People's Mindset in Kerala-Growing Elitism?

As Godmen make headlines in the 'God's Own Country', the media-both print and electronic-have gone great lengths to unmask these fake spiritual sooth-sayers. The State Government has also pulled up its socks to take on these 'agents of divinity'!! Not a day passes in Kerala, when there isn't news about the nefarious activities of such fake men. Sitting in Delhi, one gets the feeling that perhaps the epitome for the state clearly sticks!! However, in the midst of all these exposures, somewhere lost among the fine print is the declaration of the SSLC results in the state.Coming a few years after the government of the State replaced its 'rank' system with that of grading, the State has seen a success percentage of close to 93%.

Such a remarkable success rate of the students comprising mainly of the government schools speaks volumes of the tireless efforts on the part of the Education ministry of the State to improve the overall outlook of this front. The Education Minister of Kerala, M.A.Baby had remarked during the result declaration that "to internalize such a remarkable result, the perception and vision of the Malayalis had to undergo a sea change". On expected lines, the socio-political spectrum in the State has reacted to these results; the opposition parties along with groups like the NSS-SNDP and other groups have sought to pooh-pooh such a high pass percentage!!In fact, the UDF in the state feels that next time around 'cent percent pass' is a strong possibility. Some have called these entire results as mockery. Rather than talking about the dynamics of the SSLC results itself, it would be interesting to understand the Malayali mindset through this result. Taking forward, Mr. Baby's arguments, the need for sea change in Malayali's frame of mind does give serious food for thought. The average Malayali today, especially those within the State have a great aversion towards government-run schools. This phenomenon, however is not restricted to Kerala alone; The government-run schools have always been looked down upon, and seen as lacking basic infrastructure and facilities. This is true to many such schools in far-flung areas. The Malayali parents, in their quest to give their children the best education available, see the management-run elite schools as their destination. Wearing ties, creamy uniforms, with smart polished shoes and bright ribbons have always been viewed as having a 'tip-top' character. In such a scenario, the uniforms (sometimes even lack of it!!) of Khaki pants and Green Skirts-Salwars lack the appeal. As commercialization and privatization has come to rule the roost in the primary education sector, Keralite parents run from pillar to post to ensure that their children are properly equipped to encompass themselves within such an elite background.

Many of these elite schools within the state have imposed gags on speaking in the native tongue, Malayalam. There have even been instances of the authorities imposing hefty fines and even literally branding students by having boards put around the necks of students 'who violate such gag orders'!! The Malayalis have come to accept such harsh discipline, along with increasing workloads of the students. Daily tutions, special classes, entrance coaching classes (for professional courses to be optimal in the race in the job market!!) other than regular classes not only over-burden the students (symbolized by the weighty school bags, which are back breaking!!), but also leave them little time to even breathe. The 'False Pride' of the Malayalis has also been an inseparable part in such aversion towards government schools. The very belief that students in such schools are indisciplined, not bright and 'countrys' as often stated by the Malayalis is a stark reflection of the elitist mentality of the Middle-Class in the state. While those Malayalis within the State exhibit these features, the non-residents outside Kerala go further ahead in displaying such false pretensions!! The learning of the Mother Tongue was considered out of fashion and many take pride in the fact that they never undertook serious measures to get their children to absorb the Malayali essence!! In fact, children speak to their parents, in all languages except the native tongue!!

I do not want to sound parochial through such articulation on my part. However, at times such false pride and pretensions of the Malayalis disappoints and demoralizes; In the rush to adopt CBSE/ICSE mode of culture for their children, the Malayali's mindset is also dove-tailed to suit that culture. So, when government schools by their continuous efforts to enhance their excellence succeed in their endeavours, the trivialization of these efforts by not coming to terms with the results and subsequent blame game, thus trying to drive home the point that such things are not possible at all. In such a situation, these efforts on the part of the elite middle-class echelons of the Kerala society definitely reeks of vested interests, thereby raising the need to take all of this with not just a pinch, but a handful of salt. So, when M.A. Baby talks of 'transforming people's mindset', the remarks have to be viewed by the Malayalis all the more seriously. Henceforth, the tasks for 'socially conscious' Kerala also become uphill.

ചില നേരങ്ങളില്‍, ചില തോന്നലുകള്‍

എന്റെ മനസ്സ് ചില നേരങ്ങളില്‍ പതറുന്നു. എന്താണ് ഇതെന്ന് അറിയില്ല. ചിലപ്പോള്‍ വെറും തോന്നലായിരിക്കും.കുത്തിയിരുന്നു പഠിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരികുമ്പോള്‍ നേരം പോക്കല് കഷ്ടം തന്നെ. ഇത്തരം സന്ദര്‍ഭങ്ങളില്‍ വെറുതെ ഓരോ തോന്നലുകള്‍. മനസ്സില്‍ തട്ടുന്ന ഇത്തരം തോന്നലുകളെ ആട്ടിയോടിക്കാന്‍ പല തവണ ശ്രമിച്ചിട്ടും, ചിലപ്പോള്‍ കഴിയാറില്ല. ഇതിന് ഏറെ കാരണങള്‍ അന്വേഷിക്കാന്‍ പോയാല്‍ പിന്നെ വെറുതെ സമയം കളയുകയെ ഉള്ളു. അത് കൊണ്ടു സമയം മിനക്കെടുത്താതെ പോയി വൃത്തിയായി പഠിക്കുകയാണ് നല്ലത്, ശാരീരത്തിനും, മനസ്സിനും.

Summer Rains

The heat and dust has settled temporarily!! Though dust storms continue to sweep the city, there is an amount of respite.....The fragrance of the soil heralds the arrival of showers, which are soothed by the clasps of thunder and lightening!!As the rains wash down the city, suddenly the clay pots and 'machine ka thanda paani' seem a thing of the past. There is a sudden thrill along with the chill in the air. Even the squeals of the mosquitoes have subsided..........

Sitting in my room, I open the backdoor allowing the breeze to caress my face.....the pitter-patter of the raindrops hums a soft tune....With occasional thunder rolling down, the dark clouds give the hope of more showers......Watching the trees and the earth soaked with the first rains in Summer rekindles the childhood innocence....of trying to dance in the rain, splash the puddles of water, and bring out one's creativity through paper boats!! As the night advances, rains don much more magical attires!! The calmness of the night is broken by the cries of the peacocks......in those thick jungles still untouched by the increasing human forays, there could be sights of peacocks spreading their serenic aura....................where the snakes could still offer a tough challenge to the mongooses...................where Neelgais roam about in a carefree manner.................

Summer Showers have its own unique charms, for it announces the impending arrival of the monsoon.......people build new theories of these squalls calling them signs of the phenomenon called Global Warming; call it by whatever name, rains also lock people up in their charming worlds............They also bring an unsual and unwanted lethargy...............Though avoidable, such laziness is often ignored............all this because in an ever moving world, 'getting wet' is often a big spoke in the wheel of time!!

Summer-What a Time!!

Life has gone topsy-turvy these days. The 'discipline' in real sense is lacking; some exterior force is out to create chaos. The seriousness one needs has been making a slow progress. Life's order has been turned upside down. The tension is not just physical, but mental too, with the ever-pervasive fear of the purse strings becoming too loose to be tied up!!And there is only one scapegoat to take the blame.......SUMMER!!

Of all the seasons, the Summer months not only mean sweaty bodies, sun strokes and sun-burnt skins, but also physical weakness. As the fluids are sucked off the body, relief seems a far away mirage!!Water now costs more than fossil fuels.........The purses also take a heavy beating in the scorching heat..........The medical costs increase.....the nights are expected to offer more coolness.....but sometimes that is no guarantee!!If the windows are closed, then heat would take a monstrous shape, and if the windows are opened to let the cool breeze in, then there is the soft music of the mosquitoes!! The water crises deepens, with supply of water getting down to a trickle.....So bath seems a luxury at times!! But the bad body odour forces one to undertake this phenomenon not once, but twice in the day!!And as the cool water flows down of the shower, you decide that the paradise on earth is certainly not Kashmir, but your very bathrooms.........If water supply is the itching area, then the costs of electricity add to your woes in these months.....The supply is also a headache with frequent breakdowns, adding to the running sweat!! The various cooling devices in the form of coolers and air conditioners add to your electricity bills, as behind "every boon, there is a curse too"!!

Cost-cutting measures are also distant dreams......Even your food habits change adding to your expenses!!Fruits, juices, health drinks, revitalizers, refreshners and call it whatever you like.....all do give respite, but can dry up your pockets!! Summer is also famously associated with holidaying!! So, trips to higher reaches are the norm.......Trips to the Alps and Himalayas make families add revenue to the transportation agencies namely, flights and trains......As educational institutions close down for two months, the parents of the brats pray that the institutions open up early!!But bills of coaching classes and personality development programmes also rise up, as the mercury shoots up!!

So, Summer effectively means High Costs and Burning up of your hearts!! In the midst of all this, there is also a Dissertation to be written.....Will the Concept of Socialist Market Economy of China Under Deng Xiaoping fall in the right place given such severity of the situation?? It should, for this Summer is also a decider for my Research Life........Its a perfect time to do 'Re-Search'!!