On Saturday the twenty ninth of January happened the official inauguration of Better Kochi Response Group (BKRG). BKRG is a group consisting of discerning Kochi-ites from various vocations. Having been very successful in their professions, the variety of expertise of the group is phenomenal. There are doctors, architects, journalists, chartered accountants, advocates, town planners, former civil servants, teachers, entrepreneurs, bankers, consultants and similar professionals in BKRG. Currently it is small group of about twenty five people. The group has been meeting for more than two years now. The objective of the group is to help Kochi become a world class city by improving its infrastructure and other facilities by bringing in cohesion between various governmental agencies who are working at it and make available its expertise to find better solutions for every day problems being faced by Kochi-ites. The ultimate goal of BKRG is to have a better Kochi for all of us, the inmates and for the travellers.
Architect Gopakumar, a well known Kochi socialite is the brain behind the group. Having seen Kochi from very close quarters for more than four decades, he understands the maladies of the city not only as a citizen but also as a visionary architect. Having worked under a colossal personality such as Sir Charles Correah, it is no surprise that this man is always brimming with wonderful innovative ideas to resolve the city’s infrastructure frustrations. Among many other personalities, yours truly also is a member of the group (the Charter Secretary at that).
The group had taken up many projects at the right earnest. The Vyttila Mobile habitat project is one of the major projects that it had associated from the genesis. South Over bridge widening, Public toilets, Bus shelters, Road signage, Water transport, Biogas plants for solid waste management etc. are some other initiatives that the group is actively pursuing. Being part of it, one really gets enamoured by the sheer bureaucracy that prevails in the working (or not working!) of the government departments in coordinating the activities. Having seen it all, one remembers the ‘doha’ of Sant Kabeer; “Dheere Dheere re mana, Dheere sab kuch hoi” (Oh mind, go slow please, for everything happens very slowly only). It is sure, in Kochi nothing can get created all of a sudden, it can only be evolved that too very slowly, slower than anywhere else in the country!
Coming back to the inauguration function, the inauguration was done by Prof. K V Thomas who is not only our Member of Parliament, but also a Union Minister. One must say he is a genuine person concerned about the progress of the city. Others who graced the occasion are the worshipful Mayor or the city and her Deputy. It is no mean task to be the Mayor and Deputy of the deeply corrupt Corporation of Cochin. To add to that, there is the ego of the individuals that acts as the bane for city’s progress.
Among others, the comments of two Public Sector CEOs who spoke at the occasion require merit and immediate attention. Mr. Ramachandran, the Chairman of Cochin Port Trust warned the attendees about the vehicular traffic challenges that the city and state would face when the International Transhipment terminal will come alive at Vallarpadom in the coming four years. Imagine six thousand huge container trucks moving out of the terminal every day! (It can create traffic jam till Coimbatore from Cochin, with the current highway infrastructure!)
The Chairman of Cochin Shipyard Ltd spoke about the aversion that Malayali particularly Kochi-ite has to Water. Not only that we are wasting all the rain water we receive but also we hardly put to use the inland water ways that we have in the form of rivers and backwaters for transportation, he said. If we use the water transport, the traffic of Cochin can be brought down by fifty percent, he opined. How true he is! Yes, while Malayali is averse to water, he is so fond of the other water (the inebriating one) to the extent that we are the largest per capita consumers of the same in the country!
Surprisingly, a function like this which was organised for the city’s welfare and progress, was least covered by the press and media. And herein lies the irony. When the press and media thinks that it is their (selfish) agenda to work for the welfare of the city, and as fourth estate, it is their bounden duty to be the flag bearers of city’s progress, how can they bear the idea of a small bunch of people (howsoever experienced or eminent they are) coming together to work for it?……………….
Un-digestible and really un-acceptable for them, is it not? It looks as if it is their raison d’etre for Kochi to remain as it is!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
INDIAN PADMA AWARDS - HOW GENUINE ARE THEY?
The announcement of Padma Awards prior to the Indian Republic day has its own usual share of controversies behind it. It is nothing new. However it requires some debate if its importance and relevance need to be carried forward further.
The newspapers questioned the selection of a hotelier who had figured in the Padma Bhushan category. In fact he had five criminal cases against him in the past of which, three got dropped by the agencies in the middle of investigation (!) and in the other two, the courts acquitted him. And he receives the third highest civilian honour of the country! I guess he is close to the chief executive of the country for I had seen him asserting the same when his hotel was inaugurated in Cochin.
Then there is this businessman of Kerala who profess that business is charity for him and the company. In his business vertical, there had been many doyens who, in addition to doing business the ethical way, had also done plenty of charity. They did not qualify but our man did because he was very vociferous about it, not to mention about his connections with the people associated with the party chief of the biggest political party in India.
I know about an eminent person who, after having won the Padma Shri is now managing the power that be, for getting the Padma Bhushan. To this effect he is now into some ‘visible’ activities that would give him sufficient score to get it!
We now read about a world champion in an even of sports, who had written to all and sundry including Mr. Rahul Gandhi MP about the humiliation meted out to him, by not considering him even for a Padma Shri! He may have a point regarding the selection criteria but asking for a Padma Award as he had done, seems the height of it. I am sure there are many more deserving cases who never got it, right?
Two famous Ayurvedic physician of traditional yore from Kerala got selected together for Padma Bhushan this year. I am sure it must have been tough decision for the mandarins of Cultural ministry to make, for they are used taking favours from both Ayurvedic houses for their wellness treatment. So instead of selecting one and disappointing the other, it was decided to give the award to both! What a win-win situation!
And then there is this Pravasi whose full page advertisement hit the newspapers on the very next day of the announcement of the awards of him being selected for the Padma Awards (much before him getting it from the President of India! can there not be a slip between the cup and the lip?). It is an open secret in the state of the millions that he spent on politician belonging to the ruling party to get the Pravasi award, a couple of years back. This route could also be none other!
I have read about a senior bureaucrat of the state government being revered by the cultural and social leaders of the country, particularly those resident in Delhi. It is a fact that he had long stint in the Centre at the Cultural Ministry and its was his department that sat thru the Padma decisions for many years. The cultural & social mafia loved him so much that they gave him such a fantastic farewell when he reverted to his home cadre on promotion!
A friend of mine who is a farmer based at Palghat, who had done some very innovative agricultural practises, to the extent of getting GIS patents and Awards from Agricultural ministry, out of sheer curiosity once asked me in passing as to how Padma awards are decided. Maybe in the back of the mind he may have this desire to own one. But poor him, doesn’t he realise that Padma Awards are not meant for poor humble farmers!
So, what is the sanctity of Padma Awards? Is it a sham show? Or is it half genuine and half nepotic? Should it be continued? Is it right for some visible ones to receive it and other deserving people to get ignored? Should the authorities tighten the selection criteria by having a re-look at it?
There are many questions. Will they ever get answered?
The newspapers questioned the selection of a hotelier who had figured in the Padma Bhushan category. In fact he had five criminal cases against him in the past of which, three got dropped by the agencies in the middle of investigation (!) and in the other two, the courts acquitted him. And he receives the third highest civilian honour of the country! I guess he is close to the chief executive of the country for I had seen him asserting the same when his hotel was inaugurated in Cochin.
Then there is this businessman of Kerala who profess that business is charity for him and the company. In his business vertical, there had been many doyens who, in addition to doing business the ethical way, had also done plenty of charity. They did not qualify but our man did because he was very vociferous about it, not to mention about his connections with the people associated with the party chief of the biggest political party in India.
I know about an eminent person who, after having won the Padma Shri is now managing the power that be, for getting the Padma Bhushan. To this effect he is now into some ‘visible’ activities that would give him sufficient score to get it!
We now read about a world champion in an even of sports, who had written to all and sundry including Mr. Rahul Gandhi MP about the humiliation meted out to him, by not considering him even for a Padma Shri! He may have a point regarding the selection criteria but asking for a Padma Award as he had done, seems the height of it. I am sure there are many more deserving cases who never got it, right?
Two famous Ayurvedic physician of traditional yore from Kerala got selected together for Padma Bhushan this year. I am sure it must have been tough decision for the mandarins of Cultural ministry to make, for they are used taking favours from both Ayurvedic houses for their wellness treatment. So instead of selecting one and disappointing the other, it was decided to give the award to both! What a win-win situation!
And then there is this Pravasi whose full page advertisement hit the newspapers on the very next day of the announcement of the awards of him being selected for the Padma Awards (much before him getting it from the President of India! can there not be a slip between the cup and the lip?). It is an open secret in the state of the millions that he spent on politician belonging to the ruling party to get the Pravasi award, a couple of years back. This route could also be none other!
I have read about a senior bureaucrat of the state government being revered by the cultural and social leaders of the country, particularly those resident in Delhi. It is a fact that he had long stint in the Centre at the Cultural Ministry and its was his department that sat thru the Padma decisions for many years. The cultural & social mafia loved him so much that they gave him such a fantastic farewell when he reverted to his home cadre on promotion!
A friend of mine who is a farmer based at Palghat, who had done some very innovative agricultural practises, to the extent of getting GIS patents and Awards from Agricultural ministry, out of sheer curiosity once asked me in passing as to how Padma awards are decided. Maybe in the back of the mind he may have this desire to own one. But poor him, doesn’t he realise that Padma Awards are not meant for poor humble farmers!
So, what is the sanctity of Padma Awards? Is it a sham show? Or is it half genuine and half nepotic? Should it be continued? Is it right for some visible ones to receive it and other deserving people to get ignored? Should the authorities tighten the selection criteria by having a re-look at it?
There are many questions. Will they ever get answered?
Friday, January 1, 2010
NEW YEAR MUSING
How time flies! The year 2009 is gone. One feels it was just yesterday that we welcomed it, soon to be gone. Twelve months went by like twelve minutes. Time moves so fast, really.
By the end of every year, one just wants it to go by. Seldom will you find anyone who doesn’t want to bid adieu to the year going by. And with lots of expectations, he looks forward to the New Year. He indeed celebrates its arrival, of course, with fond hopes. It is another matter that the year that he bid adieu was the year that he welcomed sometimes back with plenty of fanfare. Truly, herein lies the contrast of life.
World over the Year 2009 was a difficult one. The global meltdown showed its highest intensity in the year. To add to that, there were sufficient violence, terrorism, accidents & deaths. The world didn’t soften a wee bit last year. It was trying times indeed for majority of its inhabitants!
Into the fag end of the Year 2009 was the Copenhagen summit. It was one event leaders of every country were involved, one way or the other. The Western front, spearheaded by the host country of Denmark, drafted very strict laws on carbon emission to be promulgated and put to effect during the summit for every nation to adhere to it. Nations headed by China and India resisted it due to the simple reason that all these laws were forced being put to effect due to the carelessness and irresponsibility of the very developed nations during yester years in the matters of carbon emission, global warming and Ozone depletion. It is indeed confounding to find who is right and who is not. End of the day, the summit really did not succeed in its endeavors. So, there could be another time and another place to continue the debate on and arrive at decisions that concern the future of mankind.
How would one rate Year 2009, good, bad or ugly? It simply was not a good year and stood somewhere between bad and ugly. A very eminently forgettable year that it was.
It is in such junctures that the expectations on the coming year really go up. Therefore, every body is looking forward to the Year 2010 to be a glorious one. On matters of Economy, Environment and Peace, every one wishes the year to make profound positive changes for the betterment of mankind. Let us just hope the Year 2010 delivers!
While I have been receiving many email and SMS wishes from yesterday onwards, the first phone call of the new year day to wish me well came from a good friend of mine for long. While the pleasantries were exchanged, he very casually said that this year would be good for me. I then reiterated that it better be and thanked him for the wish. It was then that he realized that he REALLY predicted that this year is going to be good for me. Then he added that simply because it just came out of his mouth as a very innocuous statement, the year would indeed be good to me. ‘Let your tongue be golden’, I sincerely wished him in return.
On that profound hope let me end this post. Like last year, this year too would fly by. I am sure I would get the time to review it in the end.
Let the time reveal what is in store.
By the end of every year, one just wants it to go by. Seldom will you find anyone who doesn’t want to bid adieu to the year going by. And with lots of expectations, he looks forward to the New Year. He indeed celebrates its arrival, of course, with fond hopes. It is another matter that the year that he bid adieu was the year that he welcomed sometimes back with plenty of fanfare. Truly, herein lies the contrast of life.
World over the Year 2009 was a difficult one. The global meltdown showed its highest intensity in the year. To add to that, there were sufficient violence, terrorism, accidents & deaths. The world didn’t soften a wee bit last year. It was trying times indeed for majority of its inhabitants!
Into the fag end of the Year 2009 was the Copenhagen summit. It was one event leaders of every country were involved, one way or the other. The Western front, spearheaded by the host country of Denmark, drafted very strict laws on carbon emission to be promulgated and put to effect during the summit for every nation to adhere to it. Nations headed by China and India resisted it due to the simple reason that all these laws were forced being put to effect due to the carelessness and irresponsibility of the very developed nations during yester years in the matters of carbon emission, global warming and Ozone depletion. It is indeed confounding to find who is right and who is not. End of the day, the summit really did not succeed in its endeavors. So, there could be another time and another place to continue the debate on and arrive at decisions that concern the future of mankind.
How would one rate Year 2009, good, bad or ugly? It simply was not a good year and stood somewhere between bad and ugly. A very eminently forgettable year that it was.
It is in such junctures that the expectations on the coming year really go up. Therefore, every body is looking forward to the Year 2010 to be a glorious one. On matters of Economy, Environment and Peace, every one wishes the year to make profound positive changes for the betterment of mankind. Let us just hope the Year 2010 delivers!
While I have been receiving many email and SMS wishes from yesterday onwards, the first phone call of the new year day to wish me well came from a good friend of mine for long. While the pleasantries were exchanged, he very casually said that this year would be good for me. I then reiterated that it better be and thanked him for the wish. It was then that he realized that he REALLY predicted that this year is going to be good for me. Then he added that simply because it just came out of his mouth as a very innocuous statement, the year would indeed be good to me. ‘Let your tongue be golden’, I sincerely wished him in return.
On that profound hope let me end this post. Like last year, this year too would fly by. I am sure I would get the time to review it in the end.
Let the time reveal what is in store.
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