Monkey play

Clients are played mere monkeys by cell phone providers. For instance look at the mobile number 911408899533. I received a call from this mobile number asking a question of the sort " What are you doing now?" In fact I was then attending case registered with CDRF against a cell phone company. When came out of the court and called   back  I received a reply " seems that you have wrongly dialed the number, check the number". As it was a return call there was no need for checking the number.

Actually the cell phone provider was playing  with the patience of the customer. This should end. Who authorised the cell phone company to do all the monkey play? Once a customer receives a call he/she has all the right for a return inquiry. Denial of that right is an infringement on consumer right. Do the TRAI or any other  authority hear this?

-K A Solaman

A different Indian History

Seemingly history will not repeat first as a tragedy and then as a comedy. Instead  it may change. After making public 64 files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose , WB Chief Minister Mamta Banerji will now declassify all files on the creation of East Pakistan during British Raj. If any thing new is found in these files rewriting of Indian  history can not be ruled out .

Likewise Congress leader Anil Sastri  asked in a channel discussion to publish the papers related to the death of his PM  father Lal Bahadur Sastri  in Tashkent , Russia on January 10 , 1966. Anil Sastri's mother had also doubt about the dubious death of her husband. If these papers bear some unknown truths the future history of India will be a little different from the present .

- K   A  Solaman

Bad police

The Kerala police should stop killing people by way of helmet check. The death of Sanju at Nalanchira, Thiruvananthapuram is not the first of its kind. The police intention is not to check traffic offence but to collect money for the state exchequer and also for their personal use.. This should end. The government should depute police for useful jobs other than this day time robbery.

The authorities should look into the number of deaths due to police high handedness in Kerala and what the police is doing in other states. Here for the police  the only duty is the traffic check and that even violating the directives of the police chief. Very bad.

-K A Solaman

tree

Kerala two-wheeler riders are a desperate lot

The two-wheeler association initiative  to battle legally against the Kerala HC directive making helmet compulsory for pillion rider, is in the right direction. The death on roads is not mainly due to non-use of helmets but of the heavy traffic and also the pathetic condition of the roads. Helmets of poor standard never protect head and accident deaths could occur due to damages of other parts of the human body too.

The undue concern about the life and death of two wheelers alone is seemingly doubtful when helmets are sold like fish by road side vendors. Unlike in TN or other states in Kerala road users are a desperate  lot who are heavily levied  for the smooth going  of government machinery. This  should end. The responsibility of protecting one's head should be transferred to the concerned person.

K A Solaman

SNDP party

Innumerable political parties in Kerala are augmented by one more with the inception of SNDP party. Party general secretary and other office bearers will be none other than  Vellappally's family members. What this party is going to gain will be evident with the outcome of next election to the local bodies. Most probably this party will end up with the fate of erstwhile SRP if it sticks to its only agenda of communal  appeasement .

K A Solaman

Not a big news

It is not a big news to hear that the CPM veteran V S Achuthandan returns to the state committee of the party. Unlike others he is the only mass leader to be placed in the Politburo of the party especially in the eve of the formation of a new party headed by SNDP Yogam secretary. In fact most of the cadres of CPM are from Ezhava community, and  Achuthanandan, though not right to put him  under the label of any community, could easily  avert the dangers posed by Vellappally's party.

Political parties on the basis of communal identity are potential threats to the religious harmony of the state and it is good to see that some  leaders of the CPM and Congress, though late, have identified it.

K A Solaman

Overhaul Kerala school examination system

How flawed the school examination system, is evident from the leakage of question papers for Onam examination. The question papers were leaked in Wayanad and Malappuram districts. While the Hindi question paper for Class X got leaked at Thomattuchal HSS coming under Vythiri educational district in Wayanad, the physics question paper for Class IX was reportedly leaked in Malappuram.

Fifteen or twenty years back there were no such news of question paper leakage for Onam or Christmas examinations. The question papers were prepared by teachers of each school and answer scripts were valued by them to assess the progress of the students. Later teachers of certain organisations started to prepare question papersand distributed in schools in the guise of uniformity. In fact there were no uniformity and the teachers often score out questions from such papers and the students were assessed with their own questions. Very soon the question paper printing has become a profit making business and the papers used for it appeared as if it is made from cow dung, not to show before any learned person. Soon this business became nasty but the alternative suggested by the Education department has also failed.

So it would be better for the government not to interfere in the conduct of Onam or Christmas examinations. Instead conduct the final examinations with all its importance and the assessment should be done carefully. Because our education system needs an overhaul otherwise the state schools would turn out into factories making idiots who are unable to write or count.

K A Solaman

Stupid auction

Bizarre are the people's desire to own antique or fancy items. These fancy items  may sometimes include Napoleon's tooth, Hitler' hair or Madonna's bra. Several thousand dollars are spent for acquiring these things just because of curiosity and for  getting easy fame. Latest in this regard is the auction of luncheon menu of the first class passengers  abroad the ill-fated Titanic ship. The menu included  grilled mutton chops, custard pudding, corned beef, fried potatoes, buffet of fish,  beef and cheeses.

The crew of the existing passenger ships that are likely to sink in future can also try this menu. Why can't those funny guys running after such stupid auctions could spend a little for the starving millions of the world over.

 K A Solaman

Paid news of IQ test

The criteria for IQ test may vary from time to time and from place to place. The Britain form of IQ test is different from that of German. The test series in this computer age may be quite different from that of hundred years back. The report about  a 12-year old girl in the UK with Kerala  roots  achieving the highest score of 162 on a Mensa test outwitting Einstein and Hawing, appears paid.

In the report there is no reference about the appearance of Einstein and Hawking in the Mensa test and it appears as a tricky way of girl's father to take her to the lime light.

 Let the girl find something really wonderful to outwit Einstein and Hawking.

K A S olaman

Historic class by Prez

It was a historic event for President Sri Pranab Kumar Mukherjee  to do a Kalam on the eve of the teachers day. The function of teacher is not primarily that of filling students with knowledge but guiding and helping them to progress towards maximum growth. Mukherjee's lecture on political science to high school students at the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, may be the first time that a sitting President deigned to teach school children and it is a welcome one.

 However, in most cases teachers have been left aside by politicians while the education policy is drafted.. The degradation of standard and moral value among students is due to the undue influence of outside agencies in educational institutions. If education is treated as something above mere business then only the teachers are revered by students. Otherwise all the praising of teachers will end up as one day drill signifying zilch.

Happy teachers’ day!

K A Solaman

Shun Violence, Be Creative

What is happening now in thecolleges in the state is sheer vandalism. The heads of these institutions are helpless to check this rot. The latest example in this regard is the killing of a girl student atCollege of Engineering Trivandrum. The college washosting the Onam celebrations and that too without the permission of the principal. How can a college conduct Onam celebrations without the permission of the authority? The college management owes an explanation for permitting ajeep lacking valid papers inside the campus. The whole episode reveals the need for occasional check inside the campus by the police and that too without informing the college authority. No college will be permitted to become havens for criminals. Immediate decision will be taken to implement strict directions for the conduct of all college celebrations.

-K A Solaman
The New Indian Express Dated 31 Aug 2015

Sun

Cow is an animal!

Raja Sabha MP and SP leader Munawar Saleem demands nationwide ban on cow slaughter saying that "cow is our mother". Cow may be his biological mother but not of rest of Indians. Cow meat is a cheap food supplement for crores  of poor people in India and any move towards outright ban on cow slaughter is ridiculous and should be condemned.

Saleem's demand is based on religious sentiments but remember that all cows are not Hindus. There are Christian, Muslim,  Sikh etc cows, I mean cows grown by people of other religions.  They can be killed and eaten. And hence more beef fests are the need of the hour.

-K A Solaman 

End exploitation

End exploitation

All the time the mobile phone providers are cheating the public. More gullible are the uneducated people. As cell phone has become an unavoidable gadget many people are exploited by hidden charges. This I say not because of my bad experience with Vodafone or MTS but the complaints flooded in grievance redressal forums. Most of the complaints are not well addressed as the TRAI and other agencies are least bothered to answer consumer complaints.

If a consumer directly quarrels with cell phone office employees he is soon compensated for the loss. This indicates the non- transparency of their dealing. The companies often send messages and calls but customers are not able to reply. As one tries reply he gets the message " This number does not exist". This should end. The companies should be asked to stop one way communication. If they send message they have the obligation to hear the reply.
The government should immediately take action to end the exploitation by cell phone companies. The grievance redrassal mechanism should be made more meaningful.

-K A Solaman

Happy Onam, Happy Hartal!

No bandh, no hartal, that is the court order.  But today's (Sept2)general strike is not less than a total bandh. No traffic, no school-college functioning , no public or private offices opened, all public examinations postponed and all shops and establishments closed. This is what is called bandh. Today also there is no difference. So it seems funny to see the banning of bandh.

Politicians say, though one can  hardly differentiate,   bandh and strike are unavoidable in democracy to represent citizens' displeasure towards the government. So the drill continues unabated despite innumerable court verdicts. In this context I think the best way to contain this hartal menace is six months imprisonment for the hartal caller.

In Kerala people are in Onam festive mood and they got Monday as working day for availing bottles and  snacks for extending festival for one day more. Happy Onam, happy hartal!

K A Solaman

Vellappally’s U-turn

Now only political parties in Kerala understood the true colour of SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan. He said that his SNDP would not align with any political party in the state. All the karimeen fry and tender coconut water consumed by all political leaders from Kanichukulangara House have turned out to be of no use. Political leaders in Kerala were wooing Vellappally all the time and now they are thinking of a path free from the habitation of Vellappally. And that in one aspect is very significant for lessening communal hatred.

Vellapally hitting out at Opposition leader V.S Achuthanandan by saying the latter is only reading the notes prepared by upper caste comrades at AKG Centre, is unwarranted.

K A Solaman