Mallus should be worried..

As days, months and years fly by, we the Mallus, are left stranded on the path to nowhere. The rulers and the public ignored the early warnings which could have prevented most of the major terror attacks that rocked this nation in recent years. Even now, when it is obvious that God’s own Country has fallen prey to Devil’s plans to annihilate India, we fail to take corrective measures. We leave too much to chance and are yet to wake up to the catastrophe that awaits us. The polity that successfully shielded the terror modules continue to reduce the various investigations into a mere farce focused on a highly controversial fundamentalist leader and his family. Everyone knows that the rut runs much deeper, a fact that is the main obstacle in the road to justice and national security.

Another disturbing aspect of Mallu life that is sure to blow up in coming months and years is our love-hate relationship with neighbour Tamil Nadu. Mullaperiyar issue has been dragging for far too long. It is a colossal failure on the part of judiciary as well that the issue is nowhere near a solution. One can only thank the Almighty that the old dam is holding on, though in a precarious position. Today, violence erupted in a border village in Trivandrum over the issue of collecting water for domestic purposes from a pipe that is inside TN territory. Vaiko has threatened to block all goods transport that comes into Kerala from Tamil Nadu if Kerala does not yield to TN stand on Mullaperiyar. That would indeed be a brilliant move, considering that wise Mallus have reduced themselves to a position where we are totally dependent on TN for food supplies. Mallu leaders are simply incapable of bargaining for Kerala’s demands unlike their counterparts from TN and other states.

Where will we be 50 years from now? Mallus should be worried...

Back to home town...

After an interval of over six years, I am back at my hometown Kochi. Another twist in the tale for me, and as my favourite star Mammootty said in the block buster Big B, “Kochi is not the old one. But, I am still the same old guy.”

The city is trying desperately to expand in all directions and is becoming more metropolitan in the process. While earlier the immigrants were limited to certain pockets and the heart of the city, these days we come across people from outside Kochi and Kerala at almost every small junction in Ernakulam district. The city is showcasing itself as “The most desirable residential address in Kerala”, which I don’t approve of. Still it is obvious that if you are in Kerala, Kochi is the place to be.

The traffic congestion has only gotten worse over the years and continued negligence by the civic authorities has ensured that mosquitoes, civic hygiene and waste disposal are worse than ever. The movie halls continue to test the patience of viewers with two or three power failures each show!! The promised bus stand is still to materialise and the LDF Government has successfully sent the Smart City Project to hibernation. Metro rail and other infrastructural projects that should have been implemented over a decade ago are still being debated, planned, re-planned, scrapped, and implemented?????

Just like me, Kochiites have also retained their skill to get used to any conditions and live on. They still manage to put on a smile where many others would have simply collapsed. Way to go dear Kochi....