Laughing stock.

For Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan and for some media stalwarts it is improper for CPM organ 'Desabhimani' to feature an advertisement by Chakku Radhakrishnan, an accused of abetting a company secretary's suicide. The contentious advertisement was appeared in  Desabhimani  in the Plenum day itself  and that arose the morality aspect of the party.

Nevertheless, all are concerned about the cost received by the daily for the advertisement. In all possibility  the fund transferred from the current account of "Chakku' and similar tainted persons is much higher than that needed for any.ad. Interestingly none is bothered about this aspect and thus the ad controversy has become a laughing stock. Thanks to Pannyan Raveendran or Binoy Vishwom this time for not putting CPM Plenum ceremony as an event management programme sponsored by some unscrupulous business men..

K A Solaman

Muzhappilangad Beach

Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach (4 km length)^[1] is a beach in the state of Kerala in southwestern India. It is located parallel to National Highway 66(formerly National Highway 17) between Kannur and Thalassery.

Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach

This beach is the largest Drive-In Beach in Asia . Even though Goa has many beautiful beaches, it does not have a Drive-in beach.

Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach Sunset

Sunset at Muzhappilangad Beach

The beach festival is celebrated in the month of April and it is one of the important tourist attraction in the district of Kannur in Kerala. The youth also try many driving stunts in cars like drifting and wheeling in bikes as this is a paradise for driving along the shore. Just 100m from this beach you would find a private island, which can be reached by walk at times of low tide.

There is an unpaved road winding through coconut groves leading to the beach. To get to this road, if you are driving from Tellicherry towards Kannur, take the left turn just before the first railway crossing you encounter after crossing the Moidu bridge. The beach is about 5 km long and curves in a wide area providing a good view of Kannur on the north. Local laws allow beachgoers to drive for a full 4 km directly on the sands of the beach. The beach is bordered by black rocks, which also protect it from the stronger currents of the ocean.

Approximately 100–200 m south of the beach there is a private island called Dharmadam Island (Pacha Thuruthu in Malayalam, which translates to Green Island in English). It is possible to walk to the island during low tide.

Since the late 90's, the beach has seen a steady influx of European tourists during winter. even though the beach has attracted many lucky visitors into her,a major share of foreign and domestic tourists are not aware of the potential of this elusive destination.it is a must see destination for Indians as well as foreign tourists.after the face lift of the beach there has been a huge improvement in the facilities available to the beach visitors including resorts roads etc.

The beach is very wide and the sand is firm so driving is very smooth unlike other beaches.

Comment : I was on this beach at 5.30am on 27-11-2013 for a walk. A very good experience! A must see place!

K A Solaman 

Mani's volt-face

 Kerala Congress (M) chairman and finance minister K.M. Mani’s overture for a joint campaign with the Left against Kasturirangan recommendations and  his subsequent appearance for a talk at CPM Plenum  show his desire for a short term Chief Ministerial birth. Nevertheless, this would not materialize as Opposition Leader has out rightly denied any compromise with Kerala Congress or Muslim League.  And even if Mani becomes successful in becoming CM, the already split Kerala Congress will come in open to join  the two fronts. If Mani joins with LDF, Joseph will remain with the UDF and the prospects Mani's son becoming MP from Kottayam for one more session would end up in despair.

Mani's talk at CPM Plenum also indicates the medicrocity of CPM for an unsavoury alliance with communal groups. The CPM ideology has become a pastime story as they seek support from communal fanatics who speaks about a foul ideology known as  "adhwaana varga sidhaantham". The founder father of this ideology doesn't even know what does it signify.

 KC (M)  return to the LDF fold is detrimental for both K M Mani group and the official faction of the CPM. Achuthanandan's ground support will increase with the latest decision and electoral prospects LDF with Pinarayi and Mani at the top, will be very dreary.

K A Solaman

Malicious campaign

Presently for political parties in Kerala, the notorious way to tarnish a leader is by alleging his involvement in a sex racket. The latest target in this direction is   Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation K.C. Venugopal. He, according to Opposition, is a ' Vaanibha Minister'. But actually he is a nightmare to all left leaders searching for berth in Lok Sabha from Alappuzha.  No doubt alleged sleaze video recording of him with Saritha Nair of the the 'solar scam' is a part of this malicious campaign.
Why those who possess  the video are unwilling to  hand over it to the authorities for investigation? When all except a few from both fronts are not 'saints' in sex work why is unwarranted campaign?
What is now going in Kerala is a blackmail politics and this should end.

-K A Solaman
The Deccan Chronicle, Kerala published on 29-11-2013

Anand is great!

It is saddening  for every Indian to see that the Viswanathan Anand has lost his Chess World title.  His vast experience was seen not much effective before Carlsen. Carlsen perhaps experienced  magnificent  Indian hospitality. Possibly  the match at home turf was a little discomfortable for Anand.  Despite his title loss, Anand will  remain the greatest visionary of sports much ahead of any other Indian.  He hit the Indian glory to a star with Chess.  He  deserves the Bharat Ratna award. 

The people of India congratulates Carlsen and at the same time they are all with Anand.

-K A Solaman

Greatest teaching of Christ forgotten.

"Forgive and be kind" is the greatest teaching of Jesus Christ. Seemingly the disciples of Christ viz., the Bishops of Thamarassery and Idukki have forgotten this. They are trying to stir up a revolt in the name of the Kasturirangan committee report and their words such as "blood bath" at western ghat  and growth of Naxalism in the area are highly provocative.

The statement of Thamarassery Bishop itself is against the pastoral letter issued by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference in 2012 which stressed the need for conserving nature.  The Cardinal and the higher Church authorities should interfere immediately to correct these bishops. It is the prime duty of christian clergies to lead laity in peace and never persuade them for any revolt against the Government and the Mother Nature.

K A Solaman 
The New Indian Express published on 23-11-2013 under the title "Pastoral Sins"

Is National Highway for waste dumping?

The highway NH 47 is seen as a place for waste dumping. The sides of this road  are occupied by wayside vendors, especially the fish vendors and they are polluting the entire street. The walkway is also obstructed by vendors and it is tough time for commuters to move through.  Despite the vendors have been warned against dumping of waste along the roadside, nothing appeared to deter them from doing so. The covered lorries which carry iced  fish boxes pour out  filthy water continuously to the  road itself and makes it very difficult for two wheelers and walkers to move along  the road.

The authorities are not caring to keep the road and walkway clean. There are a lot of encroachments  in the NH side but no action is seen to be taken  to clear it.. It is high time for authorities to look into the matter. The immediate requirement is not the  sixty metre wide highway but the available one suitable for free travel of vehicles and walkers.
K A Solaman
The Deccan Chronicle, Kerala Published on 22-11-2013

In extremely poor taste

 

At a recent panel discussion, Ranjit Sinha, while expressing his views on legalizing betting in sports, made a comment for which he was forced to apologize later. His view reflects poorly on the investigative agency which probes several high-profile cases and is held in high esteem in our country. Though he made the remark to drive home the point that it was better to legalize betting in sports if it cannot be fought effectively, using rape as an analogy for the same was in extremely poor taste.

Sinha has apologized for his remark and explained that he was only citing an “inadvertent and unintended” analogy while discussing his views on gambling and betting. The implication was that rape, like betting, was inevitable in any society. However, many leading women’s rights activists in the country remain unconvinced. The National Commission for Women, dissatisfied with Sinha’s tepid apology, has called for his resignation.

References to rape should not be made in an insensitive manner. They severely compromise the attempts the country is making to deal with sexual assault.

K.A. Solaman, Kerala

The Telegraph, Calcutta, dated Nov 19, 2013

Give more fund to science

I don't think that Prof.C N R  Rao has out rightly called all the politicians "idots".  He said a fact that money funded to the field of science is below par. At the same time Rao must understand that being a developing nation, India has other priorities such as providing drinking water to all, education to all, shelters to all and many. Spending 453 crore for Mars mission only for knowing the presence of water in it is no so enthusing.
Rao's comment attracted headlines because it wasjust after a day the country honored  him with Bharath Ratna.  It is true that the attitude of bureaucracy is a major handicap in the advancement of science in the country.
The political administrators can now think sanctioning more funds for the development of science.

K A Solaman

Poor man’s fish sardine.

A BPL card holder may get 1kg rice for Re 1, nevertheless he would not get one sardine for the same. The price of poor man’s fish has sky rocketed and its current price is Rs.140 a kg at way side vendors.  The  price spiralling is not only due to the export of sardine but due to the nexus of fish vendors. Fish vendors are now a mobile phone class and they collectively decide the price of sardine as it is done by merchants in the sale and purchase of gold.

Modern medical advances also helped sardine to obtain this high status as it is known to all that it is considered as one of the cheap sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. Unless the Matsyafed or the Civil Supplies Department do something to sell sardine at affordable price, the poor man will die on need of  essential nutrients.

K A Solaman

Indiscreet remark

I was taken aback to read about the remark made by no less a person than the CBI chief. How could he be so insensitive on a burning issue? Did the protests in Delhi have no impact?

K.A. Solaman, Alappuzha

The Hindu dated Nov 15, 2013

Life’s like that!

It is a quirk of fate that Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar Chief Minister, Central cabinet minister, IIM teacher and one-time hero of Indian youngsters, is now a gardener at Birsa Munda Central Jail in Hotwar. He earns Rs 14 a day and is apparently happy tending lawns, flower beds and vegetable patches. The job should help him deal with having eaten away the fodder of cattle.

K. A. Solaman, Alappuzha

The Hindu Business Line, Nov 5, 2013

Illegal gold.

The latest report of raid in connection with the arrest of two women from Karipur airport with 6 kg of gold in their possession reveals that the incident is not an odd one. It is one of the series of attempts to smuggle gold to Kerala. Possibly the gold now sold in many of the jewellery shops are not legitimate. The arrest of Nabeel, the prime accused in the case,  his association with film stars and the stars appearing for gold shop ads, point that the racket is not a diminutive one. And  without the backing of gold merchants all these gold cannot be sold out.
Interestingly the photo of Nabeel along with a super star aired by a channel vanished immediately after the first telecast.  The agency investigating the possible links of  the gold smuggling racket may be forced not to disclose the name of the super star and the gold dealer associated with him.

Gold smuggling has caused huge loss to the state exchequer. And at the same time gold purchased and owned by many clients is not genuine.

K A Solaman

CBI head trivializing rape

Now only one understood the the significance of Guwahati HC ruling to abandon the CBI. The person like director Ranjit Sinha on the top of CBI makes it an unnecessary body and an agency to revert the cultural values of the country.

Sinha, one coming out in support of legalizing betting in sports, said, "If there are lotteries in states, if we can have casinos in tourist resorts and if government can declare schemes for voluntary disclosure of black money, what is the harm if we legalize betting?"

He added, "Above all, do we have the enforcement agencies? If you can't enforce it, it is like you can't prevent rape, enjoy it. It is better to legalize it and earn some revenue rather than throwing up your hands."

The head of country's crime investigating agency  trivializing rape is a bolt on country's psyche.

K A Solaman

Split and grow KC

Split and grow-that is the motto of Kerala Congress party. The singer minister P J Joseph is in no mood for a new song even if Chandralekha invites him for a duet.  A split is likely to arise in the party. This crisis was not created because of the adamant stand of christian clergies but of the loose tongue of party's Vice-Chairman P C George. The Joseph faction needs George to be ousted from chief whip post. With no end to the crisis at the expert panel the Joseph group is going all out with their demands. After the tough job handling Shwetha Menon,  this is yet another major issue in the offing for Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to resolve. Truly as Yogam Secretary said, Oommen Chandy plays role of 'Snake Velayudhan".

Francis George of the Joseph faction openly said he would not continue in the party. He also warned that he would be forced to quit from the party if P C George is not removed from the chief whip post.

As Mangalyaan orbit expanded, Oommen Chandy will soon expand the UDF with more constituent parties, one being the Joseph group Kerala Congress!

K A Solaman

Shocking Haiyan

It is shocking to hear that the super typhoon Haiyan had  destroyed entire towns across the Philippines and  believed to have killed more than 10,000 people. Certainly,  as authorities put, it is that  country's deadliest natural disaster.

Phillippines seems to be a most vulnerable island nation in the world which is regularly battered by Cyclones. The people there, though accustomed to such furies of nature, cannot help but to suffer the heavy loss of life and property regularly.   Let us hope all Nations come forward to lend a helping hand to the Philippines. One wonders why there were no meteorological warnings to the people. The underground places could have, of course, saved many lives from typhoon, but no such escape has been reported.

When a  similar catastrophe was experienced recently in India's east coast and south central areas, the loss of lives were minimal with near perfect advance warnings. Thousands of lives of poor fishermen in coastal areas were saved by shifting them to safe camps. Perhaps the small size of the island country prevents an escape from fast running typhoon.  It hoped that Philippines would soon recover from the trauma caused by Haiyan.  

K A Solaman 
The Deccan Chronicle, Kerala, published on 12-11-2013

Aadhaar ruling.

The Supreme Court ruling on Aadhaar is a big blow to the Government. The money used for the project could have been used to provide drinking water in backward and tribal areas.

When people have a voter ID card, PAN card, ration card, what was the need for yet another card? Some people have started getting LPG subsidy via Aadhaar-linked bank account. What about those who have not procured their Aadhaar card?

K.A. Solaman, Kerala

The Hindu Business Line, Sept 24, 2013

Miss Universe 2013

Miss Universe 2013 Gabriela Isler, from Venezuela,
-K A solaman

Ommen Chandy's poser

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy'  question to CPM that who would be held responsible for the huge financial loss to the State in the SNC-Lavalin deal following the discharge of the accused persons in the case, is pertinent. The Malabar Cancer Centre at Thalassery had been promised Rs. 100 crore aid through the deal, but the centre had not received the assistance. The reason for this has to be probed and those responsible for it were answerable to the people.

The CAG, the Vigilance department and the CBI have found corruption in tune with Rs 374 crore in the  Lavalin deal. And the CBI court dismissing the case without proper trial is conspicuous. How can a court exonerate the guilty persons involved in the case when the court itself is not an investigating agency? The court has not done any proper trial.

It is also interesting to see the Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan, who accused Pinarayi as the number one involved in the case, backtracking under the assumption that the CBI lower court verdict is final.

K A Solaman   

Quirk of fate for Lalu Prasad Yadav

It is a quirk of fate that  Lalu Prasad Yadav,   the former  Bihar Chief Minister, the  Central cabinet Minister,  the IIM teacher and one time hero of Indian youngsters,  is now a gardener at  Birsa Munda Central Jail in Hotwar.  He earns Rs 14 a day for gardening and is apparently happy with tending lawns, flower beds and vegetable patches at the Jail.

The job of gardener is much suited him as his feeling of guilt for having eaten away the fodder of cattle could be repented by farming fodder. If he was a milkman instead of gardener the cattle would have knocked him away with their back legs. The Harvard Business School Lecturer would no longer be an invitee there.

K A Solaman

Exaggerated incident for two day ‘blah-blah’

In the Swetha Menon-Kurup incident at Kollam word molestation is being freely used.  Molestation is a statutory offense which causes another person to engage in an unwanted sexual act by force or threat. In Swetha Menon’s case what kind of force or threat has been made by Kurup before the public, is unknown. The incident was a matter of two day long ‘blah-blah’ for the channels and it would continue. I think the news reporters and the debaters consider molestation as a different subject. Touching whether intentionally or accidentally are taken up as molestation, what should be the name given to serious sexual offences ?

 Now, coming to the incident, this actor is becoming more and more a social nuisance of late. Having no major project in her kitty she demands all the sort of notoriety.  And that begins from her ‘Kamasuthra’ ad to Kollam incident via  Kalimannu cinema.  I see too much exaggeration in the whole incident.  As a popular politician of Kollam with common man’s attire Mr Kurup is a nightmare to his rivals. And hence  the conspiracy from some corners to blemish him cannot be ruled out.

K A Solaman