A land setting with
the sun
The southernmost tip of India is inhabited
by Malayalees who are the residents of the state of Kerala. This is the land
described by authors as Gods own country, a state known for its natural beauty
and thick vegetation not to forget the Scenario of mountains, streams and lakes
that crisscross the state.
Here is a state that is ahead of
all others in the country as the most literate state in India. Yet this is the
state that has not known industrialization. The argumentative and highly
political animal that the malayalee is, often leads to skirmishes of the mind
which translates to a physical form forcing entrepreneurs to close shop and leave.
It is well known that the average malayalee eats, drinks, sleeps and thinks
politics.
This results in able bodied males
and females finding employment in other states in India or is termed as NRI
(Non Resident Indians) by virtue of working overseas. They happily go about
doing jobs which they abhor as a community in their own land. Such is the state
of affairs that the state is swarmed by people from northern states that are
employed as farm hands and construction workers or even for menial jobs even
while the local population does the same work but in a foreign land.
This is also a land where public
opinions are divided on political lines. The political parties are so vocal
that they organise strikes and closures the moment the ruling party sneezes.
The malayalee is probably born into a political party, no excuse is too small
to organise protests and marches. The malayalee would fondly participate in
strikes and gheraos knowing fully well that he has nothing to lose, as the state’s
economy thrives on external factors and he himself will have to consign himself
to these external forces at some point in time.
The moment he crosses the
physical boundaries of the state he willingly submits to the rules and laws of
that particular state or country and all his political instincts are frozen.
Like the ‘touch me not plant’ that folds up the moment it is touched the
malayalee recedes into a shell to wriggle out once he touches base again in his
home state.
They are not willing to organize
into self-help groups who can put pressure on the administration to sort things
out, but will fall into line during a politically organised march. The state of
roads in Kerala is such a pity, people die every day due to a negligent government
not willing to work on the roads. This is not something new; it is the same
story for the last fifty years or so. In fact some roads in the interiors and
in relatively upscale villages are straight out of the ‘Stone Age’ literally.
No one, political group is to be blame s for this; the state remains the same
irrespective of who rules.
On the other extreme even as this
piece is being written, the opposition is planning to bring the state and its
functioning to a halt because they want the Head of the state to resign for
trivial reasons and will not allow a democratically elected government to work.
The atmosphere is so politically charged that in spite of good intent a
government is unable to deliver, but the malayalee does not mind this as long
as his political beliefs are nurtured through these kinds of stoppages, strikes
and protests.
No wonder the state, touted as a
front line state is happily setting along with the sunset as overall
development is nobody’s agenda and the malayalee is not willing to risk his
neck keeping party policies and politics aside even for a short time.
Robin Varghese
August 8, 2013
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