The Kozhikode Corportaion love plastics on the road....

Like in many other Indian cities, many people at Kozhikode have also been throwing their domestic waste including the plastics on the road. I guess the Corporation got fed up with this and decided to dump the plastics on the road themselves. Shocked?  Read on....

 Kerala is known for its greenery and scenic beauty. I am an ardent lover of its lush green landscapes. But, can you imagine having green roads in your city? We at Kozhikode will have the honour of travelling through green roads soon.

 In case you are wondering, a green road does not refer to a road with green surface. It is a road which uses plastic scraps as one of the raw materials. The Kozhikode Corporation has decided to use plastic scraps for the construction of road between the stadium and Puthiyara. This is the first time that a civic body is getting involved in such a process in Kerala.  One tonne of plastic scraps are being used in the process for the three and a half metre wide, 700m long road.

 The use of plastic scraps would make the road more durable and strong. The work is being done by Uralunkal Labour Contract Co-operative society (ULLC).  Last year, ULLC had used the technology for constructing a 1km long road at Vadakara.

 This is great news for environment lovers. I guess this could be the solution for the plastic menace. 

I would give you an update after riding through the green road as soon as it is ready.

The plight of my neighbour...

Yesterday’s terror attack at Lahore has once again demonstrated the chaos in Pakistan. I feel for the plight of Pakistani people. I wish Pakistan as a nation has the courage and the wisdom to mend its ways while it still can...

I had posted about the two important incidents that took place in the run up to the elections in Kerala.

http://dvnair.blogspot.com/2009/03/national-media-ignoring-critical-issues.html

The first incident is historic because this is a marked deviation from the policies of the CPI(M). A party which expelled one of its comrades M.V.Raghavan due to his suggestion of having an alliance with the Indian Union Muslim League(IUML) almost two decades ago has clearly taken a u-turn. In doing so, the party has abandoned the line of thought supported by the late E.M.S.Namboothiripad adopted in the 12^th Party Congress. It has also lend credence to the belief that the LDF Government in Kerala is going slow and soft on the anti-terror investigations prompted by the exposure of terror links in the state.

 The second incident is also significant because the CPI(M) state leadership acted in total disregard of the interests of the national leadership. This has once again shown Prakash Karat’s central leadership as ineffective and weak. This is also a rare occurrence in a party like the CPI(M).

 The ramifications of these incidents will unfold once the elections are over. I am afraid we Keralites will have plenty to worry about once the final act unfolds towards the latter half of current LDF Government’s tenure.

Delhi court creates history...

A session’s court in Delhi has created history by finishing the trial and giving the verdict on a murder case in just 7 days. This is a laudable achievement, one that needs to be followed by the courts across the nation.

The EC’s 'advise' to the BJP

The Election Commission has come out with an unprecedented 'advise', asking the BJP not to field Varun Gandhi in this election. It has found Varun guilty of making inflammatory, hate speech and hence the action.

 Without going into the debate about Varun Gandhi’s speech, I am of the opinion that the EC should not have given such an 'advise' to the BJP, or to any political party for that matter. It is the prerogative of the party to field whichever candidate it may want to. More importantly, in a democracy it is the prerogative of the people and the people alone to support or reject a particular candidate.  

 Equally important is the fact that the EC has never shown the courage to stand up to the parties that field candidates with proven criminal background. Even in this election, parties across the board are fielding candidates who would be more at home behind the bars than in the Parliament. These kinds of issues cannot and should not be dealt with arbitrarily.

 

Having said this, it would be interesting to know how the BJP would respond. I suspect the EC has unwittingly given the BJP an issue that could overshadow the hate speech debate.

The national media ignoring critical issues....

We Keralites often complain about the step-motherly treatment meted out to our little state by the Central Government. Even when all the twenty MPs from our state were supporting the UPA government, the trend didn’t change. Especially when it comes to the Railways, Kerala has never got even a fair hearing so far. To my dismay, I find that it is not only the government that is ignoring my state. It is the national media as well.

 

In the era of electronic media, I often feel that the main stream news channels often ignore the significant happenings in the Kerala politics. One has to remember that Kerala has always been a social and political laboratory. From the world’s first democratically elected Communist Government to the successful coalition politics, we have always been the pioneers for others to follow. In this context, the mainstream media has failed to grasp the importance of two happenings in Kerala, this election season.

1.  The dangerous game that the CPI(M)(read as its state general secretary Pinarayi Vjayan) is playing by choosing to accommodate Abdul Nasser Madani’s PDP in the LDF election rallies. Madani is suspected to have links with the terrorist activities which came to light when Muslim youths from Kerala were killed by the Indian Army at Jammu and Kashmir. His followers were also accused of various terror activities including the conspiracy to assassinate the former chief minister E.K.Nayanar.
   
2.  The overwhelming discontent among the constituents of the CPI(M) led LDF coalition. The RSP, CPI and Janata Dal(secular) have all been frustrated by the high handedness of CPI(M) and have expressed their feeling openly. We even had the best minister of Kerala cabinet, Mathew .T.Thomas of Janata Dal(secular) resigning from the cabinet as a token of protest. The other popular and efficient minister of the cabinet, M.K.Premachandran would have resigned if his party, the RSP had not changed its decision to withdraw from the state cabinet.
   

 

These two incidents are ominous, not only for Kerala but for the whole nation. The significance of these occurrences could form the content of another post.

 I feel the national media has failed to analyse and understand these incidents. As usual, they are too busy highlighting and debating the deeds and misdeeds of the BJP.  I agree that Mr. Varun Gandhi’s remarks are significant, but I don’t think all other issues should be simply ignored, especially since they involve issues which are much more critical to national security and national politics.

Sachin shows the way ....

Over the years, Sachin Tendulkar has done great service to the nation. He has thrilled us with his legendary cricket exploits and has been a source of inspiration for millions around the world. In the first test against New Zealand at Seddon Park, Sachin once again displayed his awesome talent.

 His 160 run innings will be remembered for a long time to come. He has made it all the more special by dedicating the innings to the cause of Tiger conservation. This would definitely be a big boost for the efforts to save the big cat. Sachin’s gesture would bring much needed attention and focus to the necessity to protect India’s national animal. Just like me, millions around the world would be gently, but effectively reminded about the fast dwindling count of the Tigers in this country.

 Just yesterday, I posted some thoughts on the political scene in the nation. Sachin’s gesture made me wonder whether any of our political parties or leaders has any action plan on issues such as climate change, the Tiger conservation, ground water conservation, forest conservation etc. I would be surprised if they do come up with any answers. India as a nation and we the people are yet to take these issues seriously. 

The politics of fear...

I am sorry, but I might disappoint you when I tell you that this post is not about the various types of fear that exists in the mind of a common man like you and me. But, this is about the fear that is evident among the political class of this great nation.

 I feel the political parties and their leaders are looking scared these days. No, it is not the fear of the fate that awaits them once the votes are counted after the upcoming general elections. Majority of our leaders are smart enough to align themselves with the winning side when the results are out. It is the fear of committing to any kind of ideology that I am thinking about.

 I would have expected the Congress and the Communists to come to me with the issue of Nuclear Agreement which caused such a din in the Parliament. The Congress could talk about the projects and plans that the UPA has undertaken in the last five years, the successful completion of which require a Congress led government at the centre.

 The opposition parties could have tried to exploit my anger by citing the utter inefficiency of the UPA government in handling issues that directly affected me. Issues like price rise, financial crisis, terrorism, job –loss and unemployment, so on and so forth.

 The politicians could try to woo me with realistic plans (not the idiotic 2rs/kg rice and free colour television, enticing as they are!!) for the development of this nation. They could tell me how they propose to increase the self reliance of Indian economy, globalisation notwithstanding.

 While I love to dance to the tune of Jai Ho, I would have preferred the grand old party and the rest to tell me what they plan to do to help the slumdwellers of this country. If some of us felt that a foreign director and a foreign production house cashed on the poverty and slime in our country, what do they feel about the party which ruled the country for almost 40 years cashing in on the popularity of the film? A typically hypocritical Congress party trying to rope in the child protagonists to campaign for the party is a sorry sight.

 The BJP seems to be in confusion about the ideological positions that they have to take in this election. They are not sure whether to play the Hindutva card or project a more inclusive image, especially since some of the key members of the NDA left the fold.

 As for the third front, it cannot even claim to have any ideology or vision other than to play the kingmaker in a hung parliament.

 The politics of appeasement has gone to such an extent that the parties are simply not confident of taking a bold stand on any issue for the fear of antagonising a few vote banks. So much so that the first and so far the only debate in the run up to the elections seems to be the one about Varun Gandhi’s speech.

 Whatever happened to the good old days of bold and decisive politics where the parties and the leaders were unambiguous and confident about the ideology that they stood for? Surely, we Indians deserve better.

Orphan’s Children.........

One of the earliest posts in this blog was about an injured dog abandoned by its owner in the streets of Kozhikode. Almost a year later, I come across similar reports almost daily in the news papers. There is a small difference though, this time around it is the old, helpless men and women who are being abandoned in the streets of God’ Own Country. Over the last one week, three such incidents have been reported from different parts of Kerala.

One fine morning, an old couple was found abandoned in the outskirts of Kozhikode. They were found in a roadside with a bed and some baggage. They were dumped at that spot by their kith and kin.

In another incident, the old parents were found outside their own locked home. They were living with their eldest son and family, who left for Bangaluru. While leaving, the son threw out his parents and locked the home. The old couple were found on the car porch of the home with no means of food and proper shelter. This happened in the outskirts of the metro city of Kochi. This couple had three children, all of whom are well educated and well employed.

Two days ago, a woman over 70 years old was found abandoned in the Kozhikode railway station. She was in the station for two days before somebody alerted the civic authorities.

Of course, this is not a new incident. Over the years, we have heard so many similar stories. And I suspect we would be hearing a lot more in the years to come. All the more disturbing is the fact that there have not been many responses to these incidents in the media, from the common man or from the elite political, social and religious think tanks.

The corollary is the story of abandoned children, those who yearn for the love and affection of their parents. The plight of the children of divorced parents is terrible.

I wonder where we are headed as a society. Is wealth generation the ultimate aim? How much wealth can buy you love and happiness? What price could you pay for a peaceful night’s sleep? What position and power can guard you when the tide turns?

For it is only a matter of time before you are called upon to pay for your deeds, not in the cross road between heaven and hell, but here in the world which is the arena of your own deeds and misdeeds.

I think it is time to invent a catchy phrase for the children who abandon their parents. I suggest the one given as the title of this post, Orphan’s Children.........

Attack on Sri Lankan cricket team – terror comes home in Pakistan

Over the last 25 years, Pakistan has provided safe haven for terrorist organisations that engaged in anti- India activities. In recent years, Pakistan itself has been the target of inhuman and dastardly terror attacks. Today’s attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team is the latest episode in a series of such incidents which include the attack on the Marriot hotel and the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

The world can no longer ignore the fact that Pakistan has become a failed state. The agreement between the Pakistani government and the Taliban in Swat region is an indication of things to come. It is only a matter of time before the present Pakistani government is de-stabilised completely. The failure of the government to ensure the safety of the visiting team, a team that showed courage and determination to go and play in place of India, is a national shame for the Zardari dispensation. It is a pity that the Pakistani civil society is too weak to challenge the extremist forces.

As India has been demanding all along, unless and until the terror infrastructure in Pakistan, especially in the Pak occupied Kashmir is dismantled there can be no peace and stability in the region.

India is heading to the general elections at a time when three of its neighbours, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have serious security problems. I am thankful that I live in a country which has strong rooted democratic system, albeit with certain flaws.