, humiliation to `post-traumatic stress disorders.’
The female work participation rate has decreased from 15.9 per cent in 1991 to 15.3 per cent in 2001.
Every 42 minutes an incident of sexual harassment occurs. (Indian average)
56 per cent of Indian women believed that wife beating was justified in certain circumstances like neglecting the house or the children, or going out of the house without permission.
80 per cent of husbands believing that the use of force is their birthright.
Two out of every five women in abusive relationships suffer silently because of shame and family honour.
Nearly one-third of the women experiencing abuse have thought of running away but the fear of leaving their children behind and having no place to go restrained them.
Social and economic constraints further compound their sense of isolation.
I leave you with another article titled "Violence against women: A statistical overview, challenges and gaps in data collection and approaches for overcoming them" discussed at the Expert Group Meeting of the UN Division for the Advancement of Women in collaboration with Economic Commission for Europe and World Health Organization in April 2005. It is very informative and perhaps will create more awareness among the people who read this.
Violence against women: a statistical overview, and challenges and gaps in data collection and methodology and approaches for overcoming them
Expert paper presented by:
Asmita Basu
On behalf of:
Indira Jaising
Lawyers Collective (Women.s Rights Initiative)
Expert Group Meeting
Organized by: UN Division for the Advancement of Women
in collaboration with:
Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and World Health Organization (WHO)
11 . 14 April, 2005
Geneva, Switzerland
Importance of Statistics in a court of law
Statistics should be collected to prove that violence against women exists and we as users should try to use these statistics to lay foundation for our argument as to the extent to which violence against women exist.
The courts should be presented with
- Pattern of violence existent
- Prevalence of Violence
- Cultural pattern of Violence against Women.
Studies carried out should be done in such a way so that it can be statistically and methodologically acceptable to courts.
Proper studies have not been carried out as far as Mental Violence against women is concerned. This includes psychological and emotional Violence. India is one of the few countries that has a law on Mental Violence faced by women. .
Under Criminal Law the most commonly used provision is section 498 A of the Indian penal Code which reads as follows :
Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty
Whoever, being the husband or the relative of the husband of a woman, subjects such woman to cruelty shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine.
Explanation . For the purpose of this section, .cruelty. means .
(a) any wilful conduct which is of such a nature as is likely to drive the woman to commit suicide or to cause grave injury or danger to life, limb or health (whether mental or physical) of the woman; or
(b) harassment of the woman where such harassment is with a view to coercing her or any person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for any property or valuable security or is on account of failure by her or any person related to her to meet such demand 1 (1985) 3 SCC 545.
The uniqueness of this provision lies in the fact that it recognizes injury that is not only physical but also mental in nature .It uses the criteria of impact and health as an indicator of the existence of violence. This aspect makes this provision one of its kind in the world today. In Civil law, .cruelty. forms a ground of divorce. Unlike criminal Law revision mentioned above, wherein only a woman in a matrimonial relationship can file a complaint, this ground is available to any person seeing the divorce be it male or female. In many cases and in may reported judicial pronouncements, divorces have been granted on the grounds of mental cruelty.
The difference between criminal law and civil law lies in the nature of proof that one has to dispel to succeed in a claim, while proof has to be beyond reasonable doubt in criminal law, a test of balance of probabilities is applied in civil law.
In our practice we have found that while physical injuries are easy to prove in court, simply because they are visible, the same is not true in cases of mental injury. While it is clear in many cases that a woman has sustained emotional and psychological injury, there are no objective criteria or standard test that can be applied to determine the extent of the injuries sustained or even arrive at a finding of the casual relationship between mental health impact and the violent behaviour of the aggressor.
Aspects of mental cruelty and mental injury are therefore, determined by the individual judge before whom the case is filed. Courts in India have defined cruelty as necessarily involving a subjective element. This implies that the judge takes into account the facts of the situation and the surrounding circumstances to arrive at a finding of mental cruelty- i.e. - whether a woman is justified in alleging cruelty in the particular circumstances. This would require an assessment of the following:
1. Surrounding circumstances- educational, economic and cultural backgrounds of the woman.
2. The physical or mental condition and susceptibilities of the innocent person
3. The intention of the offending person .
4. The knowledge of the actual probable effect of his conduct on the others health.
A perusal of the judgments in this regard shows that instead of basing judgments on the perception of the woman while deciding the case the judge applies his own perceptions. This leads to the introduction of bias, often a male chauvinistic nature of the decision. The need, therefore, is to do empirical studies based on medico legal scale that will establish a link between the mental, psychological and emotional impact on a woman.s health due to abusive and violent behaviour. These studies can be used to convince the court that for example a woman.s depression is evidence of the fact that she was exposed to violence and abusive behaviour.
The enquiry must therefore be to uncover details on the following aspects:
1. The forms of violence within the home and its prevalence. This will include physical, verbal, economic, sexual, emotional abuse and the threats to commit the same.
2. The circumstances that lead to incidence of violence- support structures in existence, the options that are available to women seeking redress.
3. Evidence of the cycle of violence that is repeated efforts to go back to a violent Relationship in the hope that the abuser will change.
4. Re enters the cycle of violence.
5. Support structures e.g.: the natal family of the woman and others who support her.
Data on these points will serve a twofold purpose- that of preventing violence and of providing adequate support to women facing violence. In the legal context such data is crucial for determining the rate of compensation to be given in a case.
Medico Legal Scale methodological suggestions
The following scales may be administered to ascertain the existence of Mental Health impact of violence.
a. Hamilton rating scale for depression . this is a 24 item scale which gives information about the severity of depression
b. Beck.s hopelessness scale . This is a 20 item scale which gives information on the extent to which the respondent experiences hopelessness
c. Scale for suicide ideation . This is a 19 item scale which qualifies and assesses suicidal intention.
Thus in order to study the link between the mental consequence and violence the following interviews should be conducted.
a. The attribution interviews . This a semi structured interview where the research assistant will interview the victim on the factors that she attributes as the cause of her mental condition.
b. The domestic Violence questionnaire recording prevalence of violence will then be administered to the victim.
c. A second attribution interview will be attempted after the domestic violence questionnaire is administered to elicit information of relevance to the project where spontaneous reporting at level 1 is not forthcoming.
Data Analysis
The acquired data shall then be analyzed in the following groups
1. Where there is spontaneous reporting of Domestic Violence
2. Where Domestic Violence is affirmed after probing
3. Where there is no Domestic Violence.
A lot of instances reveal that there exists a bias amongst judges in concluding whether a woman is believed as far as the existence of violence is concerned. The only way to eliminate such biases is through demolition of myths that women lie about violence and that they tend to misuse the law
On the of 2003, Justice J.D.Kapoor of the High Court of Delhi delivered a judgement in Savitri versus Ramesh Chandra and Others. It reflects a trend in legal thought that gender specific laws are being misused by women, that therefore offences such as section 498A of the Indian Penal Code should be made bailable and non cognizable of better still, be removed from the statute book.
Women of superior intelligence are generally torn between their femininity and their intellectuality. They are obsessed with the development of their career to such an extent that they are forever absorbed with the self. It is mostly women who hold managerial or professional jobs who suffer from this syndrome, as they tend to lack the willingness to compromise. For them, even rearing children or raising a family is not a social obligation.
A situation in which a woman considers herself intellectually superior is sometimes fraught with danger as there is always a likelihood of such a woman being fascinated by a person who is more capable than her husband. This can rend the marriage from cornice to foundation..
Sexual violence in marriage
Rape is an offence, which hinges on the absence of consent of the woman. It is important to realize that the absence of consent does not have to be only in the form of the word .no.. It should be assumed from the context of the situation. Within a marriage, if a woman gives consent to sexual intercourse because of threat of injury to children or herself, depriving the woman of the right to stay in the house or receive maintenance, it is not valid consent. It is still rape.
The offence of marital rape has not been sufficiently accounted for in the law. The law does not punish rape within marriage if the woman is above fifteen years of age. Forced sexual intercourse is an offence only when the woman is living separately from her husband under judicial separation/custom. It must also be remembered that situations of marital rape occur within the confines of the home, and therefore there are often no witnesses to the crime.
Till now the concept of Marital rape has not been recognised. We have been lobbying for a law in order to make it an offence but for this we firstly need to collect statistics of rape within marriage.
Measure of Cultural Specific forms of Violence
Use of abusive language is cultural specific. We need to map such specific instances which causes psychological and emotional damage and leads to depression, anxiety and suicide. However for this we need to determine scales that are to be used. Some countries have evolved specific scales to determine such forms of abuse. Find notification of the government attached as annexure 1. In our opinion the scale may not be appropriate for measure of mental health consequences and impact.
* General Disclaimer
1. There are always exceptions and some of the best fathers, husbands, friends and men I know are Keralites. I am speaking from a general perspective to weed out the mentality that exists at least in a good number of people - who may or may not read this in the first place!
2. My ravings might sound like that of a preacher who just knows to criticise. That is not the intention. And I fully accept my short-comings, wrong-doings, pitfalls and the fact that I am just another Keralite.
3. I also put on record that there must be atleast one woman who thinks I am a complete idiot based on my behaviour!
4. These are mere thoughts that have risen out of interactions, experiences and research; and put here with the hope that someone will benefit out of all this.
Read more!
It was a response to the innumerable email's and letters he received as comments to his earlier article "Kalyanikutty's Kerala", which celebrated the Kerala Woman.
Few articles of mine have provoked such a storm of a reaction from Keralites as my piece on Kerala's women ("Kalyanikutty's Kerala", Magazine, November 6, 2005). Strikingly, the letters I received came not from the usual sources — outraged chauvinists rising to defend their homeland from insults real and imagined — but rather from the opposite: disillusioned Malayalis attacking their own state's prevailing culture in relation to women.
Two of these stand out. The poet Thachom Poyil Rajeevan puts it bluntly: "It's true that Kerala women can read and write (and) are doing better than Bihari women or the women in the neighbouring states in the professional and social spheres. There may be pilots, doctors, ambassadors, and Supreme Court judges among them. But they cannot come out of their houses after six in the evening. If anyone dares to do so, she is not safe outside in the dark. Any man she comes upon on the way is a potential intruder into her modesty. I don't know whether women in Bihar face a similar threat in public places. But I have seen girls in Madurai Kamaraj University in Tamil Nadu walk fearlessly and safely to hostels late at night after completing their work in libraries and laboratories. Yet I cannot expect (to see) a girl after six or seven on the campus of the university where I work. I have seen many Malayali women walk with confidence in Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi. But when they come to Calicut or Trichur, they become timid. Kalyanikuttys," he concludes, "despite all their claims to literacy and empowerment, are not safe in their home state."
That is a sad enough indictment coming from a man, but even more searing are the words of a Malayali woman reader, Prema Nair. "Oh dear, oh dear!!" she begins. "Are you one of those who have seen everything through the tinted lens of the acclaimed `Kerala model'? Nobody is disputing the favourable development and lifestyle indicators this state has, but please do not confuse well-being with an empowered and independent sense of being. Do we not often also confuse literacy with education?"
>>>>>>>>>
I respect women in many aspects. I respect the endearing spirit and undying energy of a girl. I respect the Mother in every woman, her undying love and forgiveness, fountain of kindness and understanding. But beyond all these basic and inherent qualities of women, I believe every woman should have that dream, that spirit to achieve. I get overwhelmed when I hear stories of successful women, rising to and above opportunities, struggling against rules and retrogressive laws laid down by men and society - there are many such great women from Kerala. And I feel utterly disappointed and sorry to hear about the woman who is willing to be forced to the "comforts" of a "happily married, child bearing and growing old" prescribed life - there are many such women too.
I pray every woman works and has a good career focus, that will help her achieve financial independence - which I believe is the core to a free spirit and freedom of choice in the present world, and will allow her to stand up more strongly against injustice.
(Statistics show 49 per cent of the women who owned neither land nor house had suffered long-term physical violence, compared with 18 per cent and 10 per cent respectively of those who owned either land or a house, and 7 per cent of those who owned both. The effect of property ownership on psychological violence is even more dramatic: while 84 per cent of the propertyless women had suffered such abuse, the figure was 16 per cent for women owning both land and a house. In other words, women’s ownership of immovable property clearly serves as a protection against all forms of spousal violence.
Equally, it provides an escape: of the 179 women experiencing long-term physical violence, 43 left home. The percentage leaving home was much greater among the propertied (71 per cent), than among the propertyless (19 per cent). Moreover, of those who left home, although 24 returned, 88 per cent of the returning women were propertyless. Few of the propertied women returned. In other words, not only are propertied women less likely to face marital violence, they are also more able to escape.)
I hope every woman in this world becomes independent so that they can stand up to injustice and wrong, and walk away from it. I hope every woman has the support to end a relationship that abuses her, without being worried about the social repurcussions and isolation, and without the fear of being branded as a "loose woman" or stories that sing "it's her fault".. *
I hope every woman dares to dream, dream beyond any perimeters set by our so called "conservative" men and push the envelopes of our hypocritic "society". *
I always tell people that "conservative" and "society" are two useless words, used very liberally as a weapon to enforce biased and confounded rules by people who really have no clue or have totally twisted views about ethics, culture or values. Kerala is the epitome of such didactic and hollow thinking. All these senseless "rules" have only created a generation and society thats monsterous and purely frustrated. Men who have no clue of morality but are merely crude beasts. Morality unguided by love, but misguided by lust; love accepted only as prescribed, otherwise branded as immorality. We have in Kerala, men immoral to the core swearing on virginity when it comes to their marriage, and some master deceivers, but nonetheless wanting to hold the torch of morality high publicly. It is only the outward "image" and "name" people are worried about, nothing else, because they lack substance within. And they want such women for life - women who will just bear their children, stay at home, not ask questions, not be independent, who wont think for themselves - while the men go about their merry ways. Keralite men, atleast a majority of them in my regretful opinion, are among the worst behaved among Indians. *
I appreciate Mrs.Nair in the above article and I hope a lot of men and women have been reading those articles in Kerala and asking themselves such questions:
Is a woman safe in Kerala?
Can a woman in Kerala wear clothes she is comfortable in?
Can a woman walk in Kerala without being burnt away by ogling men's stares or put to "shame" by nasty comments?
Can a woman travel in a public bus without being "touched", "pushed" and "brushed" around?
Can a woman feel safe at her work-place? Will all husbands appreciate their wives doing well in their careers without ego and ire?
Can a woman go alone to the movies, day or night, without being troubled?
Can a woman go to a club and exercise or have a drink(probably even a coffee would do) with her colleagues, and not be branded as a "fast and loose" woman?
Can a woman in Kerala live her dreams?
The answer to all the above questions is a big and emphatic No in Kerala.
This is evident from the day to day events that occur in Kerala, interactions from women in Kerala as well as a recent survery in Kerala. All these highlighted the one gruesome and shocking fact that in Kerala, women are abused either mentally or physically to an extent unmatched in any other state in India. *
Some of the glaring stats in the state that has nine out of every 10 women who can read and write and the state produces the largest number of women post-graduates in India:
In Kerala, 62.3% women are subjected to physical torture and 61.61 % to mental harassment at home, as compared to the national average of 37% and 33.5%.
51.7 per cent of rural women are victims of domestic torture in India as compared to the fully literate Kerala, where the figure is 68.8 per cent.
Statistics with the State Crime Record Bureau reveal that the occurrence of rape, molestation, dowry harassment and eve-teasing is growing by the year.
The psychological effects can range from shock, anxiety, fear, humiliation to `post-traumatic stress disorders.’
The female work participation rate has decreased from 15.9 per cent in 1991 to 15.3 per cent in 2001.
Every 42 minutes an incident of sexual harassment occurs. (Indian average)
56 per cent of Indian women believed that wife beating was justified in certain circumstances like neglecting the house or the children, or going out of the house without permission.
80 per cent of husbands believing that the use of force is their birthright.
Two out of every five women in abusive relationships suffer silently because of shame and family honour.
Nearly one-third of the women experiencing abuse have thought of running away but the fear of leaving their children behind and having no place to go restrained them.
Social and economic constraints further compound their sense of isolation.
I leave you with another article titled "Violence against women: A statistical overview, challenges and gaps in data collection and approaches for overcoming them" discussed at the Expert Group Meeting of the UN Division for the Advancement of Women in collaboration with Economic Commission for Europe and World Health Organization in April 2005. It is very informative and perhaps will create more awareness among the people who read this.
Violence against women: a statistical overview, and challenges and gaps in data collection and methodology and approaches for overcoming them
Expert paper presented by:
Asmita Basu
On behalf of:
Indira Jaising
Lawyers Collective (Women.s Rights Initiative)
Expert Group Meeting
Organized by: UN Division for the Advancement of Women
in collaboration with:
Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and World Health Organization (WHO)
11 . 14 April, 2005
Geneva, Switzerland
Importance of Statistics in a court of law
Statistics should be collected to prove that violence against women exists and we as users should try to use these statistics to lay foundation for our argument as to the extent to which violence against women exist.
The courts should be presented with
- Pattern of violence existent
- Prevalence of Violence
- Cultural pattern of Violence against Women.
Studies carried out should be done in such a way so that it can be statistically and methodologically acceptable to courts.
Proper studies have not been carried out as far as Mental Violence against women is concerned. This includes psychological and emotional Violence. India is one of the few countries that has a law on Mental Violence faced by women. .
Under Criminal Law the most commonly used provision is section 498 A of the Indian penal Code which reads as follows :
Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty
Whoever, being the husband or the relative of the husband of a woman, subjects such woman to cruelty shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine.
Explanation . For the purpose of this section, .cruelty. means .
(a) any wilful conduct which is of such a nature as is likely to drive the woman to commit suicide or to cause grave injury or danger to life, limb or health (whether mental or physical) of the woman; or
(b) harassment of the woman where such harassment is with a view to coercing her or any person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for any property or valuable security or is on account of failure by her or any person related to her to meet such demand 1 (1985) 3 SCC 545.
The uniqueness of this provision lies in the fact that it recognizes injury that is not only physical but also mental in nature .It uses the criteria of impact and health as an indicator of the existence of violence. This aspect makes this provision one of its kind in the world today. In Civil law, .cruelty. forms a ground of divorce. Unlike criminal Law revision mentioned above, wherein only a woman in a matrimonial relationship can file a complaint, this ground is available to any person seeing the divorce be it male or female. In many cases and in may reported judicial pronouncements, divorces have been granted on the grounds of mental cruelty.
The difference between criminal law and civil law lies in the nature of proof that one has to dispel to succeed in a claim, while proof has to be beyond reasonable doubt in criminal law, a test of balance of probabilities is applied in civil law.
In our practice we have found that while physical injuries are easy to prove in court, simply because they are visible, the same is not true in cases of mental injury. While it is clear in many cases that a woman has sustained emotional and psychological injury, there are no objective criteria or standard test that can be applied to determine the extent of the injuries sustained or even arrive at a finding of the casual relationship between mental health impact and the violent behaviour of the aggressor.
Aspects of mental cruelty and mental injury are therefore, determined by the individual judge before whom the case is filed. Courts in India have defined cruelty as necessarily involving a subjective element. This implies that the judge takes into account the facts of the situation and the surrounding circumstances to arrive at a finding of mental cruelty- i.e. - whether a woman is justified in alleging cruelty in the particular circumstances. This would require an assessment of the following:
1. Surrounding circumstances- educational, economic and cultural backgrounds of the woman.
2. The physical or mental condition and susceptibilities of the innocent person
3. The intention of the offending person .
4. The knowledge of the actual probable effect of his conduct on the others health.
A perusal of the judgments in this regard shows that instead of basing judgments on the perception of the woman while deciding the case the judge applies his own perceptions. This leads to the introduction of bias, often a male chauvinistic nature of the decision. The need, therefore, is to do empirical studies based on medico legal scale that will establish a link between the mental, psychological and emotional impact on a woman.s health due to abusive and violent behaviour. These studies can be used to convince the court that for example a woman.s depression is evidence of the fact that she was exposed to violence and abusive behaviour.
The enquiry must therefore be to uncover details on the following aspects:
1. The forms of violence within the home and its prevalence. This will include physical, verbal, economic, sexual, emotional abuse and the threats to commit the same.
2. The circumstances that lead to incidence of violence- support structures in existence, the options that are available to women seeking redress.
3. Evidence of the cycle of violence that is repeated efforts to go back to a violent Relationship in the hope that the abuser will change.
4. Re enters the cycle of violence.
5. Support structures e.g.: the natal family of the woman and others who support her.
Data on these points will serve a twofold purpose- that of preventing violence and of providing adequate support to women facing violence. In the legal context such data is crucial for determining the rate of compensation to be given in a case.
Medico Legal Scale methodological suggestions
The following scales may be administered to ascertain the existence of Mental Health impact of violence.
a. Hamilton rating scale for depression . this is a 24 item scale which gives information about the severity of depression
b. Beck.s hopelessness scale . This is a 20 item scale which gives information on the extent to which the respondent experiences hopelessness
c. Scale for suicide ideation . This is a 19 item scale which qualifies and assesses suicidal intention.
Thus in order to study the link between the mental consequence and violence the following interviews should be conducted.
a. The attribution interviews . This a semi structured interview where the research assistant will interview the victim on the factors that she attributes as the cause of her mental condition.
b. The domestic Violence questionnaire recording prevalence of violence will then be administered to the victim.
c. A second attribution interview will be attempted after the domestic violence questionnaire is administered to elicit information of relevance to the project where spontaneous reporting at level 1 is not forthcoming.
Data Analysis
The acquired data shall then be analyzed in the following groups
1. Where there is spontaneous reporting of Domestic Violence
2. Where Domestic Violence is affirmed after probing
3. Where there is no Domestic Violence.
A lot of instances reveal that there exists a bias amongst judges in concluding whether a woman is believed as far as the existence of violence is concerned. The only way to eliminate such biases is through demolition of myths that women lie about violence and that they tend to misuse the law
On the of 2003, Justice J.D.Kapoor of the High Court of Delhi delivered a judgement in Savitri versus Ramesh Chandra and Others. It reflects a trend in legal thought that gender specific laws are being misused by women, that therefore offences such as section 498A of the Indian Penal Code should be made bailable and non cognizable of better still, be removed from the statute book.
Women of superior intelligence are generally torn between their femininity and their intellectuality. They are obsessed with the development of their career to such an extent that they are forever absorbed with the self. It is mostly women who hold managerial or professional jobs who suffer from this syndrome, as they tend to lack the willingness to compromise. For them, even rearing children or raising a family is not a social obligation.
A situation in which a woman considers herself intellectually superior is sometimes fraught with danger as there is always a likelihood of such a woman being fascinated by a person who is more capable than her husband. This can rend the marriage from cornice to foundation..
Sexual violence in marriage
Rape is an offence, which hinges on the absence of consent of the woman. It is important to realize that the absence of consent does not have to be only in the form of the word .no.. It should be assumed from the context of the situation. Within a marriage, if a woman gives consent to sexual intercourse because of threat of injury to children or herself, depriving the woman of the right to stay in the house or receive maintenance, it is not valid consent. It is still rape.
The offence of marital rape has not been sufficiently accounted for in the law. The law does not punish rape within marriage if the woman is above fifteen years of age. Forced sexual intercourse is an offence only when the woman is living separately from her husband under judicial separation/custom. It must also be remembered that situations of marital rape occur within the confines of the home, and therefore there are often no witnesses to the crime.
Till now the concept of Marital rape has not been recognised. We have been lobbying for a law in order to make it an offence but for this we firstly need to collect statistics of rape within marriage.
Measure of Cultural Specific forms of Violence
Use of abusive language is cultural specific. We need to map such specific instances which causes psychological and emotional damage and leads to depression, anxiety and suicide. However for this we need to determine scales that are to be used. Some countries have evolved specific scales to determine such forms of abuse. Find notification of the government attached as annexure 1. In our opinion the scale may not be appropriate for measure of mental health consequences and impact.
* General Disclaimer
1. There are always exceptions and some of the best fathers, husbands, friends and men I know are Keralites. I am speaking from a general perspective to weed out the mentality that exists at least in a good number of people - who may or may not read this in the first place!
2. My ravings might sound like that of a preacher who just knows to criticise. That is not the intention. And I fully accept my short-comings, wrong-doings, pitfalls and the fact that I am just another Keralite.
3. I also put on record that there must be atleast one woman who thinks I am a complete idiot based on my behaviour!
4. These are mere thoughts that have risen out of interactions, experiences and research; and put here with the hope that someone will benefit out of all this.
Read more!
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Vote Now!
We have just launched a Blog-O-Poll to decide the Blogger's choice award for the best Kerala Chief Ministership!!.
Kerala is going to polls to elect its next Chief Minister and Assembly in May 2006.
Vote and make yourself be heard!!
Everyone's invited!
We have made a few rules:
1. Only one vote per person (just like the official polls, we do not have a good mechanism to monitor this..blame these days of delible ink and fake ID cards!)
2. Votes shall be strictly confidential and you are not required to post a comment about who you are or who you voted for, but leaving a comment is not such a bad idea after all.
3. Any misuse of the system, will invite your IP being banned from this poll/ blog as the case may warrant.
4. If there are any incidents of violence, blog-capturing, prevention of voters from casting the vote, stealing ballot papers, beating up officials or such, kindly report to the blog officials.
5. As a tribute to the people of Kerala who have had to suffer under various political buffoons thus far, we shall publish the official results on April 1st, 2006.
Until then the poll is open for voting.
(If you are looking for the polling booth, its on the right side of this page)
Read more!
Friday, January 27, 2006
Big Men, Small Minds
Given below are few excerpts from various Kerala forums, including that of one linked to the CM.
Appeals to the CM, direct!
Sir,I feel very proud for your bold steps and strong decission. I think you are the only one Chief Minister who runs around clock for the welfare of the people. - imagine the CM running around a clock!
Sir,I would like to get e-mail address of pathanamthitta SP Mr.Rajagopal. I live in USA tried to send him a fax but fax is out of order.Please reply me ASAP. - the CM does not operate a helpline for this service as per info available!
At first I congratulate you to give me a chance to communicate you through this media. before starting the trivandrum development programmevisit thampanoor bus station's toilet and PLS... make necessary arrangement TO KEEP THE THAMPANOOR BUS STATION'S TOILET BE CLEAN AND TIDY. - I am sure being the CM he is, he must have done this too!! Anyone of you wanting to be the CM?
If you need any suggestions or help, please let me know. My wife Alice, daughter and I live in Bangalore. - That was some help!!
Things not happening?
Smart City
State owned Airlines
ExpresswayBMW
SWAN
Things happening
lathi charge
no-confidence motion
hartals
S.K - Dot on SK!
A simple request to you. Please don’t do any developments or any changes. The politicians of Kerala won’t allow you to complete it. Even the majority of the people don’t want any smart city or fashion city. They want a “stone age” life. Why you have to sacrifice for all these? The Kerala people like only politics not the development. We have seen in the recent by elections too. The same scenario will repeat in the coming elections also. Even if you start the big projects, only some DYFI people will get job there. You or the UDF is not going to win for the next 10 years. UDF is not going to get more than 25 seats in the next election. So, the best thing is just sit peacefully and complete the 5 years. - hilarious!
I would prefer Trissur as the capital city as it is less congested and more salubrious compared to Kochi. All the facilities of Kochi, like Airport can be claimed from Trissur too. - salubrious!?? ofcourse!
der Sir,This is to infor you that the lose of the prestegious B.M.W Project to kerala is one of the worst tragdy malayalis ever faced. Now the offer from their side thatis Car Dealership instead of Car Industry means insulting the employees ofthis state to be frank if thir industry outside the state want to survive they need our money.So I hhumbly like to request you not to allow this particular Car dealership to be functioned in the state.Also appeal to the auto crazers in the state not to encourage the purchase of this vehicle since it has bombarded the mind of 1000of unemployed youths in the state. - My way or the highway? For all you know this guy must be driving a merc!
sir, we noticed that you are going to attent the function on 5th Aug 05 at calicut some kind of award giving cermony we strongly oppose that function . pls check with k.c vargese before u attend. - k.c.varghese who? you oppose, k.c propose, cm dispose?
WE ALL ARE VERY HAPPY NOW.PINARAYI NUMBER ONE CRIMINAL FINALLY CAUGHT WITH THE EVIDENCE. DON'T ALLOW HIM TO ESCAPE FROM THIS.THIS IS OUR REQUEST.ABU DHABI MALAYALEES - criminal no.1. couldnt agree with you more!
KINDLY REQUESTING YOU TO TRY YOUR BEST TO RELEASE MADANI BEFORE YOU LEAVING.YOUR PROPOSED KERALA AIR MUST BE COME.
Now you see people are coplaining about drivers. I live in USA for more than 20 years The drivers in kerala are very good.the reaon for the accidents are sub standard roads- right!! thank god the roads are not so good, else nobody woulda been alive in kerala. we need to learn to follow road rules first, else a 6 lane one way also will remain a laneless river of vehicles.
IAM THE FIRST PERSON WRITE IN THIS WEB REQUIREMENT OF A AIR PORT AT CENTRAL KERALA - Congrats on the achievement, but See next comment
Iam from THIRUVALLA.we get no support from govt. left or right, but we are committed to make thiruvalla a unique destination.we need some support from the govt. to provide an international airport for THIRUVALLA which can be completed with private support. - The above two people seem to be slightly better educated descendents of a certain political leader who lived in Kottayam in the 1970's
we service pgs and failed pgs of pediatric dept of calicut medical college wish our chiefminster a happy new year
I promise you that you will not be able to regain a straight face if those roads get busted in the rains! - a threat!! my God!!
we need to map the whole of kerala and make it gps enabled.every street and road and house should be known and fed online so that anyone can take a print out of the road to follow if he knows the start and finish address. - right..that is the only thing we all want..
Please try to create some proper vacancies in the health deparetment for MScMLT and BScMLT for quality works.
hay sir - make hay, mr.CM?
in calicut exam torture in pediatric pg exams is very high ,,reregiartation is not allowed by pediatric professor,,suicidfes among medicos in alleppey and calicut is also high,,kindly enquire into these. - thats alarming!! and we talk about euthanasia!!
balu cherian and moneylal and asha committed suicide due to examtorture in trivanmdrum medical college,,MLAS SON COMMITTED SUICIDE DUE TO EXAMTORTURE PURPOSEFULLY IN ALLEPPEY,,SIMILARLY MEDICO FROM EDAVANNA COMMITTED SUICIDE DUE TO EXAM TORTURE IN PEDIATRICS IN CALICUT MEDICAL COLLEGE,,WE REQUEST OUR FAVOURITE CHEIF MINSTER TO ENQUIRE INTO THIS,,PGS ARE NOT ALLOWED REREGISTRATION IN PEDIATRICS IN CALICUT MEDICAL COLLEGE PURPOSDEFGUILLY BYPEDIATRIC PROFESSOR,,KINDLY ENQUIRE INTO ALL THESE ALSO
sirwhat u can do for kerala, nothing - period! lets all go home!
ELECTION COMMISSION CAN ARRANGE ALL CTYSON RESDING ABROD A VOTING FACILITY
DON'T INVITE THE BLOODY KARUNAKARAN & HIS CRIMINAL SON TO CONGRESS & U.D.F AGAIN. NOW CONGRESS IN GOOD CONDITION.
AIR PORT AT KOTTAYAM - yes! definitely! why dont we have a single lonnnggg runway and airport from kasarogod in the north to trivandrum in the south?
Pls. get resigned as soon as possible. Stop destoying the ecology of kerala. Development not means Roads or Ports. It shud b Sustainable. No Smart city we wants.. We want Smart Forests.... - now thats a smart ass!
The "Trivandrum vs Cochin" free for all! (Ultimate entertainment!)
1. It is silly people asking for International container terminal and International airports in evey district.WE the country needs 2 container terminalsin kerala we already have more airports than we need.what we need now is a highway of international standards connecting all airport to all populated area .The proposed EXpress highway was an excellant ideawhat we need is more IT parks possible to build along this high way. Proposed container terminal in trivandrum cost more mone to build than the one in Cochin
2. Hi Champak or MK or Nik,
Hope you are doing well…..!!! BUT BEFORE MAKING STATEMENTS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW “THUMB RULE”- THAT’S NO IF’S AND BUT’S ONLY FACTS……….!!!
QUOTE:-Some weeping willows cum wannabe-metro-dwellers of Trivandrum says here: Probably one such SudeeshNair does not know that: Kochi is the only metro city of Kerala? According to his majesty's arguments this was obtained by fudged data. But how come more that 60% of commercial tax revenue of gok is generated from kochi? why is that the celebrated capital of kerala generating less than 10% of tax revenue?
on road development: kochi has a cool 2 lakh vehicles more on its road than trivandrum. but zero pie has been allocated for road development here. this despite that fact that many govt. vehicles (police for eg.) registered in trivandrum actually run elsewhere in kerala. one measure of count: kochi will open another series of registration starting with "kl07 ba" within 3 months most of then being private vehicles. it is expected that before trivandm reach this mark kochi would be on kl07 ca. daily more than 180 vehicles get registered in kochi city alone(order of magnitude on par with chennai, bangalore)tailpiece : even trissur has more private vehicles than trivandrum highlighted by the fact that trichur's kl08 is set to overtake trvandm's kl01 in the registration series
UNQOUTE: - HOPE YOU GOT THIS 2 LAKH FIGURE FROM ‘MALAYALA MANAROMA” – AND THAN GOD YOU RESTRICTED KOCHI AS METRO CITY OF KERALA… ONCE MANORAM HAS QUAOTED THAT KOCHI AS 2ND MUMBAI … HA HA HA… MAY BE ERNAKULAMITES HAS NOT SEEN ANY METRO’S ….. Tailpiece: -NOW I UNERSTOOD THE MEANING OF THE PROVERB KOCHI KANDAVANU ACHI VENDA ENNA…(in english: the guy whos seen cochin, does not need err...a wife?? )!!!! POTTA KINATIL KIDAKKUNNA MAKRI POLE…(like a frog in a stupid well??)!!!
THAT’S WHY ERNAKULAMITES TRY TO COMPARE WITH CHENNAI AND B’LORE WIHCIH IS HAVING MORE THAN 5 RTO’S …..CHENNAIRTO, Chennai(Central) @Chetpet - TN-01RTO, Chennai(Northwest) @Tirumangalam - TN-02RTO, Chennai (East) @Basin Bridge - TN-04RTO, Chennai (South) @Thiruvanmiyur - TN-07RTO, Chennai (West) @K.K.Nagar - TN-09RTO, Chennai (Southwest) @Valasarawakkam - TN-10B’LORERTO Bangalore CentralRTO Bangalore EastRTO Bangalore NorthRTO Bangalore SouthRTO Bangalore West
AFTER ANALYZING THE ABOVE FATCS IT’S EXCITING TO READ YOUR STATEMENT THAT “VEHICLES GET REGISTERED IN KOCHI IS IN PAR WITH CHENNAI AND B’LORE….!!! IF YOU STILL STICK ON TO THIS …PLEASE VISIT B’LORE AND CHENNAI AT THE EARLIEST ….!!!WE ACCEPT THE FACT THAT KOCHI IS ABOVE TRIVANDRUM IN VEHICLE POPULATION. BUT THE SO CALLED “METRO” WITH PORT, INDUSTRIES, NAVAL BASE, FACT, PRIVATE BUSES (TRIVANDRUM WE HAVE 9 BUS DEPOTS OPERATING BY GOK), CONTAINER CARRIERS ETC ARE ONLY MANAGE TO TAKE A MARGIN OF 1 LAKH VEHICLES….!!! MORE THAN THAT PEOPLE FROM IDUKKI, KOTTAYAM AND THRISSUR REGISTER VEHICLES FROM ERNAKULAM. EVEN TRIVANDRUMITES REGISTER “BENZ” – ONLY BENZ FROM ERNAKULAM….!!!LEAVE THRISSUR……… WE ARE NOT EVEN BOTHERED ABOUT ERNAKULAM…!!!I WILL PUT THE SAME STATISTICS WITHIN 2 YRS … LET THE VIZHINJAM MEGA TRANSSHIPMENT HUB, INFY, TCS, IBS AND US SOFTWARE CAMPUSE TAKE OFF…!!!FYI: - TOYOTA HAD THE MAXIMUM SALE FROM TRIVANDRUM THAT IS WHY THEY CHOSE TRIVANDRUM AS THE LOCATION FOR INNOVA LAUNCH IN KERALA.
Quote:-It development: trivandrum's jurassic era techpark functioning for 14 celebrated years has 75 cos and 7500 profs. kochi's one 'n half year old infopark has 28 cos & 1800 profs filling up all the constructed area and set to hit 3500 in less than 3 months. the entire major cos in trivandrum barring infosys planning much bigger facility in infopark or kochi. even the dic has zeroed in on kochi bypassing chennai and hyd (great capital nowhere in picture)
UNQUOTE: - THE LATEST OUTLOOK MAGAZINE WILL CLEAR YOUR BELIEF ….!!! IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL TO ATTRACT 28 CO’S AND 1800 PROFESSIONALS IN 2 YRS THAT TOO IN 2.25 LAKH SQ FT. TECHNOPARK IS SOMETHING HUGE …. WITH 1.5 MILLION BUILT UP SPACE ….!!!I HOPE YOU ARE NOT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN OF INFY AND TCS..!!! IF YOU NEED WE WIL RPOVIDE YOU THE PRESS RELEASE ISSUES BY CONCERNED AUTHORITES FROM INFY, TCS AND IBS…. NO IF’S AND BUT’S ONLY FACTS……….!!!
QUOTE:-biotech: bids were invited for biotech parks at kochi and trvndm simultaneously by kinfra. world famous chatterjea group thumbed for kochi - no bid for trivandrum. no the govt employee city has started routine wailing: govt ignored tvm biotech park. with no takers, now govt is asked to spend taxpayers money on this, which too revenue generated elsewhere in Kerala to pamper this sulking baby called trvndm.
UNQUOTE:-HOPE THE BID DETAILS ARE WITH YOU ….. WE HAVE CONTACTED THE KINFRA DIRECTOR , AND WE CAME TO KNOW IS THE PROPOSED SITE FOR KINFRA BIO-TECH PARK IN TRIVADNRUM WAS SHIFTED FROM KAZHAKOOTAM TO KOVALAM AREA,.SINCE THE EXISTING LAND IN THAT AREA HAS BEEN FREZEED FOR PROPOSED IT -CORRIDOR AND SEZ. MOREOVER OTHE ENTRI STRECTH IS CLUSTERED BY TECHNOPARK – THE INDIA’S FINEST IT PARK (REFER LATEST OUTLOOK) FILM AND VIDEO PARK – INDIA’S FIRST INFOTAINTMENT PARK, KINRA APPAREL PARK, SANIK SCHOOL, KIMS, TRIVANDRUM INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL , VELI 2ND TERMINAL, COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, TRIVANDRUM, SAI GRAMAM – 1500 CR TOWNSHIP …. !!!NEXT MOTH I WILL GIVE YOU UPDATES ON BIO-TECH BID, SECRETERIAT IS VERY NEAR TO MY OFFICE….!!!
QUOTE:-instead of wailing answer the following question: why has no company bid for trvndm port at vizhinjam till date. bid has been postponed n times. no avail. last date for bid now is 31 july. none has any doubts on result: now govt is again asked to fund this extravaganza at taxpayers expense.finally if we go for a fair share - spend according to tax income generation - who should get more govt funding, kochi or trvndm?
UNQUOTE:-THE VALLARPADAM PROJECT WAS PUT ON THE BACKBURNER WHEN IT RECEIVED A SINGLE BID FROM P&O PORTS, AUSTRALIA IN 1998. SOURCES SAID THE MINISTRY WILL MOVE THE CABINET TO SEEK AN APPROVAL FOR THE RE-TENDERING PROCESS WHICH WILL NOW BE ON A LIMITED BASIS AND NOT ON THE OPEN ROUTE.FYI, VALLARPDAM PROJECT BID WAS OPENED FOR FOUR TIMES FROM 1998 AND FINALLY DPI HAS AGREED TO INVEST, THAT TOO IF CURRENT KOCHI PORT HANDLES MORE THAN 400, 00 TUE’S IN 4 YEARS. CURRENTLY CPT IS HANDLING AROUND 1.3 MILLION AND BIG PROFIT OF 36 CRORES OUT OF THOSE 18 CORES WILL BE SPEND ON DREDGING….!!!VIZHINJAM WAS MANAGED TO ATRACT 19 BIDDERS IN 2 YRS THAT TOO WITHOUT ANY EXISTING INFRASTUCTURE. AND PLEASE NOTE THAT MASERK SEALAND, CMA CGM, L & T , SINGAPORE PORTS AND ALL ARE GAINTS IN SHIPPING INDUSTRY…………..!!!
The above interactions are part of a spirited battle between two people on a forum, and this battle has been on for over a year now!!
When we will be having vending machines for condoms in kerala? In front of every police station, we need vending machine - ha ha..but is this a policeman?
Read more!
Appeals to the CM, direct!
Sir,I feel very proud for your bold steps and strong decission. I think you are the only one Chief Minister who runs around clock for the welfare of the people. - imagine the CM running around a clock!
Sir,I would like to get e-mail address of pathanamthitta SP Mr.Rajagopal. I live in USA tried to send him a fax but fax is out of order.Please reply me ASAP. - the CM does not operate a helpline for this service as per info available!
At first I congratulate you to give me a chance to communicate you through this media. before starting the trivandrum development programmevisit thampanoor bus station's toilet and PLS... make necessary arrangement TO KEEP THE THAMPANOOR BUS STATION'S TOILET BE CLEAN AND TIDY. - I am sure being the CM he is, he must have done this too!! Anyone of you wanting to be the CM?
If you need any suggestions or help, please let me know. My wife Alice, daughter and I live in Bangalore. - That was some help!!
Things not happening?
Smart City
State owned Airlines
ExpresswayBMW
SWAN
Things happening
lathi charge
no-confidence motion
hartals
S.K - Dot on SK!
A simple request to you. Please don’t do any developments or any changes. The politicians of Kerala won’t allow you to complete it. Even the majority of the people don’t want any smart city or fashion city. They want a “stone age” life. Why you have to sacrifice for all these? The Kerala people like only politics not the development. We have seen in the recent by elections too. The same scenario will repeat in the coming elections also. Even if you start the big projects, only some DYFI people will get job there. You or the UDF is not going to win for the next 10 years. UDF is not going to get more than 25 seats in the next election. So, the best thing is just sit peacefully and complete the 5 years. - hilarious!
I would prefer Trissur as the capital city as it is less congested and more salubrious compared to Kochi. All the facilities of Kochi, like Airport can be claimed from Trissur too. - salubrious!?? ofcourse!
der Sir,This is to infor you that the lose of the prestegious B.M.W Project to kerala is one of the worst tragdy malayalis ever faced. Now the offer from their side thatis Car Dealership instead of Car Industry means insulting the employees ofthis state to be frank if thir industry outside the state want to survive they need our money.So I hhumbly like to request you not to allow this particular Car dealership to be functioned in the state.Also appeal to the auto crazers in the state not to encourage the purchase of this vehicle since it has bombarded the mind of 1000of unemployed youths in the state. - My way or the highway? For all you know this guy must be driving a merc!
sir, we noticed that you are going to attent the function on 5th Aug 05 at calicut some kind of award giving cermony we strongly oppose that function . pls check with k.c vargese before u attend. - k.c.varghese who? you oppose, k.c propose, cm dispose?
WE ALL ARE VERY HAPPY NOW.PINARAYI NUMBER ONE CRIMINAL FINALLY CAUGHT WITH THE EVIDENCE. DON'T ALLOW HIM TO ESCAPE FROM THIS.THIS IS OUR REQUEST.ABU DHABI MALAYALEES - criminal no.1. couldnt agree with you more!
KINDLY REQUESTING YOU TO TRY YOUR BEST TO RELEASE MADANI BEFORE YOU LEAVING.YOUR PROPOSED KERALA AIR MUST BE COME.
Now you see people are coplaining about drivers. I live in USA for more than 20 years The drivers in kerala are very good.the reaon for the accidents are sub standard roads- right!! thank god the roads are not so good, else nobody woulda been alive in kerala. we need to learn to follow road rules first, else a 6 lane one way also will remain a laneless river of vehicles.
IAM THE FIRST PERSON WRITE IN THIS WEB REQUIREMENT OF A AIR PORT AT CENTRAL KERALA - Congrats on the achievement, but See next comment
Iam from THIRUVALLA.we get no support from govt. left or right, but we are committed to make thiruvalla a unique destination.we need some support from the govt. to provide an international airport for THIRUVALLA which can be completed with private support. - The above two people seem to be slightly better educated descendents of a certain political leader who lived in Kottayam in the 1970's
sir, please give holiday in 11th jan - testimony to the fact that internet has penetrated schools in kerala!
i have a request for u please send me a information in heamophilia A i need a briefly information about heamophilia A and in kerala here have any association in this deceis.kindly send a replay for me its my humble request.we service pgs and failed pgs of pediatric dept of calicut medical college wish our chiefminster a happy new year
I promise you that you will not be able to regain a straight face if those roads get busted in the rains! - a threat!! my God!!
we need to map the whole of kerala and make it gps enabled.every street and road and house should be known and fed online so that anyone can take a print out of the road to follow if he knows the start and finish address. - right..that is the only thing we all want..
Please try to create some proper vacancies in the health deparetment for MScMLT and BScMLT for quality works.
hay sir - make hay, mr.CM?
in calicut exam torture in pediatric pg exams is very high ,,reregiartation is not allowed by pediatric professor,,suicidfes among medicos in alleppey and calicut is also high,,kindly enquire into these. - thats alarming!! and we talk about euthanasia!!
balu cherian and moneylal and asha committed suicide due to examtorture in trivanmdrum medical college,,MLAS SON COMMITTED SUICIDE DUE TO EXAMTORTURE PURPOSEFULLY IN ALLEPPEY,,SIMILARLY MEDICO FROM EDAVANNA COMMITTED SUICIDE DUE TO EXAM TORTURE IN PEDIATRICS IN CALICUT MEDICAL COLLEGE,,WE REQUEST OUR FAVOURITE CHEIF MINSTER TO ENQUIRE INTO THIS,,PGS ARE NOT ALLOWED REREGISTRATION IN PEDIATRICS IN CALICUT MEDICAL COLLEGE PURPOSDEFGUILLY BYPEDIATRIC PROFESSOR,,KINDLY ENQUIRE INTO ALL THESE ALSO
sirwhat u can do for kerala, nothing - period! lets all go home!
ELECTION COMMISSION CAN ARRANGE ALL CTYSON RESDING ABROD A VOTING FACILITY
DON'T INVITE THE BLOODY KARUNAKARAN & HIS CRIMINAL SON TO CONGRESS & U.D.F AGAIN. NOW CONGRESS IN GOOD CONDITION.
AIR PORT AT KOTTAYAM - yes! definitely! why dont we have a single lonnnggg runway and airport from kasarogod in the north to trivandrum in the south?
Pls. get resigned as soon as possible. Stop destoying the ecology of kerala. Development not means Roads or Ports. It shud b Sustainable. No Smart city we wants.. We want Smart Forests.... - now thats a smart ass!
The "Trivandrum vs Cochin" free for all! (Ultimate entertainment!)
1. It is silly people asking for International container terminal and International airports in evey district.WE the country needs 2 container terminalsin kerala we already have more airports than we need.what we need now is a highway of international standards connecting all airport to all populated area .The proposed EXpress highway was an excellant ideawhat we need is more IT parks possible to build along this high way. Proposed container terminal in trivandrum cost more mone to build than the one in Cochin
2. Hi Champak or MK or Nik,
Hope you are doing well…..!!! BUT BEFORE MAKING STATEMENTS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW “THUMB RULE”- THAT’S NO IF’S AND BUT’S ONLY FACTS……….!!!
QUOTE:-Some weeping willows cum wannabe-metro-dwellers of Trivandrum says here: Probably one such SudeeshNair does not know that: Kochi is the only metro city of Kerala? According to his majesty's arguments this was obtained by fudged data. But how come more that 60% of commercial tax revenue of gok is generated from kochi? why is that the celebrated capital of kerala generating less than 10% of tax revenue?
on road development: kochi has a cool 2 lakh vehicles more on its road than trivandrum. but zero pie has been allocated for road development here. this despite that fact that many govt. vehicles (police for eg.) registered in trivandrum actually run elsewhere in kerala. one measure of count: kochi will open another series of registration starting with "kl07 ba" within 3 months most of then being private vehicles. it is expected that before trivandm reach this mark kochi would be on kl07 ca. daily more than 180 vehicles get registered in kochi city alone(order of magnitude on par with chennai, bangalore)tailpiece : even trissur has more private vehicles than trivandrum highlighted by the fact that trichur's kl08 is set to overtake trvandm's kl01 in the registration series
UNQOUTE: - HOPE YOU GOT THIS 2 LAKH FIGURE FROM ‘MALAYALA MANAROMA” – AND THAN GOD YOU RESTRICTED KOCHI AS METRO CITY OF KERALA… ONCE MANORAM HAS QUAOTED THAT KOCHI AS 2ND MUMBAI … HA HA HA… MAY BE ERNAKULAMITES HAS NOT SEEN ANY METRO’S ….. Tailpiece: -NOW I UNERSTOOD THE MEANING OF THE PROVERB KOCHI KANDAVANU ACHI VENDA ENNA…(in english: the guy whos seen cochin, does not need err...a wife?? )!!!! POTTA KINATIL KIDAKKUNNA MAKRI POLE…(like a frog in a stupid well??)!!!
THAT’S WHY ERNAKULAMITES TRY TO COMPARE WITH CHENNAI AND B’LORE WIHCIH IS HAVING MORE THAN 5 RTO’S …..CHENNAIRTO, Chennai(Central) @Chetpet - TN-01RTO, Chennai(Northwest) @Tirumangalam - TN-02RTO, Chennai (East) @Basin Bridge - TN-04RTO, Chennai (South) @Thiruvanmiyur - TN-07RTO, Chennai (West) @K.K.Nagar - TN-09RTO, Chennai (Southwest) @Valasarawakkam - TN-10B’LORERTO Bangalore CentralRTO Bangalore EastRTO Bangalore NorthRTO Bangalore SouthRTO Bangalore West
AFTER ANALYZING THE ABOVE FATCS IT’S EXCITING TO READ YOUR STATEMENT THAT “VEHICLES GET REGISTERED IN KOCHI IS IN PAR WITH CHENNAI AND B’LORE….!!! IF YOU STILL STICK ON TO THIS …PLEASE VISIT B’LORE AND CHENNAI AT THE EARLIEST ….!!!WE ACCEPT THE FACT THAT KOCHI IS ABOVE TRIVANDRUM IN VEHICLE POPULATION. BUT THE SO CALLED “METRO” WITH PORT, INDUSTRIES, NAVAL BASE, FACT, PRIVATE BUSES (TRIVANDRUM WE HAVE 9 BUS DEPOTS OPERATING BY GOK), CONTAINER CARRIERS ETC ARE ONLY MANAGE TO TAKE A MARGIN OF 1 LAKH VEHICLES….!!! MORE THAN THAT PEOPLE FROM IDUKKI, KOTTAYAM AND THRISSUR REGISTER VEHICLES FROM ERNAKULAM. EVEN TRIVANDRUMITES REGISTER “BENZ” – ONLY BENZ FROM ERNAKULAM….!!!LEAVE THRISSUR……… WE ARE NOT EVEN BOTHERED ABOUT ERNAKULAM…!!!I WILL PUT THE SAME STATISTICS WITHIN 2 YRS … LET THE VIZHINJAM MEGA TRANSSHIPMENT HUB, INFY, TCS, IBS AND US SOFTWARE CAMPUSE TAKE OFF…!!!FYI: - TOYOTA HAD THE MAXIMUM SALE FROM TRIVANDRUM THAT IS WHY THEY CHOSE TRIVANDRUM AS THE LOCATION FOR INNOVA LAUNCH IN KERALA.
Quote:-It development: trivandrum's jurassic era techpark functioning for 14 celebrated years has 75 cos and 7500 profs. kochi's one 'n half year old infopark has 28 cos & 1800 profs filling up all the constructed area and set to hit 3500 in less than 3 months. the entire major cos in trivandrum barring infosys planning much bigger facility in infopark or kochi. even the dic has zeroed in on kochi bypassing chennai and hyd (great capital nowhere in picture)
UNQUOTE: - THE LATEST OUTLOOK MAGAZINE WILL CLEAR YOUR BELIEF ….!!! IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL TO ATTRACT 28 CO’S AND 1800 PROFESSIONALS IN 2 YRS THAT TOO IN 2.25 LAKH SQ FT. TECHNOPARK IS SOMETHING HUGE …. WITH 1.5 MILLION BUILT UP SPACE ….!!!I HOPE YOU ARE NOT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN OF INFY AND TCS..!!! IF YOU NEED WE WIL RPOVIDE YOU THE PRESS RELEASE ISSUES BY CONCERNED AUTHORITES FROM INFY, TCS AND IBS…. NO IF’S AND BUT’S ONLY FACTS……….!!!
QUOTE:-biotech: bids were invited for biotech parks at kochi and trvndm simultaneously by kinfra. world famous chatterjea group thumbed for kochi - no bid for trivandrum. no the govt employee city has started routine wailing: govt ignored tvm biotech park. with no takers, now govt is asked to spend taxpayers money on this, which too revenue generated elsewhere in Kerala to pamper this sulking baby called trvndm.
UNQUOTE:-HOPE THE BID DETAILS ARE WITH YOU ….. WE HAVE CONTACTED THE KINFRA DIRECTOR , AND WE CAME TO KNOW IS THE PROPOSED SITE FOR KINFRA BIO-TECH PARK IN TRIVADNRUM WAS SHIFTED FROM KAZHAKOOTAM TO KOVALAM AREA,.SINCE THE EXISTING LAND IN THAT AREA HAS BEEN FREZEED FOR PROPOSED IT -CORRIDOR AND SEZ. MOREOVER OTHE ENTRI STRECTH IS CLUSTERED BY TECHNOPARK – THE INDIA’S FINEST IT PARK (REFER LATEST OUTLOOK) FILM AND VIDEO PARK – INDIA’S FIRST INFOTAINTMENT PARK, KINRA APPAREL PARK, SANIK SCHOOL, KIMS, TRIVANDRUM INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL , VELI 2ND TERMINAL, COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, TRIVANDRUM, SAI GRAMAM – 1500 CR TOWNSHIP …. !!!NEXT MOTH I WILL GIVE YOU UPDATES ON BIO-TECH BID, SECRETERIAT IS VERY NEAR TO MY OFFICE….!!!
QUOTE:-instead of wailing answer the following question: why has no company bid for trvndm port at vizhinjam till date. bid has been postponed n times. no avail. last date for bid now is 31 july. none has any doubts on result: now govt is again asked to fund this extravaganza at taxpayers expense.finally if we go for a fair share - spend according to tax income generation - who should get more govt funding, kochi or trvndm?
UNQUOTE:-THE VALLARPADAM PROJECT WAS PUT ON THE BACKBURNER WHEN IT RECEIVED A SINGLE BID FROM P&O PORTS, AUSTRALIA IN 1998. SOURCES SAID THE MINISTRY WILL MOVE THE CABINET TO SEEK AN APPROVAL FOR THE RE-TENDERING PROCESS WHICH WILL NOW BE ON A LIMITED BASIS AND NOT ON THE OPEN ROUTE.FYI, VALLARPDAM PROJECT BID WAS OPENED FOR FOUR TIMES FROM 1998 AND FINALLY DPI HAS AGREED TO INVEST, THAT TOO IF CURRENT KOCHI PORT HANDLES MORE THAN 400, 00 TUE’S IN 4 YEARS. CURRENTLY CPT IS HANDLING AROUND 1.3 MILLION AND BIG PROFIT OF 36 CRORES OUT OF THOSE 18 CORES WILL BE SPEND ON DREDGING….!!!VIZHINJAM WAS MANAGED TO ATRACT 19 BIDDERS IN 2 YRS THAT TOO WITHOUT ANY EXISTING INFRASTUCTURE. AND PLEASE NOTE THAT MASERK SEALAND, CMA CGM, L & T , SINGAPORE PORTS AND ALL ARE GAINTS IN SHIPPING INDUSTRY…………..!!!
The above interactions are part of a spirited battle between two people on a forum, and this battle has been on for over a year now!!
When we will be having vending machines for condoms in kerala? In front of every police station, we need vending machine - ha ha..but is this a policeman?
Read more!
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Sleeping With The Enemy
Hectic schedule for Singh in Kerala
25 January, 2006: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh starts a whirlwind tour of Kerala on February 3 during which he will inaugurate new ventures and lay the foundation stones for a spate of projects.
On February 3 Singh will lay the foundation stones for two major projects - an expansion programme of the Trivandrum international airport and the Vizhinjam port project.
Next on his hectic schedule will be a visit to Kollam to inaugurate the expansion programme at the Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd.
He will then leave for Kochi to inaugurate the first global education conference and also the liquid natural gas (LNG) project.
Singh will travel to Thrissur, the cultural capital of the state, the next day to inaugurate a festival at the Kerala Kalamandalam.
Before leaving for Delhi from Kozhikode, the prime minister will also lay the foundation stone for an eco-city tourism project.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Kerala technopark to get 1 mn sq ft area more
Friday, January 27, 2006: A record one million square feet of built-up area is to be added in '06 to the Technopark campus on the outskirts of city. About Rs 4 billion has already been invested in the existing 1.5 million sq ft built-up area which houses 91 companies providing direct employment to more than 10,000 people.
"On Feb 9, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is laying the foundation for the building of Mumbai hotel major Leela Hotels which will contribute a 400,000 sq ft built-up area on a two-acre piece of land," Technopark CEO VJ Jayakumar said. Leela Group is investing Rs 600 million in the building which it will hand over to IT companies. The building will be ready this year itself.
>>>>>>>>>>>
Chinese partners of Vizhinjam project wait for political nod
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN 24: Political nod for Chinese partners is all that Rs 4360-crore Vizhinjam project, set to be world's deepest container terminal, now waits for. Not counting the Mumbai-based Zoom Developers, all BOT (build, operate and transfer) partners in the consortium identified for awarding the tender are Chinese.
Construction is expected to start in six months, after technicalities are cleared, he told a press conference. The Rs 1850-crore Phase-I is to be completed in five years. The Rs 990-crore Phase-II is to be completed by the tenth year and Rs 1570-crore to be invested in Phase-III. >>>>>>>>>>
Carrying on with his good work, Chief Minister Ommen Chandy is ensuring that all the projects and investments that he proposed are getting implemented, and is not "just on paper" as the Opposition claims. Given one more term, we will see him transform Kerala into a proactive and progressive state with such initiatives. Not only do we have a great visionary as the CM, but also, for a change, a CM who is accessible 24 x 7, not bothered about petty politics, has some culture and education and has balls to stand up to his decisions - all qualities thus far not seen in other CMs.
There has been allegations, mostly by people owing allegiance to the Leftists, that his office is corrupt and takes bribes in mega-deals. I know, from genuine and reliable sources, that he is one of the cleanest politicians Kerala has ever seen and he does NOT take personal favors in any way. And even if his party men took some money as election fund, I do not see anything wrong in it. He is not eating the money himself, and obviously no party can survive in the present day without funding. And most importantly, the Congress is ensuring the development of the state first, creating employment first, eradicating hunger first and then (if at all these allegations are true) ensuring the survival of the party; as compared to the Left party who wont let anyone else progress but only their 4000 crore empire. Even in cases such as the SNC-Lavalin deal, the Left leaders allegedly ate away more than 40 crores in a deal that saw no visible growth or establishment for the state. So we have no reason to complain!
Now let us see some of the above projects signed by the OC government in one year :
The Vizhinjam International Port project is definitely one of the biggest landmark deals not only for the state, but for the nation. When completed, it will be the worlds largest ports with a natural depth of 24 metres, unmatched elsewhere. Even with dredging ports such as Colombo, Bombay and Dubai have a depth lesser than that. Secondly, the port is only 10 nautical miles from the international shipping routes. Currently, the large ships or vessels are unable to dock in India and hence they dock in Dubai, Colombo or Singapore and the cargo is brought to Indian ports in medium sized ships. With this new port, the world's largest ships will also be able to directly dock in India!.
To make a comparison, all the existing Indian ports together had in the last fiscal handled 4.3 million TEU. The Vizhinjam port is expected to handle 4.1 million TEU per fiscal when commissioned!
The Technopark in Trivandrum was the first Techpark in India and was established in 1990, way before Bangalore wrote IT history. But thanks to the laid back attitude of Kerala-Keralites, and fuelled by the petty Leftist trade unions (who by the way want to ensure Unions enter IT industry too to protect women!!), Technopark remained as it was in 1990 for almost a decade. Now thanks to the IT economy brought forward by Bangalore and the present OC government making sense of it all, there is a resurgence in Technopark and its potential.
OC not only has put back Technopark expansion back on track, but went one step further and envisioned the Smart City Project in Cochin, which will be Kerala's second mega IT project. Even here, the opposition has been alleging baseless scandals and trying to scuttle the project. I just cant understand how idiotic people can be!
The Technopark and The Smart City Projects will be worth over 60,000 direct jobs, bringing in an investment of over 5000 crores to the state!
Now a few projects scuttled by the illustrious and so called "responsible" Leftists of Kerala as well as some wily politicians within the ruling government:
Kerala Expressway: The 507-km long, four-lane `access controlled high speed corridor' was aimed at connecting Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram. Travel time from one end to the other will be less than six hours as against the present 12-15 hours. Throughout its length, there will be only 19 entry points into the highway, which will entail an estimated investment of over Rs 6,500 crore. For any nation to develop, road infrastructure is the most important aspect- America developed its roads before its economy started picking up. A noted industrialist said that the returns of such infrastructure development is a minimum 6x to the state - do your math. But there were a few like CPI leaders Veliyam Bhargavan, Pinarayai Vijayan, DICK head ( i mean, leader) Muralidharan, who haven't gone to school and hence could not multiply; and thus opposed the project. As of now the project is on hold.
Air Craft Maintainence Facility: worth Rs.1100 crores which was proposed by Pratt & Whitney in partnership with Keltech, Trivandrum (which by the way has been another malnourished PSU in Kerala, falling sick and doing well alternately with repeated union infections). The deal would have seen Kerala being a hub for aircraft maintainence and catapulted industrial development in the state. Even short sighted people saw it as a great project, and long sight showed that it was not just the project - but the indirect growth such a facility would have provided in terms of jobs, other supporting industries, training schools, air traffic. As of now, Pratt & Whitney are thanking their stars they didn't enter the land of the commies.
There are plenty more projects worth thousands of crores, but I am already frustrated calculating the loss. Hence I will leave you with two extra-ordinary incidents that give you insight into the average Keralite minds.
Circa 1970: A young lad, after his class at engineering college in Trivandrum, was going back to his home in Central Kerala for the weekend. On the way, his bus was stopped at a "public function" by a local politician in Kottayam. And he was forced to listen to the "public" function. The "leader" was demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister as the CM was neglecting the development of Kottayam. In front of a massive, enthralled audience our man blared " Trivandrum has a beach!!! Cochin has a beach!!! why..even Calicut has a beach!! But Kottayam does not have a beach!! I demand that the Chief Minister stop this neglect towards Kottayam or he resign!!"
If you know the geography of Kerala, you will know why I demand only educated people should be allowed to elections, and not illiterates like the above.
Anyway, according to the now grown up lad - my dad, in the next election, true to our sensible and literate electorate, that politician was duly elected to the state assembly from Kottayam. If you are still wondering, Kottayam does not have a beach still - because it is nowhere near the coast. And apparently when the leader said beach, he really meant an airport!!
Circa 2003: There was a proposal by the honorable Prime Minister to set up an IIT in "100% literate" Kerala, which truly deserved one according to him, either by setting up a new campus or by upgrading one of the existing engineering colleges. Soon the government decided that in already land famished Kerala, setting up a new campus will involve more strikes and protests than the state can afford; and hence shortlisted a few institutions for upgradation. Among them were College of Engineering, CET in Trivandrum and CUSAT, in Cochin. And strangely enough, this sparked off an almost violent debate in Kerala the theme of which was Cochin vs Trivandrum. And add to it, a very unique and absurd theory supported by most people in Kerala as I could find out - "we do not want an IIT in Kerala!!! if an IIT comes in Kerala, it will be through upgradation of CET or CUSAT - and it is not in the interest of Kerala. Because if it is an IIT, the selection process will be through the Common Admission Test (CAT) which is a national level competitive entrance test, which our "poor buoyes and gyerls" wont be able to handle..so effectively we lose the 100 odd seats we have in these colleges. So we dont need an IIT, and the CM should resign and the PM apologise"
Wow..how do you debate such a theory?? I mean, the many advantages (like raising the standard of education in Kerala, our youth getting better education, having a cleaner education system and environment reflecting the standards of an IIT to name a few) simply vanish in front of such arguments - atleast in Kerala it does.
As of now, the PM is licking his burnt fingers (look out for the small bandage on his finger when he visits Kerala) over the issue and thinking of a census to re-assess the 100% literacy status accorded to Kerala.
So what we must realise is, that most of the time, the enemy is within ourselves, and among ourselves.
Now for some even more exciting stuff - excerpts from various Kerala oriented forums. But since this post has over-rided its quota, way past the length an average blogger can concentrate, I shall continue in another post. Coming Soon!
Read more!
25 January, 2006: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh starts a whirlwind tour of Kerala on February 3 during which he will inaugurate new ventures and lay the foundation stones for a spate of projects.
On February 3 Singh will lay the foundation stones for two major projects - an expansion programme of the Trivandrum international airport and the Vizhinjam port project.
Next on his hectic schedule will be a visit to Kollam to inaugurate the expansion programme at the Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd.
He will then leave for Kochi to inaugurate the first global education conference and also the liquid natural gas (LNG) project.
Singh will travel to Thrissur, the cultural capital of the state, the next day to inaugurate a festival at the Kerala Kalamandalam.
Before leaving for Delhi from Kozhikode, the prime minister will also lay the foundation stone for an eco-city tourism project.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Kerala technopark to get 1 mn sq ft area more
Friday, January 27, 2006: A record one million square feet of built-up area is to be added in '06 to the Technopark campus on the outskirts of city. About Rs 4 billion has already been invested in the existing 1.5 million sq ft built-up area which houses 91 companies providing direct employment to more than 10,000 people.
"On Feb 9, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is laying the foundation for the building of Mumbai hotel major Leela Hotels which will contribute a 400,000 sq ft built-up area on a two-acre piece of land," Technopark CEO VJ Jayakumar said. Leela Group is investing Rs 600 million in the building which it will hand over to IT companies. The building will be ready this year itself.
>>>>>>>>>>>
Chinese partners of Vizhinjam project wait for political nod
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN 24: Political nod for Chinese partners is all that Rs 4360-crore Vizhinjam project, set to be world's deepest container terminal, now waits for. Not counting the Mumbai-based Zoom Developers, all BOT (build, operate and transfer) partners in the consortium identified for awarding the tender are Chinese.
Construction is expected to start in six months, after technicalities are cleared, he told a press conference. The Rs 1850-crore Phase-I is to be completed in five years. The Rs 990-crore Phase-II is to be completed by the tenth year and Rs 1570-crore to be invested in Phase-III. >>>>>>>>>>
Carrying on with his good work, Chief Minister Ommen Chandy is ensuring that all the projects and investments that he proposed are getting implemented, and is not "just on paper" as the Opposition claims. Given one more term, we will see him transform Kerala into a proactive and progressive state with such initiatives. Not only do we have a great visionary as the CM, but also, for a change, a CM who is accessible 24 x 7, not bothered about petty politics, has some culture and education and has balls to stand up to his decisions - all qualities thus far not seen in other CMs.
There has been allegations, mostly by people owing allegiance to the Leftists, that his office is corrupt and takes bribes in mega-deals. I know, from genuine and reliable sources, that he is one of the cleanest politicians Kerala has ever seen and he does NOT take personal favors in any way. And even if his party men took some money as election fund, I do not see anything wrong in it. He is not eating the money himself, and obviously no party can survive in the present day without funding. And most importantly, the Congress is ensuring the development of the state first, creating employment first, eradicating hunger first and then (if at all these allegations are true) ensuring the survival of the party; as compared to the Left party who wont let anyone else progress but only their 4000 crore empire. Even in cases such as the SNC-Lavalin deal, the Left leaders allegedly ate away more than 40 crores in a deal that saw no visible growth or establishment for the state. So we have no reason to complain!
Now let us see some of the above projects signed by the OC government in one year :
The Vizhinjam International Port project is definitely one of the biggest landmark deals not only for the state, but for the nation. When completed, it will be the worlds largest ports with a natural depth of 24 metres, unmatched elsewhere. Even with dredging ports such as Colombo, Bombay and Dubai have a depth lesser than that. Secondly, the port is only 10 nautical miles from the international shipping routes. Currently, the large ships or vessels are unable to dock in India and hence they dock in Dubai, Colombo or Singapore and the cargo is brought to Indian ports in medium sized ships. With this new port, the world's largest ships will also be able to directly dock in India!.
To make a comparison, all the existing Indian ports together had in the last fiscal handled 4.3 million TEU. The Vizhinjam port is expected to handle 4.1 million TEU per fiscal when commissioned!
The Technopark in Trivandrum was the first Techpark in India and was established in 1990, way before Bangalore wrote IT history. But thanks to the laid back attitude of Kerala-Keralites, and fuelled by the petty Leftist trade unions (who by the way want to ensure Unions enter IT industry too to protect women!!), Technopark remained as it was in 1990 for almost a decade. Now thanks to the IT economy brought forward by Bangalore and the present OC government making sense of it all, there is a resurgence in Technopark and its potential.
OC not only has put back Technopark expansion back on track, but went one step further and envisioned the Smart City Project in Cochin, which will be Kerala's second mega IT project. Even here, the opposition has been alleging baseless scandals and trying to scuttle the project. I just cant understand how idiotic people can be!
The Technopark and The Smart City Projects will be worth over 60,000 direct jobs, bringing in an investment of over 5000 crores to the state!
Now a few projects scuttled by the illustrious and so called "responsible" Leftists of Kerala as well as some wily politicians within the ruling government:
Kerala Expressway: The 507-km long, four-lane `access controlled high speed corridor' was aimed at connecting Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram. Travel time from one end to the other will be less than six hours as against the present 12-15 hours. Throughout its length, there will be only 19 entry points into the highway, which will entail an estimated investment of over Rs 6,500 crore. For any nation to develop, road infrastructure is the most important aspect- America developed its roads before its economy started picking up. A noted industrialist said that the returns of such infrastructure development is a minimum 6x to the state - do your math. But there were a few like CPI leaders Veliyam Bhargavan, Pinarayai Vijayan, DICK head ( i mean, leader) Muralidharan, who haven't gone to school and hence could not multiply; and thus opposed the project. As of now the project is on hold.
Air Craft Maintainence Facility: worth Rs.1100 crores which was proposed by Pratt & Whitney in partnership with Keltech, Trivandrum (which by the way has been another malnourished PSU in Kerala, falling sick and doing well alternately with repeated union infections). The deal would have seen Kerala being a hub for aircraft maintainence and catapulted industrial development in the state. Even short sighted people saw it as a great project, and long sight showed that it was not just the project - but the indirect growth such a facility would have provided in terms of jobs, other supporting industries, training schools, air traffic. As of now, Pratt & Whitney are thanking their stars they didn't enter the land of the commies.
There are plenty more projects worth thousands of crores, but I am already frustrated calculating the loss. Hence I will leave you with two extra-ordinary incidents that give you insight into the average Keralite minds.
Circa 1970: A young lad, after his class at engineering college in Trivandrum, was going back to his home in Central Kerala for the weekend. On the way, his bus was stopped at a "public function" by a local politician in Kottayam. And he was forced to listen to the "public" function. The "leader" was demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister as the CM was neglecting the development of Kottayam. In front of a massive, enthralled audience our man blared " Trivandrum has a beach!!! Cochin has a beach!!! why..even Calicut has a beach!! But Kottayam does not have a beach!! I demand that the Chief Minister stop this neglect towards Kottayam or he resign!!"
If you know the geography of Kerala, you will know why I demand only educated people should be allowed to elections, and not illiterates like the above.
Anyway, according to the now grown up lad - my dad, in the next election, true to our sensible and literate electorate, that politician was duly elected to the state assembly from Kottayam. If you are still wondering, Kottayam does not have a beach still - because it is nowhere near the coast. And apparently when the leader said beach, he really meant an airport!!
Circa 2003: There was a proposal by the honorable Prime Minister to set up an IIT in "100% literate" Kerala, which truly deserved one according to him, either by setting up a new campus or by upgrading one of the existing engineering colleges. Soon the government decided that in already land famished Kerala, setting up a new campus will involve more strikes and protests than the state can afford; and hence shortlisted a few institutions for upgradation. Among them were College of Engineering, CET in Trivandrum and CUSAT, in Cochin. And strangely enough, this sparked off an almost violent debate in Kerala the theme of which was Cochin vs Trivandrum. And add to it, a very unique and absurd theory supported by most people in Kerala as I could find out - "we do not want an IIT in Kerala!!! if an IIT comes in Kerala, it will be through upgradation of CET or CUSAT - and it is not in the interest of Kerala. Because if it is an IIT, the selection process will be through the Common Admission Test (CAT) which is a national level competitive entrance test, which our "poor buoyes and gyerls" wont be able to handle..so effectively we lose the 100 odd seats we have in these colleges. So we dont need an IIT, and the CM should resign and the PM apologise"
Wow..how do you debate such a theory?? I mean, the many advantages (like raising the standard of education in Kerala, our youth getting better education, having a cleaner education system and environment reflecting the standards of an IIT to name a few) simply vanish in front of such arguments - atleast in Kerala it does.
As of now, the PM is licking his burnt fingers (look out for the small bandage on his finger when he visits Kerala) over the issue and thinking of a census to re-assess the 100% literacy status accorded to Kerala.
So what we must realise is, that most of the time, the enemy is within ourselves, and among ourselves.
Now for some even more exciting stuff - excerpts from various Kerala oriented forums. But since this post has over-rided its quota, way past the length an average blogger can concentrate, I shall continue in another post. Coming Soon!
Read more!
The Future Is Bright
Chandy to address 4 sessions at Davos World Economic Forum
TRIVANDRUM, JAN 25: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, one of the only three CMs invited to the WEF, is to present four papers at the World Economic Forum (Davos, Switzerland), including one on "Divide in Digital Technology'.
He is to address four sessions from January 27 to January 29. On January 27, Mr Chandy is to speak on the `Development agenda of the millennium'. The topics the Chief Minister has picked up out of the sessions on January 28 are `Divide in Digital Technology' and `Social Entreprenurship'. On January 29, he has been invited to address a gathering of world economic decision-makers. The theme of WEF this year is `Creative Imperative.'
The Canandian Business Forum had extended a special invitiation to Mr Chandy to participate in its interactive session at Davos sidelines. "This would yield informal investment promotion opportunities to showcase India and especially Kerala," Mr Chandy said.
>>>>>>>>>>
DAVOS, Jan 26: For once, India is really everywhere at Davos.
With the 35th World Economic Forum (WEF) opening at the Swiss mountain resort, one cannot help but notice "India Everywhere". Right from the moment you step off the aircraft at Zurich airport, big hoardings proclaiming India greet you. Upon reaching Davos, located about 150 km from Zurich, the Indian colours are just about everywhere.
In fact, you see more of India than Switzerland in Davos this year. The buses wear Indian colours, the bus shelters have Indian advertisements, and key bars, pubs and hotels in the city where the economic meet began Wednesday evening are serving up Indian snacks and Indian wines and beer.
>>>>>>>>>>
I get overwhelmed by feelings most of the time. And my patriotism and pride of being an Indian is no different. Like everyone else, I have a dream for myself and my loved ones. I have a dream for my Kerala. I have a dream for my India too.
Right from college, I have seen friends and family leave India for a better education, better employment, better environment, better lifestyle etc. I have studied in school about the phenomenon called "Brain Drain" that was plaguing India. Infact, even I had many opportunities during college, university and even recently to go out of India for a better career. But I chose against it and continued in India. Now I am not talking against going out of India for any reason. It was my individual decision based on my circumstances and preferences. I have travelled out of India, and plan to do more in the near future, god willing. Infact I believe if one has the chance to a better quality of life or education or system, he or she should take it or leave it depending on what the best for that individual is - though it will be a great idea to either come back to India and work here after your education, or "give back" to your country how ever you can, like a lot of great NRI's, IIT and IIM graduates living out of India do. But never lose love for your country. I cannot stand people who put down India once they go out and I have seen many such characters.
Probably its because of my upbringing that I feel so much about all this. My grandparents were ordinary folks, who struggled day and night in fields and deserted lands to educate their sons and daughters. And my parents too struggled and built up their lives from scratch. Today they have comforts and assets that they can bank on and be comfortable in life. When I drive across Kerala, I stop by a small house somewhere next to a large paddy field. Kind of like a monument for me, that marks the place where my grand folks lived, and struggled through life to bring up my mother. I hope some day every Indian can look back and feel proud like me.
I read somewhere that if you love and respect your mother, you will love and respect your country too. And if you love and respect your dad, you will love and respect your company/ employer/ organisation too.
Anyway the point is, India has come a long way. Today we are at cross roads and ready to take the world head on. And when I read news columns like the above, I feel so proud and overwhelmed that India is what she is today. Today we are seeing "Brain Gain" and "Brain ReGain" with Indians and even foreigners coming from abroad seeking better opportunities. India is no more just a land of snake charmers and elephants, and every Indian can look back and see where we are now..and more importantly where we can reach!
I have interacted with some of the great "men behind" these struggles, campaigns and victories. Campaigns like "Incredible India" and "India Shining" (which had its bit of controversies) which have brought out to the public the silent transformation of India as a nation. And it is truly amazing to know the sheer grit and determination of these men and women. Even a program like the NDTV show on Amir Khan's new movie "Rang De Basanti" ( which is about the courage of young India, about "awakening and standing up for ones beliefs") reflects the transformation and the exciting possibilities. It had around 100 youngsters interacting with the cast and crew of the movie and it showed how smart and talented the youth of New India are, and their pride of being Indian. No wonder if youngsters idolise Aamir, rather than politicians or "leaders", because I see in him substance and sense - absent in our politicos, except a few like our current PM, FM, CM and others. ( Amir is my favorite actor, and the movie soundtrack is great by the way.)
I leave you with some proud facts on the emerging India:
India's GDP will reach $ 1 trillion by 2011, $ 2 trillion by 2020, $ 3 trillion by 2025, $ 6 trillion by 2032, $ 10 trillion by 2038, and $ 27 trillion by 2050, becoming the third largest economy after USA and China.
India is the second fastest growing economy of the world at present.
Free, vocal, alert and quality media. 5600 dailies with a combined circulation of 60 million, nearly 15000 weeklies and 20000 periodicals in 21 languages. (without counting blogs :))
Large and growing market of 1 billion people of which 300 million are middle class consumers.
India offers a vibrant market of youth and vigor with 54% of population below 25 years of age and over 65% below the age of 35.
Every month, there is an addition of one million cell phone subscribers.
India is the stock market with the greatest short-term and long-term potential in Asia.
India has the third largest investor base in the world.
Of the Fortune 5000 companies 220 outsource their software from India.
80 out of world's 117 SEI CMM level-5 companies are from India.
India's IT and IT-enabled services exports go to 133 countries.
If anyone against outsourcing is reading this, The BPO operations of GE capital in India saves the company US$340 million a year.
Second largest reservoir of knowledge resource- engineers, scientists, managers and skilled personnel and the largest pool of IT manpower in the world. It is estimated that there are 150,000 IT professionals in Bangalore as against 120,000 in Silicon Valley.
Other than USA and Japan, the only other country, which has built super computer indigenously, is India.
India has become a major provider of biotech information to clients around the world.
There are over 100 MNCs who have set up R&D centers in India, including GE, Bell Labs, Du Pont, Daimler Chrysler, Eli Lilly, Intel, Monsanto, Texas Instruments, Caterpillar, Cummins, GM, Microsoft and IBM.
India is home to the largest number of pharma plants approved by USFDA outside USA.
Indian companies have started venturing into other countries for production, acquisitions, and even research and development.Indian companies have acquired 120 foreign firms in the period 2001- 2003 worth US$ 1.6 billion.
Seven Indian companies are listed in NYSE and three in NASDAQ. There are over 15 companies listed in LSE.
Indian students are the largest in number among foreign students in USA.
While India is being globalized, there is also a quiet Indianisation of the Globe.
I used to say " The Future is Bright, The Future is Orange" when anyone asked me about India, but since orange is now taking religious and political hues, I will just say:
The Future is Bright.
Happy Republic Day!!
Read more!
TRIVANDRUM, JAN 25: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, one of the only three CMs invited to the WEF, is to present four papers at the World Economic Forum (Davos, Switzerland), including one on "Divide in Digital Technology'.
He is to address four sessions from January 27 to January 29. On January 27, Mr Chandy is to speak on the `Development agenda of the millennium'. The topics the Chief Minister has picked up out of the sessions on January 28 are `Divide in Digital Technology' and `Social Entreprenurship'. On January 29, he has been invited to address a gathering of world economic decision-makers. The theme of WEF this year is `Creative Imperative.'
The Canandian Business Forum had extended a special invitiation to Mr Chandy to participate in its interactive session at Davos sidelines. "This would yield informal investment promotion opportunities to showcase India and especially Kerala," Mr Chandy said.
>>>>>>>>>>
DAVOS, Jan 26: For once, India is really everywhere at Davos.
With the 35th World Economic Forum (WEF) opening at the Swiss mountain resort, one cannot help but notice "India Everywhere". Right from the moment you step off the aircraft at Zurich airport, big hoardings proclaiming India greet you. Upon reaching Davos, located about 150 km from Zurich, the Indian colours are just about everywhere.
In fact, you see more of India than Switzerland in Davos this year. The buses wear Indian colours, the bus shelters have Indian advertisements, and key bars, pubs and hotels in the city where the economic meet began Wednesday evening are serving up Indian snacks and Indian wines and beer.
>>>>>>>>>>
I get overwhelmed by feelings most of the time. And my patriotism and pride of being an Indian is no different. Like everyone else, I have a dream for myself and my loved ones. I have a dream for my Kerala. I have a dream for my India too.
Right from college, I have seen friends and family leave India for a better education, better employment, better environment, better lifestyle etc. I have studied in school about the phenomenon called "Brain Drain" that was plaguing India. Infact, even I had many opportunities during college, university and even recently to go out of India for a better career. But I chose against it and continued in India. Now I am not talking against going out of India for any reason. It was my individual decision based on my circumstances and preferences. I have travelled out of India, and plan to do more in the near future, god willing. Infact I believe if one has the chance to a better quality of life or education or system, he or she should take it or leave it depending on what the best for that individual is - though it will be a great idea to either come back to India and work here after your education, or "give back" to your country how ever you can, like a lot of great NRI's, IIT and IIM graduates living out of India do. But never lose love for your country. I cannot stand people who put down India once they go out and I have seen many such characters.
Probably its because of my upbringing that I feel so much about all this. My grandparents were ordinary folks, who struggled day and night in fields and deserted lands to educate their sons and daughters. And my parents too struggled and built up their lives from scratch. Today they have comforts and assets that they can bank on and be comfortable in life. When I drive across Kerala, I stop by a small house somewhere next to a large paddy field. Kind of like a monument for me, that marks the place where my grand folks lived, and struggled through life to bring up my mother. I hope some day every Indian can look back and feel proud like me.
I read somewhere that if you love and respect your mother, you will love and respect your country too. And if you love and respect your dad, you will love and respect your company/ employer/ organisation too.
Anyway the point is, India has come a long way. Today we are at cross roads and ready to take the world head on. And when I read news columns like the above, I feel so proud and overwhelmed that India is what she is today. Today we are seeing "Brain Gain" and "Brain ReGain" with Indians and even foreigners coming from abroad seeking better opportunities. India is no more just a land of snake charmers and elephants, and every Indian can look back and see where we are now..and more importantly where we can reach!
I have interacted with some of the great "men behind" these struggles, campaigns and victories. Campaigns like "Incredible India" and "India Shining" (which had its bit of controversies) which have brought out to the public the silent transformation of India as a nation. And it is truly amazing to know the sheer grit and determination of these men and women. Even a program like the NDTV show on Amir Khan's new movie "Rang De Basanti" ( which is about the courage of young India, about "awakening and standing up for ones beliefs") reflects the transformation and the exciting possibilities. It had around 100 youngsters interacting with the cast and crew of the movie and it showed how smart and talented the youth of New India are, and their pride of being Indian. No wonder if youngsters idolise Aamir, rather than politicians or "leaders", because I see in him substance and sense - absent in our politicos, except a few like our current PM, FM, CM and others. ( Amir is my favorite actor, and the movie soundtrack is great by the way.)
I leave you with some proud facts on the emerging India:
India's GDP will reach $ 1 trillion by 2011, $ 2 trillion by 2020, $ 3 trillion by 2025, $ 6 trillion by 2032, $ 10 trillion by 2038, and $ 27 trillion by 2050, becoming the third largest economy after USA and China.
India is the second fastest growing economy of the world at present.
Free, vocal, alert and quality media. 5600 dailies with a combined circulation of 60 million, nearly 15000 weeklies and 20000 periodicals in 21 languages. (without counting blogs :))
Large and growing market of 1 billion people of which 300 million are middle class consumers.
India offers a vibrant market of youth and vigor with 54% of population below 25 years of age and over 65% below the age of 35.
Every month, there is an addition of one million cell phone subscribers.
India is the stock market with the greatest short-term and long-term potential in Asia.
India has the third largest investor base in the world.
Of the Fortune 5000 companies 220 outsource their software from India.
80 out of world's 117 SEI CMM level-5 companies are from India.
India's IT and IT-enabled services exports go to 133 countries.
If anyone against outsourcing is reading this, The BPO operations of GE capital in India saves the company US$340 million a year.
Second largest reservoir of knowledge resource- engineers, scientists, managers and skilled personnel and the largest pool of IT manpower in the world. It is estimated that there are 150,000 IT professionals in Bangalore as against 120,000 in Silicon Valley.
Other than USA and Japan, the only other country, which has built super computer indigenously, is India.
India has become a major provider of biotech information to clients around the world.
There are over 100 MNCs who have set up R&D centers in India, including GE, Bell Labs, Du Pont, Daimler Chrysler, Eli Lilly, Intel, Monsanto, Texas Instruments, Caterpillar, Cummins, GM, Microsoft and IBM.
India is home to the largest number of pharma plants approved by USFDA outside USA.
Indian companies have started venturing into other countries for production, acquisitions, and even research and development.Indian companies have acquired 120 foreign firms in the period 2001- 2003 worth US$ 1.6 billion.
Seven Indian companies are listed in NYSE and three in NASDAQ. There are over 15 companies listed in LSE.
Indian students are the largest in number among foreign students in USA.
While India is being globalized, there is also a quiet Indianisation of the Globe.
I used to say " The Future is Bright, The Future is Orange" when anyone asked me about India, but since orange is now taking religious and political hues, I will just say:
The Future is Bright.
Happy Republic Day!!
Read more!
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Another Day In God's Own
Strike hits offices, schools in Kerala
Trivandrum, Jan 24: Functioning of government offices and schools in Kerala was affected as pro-Left employees and teachers today struck work protesting delay in revision of pay scales.
The UDF government dubbed the strike called by action council of pro-Left unions as "politically motivated" and applied dies non (no-work-no-pay) against the protestors.
Reports from across the state said the striking employees picketed offices and staged protest marches.
In some places they also prevented the employees who turned up to work. Police removed the protesters in many places.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Violence at AKTA meet, many hurt
Tuesday January 24 2006 11:22 IST
KANNUR: The district convention of the All Kerala Tailors Association (AKTA), which is considered a pro-CPM workers’ union, ended up in a violent clash engineered by a dissident group controlling the Kannur district unit of the union which has the explicit support of the CPM, here on Monday.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
RSS to organise 'Rashtra Raksha Sangamam' on Jan 26
Thiruvananthapuram: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) ''Rashtra Raksha Sangamam'' will be held here on January 26, with the aim to make the people aware of the country's ''security''. Addressing a news conference here on Monday, RSS Kerala Pranthakaryavah A.R. Mohan said the "Sangamam'' assumed importance as the extremist activities were on the rise in the country.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
It is another regular day in sunny God's Own Country. Strikes, marches, protests, speeches, clashes, threats, rallys (some days in cycles, scooters, autorickshaws even). All in a day's work here at Kerala.
It is so funny to see how people gang up in Kerala, sometimes to form the weirdest and strangest associations, and within no time split into splinter groups - one to two, two to four, four to eight and so on. A list of some "approved" and "listed" malayali associations are given below. Just imagine the number when you factor in the thousands of informal and unlisted groups, councils, unions and associations like Indrans Fans Association, Kovalam Palace Protection Council, Toddy Workers Union - which has a 8 storeyed massive office in Trivandrum for planning marches and attacks, Electricity Employees Unions - which has 3-10 unions for every office which is at every "junction" of a town; one for INTUC, one for CITU, one for DICKs, one for BJP and the rest for independents.
The List (Some illustrious ones are highlighted)
National
Action Council of State Employees and Teachers (probably for English Teachers)
Adhyapaka Service Sankhadana Aikyavedi (probably for Malayalam Teachers)
Adhyapaka Service Sankhadana Samara Samithi (mmm...??)
Akhila Kerala Government Ayurveda College Adhyapaka Sankhadana
All Kerala Attenders Association
All Kerala Dairy Forum Instructors Association
All Kerala Filaria Field Workers Federation
All Kerala Govt. Phychiatric Social Workers Association
All Kerala Librarians Association
All Kerala Private Aided Polytechnic College Lectures Association
All Kerala Public Health Nurses Association
All Kerala Qualified Health Inspectors' Association
All Kerala Rehabilitation Technicians Association
All Kerala School Teachers Union
All Kerala Trade Instructors & Tradesmen Organisation
All Kerala Typists & Stenographers' Association
Animal Husbandry Ministerial Staff Association
Animal Husbandry Officers' Association, Kerala
Archives Technical Staff Association - Kerala
Association of Agricultural Officers, Kerala
Association of Engineeres, Kerala
Association of Forest Gazetted Officers, Kerala
Association of Graduate Engineers
Association of Graduate Engineers of the Department of Industries & Commerce
Association of Kerala Govt. College Teachers
Association of Soil Conservation Officers
Ayurveda Pharmacists' Association
Democratic School Teachers' Association
Department of Physical Education Teachers Association
Deseeya Adhyapaka Parishath, Kerala (ahh...one for Hindi Teachers too!)
Divisional Accountants & Finance Officers Association
Electrical Inspectorate Engineers' Association
Employment Department Staff Union
Employment Officers' (Gazetted) Association
Engineer's Association of the Directorate of Factories and Boilers Kerala
Federation of Employees And Teachers Organisation
Federation of Executive Employees Organisation
Federation of State Employees and Teachers Front
Federation of State Employees Teachers Organisation
Government Commercial Institute Teachers Federation
Government Homoeopathic Medical College Nurses' Association
Government Hospital Nursing Assistants and Attenders Staff Association
Government Hospital Workers' Union
Government School Teachers' Union, Kerala
Government Sidda Medical Officers Association
High School Teachers' Association
Higher Secondary School Teachers' Association
HR & CE Employees Union
I.T.C. (S.C.D.D)
I.T.I Hostel Superintends Association
Indian System of Medicine Department Staff Association
Indian Veterinary Association, Kerala
Industrial Training Department Assistant Hostel Supdt's Association
Industrial Training Department Non-Technical Staff Association
Industries Extension Officers Association
Insurance Medical Services Staff Union, Kerala
Joint Council of State Service Organisations
Judicial Confidential Assistants (Civil & Criminal) Association
Kerala Academic Librarians Association
Kerala Advocate General's Department Staff Association
Kerala Agricultural Technical Staff Association
Kerala Agricultural University Employees' Union
Kerala Agriculture Department Staff Centre
Kerala Aided Higher Secondary Teachers Association
Kerala Aided School Last Grade Employees Union
Kerala Aided Vocational Higher Secondary School Lab Assistants Union
Kerala Animal Husbandry Department Ministerial Staff Association
Kerala Arabic Munshies Association
Kerala Archeological Technical Staff Association
Kerala Assembly Library Staff Association
Kerala Assistant Motor Vehicles Inspectors Association
Kerala Assistant Public Prosecutors Association
Kerala Civil Judicial Process Server's Association
Kerala Civil Judicial Staff Organisation
Kerala Civil Supplies Officers Association
Kerala Commercial Taxes Staff Association
Kerala Community Development Extension Officers' Association
Kerala Contingent Employees Federation
Kerala Criminal Judicial Staff Association
Kerala Departmental Sanskrit Teachers' Federation
Kerala Engineering Diploma Holders' Association
Kerala Engineering Staff Association
Kerala Factories and Boilers Officers Association
Kerala Finance Secretariat Staff Congress
Kerala Financial Assistants' Assocaiation
Kerala Fire Force Officers' Association
Kerala Fire Service Association
Kerala Fire Service Drivers & Mechanic Association
Kerala Forest Drivers Association
Kerala Forest Ministerial Staff Union
Kerala Forest Protective Staff Association
Kerala Forest Rangers' Association
Kerala Gazetted Officers Federation
Kerala Gazetted Officers' Association
(notice how one word can make a world of difference in "literate" Kerala!
Kerala Gazetted Officers' Sangh
Kerala Gazetted Officers' Union
Kerala Government Ayurveda Masseurs Association (New!!)
Kerala Government Presses Employees' Union
Kerala Government Agricultural Officers' Association
Kerala Government Ayurveda Graduate Medical Officers' Federation
Kerala Government Ayurveda Nurses Association
Kerala Government Blood Bank Technicians Association
Kerala Government Class IV Employees Union
Kerala Government Clinical Psychologists Association
Kerala Government Dental Hygienists Association
Kerala Government Dental Specialist Association (Doctor's not to be left behind!)
Kerala Government Diatecians Association
Kerala Government Drivers Association
Kerala Government Employees Union
Kerala Government Homoeo Employees Association
Kerala Government Homoeo Medical Officers' Association
Kerala Government Homoeo Pharmacists' Association
Kerala Government Hospital C.S.R. Technicians Association
Kerala Government Hospital Employees Association
Kerala Government Hospital Nursing Assistants and Attenders Staff Association
Kerala Government Laboratory Technicians Association
Kerala Government Medical College Junior Laboratory Assistants' Association
Kerala Government Medical Laboratory Technology Teachers Association
Kerala Government Medical Officers Association
Kerala Government Nurses Union
Kerala Government Optometrist Association
Kerala Government Pharmacist's Association
Kerala Government Presses Worker's Congress (INTUC)
Kerala Government Presses Workers Congress (INTUC-I) (coming soon - INTUC - DICKS)
Kerala Government Primary School Headmasters' Association
Kerala Government Public Health Nurses & Supervisor's Association
Kerala Government Qualified X-ray Technicians Association
Kerala Government Radiographers' Association
Kerala Government Secretariat Confidential Assistants' Association
Kerala Government Teachers Federation
Kerala Government Tourism Department Vehicle Staff Association
Kerala Govt. Physiotherapist (Leprosy) Association
Kerala Ground Water Department Technical Staff Association
Kerala Health Inspectors Union
Kerala Health Services Food Inspectors Association
Kerala Health Services Laboratory Technicians Association
Kerala Health Services Medical Record Employees Association
Kerala Higher Secondary Teachers Union
Kerala Hydrographic Survey Technical Staff Association
Kerala Industrial Training Department Technical Staff Organisation
Kerala Industries Training Department Technical Staff Organisation
Kerala Irrigation Engineers Association
Kerala Jail Executive Officers Association
Kerala Jail Subordinate Officers' Association
Kerala Labour Department Staff Union
Kerala Labour Officers Forum
Kerala Labour Officers' Association
Kerala Land Revenue Staff Association
Kerala Law Secretariat Association
Kerala Legal Metrology Department Staff Association
Kerala Legislature Secretariat Employees' Organisation
Kerala Legislature Secretariat Staff Association
Kerala Legislature Secretariat Staff Federation
Kerala Legislature Secretariat Staff Union
Kerala Leprosy Eradication Staff Association
Kerala Library Association
Kerala Live Stock Inspectors Association
Kerala Local Fund Audit Association
Kerala Motor Vehicles Department Gazetted Officers Association
Kerala Muncipal & Corporation Staff Sangh
Kerala Muncipal & Corporation Staff Union
Kerala Muncipal and Corporation Staff Association
Kerala Music College Teaching Staff Association
Kerala N.G.O. Centre
Kerala N.G.O. Sangh
Kerala N.G.O.Association
Kerala N.G.O.Front
Kerala N.G.O.Union
Kerala National Employment Service N.G.O. Association
Kerala Non-Teaching Staff Union
Kerala P.S.C Employees Union
Kerala Panchayat Employees Association
Kerala Panchayat Employees' Organisation
Kerala Panchayat Secretaries Association
Kerala Panchayat Secretaries' Union
Kerala Pharmacy Graduate Association
Kerala Police Association
Kerala Police Finger Print Staff Association
Kerala Police Officer's Association
Kerala Police Pensioners Welfare Association
Kerala Police Service Officer's Association
Kerala Port Technical Staff Association
Kerala Private College Employees Union
Kerala Private College Ministerial Staff Association
Kerala Private Primary HM's Association
Kerala Private School Physical Education Teachers Association
Kerala Private Secondary School Headmasters' Association
Kerala Private Teachers' Front ( Coming soon KPT Back?)
Kerala Public Service Commission Lower Grade Employees' Association
Kerala Public Service Commission Officers' Association
Kerala Public Service Commission Staff Association
Kerala PWD Electrical Wing Employees Association
Kerala PWD Electrical Wing Executive Employees Association
Kerala PWD Graduate Engineers' Association
Kerala PWD Mechanical Staff Union
Kerala Registration Staff Association
Kerala Retired Teachers Congress
Kerala Revenue Department Staff Association
Kerala School Teachers Association
Kerala School Teachers Union
Kerala Scientific Assistants Association
Kerala Secretariat Clerical Assistants and Attenders' Association
Kerala Secretariat Confidential Assistant's Association
Kerala Secretariat Employees Association
Kerala Secretariat Last Grade Officers Association
Kerala Secretariat N.G.O Association
Kerala Service Pensioners Organisation
Kerala Soil and Water Conservation Engineering Staff Federation
Kerala State Block Development Officers Association
Kerala State Citizen Welfare Forum (Finally!!)
Kerala State Common Pool Librarian's Association
Kerala State Drivers Union
Kerala State Drugs Testing Officers Association
Kerala State Engineering Diploma Holders' Union
Kerala State Excise Officers' Association
Kerala State Excise Staff Association
Kerala State Health Services Food Inspectors' Association
Kerala State Health Inspectors Association
Kerala State Health Transport and Equipment Technical Staff Association
Kerala State ICDS Supervisors Organisation
Kerala State Industrial Training Department Instructional Staff Association
Kerala State Industries Officers Association
Kerala State Matron's Association
Kerala State Pensioner's Sangh
Kerala State Physically Handicapped Employees Association
Kerala State Revenue Villageman Organisation
Kerala State Service Pensioners Association
Kerala State Service Pensioners Forum
Kerala State Service Pensioners' Union
Kerala State Siddha Pharmacist Association
Kerala State SLR Workers Front (KTUC - Jacob)
Kerala State Special Branch CID Ministerial Staff (NGO) Association
Kerala State Sports Council Coaches Association
Kerala State Teachers Centre
Kerala Survey Field Staff N.G.Os' Association
Kerala Treasury Staff Association
Kerala University Staff Union
Kerala Urdu Teachers' Association
Kerala Veterinary Surgeons Service Association
Kerala Village Extension Officer's Organisation
Lab Attenders & Assistants Association
Legislature Secretariat Reporters Association
Local Fund Audit Typist & Confidential Assistants' Association
P.S.C. Employees Association
Panchayat Engineering Staff Union, Kerala
Panchayat Sanitary Inspectors Union
Polytechnic Engineering Graduate Technicians Association
Pourasthya Bhaskshadyapaka Sankatana (That was a tough one!)
Private College Employees Sangh
Private Engineering College and Polytechnic Staff Union
Private School Graduate Teachers' Association
Private School Specialised Teachers Union
Private School Teachers' Association
Private School Vocational Lecturer's Association
PWD Staff Association
Registration Department's Officers Association
S.I.A.C.D (err..yes..them too)
Scheduled Caste Development Department Employees Association
Secretariat Pensioners' Welfare Association
Secretariat Staff Association
State Central Library Employees Association
State Central Library Staff Association
State Employees and Teachers Organisation
State Employees Union
State Planning Board Research Assistant's Association
State Planning Board Technical Officers Association
State Water Transport Department Drivers' Union
State Water Transport Department Employees' Federation
State Water Transport Department Station Masters Union
Stationery Department Staff Association
Survey & Land Records Gazetted Officers Association
Survey and Land Records Technical Staff Association
Technical Education Engineering Diploma Holder's Association
The Association of Dairy Officers
The Department of Economics & Statistics Gazetted Officers (Technical)
Association
The Kerala Collegiate Education Department Ministerial Staff Association
The Kerala Dairy Development Department Ministerial Staff Association
The Kerala Drugs Control (Non-gazetted) Staff Association
The Kerala Finance Secretariat Association
The Kerala N.C.C. Civilian Staff Association
The Kerala State Co-operative Inspectors' and Auditors' Association
The Kerala University Staff Association
The Steam and Motor Boat Crew Association (wow!!)
Town Planning Staff Association
Trained Public Health Nurses Association of Kerala (hope there is no untrained division!)
Village Man Staff Association
Vocational Higher Secondary Non-Vocational Lecturers' Association
Water Transport Employees Union
International (partial list only due to lack of space!)
kerala culture association of.British Columbia (canada)
True Light Fellowship, Calgary - Malayalee Christian Fellowship
Oxford Malayalee Club
Organization of Hindu Malayalees (OHM) of Southern California
Union of German Malayalee Associations (UGMA)
Federation of Kerala Associations in North America (FOKANA)
The World Malayalee Council (WMC)
Non Resident Kerala Associations
The Kerala Association Of Dallas
Malayalee Association of Greater Houston
Kerala Art and Literary Association of America (KALAA)
Mohanlal Fans Associations
Kerala Cricket Association
British Malayalee Community Association
All Malaysia Malayalee Association
Arena For Global Namboothiris Interaction
Kerala Samajam
Abu Dhabi Malayalee Samajam
Sungai Siput Malayalee Association
Kerala Internet Forum
Kerala Kerakarshaka Shakama Federation Ltd.
Kerala Master Printers Association (KMPA)
Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES)
Mumbai Malayalees
Muslim Educational Society (MES) Kuwait Unit
Student Federation of India (SFI) Kerala
Society for Biomaterials and Artificial Organs (India) - SBAOI
North Malaysia Malayalee Samajam
Missions India (Kerala Unit)
Singapore Kerala Association
Kerala Association of Washington
Atlanta Malayalees
cusat students union
Kerala Iyers.com - about Iyer community.
Kerala Samajam Frankfurt - cultural organization for malayalees living in and around Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Kerala Samajam Vienna
Keralafriends.com - site for kerala youths.
Malayalee Cultural Association - Calgary
Malayalees in Hyderabad
Noma
Non resident keralite
Westchester Malayalee Association - an Indian - American malayalee organisation at New Rochelle, NY.
Whew!!! I had to stop.. Believe me, there are more than ten thousand left!! And each of these groups have around 10-15 leaders, each trying to find a launch pad - the backing of a group of people that can assure him the much coveted panchayat seat or party ticket or m.l.a chair and so on.
Ok, now the exciting part..
Imagine having each one of these unions, councils and gangs, stage protests, dharnas, strikes, rallies and various other forms of attempted public attention capture, on a daily basis! Democracy..huh..
It is important for any progressive, educated or atleast cultured individual to follow a system to build a foundation and then grow - whether we are talking about a family, society, city, state or nation. We cannot have 100 people in a group following 100 different rules. There will be discontent, differences and dislikes, which are best sorted out in meaningful ways. There was an article in Economic Times a few months ago on similar lines where the author compared such a system to a company. Imagine a company like GE with tens of thousands of employees. And each one going about with their owned fancied ways. Multiply that a 1000 times over to know what the state of Kerala is.
When Phil Collins wrote this song, he should have been in front of the Kerala Secretariat in Trivandrum:
Oh think twice, it’s another day for You and me in paradise
Oh think twice, it’s just another day for you,
You and me in paradise
..Oh lord,
is there nothing more anybody can do...
Its all about hogging the limelight after all..
Read more!
Trivandrum, Jan 24: Functioning of government offices and schools in Kerala was affected as pro-Left employees and teachers today struck work protesting delay in revision of pay scales.
The UDF government dubbed the strike called by action council of pro-Left unions as "politically motivated" and applied dies non (no-work-no-pay) against the protestors.
Reports from across the state said the striking employees picketed offices and staged protest marches.
In some places they also prevented the employees who turned up to work. Police removed the protesters in many places.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Violence at AKTA meet, many hurt
Tuesday January 24 2006 11:22 IST
KANNUR: The district convention of the All Kerala Tailors Association (AKTA), which is considered a pro-CPM workers’ union, ended up in a violent clash engineered by a dissident group controlling the Kannur district unit of the union which has the explicit support of the CPM, here on Monday.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
RSS to organise 'Rashtra Raksha Sangamam' on Jan 26
Thiruvananthapuram: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) ''Rashtra Raksha Sangamam'' will be held here on January 26, with the aim to make the people aware of the country's ''security''. Addressing a news conference here on Monday, RSS Kerala Pranthakaryavah A.R. Mohan said the "Sangamam'' assumed importance as the extremist activities were on the rise in the country.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
It is another regular day in sunny God's Own Country. Strikes, marches, protests, speeches, clashes, threats, rallys (some days in cycles, scooters, autorickshaws even). All in a day's work here at Kerala.
It is so funny to see how people gang up in Kerala, sometimes to form the weirdest and strangest associations, and within no time split into splinter groups - one to two, two to four, four to eight and so on. A list of some "approved" and "listed" malayali associations are given below. Just imagine the number when you factor in the thousands of informal and unlisted groups, councils, unions and associations like Indrans Fans Association, Kovalam Palace Protection Council, Toddy Workers Union - which has a 8 storeyed massive office in Trivandrum for planning marches and attacks, Electricity Employees Unions - which has 3-10 unions for every office which is at every "junction" of a town; one for INTUC, one for CITU, one for DICKs, one for BJP and the rest for independents.
The List (Some illustrious ones are highlighted)
National
Action Council of State Employees and Teachers (probably for English Teachers)
Adhyapaka Service Sankhadana Aikyavedi (probably for Malayalam Teachers)
Adhyapaka Service Sankhadana Samara Samithi (mmm...??)
Akhila Kerala Government Ayurveda College Adhyapaka Sankhadana
All Kerala Attenders Association
All Kerala Dairy Forum Instructors Association
All Kerala Filaria Field Workers Federation
All Kerala Govt. Phychiatric Social Workers Association
All Kerala Librarians Association
All Kerala Private Aided Polytechnic College Lectures Association
All Kerala Public Health Nurses Association
All Kerala Qualified Health Inspectors' Association
All Kerala Rehabilitation Technicians Association
All Kerala School Teachers Union
All Kerala Trade Instructors & Tradesmen Organisation
All Kerala Typists & Stenographers' Association
Animal Husbandry Ministerial Staff Association
Animal Husbandry Officers' Association, Kerala
Archives Technical Staff Association - Kerala
Association of Agricultural Officers, Kerala
Association of Engineeres, Kerala
Association of Forest Gazetted Officers, Kerala
Association of Graduate Engineers
Association of Graduate Engineers of the Department of Industries & Commerce
Association of Kerala Govt. College Teachers
Association of Soil Conservation Officers
Ayurveda Pharmacists' Association
Democratic School Teachers' Association
Department of Physical Education Teachers Association
Deseeya Adhyapaka Parishath, Kerala (ahh...one for Hindi Teachers too!)
Divisional Accountants & Finance Officers Association
Electrical Inspectorate Engineers' Association
Employment Department Staff Union
Employment Officers' (Gazetted) Association
Engineer's Association of the Directorate of Factories and Boilers Kerala
Federation of Employees And Teachers Organisation
Federation of Executive Employees Organisation
Federation of State Employees and Teachers Front
Federation of State Employees Teachers Organisation
Government Commercial Institute Teachers Federation
Government Homoeopathic Medical College Nurses' Association
Government Hospital Nursing Assistants and Attenders Staff Association
Government Hospital Workers' Union
Government School Teachers' Union, Kerala
Government Sidda Medical Officers Association
High School Teachers' Association
Higher Secondary School Teachers' Association
HR & CE Employees Union
I.T.C. (S.C.D.D)
I.T.I Hostel Superintends Association
Indian System of Medicine Department Staff Association
Indian Veterinary Association, Kerala
Industrial Training Department Assistant Hostel Supdt's Association
Industrial Training Department Non-Technical Staff Association
Industries Extension Officers Association
Insurance Medical Services Staff Union, Kerala
Joint Council of State Service Organisations
Judicial Confidential Assistants (Civil & Criminal) Association
Kerala Academic Librarians Association
Kerala Advocate General's Department Staff Association
Kerala Agricultural Technical Staff Association
Kerala Agricultural University Employees' Union
Kerala Agriculture Department Staff Centre
Kerala Aided Higher Secondary Teachers Association
Kerala Aided School Last Grade Employees Union
Kerala Aided Vocational Higher Secondary School Lab Assistants Union
Kerala Animal Husbandry Department Ministerial Staff Association
Kerala Arabic Munshies Association
Kerala Archeological Technical Staff Association
Kerala Assembly Library Staff Association
Kerala Assistant Motor Vehicles Inspectors Association
Kerala Assistant Public Prosecutors Association
Kerala Civil Judicial Process Server's Association
Kerala Civil Judicial Staff Organisation
Kerala Civil Supplies Officers Association
Kerala Commercial Taxes Staff Association
Kerala Community Development Extension Officers' Association
Kerala Contingent Employees Federation
Kerala Criminal Judicial Staff Association
Kerala Departmental Sanskrit Teachers' Federation
Kerala Engineering Diploma Holders' Association
Kerala Engineering Staff Association
Kerala Factories and Boilers Officers Association
Kerala Finance Secretariat Staff Congress
Kerala Financial Assistants' Assocaiation
Kerala Fire Force Officers' Association
Kerala Fire Service Association
Kerala Fire Service Drivers & Mechanic Association
Kerala Forest Drivers Association
Kerala Forest Ministerial Staff Union
Kerala Forest Protective Staff Association
Kerala Forest Rangers' Association
Kerala Gazetted Officers Federation
Kerala Gazetted Officers' Association
(notice how one word can make a world of difference in "literate" Kerala!
Kerala Gazetted Officers' Sangh
Kerala Gazetted Officers' Union
Kerala Government Ayurveda Masseurs Association (New!!)
Kerala Government Presses Employees' Union
Kerala Government Agricultural Officers' Association
Kerala Government Ayurveda Graduate Medical Officers' Federation
Kerala Government Ayurveda Nurses Association
Kerala Government Blood Bank Technicians Association
Kerala Government Class IV Employees Union
Kerala Government Clinical Psychologists Association
Kerala Government Dental Hygienists Association
Kerala Government Dental Specialist Association (Doctor's not to be left behind!)
Kerala Government Diatecians Association
Kerala Government Drivers Association
Kerala Government Employees Union
Kerala Government Homoeo Employees Association
Kerala Government Homoeo Medical Officers' Association
Kerala Government Homoeo Pharmacists' Association
Kerala Government Hospital C.S.R. Technicians Association
Kerala Government Hospital Employees Association
Kerala Government Hospital Nursing Assistants and Attenders Staff Association
Kerala Government Laboratory Technicians Association
Kerala Government Medical College Junior Laboratory Assistants' Association
Kerala Government Medical Laboratory Technology Teachers Association
Kerala Government Medical Officers Association
Kerala Government Nurses Union
Kerala Government Optometrist Association
Kerala Government Pharmacist's Association
Kerala Government Presses Worker's Congress (INTUC)
Kerala Government Presses Workers Congress (INTUC-I) (coming soon - INTUC - DICKS)
Kerala Government Primary School Headmasters' Association
Kerala Government Public Health Nurses & Supervisor's Association
Kerala Government Qualified X-ray Technicians Association
Kerala Government Radiographers' Association
Kerala Government Secretariat Confidential Assistants' Association
Kerala Government Teachers Federation
Kerala Government Tourism Department Vehicle Staff Association
Kerala Govt. Physiotherapist (Leprosy) Association
Kerala Ground Water Department Technical Staff Association
Kerala Health Inspectors Union
Kerala Health Services Food Inspectors Association
Kerala Health Services Laboratory Technicians Association
Kerala Health Services Medical Record Employees Association
Kerala Higher Secondary Teachers Union
Kerala Hydrographic Survey Technical Staff Association
Kerala Industrial Training Department Technical Staff Organisation
Kerala Industries Training Department Technical Staff Organisation
Kerala Irrigation Engineers Association
Kerala Jail Executive Officers Association
Kerala Jail Subordinate Officers' Association
Kerala Labour Department Staff Union
Kerala Labour Officers Forum
Kerala Labour Officers' Association
Kerala Land Revenue Staff Association
Kerala Law Secretariat Association
Kerala Legal Metrology Department Staff Association
Kerala Legislature Secretariat Employees' Organisation
Kerala Legislature Secretariat Staff Association
Kerala Legislature Secretariat Staff Federation
Kerala Legislature Secretariat Staff Union
Kerala Leprosy Eradication Staff Association
Kerala Library Association
Kerala Live Stock Inspectors Association
Kerala Local Fund Audit Association
Kerala Motor Vehicles Department Gazetted Officers Association
Kerala Muncipal & Corporation Staff Sangh
Kerala Muncipal & Corporation Staff Union
Kerala Muncipal and Corporation Staff Association
Kerala Music College Teaching Staff Association
Kerala N.G.O. Centre
Kerala N.G.O. Sangh
Kerala N.G.O.Association
Kerala N.G.O.Front
Kerala N.G.O.Union
Kerala National Employment Service N.G.O. Association
Kerala Non-Teaching Staff Union
Kerala P.S.C Employees Union
Kerala Panchayat Employees Association
Kerala Panchayat Employees' Organisation
Kerala Panchayat Secretaries Association
Kerala Panchayat Secretaries' Union
Kerala Pharmacy Graduate Association
Kerala Police Association
Kerala Police Finger Print Staff Association
Kerala Police Officer's Association
Kerala Police Pensioners Welfare Association
Kerala Police Service Officer's Association
Kerala Port Technical Staff Association
Kerala Private College Employees Union
Kerala Private College Ministerial Staff Association
Kerala Private Primary HM's Association
Kerala Private School Physical Education Teachers Association
Kerala Private Secondary School Headmasters' Association
Kerala Private Teachers' Front ( Coming soon KPT Back?)
Kerala Public Service Commission Lower Grade Employees' Association
Kerala Public Service Commission Officers' Association
Kerala Public Service Commission Staff Association
Kerala PWD Electrical Wing Employees Association
Kerala PWD Electrical Wing Executive Employees Association
Kerala PWD Graduate Engineers' Association
Kerala PWD Mechanical Staff Union
Kerala Registration Staff Association
Kerala Retired Teachers Congress
Kerala Revenue Department Staff Association
Kerala School Teachers Association
Kerala School Teachers Union
Kerala Scientific Assistants Association
Kerala Secretariat Clerical Assistants and Attenders' Association
Kerala Secretariat Confidential Assistant's Association
Kerala Secretariat Employees Association
Kerala Secretariat Last Grade Officers Association
Kerala Secretariat N.G.O Association
Kerala Service Pensioners Organisation
Kerala Soil and Water Conservation Engineering Staff Federation
Kerala State Block Development Officers Association
Kerala State Citizen Welfare Forum (Finally!!)
Kerala State Common Pool Librarian's Association
Kerala State Drivers Union
Kerala State Drugs Testing Officers Association
Kerala State Engineering Diploma Holders' Union
Kerala State Excise Officers' Association
Kerala State Excise Staff Association
Kerala State Health Services Food Inspectors' Association
Kerala State Health Inspectors Association
Kerala State Health Transport and Equipment Technical Staff Association
Kerala State ICDS Supervisors Organisation
Kerala State Industrial Training Department Instructional Staff Association
Kerala State Industries Officers Association
Kerala State Matron's Association
Kerala State Pensioner's Sangh
Kerala State Physically Handicapped Employees Association
Kerala State Revenue Villageman Organisation
Kerala State Service Pensioners Association
Kerala State Service Pensioners Forum
Kerala State Service Pensioners' Union
Kerala State Siddha Pharmacist Association
Kerala State SLR Workers Front (KTUC - Jacob)
Kerala State Special Branch CID Ministerial Staff (NGO) Association
Kerala State Sports Council Coaches Association
Kerala State Teachers Centre
Kerala Survey Field Staff N.G.Os' Association
Kerala Treasury Staff Association
Kerala University Staff Union
Kerala Urdu Teachers' Association
Kerala Veterinary Surgeons Service Association
Kerala Village Extension Officer's Organisation
Lab Attenders & Assistants Association
Legislature Secretariat Reporters Association
Local Fund Audit Typist & Confidential Assistants' Association
P.S.C. Employees Association
Panchayat Engineering Staff Union, Kerala
Panchayat Sanitary Inspectors Union
Polytechnic Engineering Graduate Technicians Association
Pourasthya Bhaskshadyapaka Sankatana (That was a tough one!)
Private College Employees Sangh
Private Engineering College and Polytechnic Staff Union
Private School Graduate Teachers' Association
Private School Specialised Teachers Union
Private School Teachers' Association
Private School Vocational Lecturer's Association
PWD Staff Association
Registration Department's Officers Association
S.I.A.C.D (err..yes..them too)
Scheduled Caste Development Department Employees Association
Secretariat Pensioners' Welfare Association
Secretariat Staff Association
State Central Library Employees Association
State Central Library Staff Association
State Employees and Teachers Organisation
State Employees Union
State Planning Board Research Assistant's Association
State Planning Board Technical Officers Association
State Water Transport Department Drivers' Union
State Water Transport Department Employees' Federation
State Water Transport Department Station Masters Union
Stationery Department Staff Association
Survey & Land Records Gazetted Officers Association
Survey and Land Records Technical Staff Association
Technical Education Engineering Diploma Holder's Association
The Association of Dairy Officers
The Department of Economics & Statistics Gazetted Officers (Technical)
Association
The Kerala Collegiate Education Department Ministerial Staff Association
The Kerala Dairy Development Department Ministerial Staff Association
The Kerala Drugs Control (Non-gazetted) Staff Association
The Kerala Finance Secretariat Association
The Kerala N.C.C. Civilian Staff Association
The Kerala State Co-operative Inspectors' and Auditors' Association
The Kerala University Staff Association
The Steam and Motor Boat Crew Association (wow!!)
Town Planning Staff Association
Trained Public Health Nurses Association of Kerala (hope there is no untrained division!)
Village Man Staff Association
Vocational Higher Secondary Non-Vocational Lecturers' Association
Water Transport Employees Union
International (partial list only due to lack of space!)
kerala culture association of.British Columbia (canada)
True Light Fellowship, Calgary - Malayalee Christian Fellowship
Oxford Malayalee Club
Organization of Hindu Malayalees (OHM) of Southern California
Union of German Malayalee Associations (UGMA)
Federation of Kerala Associations in North America (FOKANA)
The World Malayalee Council (WMC)
Non Resident Kerala Associations
The Kerala Association Of Dallas
Malayalee Association of Greater Houston
Kerala Art and Literary Association of America (KALAA)
Mohanlal Fans Associations
Kerala Cricket Association
British Malayalee Community Association
All Malaysia Malayalee Association
Arena For Global Namboothiris Interaction
Kerala Samajam
Abu Dhabi Malayalee Samajam
Sungai Siput Malayalee Association
Kerala Internet Forum
Kerala Kerakarshaka Shakama Federation Ltd.
Kerala Master Printers Association (KMPA)
Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES)
Mumbai Malayalees
Muslim Educational Society (MES) Kuwait Unit
Student Federation of India (SFI) Kerala
Society for Biomaterials and Artificial Organs (India) - SBAOI
North Malaysia Malayalee Samajam
Missions India (Kerala Unit)
Singapore Kerala Association
Kerala Association of Washington
Atlanta Malayalees
cusat students union
Kerala Iyers.com - about Iyer community.
Kerala Samajam Frankfurt - cultural organization for malayalees living in and around Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Kerala Samajam Vienna
Keralafriends.com - site for kerala youths.
Malayalee Cultural Association - Calgary
Malayalees in Hyderabad
Noma
Non resident keralite
Westchester Malayalee Association - an Indian - American malayalee organisation at New Rochelle, NY.
Whew!!! I had to stop.. Believe me, there are more than ten thousand left!! And each of these groups have around 10-15 leaders, each trying to find a launch pad - the backing of a group of people that can assure him the much coveted panchayat seat or party ticket or m.l.a chair and so on.
Ok, now the exciting part..
Imagine having each one of these unions, councils and gangs, stage protests, dharnas, strikes, rallies and various other forms of attempted public attention capture, on a daily basis! Democracy..huh..
It is important for any progressive, educated or atleast cultured individual to follow a system to build a foundation and then grow - whether we are talking about a family, society, city, state or nation. We cannot have 100 people in a group following 100 different rules. There will be discontent, differences and dislikes, which are best sorted out in meaningful ways. There was an article in Economic Times a few months ago on similar lines where the author compared such a system to a company. Imagine a company like GE with tens of thousands of employees. And each one going about with their owned fancied ways. Multiply that a 1000 times over to know what the state of Kerala is.
When Phil Collins wrote this song, he should have been in front of the Kerala Secretariat in Trivandrum:
Oh think twice, it’s another day for You and me in paradise
Oh think twice, it’s just another day for you,
You and me in paradise
..Oh lord,
is there nothing more anybody can do...
Its all about hogging the limelight after all..
Read more!
Monday, January 23, 2006
Hybrid Era
"Uzhunnu Vada" or Black Lentil Doughnuts, authored by C.K. Meena is the latest, and a very interesting, take on the omnipresent Malayali diaspora.
Diaspora, according to the definition, is used "to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands; being dispersed throughout other parts of the world, and the ensuing developments in their dispersal and culture."
So who has created the Malayali diaspora? Who is still forcing and inducing malayalis to leave the state, and not come back?
I think we are constantly churning out batches of these desperate diasporas - at times reminds me of spores, flying in the air, looking for a safe place to land and grow!, sending them out of the state to find shelter, earn a living, learn something new, get a job and so on.
90% of the workers at the various construction sites in Kerala are from out of the state. The supervisors say these workers are their new-found assets as they worked very hard, without unions, without exorbitant "demands" and without false prestige. They said they were scared to employee malayalis as unions, strikes, notices, lock-outs etc came along with them.
Meanwhile, at a "bus-stand" close to the site, fellow brethren were busy ganging up to protest and demand the CM's resignation.
Read more!
Diaspora, according to the definition, is used "to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands; being dispersed throughout other parts of the world, and the ensuing developments in their dispersal and culture."
So who has created the Malayali diaspora? Who is still forcing and inducing malayalis to leave the state, and not come back?
I think we are constantly churning out batches of these desperate diasporas - at times reminds me of spores, flying in the air, looking for a safe place to land and grow!, sending them out of the state to find shelter, earn a living, learn something new, get a job and so on.
90% of the workers at the various construction sites in Kerala are from out of the state. The supervisors say these workers are their new-found assets as they worked very hard, without unions, without exorbitant "demands" and without false prestige. They said they were scared to employee malayalis as unions, strikes, notices, lock-outs etc came along with them.
Meanwhile, at a "bus-stand" close to the site, fellow brethren were busy ganging up to protest and demand the CM's resignation.
Read more!
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Non-Indian India
A "Collection Of Non Indian Thoughts" as described by Steve Hackbarth gives you a very outright and frank description of what is in store for anyone travelling across the country. His great humour sense, excellent writing, vivid descriptions and shock at various experiences and encounters makes for great reading.
There are some descriptions that allow us to laugh at ourselves, some which should make us wonder where we stand in the world as a nation, some shameful, some pitiful and others that should leave us proud. And I have to warn that some of the descriptions are very explicit and from a "foreigner"'s standpoint and should be seen only that way. Happy reading..
You can navigate from the Prev/Next buttons in the forward direction (click on 7).. There are over a hundred posts and should give you enough stuff for a day! Or if you directly want to go to his Kerala leg of the journey, join here.
Read more!
There are some descriptions that allow us to laugh at ourselves, some which should make us wonder where we stand in the world as a nation, some shameful, some pitiful and others that should leave us proud. And I have to warn that some of the descriptions are very explicit and from a "foreigner"'s standpoint and should be seen only that way. Happy reading..
You can navigate from the Prev/Next buttons in the forward direction (click on 7).. There are over a hundred posts and should give you enough stuff for a day! Or if you directly want to go to his Kerala leg of the journey, join here.
Read more!
Monday, January 09, 2006
Winds Of Change
>>>>>
Kerala CM to attend World Economic Forum
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 5 (PTI)
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy would attend the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland from Jan 25 to 29.It is the first time that a Chief Minister of Kerala is getting an opportunity to attend the Forum, an official press release here said.Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, Chief Ministers of Delhi and Rajasthan Sheela Dikshit and Vasundhare Raje Scindia would also attend the meet.Chief Ministers of states, which had provided efficient administration and created investment-friendly atmosphere in the states, had been invited for the meet, the release said.India and China have been given special focus in this year's Forum. PTI
>>>>>
Despite not getting much acknowledgement for his efforts from the people of Kerala, who have voted his party out in the last 3 elections, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is getting due recognition from the central ministry as well as the World Economic Forum. I think it is a big honor for the state that for the first time we are being represented at such an exclusive platform.
It is only after Chandy took office that there has been a development buzz across the state, and he has brought in investments worth over Rs.40,000 crores in just one year. I hope better sense prevails in Kerala in the coming assembly elections and people will realise that the state cannot survive without bringing in industries and investments and along with it job opportunities. People cannot only talk about next door events, watch movies, read newspapers, smoke beedies and yet be arrogant enough to consider everything in life to be granted.
In the next elections, we should all make sure that all eligible citizens of India vote including yourself, your folks, siblings, neighbours, friends and employees. One of the biggest flaws in the system currently is that people have stopped voting, particularly the educated people. In the end it is only the party fanatics and paid goons who cast vote and bring into power their pathetic masters. It is not right to say "whichever party comes it is the same" or "i am not bothered" about elections. In Kerala especially, the situation is perched very delicately, and the next government can make Kerala's future by taking advantage of the present investment potential and progressive initiatives by the current goverment, or break it and let it all go waste. As responsible citizens, it is our privilege and duty to cast the vote and share responsibility in the government. After all it is of the people, for the people and by the people :)
Read more!
Kerala CM to attend World Economic Forum
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 5 (PTI)
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy would attend the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland from Jan 25 to 29.It is the first time that a Chief Minister of Kerala is getting an opportunity to attend the Forum, an official press release here said.Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, Chief Ministers of Delhi and Rajasthan Sheela Dikshit and Vasundhare Raje Scindia would also attend the meet.Chief Ministers of states, which had provided efficient administration and created investment-friendly atmosphere in the states, had been invited for the meet, the release said.India and China have been given special focus in this year's Forum. PTI
>>>>>
Despite not getting much acknowledgement for his efforts from the people of Kerala, who have voted his party out in the last 3 elections, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is getting due recognition from the central ministry as well as the World Economic Forum. I think it is a big honor for the state that for the first time we are being represented at such an exclusive platform.
It is only after Chandy took office that there has been a development buzz across the state, and he has brought in investments worth over Rs.40,000 crores in just one year. I hope better sense prevails in Kerala in the coming assembly elections and people will realise that the state cannot survive without bringing in industries and investments and along with it job opportunities. People cannot only talk about next door events, watch movies, read newspapers, smoke beedies and yet be arrogant enough to consider everything in life to be granted.
In the next elections, we should all make sure that all eligible citizens of India vote including yourself, your folks, siblings, neighbours, friends and employees. One of the biggest flaws in the system currently is that people have stopped voting, particularly the educated people. In the end it is only the party fanatics and paid goons who cast vote and bring into power their pathetic masters. It is not right to say "whichever party comes it is the same" or "i am not bothered" about elections. In Kerala especially, the situation is perched very delicately, and the next government can make Kerala's future by taking advantage of the present investment potential and progressive initiatives by the current goverment, or break it and let it all go waste. As responsible citizens, it is our privilege and duty to cast the vote and share responsibility in the government. After all it is of the people, for the people and by the people :)
Read more!
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Rich Beggars
>>>>>
3 Kerala cities give Rs420m in alms
(PTI)8 January 2006
People in the three corporations — Trivandrum, Cochin and Kozhikode — give alms of over Rs42 crore a year says a recent study. A battalion of 3,000 beggars, majority of them children, collect over Rs11 lakh from these cities every day
Among the large number of beggars there is hardly any Keralites. They are mainly from southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and northern states like Rajasthan.
Cochin, the commercial hub of Kerala forks out Rs6 lakh daily for 1,500 beggars. It means the people in the city will have to raise Rs22 crore annually for giving alms. In Trivandrum, nearly 800 beggars earn Rs2 lakh every day and it works out to Rs9 crore a year. Kozhikode, the Malabar metro, gives Rs3 lakh to beggars every day which comes to over Rs11 crore annually.
>>>>>
Reminds me of a malayalam movie, in which the actor (Jagathy), starts his career as a street side beggar and graduates up the ladder - using a recorded begging message from a tape recorder, employing others to do the job and then finally operating from different cities.
An year ago, I put up a question on "Goodmorning Bangalore" with RJ Vasanthi (Radiocity FM 91 - Bangalore's best radio station), on whether one should/would provide alms to beggars on the city streets. By doing so, one is promoting the industry, encouraging more people to get into the industry and thereby creating a bigger problem. On the other hand there is always the question of compassion and care.
The consensus from Bangalore was that people should try and aid NGO's and support organisations that help rehabilitate beggars and the homeless, rather than directly pay the beggars. I havent heard of any such organisations existing in the cities of Kerala. With a 42 crore budget, it will be a very expensive "rehab" the industry people will be looking at as a trade-off to stop begging!
Read more!
3 Kerala cities give Rs420m in alms
(PTI)8 January 2006
People in the three corporations — Trivandrum, Cochin and Kozhikode — give alms of over Rs42 crore a year says a recent study. A battalion of 3,000 beggars, majority of them children, collect over Rs11 lakh from these cities every day
Among the large number of beggars there is hardly any Keralites. They are mainly from southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and northern states like Rajasthan.
Cochin, the commercial hub of Kerala forks out Rs6 lakh daily for 1,500 beggars. It means the people in the city will have to raise Rs22 crore annually for giving alms. In Trivandrum, nearly 800 beggars earn Rs2 lakh every day and it works out to Rs9 crore a year. Kozhikode, the Malabar metro, gives Rs3 lakh to beggars every day which comes to over Rs11 crore annually.
>>>>>
Reminds me of a malayalam movie, in which the actor (Jagathy), starts his career as a street side beggar and graduates up the ladder - using a recorded begging message from a tape recorder, employing others to do the job and then finally operating from different cities.
An year ago, I put up a question on "Goodmorning Bangalore" with RJ Vasanthi (Radiocity FM 91 - Bangalore's best radio station), on whether one should/would provide alms to beggars on the city streets. By doing so, one is promoting the industry, encouraging more people to get into the industry and thereby creating a bigger problem. On the other hand there is always the question of compassion and care.
The consensus from Bangalore was that people should try and aid NGO's and support organisations that help rehabilitate beggars and the homeless, rather than directly pay the beggars. I havent heard of any such organisations existing in the cities of Kerala. With a 42 crore budget, it will be a very expensive "rehab" the industry people will be looking at as a trade-off to stop begging!
Read more!
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