Hassan's revelation

Let bygones be bygones- forget and forgive the past, is a much acclaimed motto. But for KPCC President M M Hassan, it is not that much acceptable. In an abrupt revelation he said Congress leader A K Antony had strongly opposed the party’s move to remove then Chief Minister K Karunakaran from the post over the ISRO spy case. He said Karunakaran should have been given an opportunity to complete his term and he regrets having stood against Karunakaran.

May be, the very reason for Hassan to come against Oommen Chandy, who stood strongly against Karunakaran then, is the present tie-up of Karunakaran's son Muraleedharan with Chandy. A foul play of the sort would save his presidentship in the State Congress, Hassan thinks.

K A Solaman

Parting shot

The Supreme Court's directive to establish courts in all states and Union territories to assess and collect compensation for damage caused to public property during hartals is welcome. Court verdicts on hartals are often overlooked. If rules for the prevention of damage to public property were strictly enforced, victims could directly claim compensation from the culprits.

K.A. Solaman,
Alappuzha, Kerala
The Telegraph, Calcutta
Dec 20, 2017

Corrupt country, corrupt people

Former telecom minister A Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi are now happy. They  were  acquitted by a special court in the 2G spectrum scam case. Not only they, fifteen other accused in the case and three companies were also acquitted.

2G scam came to light almost seven years ago when India's auditing agency Comptroller and Auditor General  in a report held then Telecom Minister A Raja responsible for causing the state exchequer a loss of  Rs. 176000 crore  by allocating 2G spectrum licenses at throwaway prices. But,  the court found that the prosecution failed to prove the charges. Then, who is responsible for this huge loss?  If none is found guilty it  is the fate of India to remain as one of the most corrupt countries in the world where criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, abusing official position, and criminal misconduct have enough space to flourish.

K A Solaman

Snake eating its tail

DGP Jacob Thomas was once.a hero for many with his public appearance as a crusader against all sorts of corruption. His first and foremost target was to end corruption among IAS babus. But all his attempts have backfired. It is now the turn for Jacob Thomas to face enquiry against corruption. Chief Minister has issued direction to register a criminal case against him.

Thomas has erred by writing his autobiography without obtaining prior approval from the government. The enquiry, therefore, comes as a two sided. weapon, first as a police enquiry and second as a departmental action. Thomas' book 'Sravukalku Oppam Neenthumpol'  (Swimming with the Sharks) containing. serious violation of discipline and service rules, has become costly to himself.

It is interesting  to see that rule violation by Thomas would result in two years imprisonment or fine or both. A snake eating its own tail is what happening among Kerala bureaucrats.

K A Solaman

Right decision

The senior CPI leader K E Ismail was playing an Achuthanandan  of CPM with his discordant comment in connection with the CPI Ministers’ cabinet meet boycott over Thomas Chandy issue. Seemingly  Ismail’s’ public statement was a gross violation of party discipline.

Everyone knows KE Ismail was a candidate for a kill against Kanam Rajendran in the secretary election but he was outrightly rejected by the party. In the Thomas Chandy episode CPI got an added advantage and hence Ismail's  statement went on the wrong foot. So, in this connection CPI decision to take action against Ismail is in the right direction.

K A Salaman

Needed social audit

The Kerala government decision to introduce ten percent reservation for the economically backward among forward communities in appointments to Devaswom boards, is an impringement in the constitutional rights of the minority communities. This is seemingly a conspicuous attempt to take over reservation in other departments too. In this context SNDP. KPMS, KLCA and other organisations of backward  communities should come forward to fight against the wrong policy of the  government.

What doesthe Constitution of India  guarantee is caste-based and not economic reservation. As social justice is still in peril it is unjust on the part of LDF government not to consider
backwardness of dalit communities.
Economic reservation is against the constitutional provisions of reservation and hence  before making any decision in this direction government should conduct a social audit.

K A Solaman

Last minute drill

The connecting links against Dileep in the actor abduction case available with the police is apparently fragile. That is why the police failed to submit the charge sheet before the court till date.The Special Investigation Team is in a desperate bid to collect more evidence. The police team making last minute  interrogation of  actor Dileep reads in this direction. The police may be of notion that Dileep himself will hand over to them a sealed cover containing all the evidences against him.

Seemingly, summoning Dileep to the Police Club and watching his old numbers is a pastime for the police. The interrogation drill will continue.

K A Solaman

Unfortunate act by IMA

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had the history  of supporting nurses and they had earlier demanded private hospital managements and the State government to revise the pay and service conditions of nurses. Nevertheless, when it comes to striking nurses of Cherthala KVM hospital they are deadly against nurses. The reason is obvious. The manager of the hospital is a doctor who is a member of IMA. As the member doctor is the prime accused in nurses strike IMA has no option other than to support the doctor. Instead of asking the
management to ensure  the pay of the nursing staff and their working hours  as per government stipulation they took an obnoxious stand.

The IMA that stood always for the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act in hospitals coming against Cherthala KVM nurses, is unfortunate. 
K A Solaman

Highly judicious

The Kerala High Court, once again reiterating its ban on political strikes in educational institutions, has given direct warning to all and sundry who openly criticise its initial order. The court has categorically said it is not about banning students politics but about strikes inside  the campus. However, misinterpreting this,even national leaders  find it as a golden opportunity to openly criticise the court.

It is true that educational institutions are for studies. Several students through participation in politics start indiscipline in colleges. Most of the students for these activities are rusticated from educational interests. Many politicians are dragging the students in hartals and  strikes for their interests, which in turn spoil students lives. In that point the present court observation is highly judicious.

K A Solaman

Denouncing Taj Mahal!

Rewriting history is not all good for BJP or any other political party. BJP leader Sangeet Som saying that Taj Mahal is a "blot" on Indian culture is a misquote. In fact, the Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.  Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore has described it as "the tear-drop on the cheek of time".  It is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal Architecture and a symbol of India's rich history.  It now presently values 5280 crore rupees ard  attracts 7–8 million visitors a year. In 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders.

In that case  Uttar Pradesh government removing the Taj Mahal from the list of attractions in its tourism booklet, is idiotic. Many people are disappointed because of Taj Mahal is being removed from the UP tourism booklet. BJP MLA Som  has no right to distort history. Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to utter non-sense

K A Solaman

Sea cleaning mission

The sea cleaning mission ‘Suchithwa Sagaram’  launched by Minister Mercykutty Amma is a novel gesture. The waste plastic collection started  at Neendakara and Sakthikulangara regions extending to Kochi, Alappuzha, Kozhikode coasts, is also welcome.

The waste plastic  could be crushed and used  for road construction and for that an immediate co-ordination between various departments is needed. The mission gives awareness to fishermen to do away with the practice of throwing plastic kits to the sea. The boat owners getting 2000 sacks to collect the waste from sea is an added attraction.

And if this mission is extended to land also more and more people will come forward to collect plastic wastes. Carry bags, milk packets and sacks are available in plenty at school-college compounds, markets, worship places, festival sites, and road sides. If they get a reasonable price also for plastic waste more people will collect and sell it.

K A Solaman

War of words crossing limit

BJP led 'Jana Raksha Yatra’ is a desperate bid by the party to fish out in troubled waters In the state. BJP Chief Amit Shah, who was once barred by the Supreme Court from entering his own state, is now seemingly tries to make trouble in the communal- political frame work of the state. With BJP yatra the peaceful political atmosphere has been disrupted. There are reports of  clash between warring groups from all parts of the state.

More disgustig is the provocative outbursts of certain party leaders opposing BJP. CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said Amit Shah was scared to walk through Pinarayi. Is Pinarayi town a hell unsuitable to walk for a national leader with Z-plus security? For BJP leaders Shah is a lion and for opponents he is a lion without teeth.

The war of words between BJP leaders and their detractors crossed all limits.

K A Solaman

Prakash Raj agenda

Of late TN cine actors are playing petty politics. Latest entry in this direction is popular actor Prakash Raj. To win accolades he takes on Prime Minister Modi. Prakash Raj had criticised Modi’s silence on those  celebrating the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh.

Now it is time for all and sundry actors to target PM Modi. There are no lesser leaders for them to hurl abuses. Actor Raj has shown his political immaturity with his statement. The actors with poor personal life are incapable to attract the faith of ordinary people.

Raj can continue acting in films but he is not able to do anything good in politics.

K A Solaman

Stenchy gesture

Tourism Minister Alphons Kannanthanam taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for 'Swachhta hi Seva' is a good gesture but he wiping  paan and gutkha stained walls with bare hands is a very poor show.   Handling filth with bare hands  invites  the risk of certain contageous diseseas. In addition, it gives wrong notion to students taking part in Swachchata hi-Seva. To remove stain, filth and waste one has to invariably use brush, gloves and shovel.

Keep India clean slogan is a laudable one and should be welcomed. However, the gimmicks like cleaning filth with bare hands and minister's staff putting filth in advance enabling him to clear it with bare hands, are intolerable. If minister Kannanthanam  wants to see real filth, keep open his eyes while occassionally passing through NH 66 in Kerala. The entire road-side is piled up.with waste by vendors. In Kerala fish vendors have abandoned fish market for quite long and assembled on highways making the entire reach filthy and stenchy

K A Solaman

Solar Scam Report

The Solar Comission report regarding the solar scam was handed over to the Chief Minister. This detailed report was welcomed by former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and prime accused Saritha S  Nair. Hopefully, this report will 
meet the same fate of oblivion like the previous ones in the history of Kerala.

The Commission told, the Chief Minister would reveal the details of the report. This will unlikely to happen. As the Vengara poll is in the offing, the CM may reveal some silly stuff from the report and not anything serious. Oommen Chandy is a clever man and if Pinarayi dares to reveal anything serious against, Chandy will open his suitcase to verify photos, CDs, pen drives and what else, to keep mouth of his adversaries shut.

Certain media publishing the photo footage of Oommen chandy and Saritha S Nair with equal importance is highly interesting.

K A Solaman

Kannanthanam funny

A London returned preist while addressing local people in Alappuzha coastal area once said: The children of London are beautiful like red apple and not like these wormy children sitting here. The trouble then started was amicably settled by an immediate apology by the priest.

Likewise Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam speaks non-sense in Odisha and corrects  in Kerala saying it was a joke cracked by him there. Kannanthanam said that his comments made in Odisha on beef was meant to be funny and not meant to be on record. According to him when good beef is available in foreign countries, there is no need for them to come here and eat the meat of lean animals.

This is an outright insult to Indian cattle especially cow because a major chunk of beef to foregn countries are exported from India. It is a major attraction for foreigners to eat good beef while India than cold storaged poor quality beef available in their country.

The main complaint of Kannanthanam is that there is none in Kerala to enjoy good humour. This is true as there is no takers for his joke in the tune; even when there is hike in petrol prices, the cost of commodities are not going up here!

K A Solaman

Craze for MBBS course

Most of our parents still believe that  only medical courses have status.Even learned people are mis-guided and fall into the trap of MBBS/BDS courses. They feel that their children will ensure a prosperous future if they enter a medical college. They are ready to spend several lakhs to make their children doctors. This belief has led to a prolific increase in the number of self-financed, self-styled  professional colleges. Most of the self financing medical colleges provide sub-standard education and produce under-qualified doctors. What the parents fail to realize is that unless their wards have a real aptitude for the MBBS course they can never become successful doctors. Even bright students find it difficult complete the course succesfully.

The society also needs other professionals like teachers, journalists, artists, dancers, actors, singers and chef others. A job of a chef in a five ster hotel earning Rs 3 lakh per month is not of low profile. Some of the doctors  have given up their profession to become artists, film actors, playback singers etc. This proves that not only they did not have the aptitude to become doctors but they have also prevented the ones with the real aptitude for the profession. It time for our parents to think more logically and sensibily their wards are not tortured.

K A Solaman

Antony speak

The Kerala Govt.plan to implement  hydro-power project at ecologically sensitive Athirappilly in Thrissur district is aimed at ecological disaster. This decision is an insult to the Mother Nature and a U-turn from the previous stance of the LDF. In this context, after many years of hibernation on Kerala matters, Congress leader A.K. Antony coming against the Athirappilly hydel project is praiseworthy. The CPM-led State government is now keen to implement it.

The implementation of the project on the downstreams of Chalakudy river would convert that area into a dumpyard of construction materials which would severly affect fauna and flora. It is well researched and reported that a new dam spending  several crores of rupees is no longer feasible to Kerala. Hence, the present plan  to book some quick bucks by politicians and bureaucrats will not be permitted by the peope of Kerala at any cost.

The reason for both LDF and UDF standing for the dam when in power and speak against it when out of power is curious.

K A Solaman

Card drill will continue

Issue of Aadhaar card or PAN card has become a child's play now. As one knows, Aadhaar is a 12-digit biometrics based identity number issued by the UIDAI. It has been now reported that
around 81 lakh Aadhaar numbers have been deactivated by the UIDAI or Unique Identification Authority of India, according to Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology. This means out of the 115 crore Aadhaars issued, 81 lakh of people possess  invalid Aadhaar numbers.  All they have to reappear before Aadhaar issuing offices to get new one. This creates loss of 81lakh working days as one day is needed to finish Aadhaar application formalities. Money loss for travel and food is extra. Like wise is the case of PAN cards. Several lakhs of PAN cards also have been deactivated,

Then, who is responsible for this sort descrepancy? Is our government mechanism is so poor fo execute a work meticulously?

In Kerala, people are in queue for quite long to get Ration cards without mistake. After Ration card,  it is another turn for them to get foolproof Aadhaar card.  Seemingly the drill will continue.

K A Solaman

Control them

Immigrant worker Murugan’s death following denial of treatment by various hospitals in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram  indicates how greedy and unscrupulous are these hospital managements. The incident is a shame to the state. Action should be taken against these hospital managements for dereliction of service.

And in this regard Kerala Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) bill stipulating hospitals  to put up boards displaying the service fee and medical package expenses, is a welcome move. At present most of the hospitals charge exorbitantly for their service. Hospitals refusing to admit accident cases and unwilling to reduce their treatment expenses should not be permitted to function.

K A Solaman

Respect one's mother tongue

Kerala C M Pinarayi Vijayan in an NDTV interview said the BJP and RSS were isolated in the state with no support from the people. May be it right or wrong my point is the poor performance of Pinarayi in English before the interviewer.

Knowing English is not a big issue as even beggers of US and Britain speak it fluently. Since our mother tongue is Malayalam, majority of us are not good at English. This is evident from the  performance  of Kerala MPs like P K Sreemathi, K C Venugopal or M B Rajesh in the Parliament.

Many of the world leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and others prefer their mother tongue to English when they communicate with world leaders. Why can't our state leaders prefer Malayalam for interview instead of sitting as a laughing stock before Oxford trained channel interviewers? If one gives due respect to his mother tongue then there arises no question of humiliation for not knowing English.

K A Solaman

Politically motived case?

The arrest of an MLA for sexual assualt case, is first of its  kind in Kerala. However, the case smacks of conspiracy as woman's sister came in favour of Vincent MLA. Of late, sexual abuse complaints are rampant in the state and very often the woman who enjoyed the company of the man for long time, turns hostile for a reason and then registers a police complaint. As our law favours woman the end loser is man. Presumably in Vincent's case also this might had happened.

Taken advantage of the situation all ruling front MLAs came against Vincent and Opposition MLAs opted to keep mum. If Vincent's case is not amicably solved more cases would surface and more MLAs would be indicted. Politically
motivated sexual abuse cases could be targeted not only to opposition MLAs but also to ruling legislators.

K A Solaman

Fever pitch

According to reports, the fever death toll in Kerala has now crossed 200. Most of these deaths are H1N1- and dengue-related. The lack of cleanliness and sanitation is often a fundamental cause of such illnesses. The Kerala health department has not yet come up with a unique way to tackle the situation. Every day, press releases are issued cautioning doctors and health officers, but there seems to be no improvement. The streets in various parts of the state are lined with the waste discarded by fish vendors and hoteliers. All this filth, mixed with stagnant water, leads to the breeding of mosquitoes, which spread deadly diseases.

The panchayat and municipal authorities do not seem to be bothered about mobilizing field staff to keep the streets clean. Instead, they wish to instal CCTVs to identify and fine polluters. Clearly the installation of CCTVs is a more profitable business for the authorities than cleaning up the streets. No proper mosquito eradication method has been adopted so far. The State should ensure that the people are equipped to deal with fever. They should be given basic medicines and made aware of ways to keep mosquitoes at bay.
K A Solaman
The Telegraph, Calculta
July 4, 2017

Who is the suppressed?

The opposition nominee for the President's post, Meira Kumar saying that she and her party must fight for the most suppressed, is interesting. What does she mean by 'suppressed' ? If she fingers at the plight of the community she belongs, does it mean that her rival candidate Kovind of the ruling front, belong to upper class? She and her father Jagjivan Ram were in the helm of affairs of the country for many years, still fate of the oppressed remains the same.

Meira Kumar saying that here is no tolerance and there is so much fear,  is not pooh- poohed by sensible people because they are tolerant to a person destined for defeat. More interesting
is, arch-rivals of Congress party in Kerala, the CPM and its Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan supporting Meira Kumar.

K A Solaman

Fever deaths

Fever deaths  in Kerala continue unabated. Often it is lack of cleaniness and sanitation that leads patients to Iose their lives. The Kerala Health Department has not come up with a unique way to tackle the dreaded situation. Every day, minister issues press releases cautioning doctors and health officers but none is seen cared of. The streets are continuously polluted with fish vendors and hoteliers augumenting mosquito growth.

The panchayat and municipal authorities  are least bothered of mobilising field staff to keep street clean. Instead they are interested in installing CCTVs to identify and fine polluters. CCTV installation  is a more profitable business for authorities than mobilising sweepers and scavengers. No proper mosquito eradiction method is adopted.
People should be better equipped to deal with fever spread by giving them basic medicine and awareness on mosquito eradication.

K A Solaman

Kerala new liquor policy

Kerala Govt's new liquor policy is aimed to convert the state into a place of drunkards. Last year, when Pinarayi governement sworn in power they had announced " We are opening schools closed by UDF and not bars." The implication then was they would never open closed bars.

Just after one year they started to act in the inverse. Now they say bar opening is a pragmatic step that may help boost its revenue and retrieve lost ground in the tourism sector. Is tourism in such a depolarable state to get money by  selling liquors? Do we need money by  selling toddy to foreign visitors ?

When the entire woman folk is against  selling liquor in the state why the government sticks to open new bars? The govt. raising the legal drinking age from 21 to 23 is ridiculous. Who cares about age at beverage corporation  outlets where even a school boy gets litres of liquor without age proof? The more ridiculous is the claim of govt that it does not favour prohibition and would rather emphasise on voluntary abstinence. Govt apprehension that if liquor availability is inadequate it would lead to a spike in drug abuse, is a cooked up story.
If proposed one  is the well- thought  liquor policy then in future the place of Pinarayi govt will be in the dust-bin of Kerala history.

K A Solaman

Lavish marriage

The marriage of daughter of CPI MLA Geeta Gopi invites one's attention to   the resolution taken two years back, by the Keraia Women Commission(KWC). The Commission then enlightened every one  to shun lavish marriages. According to the Commission fulsome marriages which had become a status symbol in Kerala had left many families to utter debt.

Bountiful marriages are common in many communities across the state emphasising the phrase,  ‘Fat  Kerala weddings’ – an affair costing several lakhs of rupees even among the middle class. On economic point money spent for ornaments, dresses etc would exceed rupees one crore. So the KWC directions to cut down unnecessary or showy expenditure is a welcome move and it is highly beneficial for middle and lower classes. But who cares? The persons who are bound to be role models are not ready to show that much wisdom.

K A Solaman

In Bad Taste

It is in bad taste that veteran CPM leader and former Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan had not been invited to the first anniversary celebrations of the Pinarayi Vijayan government. As the origin and existence of Pinarayi government solely depend on the hard effort of VS, it is ungrateful on the part of Pinarayi and company not to invite VS . VS's absence in the function tarred the significance of the function.

It is probably not the Opposition stance but the stand-off between Pinarayi company and VS sympathisers would   mark the doom of Pinarayi government.

K A Solaman

The New Indian Express

The New Indian Express

Uncaring act

Administrator  of a business establishment should be an apolitical person. However, in Indian Coffee House establishment the post is seemingly political. The act of present Administrator issuing orders banning the subscription of newspapers except CPM mouthpiece Deshabhimani, is a pointer in this direction. The order, which came into effect from May 1, says that Deshabhimani should be compulsorily subscribed in Indian Coffee House.

People visit Indian Coffee House not because of extra quality of food or of low cost but of the service rendered by the employees.Their smiling face and self content make that eating place healthier. Moreover, the display of news papers and periodicals at the entry was an added attraction and it persuades people to read. With Desabhimani alone, Indian Coffee House is unlikely to make any profit by selling periodicals. The administrator has ruined the pleasant atmosphere of Indian Coffee Houses by his uncaring act.

K A Solaman

Brahmins' friend

Minister Kadakampally Surendran has turned into a Brahmin friend by saying economic conditions is the need of the hour for reservation. Minister said: “Rich and poor can be found among people belonging to upper and lower castes. We want reservation for economically backward persons irrespective of their caste and religion. This is CPM’s stance.”
Reservation being a policy matter how can a minister say about reservation without any debate. Perhaps he is intended to woo the gathering at the  Sree Pushpaka Brahmana Seva Sangam meet.

It is wrong on the part of the  minister to say Brahmins are the victims of land reforms. In fact, Brahmins and upper class people are working in  the high level posts in public and private establishments. In banks, schools, colleges, universities, govt. departments, boards etc Ezhava, Muslims, Dalit Christians, SC/ST are a neglected lot and it was categorically established by Justice Narendran Commission Report. Before declaring unilaterally, Kadakampally and his party should make a social audit and try to understand the reality.

K A Solaman

Water-Elixir of Life

Water is the elixir of life. Without water life in all forms is impossible. Water scarcity affects every continent and around 2.8 billion people around the world are affected at least one month out of every year. More than 1.2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water.
Water, which is presumably a human birthright, is becoming dearer and its price is rising. The situation Is indeed grave. And it just mean it is up to us to make the change.

By educating those who are not dealing with water scarcity, they can be in a position to help. Those who are dealing with it can get educated on how they can prevent the problem from becoming even worse in the future.There are plenty of technologies out there that allow us to recycle water that we may be using in home.There are a lot of water conservation methods and we have to adhere to a few of them.

Farming and irrigation are often a huge culprit when it comes to water scarcity. Because of that, we need to improve practices so that we don’t use as much water. Clean drinking water starts with a good sewage system. Without proper sanitation, the water in an area becomes ridden with disease. By improving the sewage systems in these areas, we can prevent water scarcity from becoming any worse.There are organizations located all over the world that are looking to bring clean water to areas that don’t have it. By donating to these organizations we can help people suffering from water scarcity

K A Solaman

Drug abuse among teens

Drug pedlling is one of the major handicaps of Kerala cities especially of Kochi. The city police  arresting nine youths and three minors at Kochi is stunning. The  police has seized ganja and nitrozepam from teen -agerട. The reasons for rampant drug abuse are many.

Youngsters see their parents and friends use drugs, drink Iiquor and enjoy a lot. They need money for enjoyment. Drug traficking is an easy source of money for them. Movies and TV shows make drugs seem like a good habit for youngsters. The wrong  message to teens given by films like 'Angamali diary' or 'Premam' is no body's concern. Enthused by these films teens find drugs as the outlet for stress, frustration and extra energy. Teenagers turn to drug abuse because they see it as a short term short cut to happiness.

Since teenagers are ignorant of the dangers associated with drugs, a well equipped awareness campaign is needed  to save them from the clutches of drug abusers. A strict combing action is also needed to identity the hide-outs of drug pedllers.

K A Solaman

Path that sathram shows

Sathram is a newly found business in Kerala. Many people are involved in organising sathrams. The recently heard ones are Vachanamithra Sathram, Akhila Bharatha Bhagavatha Sathram, Ayyappaseva sathram and others. A huge amount of money is collected and spent for orgainsing sathrams. What are its outcome and utility? Does it improve our secular view?

Kerala state is known as God's own country because of the reason that it was supposedly created Lord Parasuram or that  there are innumerable  temples and gods in Kerala. Temple festivals are main rituals in each and every timple and people from all walks of life, irrespective of caste and creed, attend  it. On the other hand sathrams are restricted to members of certain community and hence the meaning of  secularism is not all  applicable,

The Sathram organisers' main focus is to collect as much amount as they  can. and hence ordinary people lose money and precious time. So it is important to have a control over sathrams, otherwise it would turn out as a crafty way to loot the  unwise by the wise.

Bhagavad Gita, as we know, is a source of light which is eternal. It teaches mankind to live in consonance with nature, society, nation and the world. It enlightens those who face any kind of dilemma and it always shows us correct path. Would the sathrams in the name of Bhagavadam, now enacted in Kerala, show the correct path? Unlikely.

K A Solaman

Between devil and sea

Seemingly some one in the Kerala cabinet has taken pledge not to reinstate   T P Senkumer back to the post of DGP as per  SC order. The state government move to the Supreme Court to seek clarity in the reinstatement order  is a pointer in this direction.

It also seems that advisors of Kerala CM, in this regard, have firm faith in routine delay of court proceedingട so that reinstatement could be prolonged until date of retirement. The open cry of minister G Sudhakaran tells the extend to which his party dislikes Senkumar.

Reasonably. the favourable order received by Senkumar will not go ashtray. The SC Judges who proclaimed the order are not that much misinformed  about the foul play of Pinarayi and company. If  all is not said and done immediately, the fate of Pinarayi  ministry will be in between devil and sea.

K A Solaman

Munnar land encroachment

The large-scale constructions by the encroachers  in ecologically fragile Munnar would create big disasters. While huge land encroachments at Munnar and nearby areas pave way for heated exchanges between officials and party encroachers, the state government has failed to support the officials.. One just officer, sub-collector Sriram Venkitaraman, who is determined to effect HC order to get back goverrment land, is abused by land grabbers. The police disobeying the orders of the sub- collector  is a grave deriliction of duty. They should face the music.

Government land has been grabbed in the villages of Munnar using fabricated documents by  party members and other bigwigs. A detailed report to the state government prepared by a former revenue commissioner points out that huge amounts of land are held by big encroachers from outside Idukki. When revenue officials try to check the validity of the land, the planters resist the move with the help of local party goons

The land encroachments should be evicted immediately and for this adequate police protection should be given to the officials.

K A Solaman

Syllabus hues

The spat between NCERT and SCERT over the latter revising textbooks in Kerala is unwarranted. Though the NCERT claims its syllabus is best and in tune with international standards, the syllabus is incomprehensible to most secondary and higher secondary students of Kerala.

The NCERT expert-compiled syllabus often reflects the level of experts and not students. NCERT textbooks need a revision based on the opinion of behavioural therapists before they are presented before students.

The readability of NCERT books is poor and hence teachers resort to other means to teach students. In Kerala, there has been a dilution in the standard of examinations and evaluation of answer scripts, but not in the State syllabus. Those who prepare degree or plus two syllabuses are unaware of the high school syllabus. In high schools higher science and maths topics are included, neglecting totally the need of teaching basic science and maths. The net result is that students are destined to study advanced level topics  without  knowing its basics.

KA Solaman  Alappuzha
The Hindu Business Line
April 1 2017

Needed scientific check

Kerala police still live in the stone age. If stones not available they will throw lathi. The  incident of police high-handedness on a biker who sustained serious injuries after being hit by a lathi thrown by a policeman during  vehicle inspection, proves this.

The police higher-ups should, therefore, give lessons to police men about the weapons they use. They need not be taught yoga, instead be given awareness in a manner that lathi is not for throw. The hapless boy Nisam is now under treatment at Medical College, Alappuzha.

The police should understand that bikers are not alone the offenders. If found guilty they can be punished for traffic offence and too in a more scientific way using radar and camera. There is no need on the part of police for spot collection of fine. There are many grave offenders like drug peddelers, ganja sellers, woman traffickers, blade operators and more. Focus on them and leave bikers for a scientific traffic check.
K A Solaman

Rose and the thorn

Kudos to Vaikom Vijayalakshmi for marking her name in the  book of world records by playing Gayathri Veena for five hours at a stretch. This is a great achievement for the singer and the people of Kerala. Her record emphasises the saying: "The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked together". She has every reason to forget the recent worries.

K A Solaman

Restrict glorification of criminals

Notriety is the present day impetus of youth. Since channels are springing behind all hard core criminals more youngsters resort to crime. Pulsar Suni abducted the actress, Pulsar molested actress, Pulsar  abandoned the phone, Pulsar questioned police, Pulsar taken to Coimbatore etc shouting in news channels prompt other youths to steal a JCB and  known as JCB man like Pulsar . When channels continue glorifying criminals it sends wrong message to innocent children. So it would be good on the part of news channels not to glorify criminals. Instead restrict such news as minimum. No sensible people need elaborate discussion about the wrongs of a criminal.

Political interference should also be avoided. Who convinced CM about no conspiracy behind the abduction, the actress or prominent actress's ex-husband? Fantastic enough!

K. A Solaman

Attack on actress

Unlike our youngsters think, everything is not fine with the tinsel world. There is vengence, deception, kidnapping, molestation and what else. But these stories were confined within in the four walls of cinema till date. Now it has come out in open. The abduction and molestation of noted Malayalam actress Bhavana is a case in this direction.

Attacks on women are rampant in the state and should be condemned. A very strong action against the culprits is required. The government will seriously consider the matter and take action against the criminals, it is hoped.

K A Solaman

Gladiator game in Kannur

Kannur is a battle field for brutal killing of political opponents. The CPM and the RSS are always fascinated at increasing their score. Occasionally the other parties too participate in the killing sport

The main reason for this rivalry is the provocative talks of  leaders of rival groups. So in order to end the violence the leaders should stop their hate speak and goverment should take criminal cases against those indulging in violence. The police force should be given a free hand to arrest the criminals.

The gladiatorial game of 'man killing man' in Kannur is a blot on Kerala psyche. It will take more time to end sadism in the minds of a few party men in Kannur. However, the all party peace meet headed by Kerala Chief Miniser will certainly reduce the tension. The peace talk should be continued at intervals in order to avoid replication of threats.

K A Solaman

Amma for all

Jaya memorial in Marina Beach is a place of solace and enlightenment for both corrupt and uncorrupt. As the Supreme Court refused to entertain Sasikala's plea seeking more time to surrender for undergoing jail term she straightaway went to Jaya memorial and took fuel for Bengaluru journey. The acting CM Paneer Selvam frequently meditates at the memorial and gets revelation for smooth rule ofTN. This and the other rather indicate god is worshipped by both the sinner and the innocent.

Whether the SC can be congratulated or not for issuing its bulky judgement which removed all the rumbles in the TN rule is a point to ponder. The trial court  imposition of  fine of Rs 100 crore now reduced to ten crore is a positive gesture for Sasikala and company.

K A Solaman

Ban Kerala Lottery

It is interesting to see that Kerala lottery tickets are set to get a number of security features akin to bank notes. This means  the government has no plan to ban all forms of lotteries including channel quiz based on SMS. Let the people contnue to beg and play spolidport,  that is the approach of the government towards fraud. Except a few differently abled people live by selling, lottery has no other good features to say. Instead it makes people lazy and tempts them to earn easy money .
For instance, on my way to Sunday church there is a small bridge and passerbys are only a few. On and near the bridge I could count five lottery vendors, two men, two women and  another person on a wheel chair. Except the one on the wheel chair all others are healthy and capable of doing manual work. But they will not. They need more money in an easy way. Selling lottery tickets is the easy way for them

The poor and uneducated people are the victims of lottery and that is why sale of  state lottery in Kerala is a big hit. Mobile users too lose money by sending SMS to on-line channel quiz.

Buying lottery tickets and liquor consumption are death traps for poor and ignorant people in Kerala and the Government that is bound to restrict it acts as s sponsor. Common man is falling prey to this social evil and is spending all hard earned money without caring children and the ailing old ones in the family. It is not campaigns and awareness programmes that are needed to check the danger but strict law enforcement. By no means  lotteries be allowed in the state. If a few people are not able to sustain without lottery, take measures to protect them in old age homes and shelters.

K A Solaman

Meditation in Marina Beach

Tamil Nadu politics entered into an unpredictable phase with caretaker Chief Minister O Panneerselvam demanding a judicial inquiry headed by a Supreme Court judge to probe into the death of his predecessor and AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa. Obviously the target is V K Sasikala, the new incarnated general secretary of AIADMK and servant of Jayalalithaa.

It is true that not only the opposition party DMK but the people from all cross-sections of Tamil society smell foul in the hospitalisation and subsequent death of Jayalalithaa. Govt has responsibility to clear the doubts.

O.Panneerselvam's revolt against Sasikala has blocked her entry into Chief Minister's chair in St. George Fort. All of Sasikala's calculations spanning over for last few months have gone ashtray by half hour meditation by OPS in the Marina beach .

K A Solaman

Re-focus all party agitation

It was in 2015 the Centre had announced   that AIIMS would be established in Kerala. But  that hope has been shattered by the Union  Budget 2017. Finance Minister Jaitley's concern is about Jharkhand and Gujrat. As Centre did not make any announcement in this regard it is the time for an all party protest against Centre for AIIMS in Kerala. Instead, a nasty all party protest is going on in State's capital cornering a celebrity woman principal. All her crime was she tried to bring a little discipline in her college.
Running a college is a high risk job now  a days as twenty percent of students  are miscreants resorting to activities like streaking. Principal and teachers have little option to control these indisciplined and aggressive students. They could not  beat students and the only option is to use harsh words. The present  principal might have opted to this. And for this, hurling all the abuses on her by all party leaders and her students is unwarranted.

The slimmering exercise by K Muralidharan and others are intented to get media coverage. They should better  immediately focus their agitation for AIIMS instead of targeting a hapless woman.
K A Solaman

Dark days

Donald Trump has promised to make America great again. This lofty goal is difficult to achieve because it would require years of work and skillful diplomacy. Moreover, Trump is, perhaps, the most unpopular US president till date. The support he has from the Republican establishment is not enough to help him achieve his goals. One hopes that he manages to work through all the difficulties.

Trump has already signed an executive order to roll back the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Most consider him ignorant and expect him to fail. But he has been known to defy expectations.
K.A. Solaman,
Alappuzha, Kerala
The Telegraph, Calcutta, Feb 1, 2017

Smart class rooms for learning ?

It is highly appreciable to see that the Government of Kerala is going to raise the quality of school class rooms on a par with international standards in learning. The international school students read and write English well and are able to do mathematics with ease.  But one of the recent surveys on school education in Kerala had revealed that many ot our school students are not able to write their names correctly and very weak in arithmetics.

The class rooms in developed countries are almost saturated with electronic gadgets and teacherട there now are dead against with further dumbing of e - waste into  class rooms. Learning this, gadget makers all over the world have, therefore, decided  to sell their products among  third world countries. The term 'smart class room' has thus become a synonym  for  transforming third world  schools into electronic waste dumbing yards. India is not an exception.

The electronic  white board (EWB) or power point presentation is not a substitute for age old teaching practice with  black board and chalk. Any hate speak against black board and chalk is a crafty way to destroy able teaching-learning process and thereby  to find markets for electronic gadgets produced by multinational companies. Abandoning black board is a technological   invasion, the net result of which is; inefficacy in teaching-learning process in our humble class rooms.

Many of our government hospitals are now dumbing yards of disinfuct CT scan machines , ultra sound scanners, computers, x-ray units and even ceiling fans just because poor maintenance. This sort of fate awaits our schools with smart class rooms.

K A Solaman

Lacklustre budget

This year's Union Budget lacks lusture as it has not addressed unemployment problem and farmers' woes. The PM Narendra Modi had promised of creating two crore jobs, but last year only about 1.5 lakh jobs were created. The farmers are desperate as their crop loss has not been compensated. Cash donation limit of Rs. 2000 to political parties is a meaningless gesture as most of the donations go out as unaccounted money.
However, reduction in tax rates for individuals is a welcome move.
K A Solaman

Trump' s priority

For techies from India, Silicon Valley is a safe haven and most of them in their short visit to home land speaks mouthfully about US. Nevertheless, President Donald Trump’s clash with Silicon Valley over immigration would make every thing worse.Trump administration has drafted an order aimed at overhauling the work-visa for companies that hire  employees from abroad.

If implemented, the reforms could shift the way American companies recruit work force. Indian companies in America such as Infosys, TCS, Wipro etc would have to  hire Americans first resulting  job loss for Indians in the US.  If Trump's plan is to protect the interest of American work force, Indian techies would have to either leave the country or do job with lesser wage. And in both count Trump's priority is detrimental to present workers and job seekers from India.

K A Solaman

The Super Principal

The Law Academy Law College, Trivandrum is in the news for the last few weeks where all party students and their leaders are in war path against the management. The main demand of agitators is the removal of the Principal Lakshmi Nair, who is described as the embodiment of all vices. The management is unwilling to remove her as she is also a part of the management. The agitation is unlikely to subside until Lakshmi Nair is removed from the post of principal.
So, as a wayout from the present tumult the management can think of replacing her temporarily but with all powers of a super principal. There are numerous private institutions in the state run with paper tigers as principals and management agents as super principals.    Lakshmi Nair could continue to take lead role even if she is renamed as Academy Administrator!

K A Solaman

Wrong Defence

Defending demonetisation Finance Minister Arun Jaitley puttingup that it would ensure better tax compliance,  may be right but it still remains as a nightmare for the poor secton  of the society. For instance look at the  plight of workers in the construction scenario. Since all works in the construction section had stopped because of darth of money almost all workers lost job. As the work has not been  resumed workers find it extreme difficulty to meet their both ends.
Demonetisation revenues are for the government and not for the common man. Tax evaders are still remaining as tax evaders as demonenetisation is only a skin treatment for a major disease.

To rescue people from present crisis the government should release more currencies and lift the upper limit of  withdrawal from bank account.

K A Solaman

SIC, a damp squib

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan saying that his government would not water down the Right to Information act, is highly welcome. However, for quite long it is the experience in Kerala that RTI is toothless.

In Kerala RTI petitions are not settled in the stipulated time frame. No fine is imposed on offenders of RTI Act. The commissioners are appointed on political basis and in most cases they take a partisan approach. Some cases are attended irrationally and some others set aside for silly reasons. Time frame, the most significant aspect of RTI, is often ignored. Since this and last governments are in a don' t care attitude many dissatisfied activists  abandoned RTI.

Unless some stern steps are taken by the government  to strengthen the State Information Commission it would turn out into a damp squib.

K A Solaman

President Trump

After facing much music, Donald Trump finally sworn in as the 45th President of United States. It is a turning point in the history of America and it has left many Americans unhappy and disappointed.

Keep America the world number one, is the priority of President Trump. And for this he has to win over people in his country and abroad.  Although it will take time, it is hoped that  things will turn out in his favour. However, regarding policy matters like outsourcing and others people from other countries working in US should be more cautious and ready to meet surprises.

Trump's first action to disallow Obamacare and put the statue of Winston  Churchil replacing Martin Luther King Jr has drawn flak. And some even think that Trump is an ignorant, and  bigoted buffoon. He will fail miserably as President  and America will come to its sense and vote every Republican out of power for the next 20 years.
K A Solaman

Unwarranted protest

Unwarranted protest .
Protest in Tamil Nadu in support of Jallikattu is unwarranted. As Jallikkattu is a coarse sport cruel to animal and man, thousands of young people, who demand an end to the ban on Jallikattu,  are misinformed and misguided. The Supreme Court in its May 2014 order had banned Jallikattu, saying that bulls cannot be used as performing animals including bullock-cart races.

The common complaint among the protest leaders that the Supreme Court had insulted the Tamil culture by disallowing the sport, is not standing. The ban is equivalent to ban of of 'Sati ' in which a hapless widow has to give up her life.  Here in this cruel sport also many human lives along with that of animals  are lost. The support on Jallikkattu by Actor Kamal Hasan and music director A R Rehman, is based on vested interests.

K A Solaman

Hard line approach needed

The two major institutions of democracy, Supreme Court and Election Commission, have given their ruling against religion and caste based poll campaigning in the country. But when comes to the implementation stage it utterly fails.
When BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj or BJP leader AN Radhakrishnan have invoked religion in their public  addresses no institution has interfered.  There are  many leaders from other parties too speaking publicly invoking religion but chances of filing FIR against them are remote.
So more stringent measures are needed to stop political leaders from invoking religion and castes to be the centerpiece of pre-poll campaigning.

India is a highly conservative society wherev religion and castes are deeply embedded in the psyche of people. They play a vital role in promoting and consolidating group consciousness . So chances of hate speech are more and hence a hard line approach is to be opted to curb the menace of religion entering into politics.

K A Solaman

Cattle adhaar

Cow is equal or more equal than man in  India. This is evident when states like Haryana are on the way to issue adhaar card to cows. Cows need not queue like men to register for adhaar.
They could register for it at their place.

Till now people of India  have heard about Aadhar card of humans only. Aadhar card of cow, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig will also be made soon. For their Aadhar card, photographs, race, complexion, body structure and age will be recorded in the database.

Cattle adhaar is yet another crafty way to siphon out public money and in this foolish act lesser animals dogs, cats, rabbits and others are really  discriminated.

K A Solaman

Demon crisis

Report that unable to get a few junked currency notes exchanged, a frustrated poor woman became topless in front of RBI regional office New Delhi, is curious. Though this sort of protest is unwarranted the action of the woman is a pointer to the thoughtless acton of RBI. The RBI, which is issuing circulars day by day  since demonetisation,  has stepped back from their earlier stance. PM Modi in his November 8 address to nation had promised that old notes could be exchanged at  select branches of RBI after December. If NewDelhi office is not a select branchh, RBI should have told the woman about this  instead of forcefully pushing her out.

People are of firm fix that  government should not go back on the promise made by Prime Minister. It is, in fact, the RBI and other bank branches are worsening the crisis

K A Solaman