At Cross Roads

Year of big elections for the biggest democracy. Big elections imply Lok Sabha elections. In fact for keralites, there is panchayat elections for next year and assembly elections on ensuing year. Surely the tone of governance in the coming years will be set soon. In a way we always had choices but this time choices as well as issues have sort of multiplied. Aam Admi Party (Common Mans Party) is the new kid on the block. Many especially the learned ones and activists have flocked to this party to make a change. With the Delhi fiasco, the long term action plan / agenda will have to be set. There are actions to resurrect third front. I am not very enthusiastic though. The main coalitions (UPA & NDA) will fight it out for majority. Regional parties which are associates of either of the coalitions might polish some worn out local issues to trump up support. National agenda of sustainable development and having a long term plan as in the past takes a back seat. The optimist in me hopes for prudence to prevail so that all parties stay away from election gimmicks and agree upon certain bare minimum agenda for nation building. We do have talent, resources and capabilities. A political will power is one missing ingredient. May all of my fellow citizen get good choices for the elections and may the best come out of the elections to govern this ancient land of wisdom. On a personal front, I am also at cross roads personally as well as professionally. I guess getting into 'Naughty Forties' comes with this baggage. Peace and stability in the long term are major issues. Responsibilities towards earlier and new generation gets a hold on you. Professional growth is still of concern but i guess that might get dumped into back burner once we progress on the time scale in life beyond the present. Investment decisions especially connected with asset creation seems critical and important. In a decade, kids will move from schools to college. Education has surely become costly! Given the values inculcated into my generation, we as parents will not spare any avenue to impart better education to kids. I am hopeful (merely hopeful) that kids will realise some time or the other that parents did their bit. Alas i can't claim that i had been with them for long. My job had kept me away from most of the time. Initially in New Delhi, then in Vishakhapatnam and presently in Thiruvananthapuram. I am happy and thankful that I managed to come nearer with every move so far. The progress have been good - from visiting family once in a quarter to bi-weekly visits. Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu

All is well

Hmm, It had been quite tough on professional as well as personal side. But the tough gets going i guess. Off to New Delhi today(8th Sept 2013) for a training. Hope to reach back in Kerala for the impending Onam Season. Here is wishing you all Keralite friends a very happy Onam

Onam

Keralam celebrated Onam on 16th September this year (2013) Festivities were slightly dampened by rains but the grandiose scale in which this festival is celebrated were really attempted to everywhere in the state. It has been my first Onam after getting posted back to own state. There was lot of travel just before onam as i had to travel to Delhi/NOIDA. Took family to Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala which is also my workspace at present. This is the place where Onam gets ample support from Government. There were a lot of decorative lamps literally on every tree and establishment, a lot of cultural programs and lot of people on the streets! Braving the evening drizzle, there were family outing to Museum, Vellayambalam Junction, Palayam etc. We also gave participation to otherwise thin audience at Nishagandhi open air auditorium where various classical dances were being performed every evening. My kids enjoyed the shows, outings and grand onam sadya (lunch) on 16th. I am sure Onam is celebrated by each malayalee remembering the just king 'Mahabali' and the golden era of justice and equality. Having lived outside the home state for considerable chunk of my youth, i can assure you that 'pravasi' celebrations are nearer to the true meaning of this festival! Anyway it is nice to be home during the season & thats the reason why many of the Kerala diaspora make it a point to come home during this festival.

Dengue and Me

Hi friends I had been to places in India which are remote in the literal sense of the word. My friends who are from Kerala might not understand the word 'remote'.But i am sure that those of you who have been to northern parts of our country can feel the meaning better. Well, there is always a danger of falling sick (& helpless) whether you are in a city, town or a remote rural area. Generally when one gets into northern parts of India where climate swings to extreme ends, there is always a chance of falling prey to a communicable disease. Normally it is either Jaundice or chickenpox. I have been to various sections of India for the past 19 years starting from 1994 but never got into such an imbroglio. I hope you can imagine a situation where in you are alone and get into sickness. surprisingly, after my posting into Thiruvananthapuram, i somehow managed to break free from my record and fell prey to Dengue. 'Saalaa, Ek Machar Aadmi ko.....' Yes dengue is supposedly spread by day time mosquitos. My previous posting was near visakhapatnam which is coastal just like Kerala. There was Dengue fever lurking around for most of the time in the rainy season. Still it eluded/spared me! At the nip of things where a gettogether was being organised for the 20th anniversary of golden batch of CET (College of Engineering, Trivandrum where i graduated),I was under attack. Though i can't claim to belong the elite class of organisers (at least officially as per the documented photos) of that gettogether even though i was an early bird and some what active member of the core group, i was down on 5th july admitted to hospital. I managed to attend the function at college on 13th July but missed out all the fun at the poovar resort. Alas i was there for the dry run of the poovar function and booked tickets for my family too to join the fun. Everything had to be called off at the last moment. I am thankful for my batchmates who welcomed & appreciated my prescence at CET. I had a chance to see many of old mates face to face after a gap of decades. I hope to have similiar events in future. I must admit that i missed many of my hostel mates. Hope we can have yet another meeting in days to come.

Just to say Hi

It has been quite some time since i wrote anything on this blog. Well blame it on my laziness! After moving on to Thiruvananthapuram, i can travel to my family on the weekend. It is nice to be with kids et al. So free time has become scarce & that probably explains long absence of activity in these pages. Kerala along with its southern state counterparts are reeling in scorching sun. To add to the woes, there is shortage of water and electricity. Since power generation within kerala depends much on timely & abundant rains, problem of water and electricity are in a way connected. I am sure the government had already initiated steps for central aid.Hope some thing good comes up. Issues of water, I fear will have to wait till the onset of monsoon. I do hope that all those leaky pipes in drinking water supply system can get corrected in this lean (and mean) period. Since any sensible, environment conscious keralite can not allow any more pollution to mother earth, i can't foresee any solution to power crisis. I am glad to note that government is moving in the direction of harnessing non-conventional energy sources like Solar & Wind. Hope something solid comes up & gets completed. Transportation is another badly hit area. Nice to know that Kochi Metro and proposed mono rail systems in Kozhikode as well as Thiruvananthapuram gaining momentum. Read in news papers that path leading to Vallarpadom terminal completed dredging to increase the depth to above 14 meters. Vallarpadom can now receive bigger ships (Mother ships?). Once the "loading/unloading" issue is settled in long term perspective, we can earnestly hope that there will be hustle bustle activity there. Proposed Port at Vihzinjam is yet to gather required momentum. Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu