RECOLLECTING THE GOLDEN QUEEN OF MALABAR-' KAMALA DAS'

"I am Indian, very brown, born in Malabar,
I speak three languages, write in
Two, dream in one."
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"I am saint. I am the beloved and the
Betrayed. I have no joys that are not yours, no
Aches which are not yours. I too call myself I".
My ever favourite  poetess KAMALA DAS- These lines from her poem" AN INTRODUCTION" started reverberating in my mind.I dont know what prompts me to adore her more- I fall in love with her language that is brimming with a sense of love. She is really a confessional poet and her poems give me inspiration to pen down lines having the vitality of life.She is an iconoclast in her generation.She remains immortal in the minds of her thousands of admirers through the lines and words created by her.
"All round me are words, and words and words,
They grow on me like leaves, they never
Seem to stop their slow growing
From within".
These lines really prove its worth.
Sometimes it acts as a nuisance but
"They never seem to stop their coming,
From a silence, somewhere deep within... "

I do experience this feeling sometimes.Yesterday a friend of mine gave me a novel of Das' namely "Amavasi".I just started going through. Like her all other novels, even this has the warmth of maternal affection and open writing style.Though many have lauded scathing criticisms upon her as a writer of libido, I just dont accept that.She is a writer who is ready to share what others are trying to hide from us. Those are also realities and in some phase of life, we even have to confront with that.In this occasion, I recollect the Mock press event for Take two media fest where I was given the chance to act her.After the performance, I was asked queries by the juries and spectators.Most of the questions were focussed on her writing style and the controversial MY STORY. I cant understand the reason behind the questioning of this novel.I sometimes wonder "whether she has written such a fake story and sitting in some corner of the world laughing with utmost happiness that she has fooled the world with her creative story". After reading that , I felt so.She is really really an amazing player of words.Though she is being snatched away from this mighty planet, let her have a calm and peaceful life devoid of controversies in the other world of paradise!

WHEN "LEGENDS MET TOGETHER"

RENDEZVOUS WITH SREELEKHA IPS(spontaneous overflow of my emotions after meeting her)

 Words, words, words! Even words fail to convey my delight.My long cherished dream turned colourful today.I am in the pinkest of happiness.It’s beyond my level of expression to pen down my emotions  which are embellished with the fragrance of lovely flowers.My eternal desire got fruitful today.Its my greatest wish in life to have a glance at the first women IPS officer of my state. Finally it is materialised today.Right from the childhood, I used to hear a lot of sagas from my grandfather and father about this bold and stern IPS officer Sreelekha Madam, who is now serving as the Additional Director General of Police in the Vigilance and Anti corruption Bureau. Its my grandpa who filled my mind with the aspiration of becoming a central government officer especially a Reserve bank grade B servant. I came to know from the magazine given by grandpa that Sreelekha madam was working there before she entered into the civilservices. I never miss reading any of the articles about her appear in various magazines, portals and channels.I am deeply impressed by the way she talks and behaves to common people. I often felt that she is a great philanthropist than an officer. Her words and deeds prove the worth of my finding. I was deeply moved by the services she has done in connection with the tsunami that washed away the lives of many people from the surface of this amazing planet. I still recollect the book “Neerazhikkappuram” penned by her dealing with the catastrophies of tsunami.It portrays the life of Bhadra and Clara. I have searched  this book at many places but still I dint get a chance to move across the pages.I do hope that I will get one soon.

Finally that much awaited day gathered. I was assigned the task of taking an interview with Sreelekha madam in connection with the controversial statement about the dogs she has remarked the last day by Narayanan sir, editor of my news web Trivandrum news. I was really shocked and surprised at the same time. Where will I catch the Number from? No idea. Contacted many.At-last got a number of police control room. But to my disappointment, no body picked up. Without losing hope, I tried again. Then I thought I should contact my batchmate who is having much hold with the public as he is a political activist. To my surprise, he messaged me the number within seconds. Albeit tensed and excited, I rang her and told my purpose. She said” Today , I have no time. Will talk about it tomorrow”. By saying this she disconnected. So, immediately I send her a message expounding  my need and sorry for disturbing her at night. Then I slept off thinking what will I do the next day about this assignment.When I got up after a slumber, my eyes caught the attention of the message in my cell that was sent by Sreeekha madam. It conveyed me to arrive at her office by 11 at PMG. I rang up my father all on a sudden and passed the message. He said all the best and do the work well. After the class, I went to her office with my friend who knows the way to Vigilance office. After the enquiries in the office and receiving the visitor’s card, we were taken to the visitor’s room. We were so thrilled and exhilarated. We were called to her cabin within five minutes. We entered. I was so happy to see her in violet salwar which is one of my favourite colours. We were taken our seats and asked our queries regarding the plight of dogs and daily walkers in the capital city. She explicitly clarified all our doubts. I wondered , is  this the same lady who raised her voice against the atrocities towards women like sexual harassment's and rapes?. She was so cordial in answering our doubts.I felt as if I were sitting in front of a person , whom I have known for years. Any way, in spite of all her official strains, she found time to spend in front of the inquisitiveness of a budding journalist. After that, I expressed my desire to have a snap with her. Without any hesitation , she agreed and my friend captured us in his samsung galaxy.My dream was materialised.

 I really adore her. Its not only the position and power she enjoys admire me, but the wholeheartedness to serve the society within the constrains of three letters imprinted with her name.I like her attitude brimming  with service-mindedness. Hence the rendezvous with her turned to be an ever red letter experience in my life.

The best pic with my role model.

BARKING DOGS ALSO BITE ( an article about the plight of dogs in the capital city)

Trivandrum: The well known adage “barking dogs seldom bite” has to be restructured in the present day scenario as “barking dogs also bite”. The disturbances caused by street dogs are increasing day by day at the capital city. People from child level to adult stage are afraid to walk through the pavements of the city due to the unexpected attack of dogs. It has turned out to be a matter of controversy since last week. It was reported in the city  page of a newspaper that a morning walker was mercilessly attacked by a dog at main junction of the city. But no information about the concerned person was revealed in the story and its follow up. People even suspected that whether it was genuine or a fake one. Finally, putting an end to all speculations, Sreelekha IPS, ADGP of the Intelligence and Anti- Corruption Bureau brought to light the victim. He was identified as Jayachandran, retired officer of industries department. She visited his home and found the reality behind the incident. It was noted that he was bitten by the dog in his leg and minor marks were seen there. Despite the exaggerated expression of the intensity of bite, it was not that serious. But he has taken an injection already as a preventive step and is planning to take two more.

ADGP Sreelekha opined that unless we try to throw stones at dogs, they will not come to bite us intentionally. As a daily walker in city at early mornings, she was fortunate enough not to experience such a brutality from the part of dogs. Her words were brimming with the ardent admiration for dogs.  She expounded a dog bite that has happened to her long back while she was trying to save the life of a dog. Though she was injured and taken vaccines, she expressed her profound delight in saving the life of almighty’s creation. She expressed the fact that Kerala stands first in the case of sexual harassments, rapes and attack towards women.Keralites are in a mood of celebrating these brutalities and their attitude towards dogs are not different from this.

God’s own country of Kerala has now relegated to the status of dog’s own country. Sterilisation or vasectomy has been done in these dogs to hinder the birth of young ones. Castration is also done in some amounts. People also play a pivotal role in the harms caused by dogs. They have the natural tendency to throw waste materials into the streets. The dogs quarrelling for food are a common sight in the city. It is said by the corporation authorities that dogs wandering hither and thither in the city should be taken to Petta Veterinary Hospital for sterilisation and other steps. But the statement remains in words and paper. Nobody has come forward to implement it. Something has to be done immediately to curb the atrocities of dogs. Also measures must be adopted for the proper disposal of wastes so as to curtail the attack among dogs.

Let’s hope that the sterilised dogs in the corporation area behave better in the city.

INDEFINITE STRIKE OF ENDOSULFAN AFFECTED MOTHERS AND CHILDREN COMMENCED AT THE CAPITAL CITY (published article based on MEET THE PRESS)

Trivandrum: There began an indefinite strike by the endosulfan affected

children and mothers so as to acquire their necessities at Devaswom Board junction, Nanthancode. It is the saga of centuries. Even words fail to convey the pathetic plight of children and mothers hailing from various places of the northern state of Kasargod. It is really incredible that people of God’s own country are afflicted with the fatal disasters of the poisonous endosulfan that was sprayed long back. Mothers face the misery of premature death and abortion.

 
Infertility has been identified a new disease in these localities. In one way or other, children born and brought up here are bated to multifarious problems. In order to fulfil their basic requirements, these children seek the aid of some one. Even children of eighteen and twenty years seem to have less physical growth. “They are not capable of responding to the circumstances. If something hurts them beyond their limit of toleration, they will burst out into tears so that we can comprehend that something ill has occurred” says Nalini, the mother of a twenty year old girl Dhanya.  One who is noticing or watching them for a few minutes can literally cry as their sight is capable of creating a torrential rain out of tears from the spectators.

Endosulfan affected children are dead living. It is not just an oxymoron usage but the harsh reality of manmade disasters that have been happening in this state of Kerala for decades. Many of the adults from Madhur, Changala and Kanghangad regions of Kasargod are victims of cancer. Many have lost their lives too. Is Kasargod going to be the remnant of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Chernobyl? It’s time to ponder over the fate of the thousands of people from Kasargod district. It is not just the problem faced by present generation. The condition is posterity is not going to become favourable for growth.

The ultimate aim of the indefinite strike that commenced today is to fight for the needs of the children and mothers who are the part and parcel of endosulfan tragedy. Studies undertaken by Justice G. Ramachandran Nair committee appointed by the state government proved futile. People raised the necessity of a tribunal to take care of the mentally and physically challenged children. The report submitted within in a handful days denied the rights of these hapless people. Also it was openly declared by the chief minister of the state that these people residing in 27 panchayats will be given financial assistance for treatment. But now decision of favour has curtailed the number of panchayats to eleven based on the fact that their houses are locating far from the border of endosulfan zone. It was also said that their debts will be considered invalid. Now there is an alteration in this decision too. So these mothers have come all the way from Kasargod to capital city with their children to raise their voice for what they really deserve in the form of an indecisive strike till they materialise their dream.

Renowned Malayalam poetess Sugathakumari teacher visited the spot. She recited some of her poems composed for the endosulfan children. She expressed that it is the need of the hour to take some steps regarding their hardships. She has been a constant source of inspiration for all the qualitative endeavours of the endosulfan front. Many people who have come with their children find difficult to make both ends meet. “Who will take care of our children after we are snatched away from the surface of the earth?” asks Santhakumari, a mother belonging to endosulfan background. Their lives lost the colour of vigour and vitality as their children are not normal and playing like ordinary kids. Even in the inner most recesses of the heart, every mother has a craving for an active child bereft of any abnormalities. But fate is totally cruel in the case of mothers from many of the regions of Kasargod. We are living in such a world that no man takes care of his brother man despite his well and good physical condition. Then what will be the state of children who are born mentally and physically challenged?

What can we do for their upliftment? Think and act wisely. Those children are also one among us. If he or she is your sibling, you should have done something for them. Do something for them and be a part of their sorrows. Let’s hope that there will be a qualitative change from the part of government which enables them to make their eternal dreams turn out to be a reality.

OH SISTER, MY DEAR TEACHER (my published poem written during my schooldays about my dearest school teacher Sister Ambika Mary)

It’s the reminiscence of her

That rocks me back to my school days.

She was the angel of God, the almighty.

She was a friend in need

Who consoled me, congratulated me

I loved her, she loved me too

She put me in tune

With the music of the fabulous language

She nurtured in me

The spark of Divinity

She was my guide, who swayed my way

She moulded me, incited me, realised me.

She was not a mere teacher for me

But she was the incarnation of holy virtues

She was too full of the milk of human kindness.

Have you ever seen such a teacher like my sister?

Now I long for my past days

Which ebbed into the bosom eternity?

A CHAT WITH SAI NATH,MAGSAYSAY AWARD WINNER(My published article on behalf of the INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DEEPENING DEMOCRACY)

Trivandrum: “Neo liberalism can only undermine democracy “says P Sai Nath, rural affairs editor of The Hindu in his keynote address given on the session ‘inclusion of the excluded’ on behalf of  the International Conference on Deepening Democracy held at Samudra hotel, Kovalam. His talk was a brilliant exposition of the reality on the underground. He began the speech congratulating all the paper presenters. He opined that growing inequality is the greatest problem faced by our country. The word inclusion has entered the book of buzz words. He stands as a staunch proponent, advocate and supporter of decentralisation. Ours is a nation driven on the path of development. It is necessary to ponder over what has happened during the last twenty years. Millions have left their home. It is clearly depicted in the last census that the country has witnessed the mightiest migration. In 2011 census, number of people added to rural population is about 91 million. The urban rural growth differentiation is great in the last thirty years. As he is a rural editor, he spends most of the time in rural area with the people over there.
There have been massive job losses in the country. There is a decline of fourteen million jobs in the agricultural sector. There are millions of people entrusted in this who all are not farmers.  He then started talking about Governments and states violating the constitution. Even the 73^rd and 74^th amendments also violate the constitution.  He then mentioned about SEED that is going to be one of the lucrative industries in the country. Then he talked about the process of election that has become more important than the elected body. The process of election is more enabling and participative. We can see global power versus decentralised power .He quoted a famous line from the great Indian poet par excellence Rabindranath Tagore that “food is the source of great wealth and food production is the source of great misery”. Hunger and thirst are greatest threats in the world. He cited the paradox from 1990’s about the gutting of estates when the democratic powers were on the rise.
Water is already the biggest part of conflict in the world. He mentioned about the rivers like Mullaperiyar, Almatti and Kaveri which are creating certain disputes. He substantiated this problem of water quoting an example of a younger brother killing the elder one at the city of Karnul. Maratwada of Maharashtra was afflicted with the problem of drought. Now we can see twin towers coming up.In addition to this, there are private swimming pools in every floor. The marginal farmers who fled because of the drought are now indulged in the construction work. In the city of Osmanabad, we can see the sight of every vehicle carrying at least four pots of water. Then he expressed the fact on the city of Mehboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh that many of the dispossessed peasants from the place have migrated to work in BARC. Their joblessness prompted them to move towards BARC. He then stressed the key idea that neo liberalism cannot deepen democracy. It can decentralise the problem and centralise the power of solution. He said that in the National food security bill, there is no reference of the word farmer. He then expounded the condition of many eastern states especially Jharkhand. The education given there is of poor quality.



He then made a suggestion that why can’t we make Directive principles of state policy a bill of rights. The state shall endeavour to regulate equality whether economic or social. Legislation itself is not important.  He concluded his speech with the statement that mass movements and mass struggles are necessary.

GUJARAT HANDICRAFTS EXHIBITION (my published article from Trivandrumnews.com)

Trivandrum: The capital city welcomed New Year by hosting a platform for India’s fantastic art mesmerisms. Gujarat Handicrafts and Handloom Exhibition commenced on 4^th January 2014 at Kanakakunnu Jawahar Bala Bhavan. The carnival conducted under the auspices of Gujarat emporium, Ernakulam was inaugurated by the deputy mayor of Trivandrum, G.Happykumar. It is the time to ring out the old and usher in the new fashion trends like hand print materials, ethnic saris, stone and metal ornaments.

There is a vast array of India’s traditional clothes, ornaments, handicrafts and printed dress materials which are still fascinating in European countries. In addition to these, white metal ornaments, garlands of semi precious stones from Jaipur, ear rings and lockets which enhance the beauty of typical Indian lass are the major attraction of this city based show.

The exhibition has an amazing collection of trendy dress materials that incorporate saris of fulkari design work, chicken work,block print, screen print, bathic printed, Bhagalpur tusser silk, Ahmedabad and Bengal cotton saris. Gujarati kurtas, Kashmiri tops, Luck now chicken work kurtis, tie and dye salwar, gagra chowli and Jaipurian chanya chowli are the products mostly sold here. Moreover, the event provides kohlapuri chappals, Rajasthan bedsheets, cushion covers, Orissa paintings,Karnataka’s chanapatna toys, terracotta products from Gorakhpur and Kolkata. The cost of the products ranges from Rs.10 to Rs.10,000.

The show comes to an end on 19^th January. The event is given too much colour by the national award winners with their products. The Government of Gujarat offers a discount of twenty percent for handloom clothes and ten percent for handicraft products. The prime focus of the carnival is to enhance the standard of living of the artists who suffer from financial strains. Moreover the Govt. aims to sell their products directly to the customers with a reasonable rate devoid of mediators. The event is really a feast to the eyes of the spectators.

SHE WITH TAXY (My interview as a part of reporting)

Trivandrum: The hand that rocks the cradle is ready to hold the break and axillator. “She Taxy”, a new initiative undertaken by the Govt. Of kerala is gaining momentum in the capital city of Kerala. The programme that launched on 19^th November 2013 ensures cent percent surety to the women passengers. “She Taxy” began with five taxis has risen to ten within a short span of one month.

“She Taxy” offers 24*7 services to all women travellers. They aim at providing safety to the women. As we are living in a world surrounded by sexual harassment, rape and suicide, women must get a chance to travel with peace of mind. The Govt. Of Kerala is planning to extend “She Taxy” facility to Calicut district soon.  The drivers hailing from different parts of Kerala are selected through a long process and they are appointed on the basis of their experiences in the field of driving. Rasiya, a driver of the She Taxy says that they are getting maximum trips daily and they are very much delighted to enter into the arena of social service through this venture. The main office is located at Kawadiar and they have a call centre as well. The passengers have to do booking earlier so as to offer taxis for them. “We are taking fewer amounts from the travellers comparing to other taxi wallas” says Annie, a driver of She Taxy.

“She Taxy” provides services mainly at the towns of Trivandrum city. As a part of ensuring security to the passengers and avoid dangers, there are risk alarms .There are special alarms for the drivers and passengers. People all over Kerala are looking ahead to see the land filled with more  “she Taxies”

TAKE 2 MEDIA FEST REPORT (selected for publishing in Lab Journal)

        Putting an end to all speculations, the Communication club and Alumni Association of the University of Kerala under the auspices of I and PRD,C-DIT and the Nehru Yuva Kendra hosted a three day media fest entitled "TAKE 2"at Vyloppilli Samskriti Bhavan,Trivandrum.The carnival began with registration of participants on the first day of 23rd october 2013.This was immediately followed by "Ice breaking”. As the name indicates, it was a kind of breaking the barriers that existed among the students belonging to various institutions of the state. After the tea break, the event commenced with Break the Rule(idea presentation)on the first stage in which the participants had to present their views based on the topic given. At stage two (off stage),the programme began with a written examination of prelims of Quiz. After this there started the prelims of debate of which the topic was whether the people who subjected to criminal punishments could participate in election. There was lunch break. After this, there were split up(switch and scare crow(social satire) on the first stage and stroke smith (cartooning) on the second stage. After these events,there was a talk on Agro journalism. The minister of agriculture,Govt.of Kerala sri.K.P.Mohanan was the chief presenter.He talked on the advantages and its scope in the present scenario. Two more speakers were also there.They gave some PowerPoint presentations too. After the discussion,the programme proceeded on to Mock Press(changing the persona).There were about twenty participants who changed their persona as Kamala Das,Ranjini Haridas,Santhosh Pandit,John Brittas,Manmohan singh,Mammootty and so on. They had to answer the queries of judges and esteemed audience based on their attributed persona.The programme came to an end by the dinner. The participants were given accomodation facilities and they were taken to their respective allotted hostels.

      The students welcomed the second day with spectacular expectations. After the breakfast, the programme began with Jingle bells(lyric writing).A Bengali music was played and the participants had to write a lyric on mineral water. After the tea break, it was time for the official inauguration. The cultural minister of the state sri.K.C.Joseph inaugurated the carnival  by the traditional lighting of the lamp.He talked on the role of journalists and their contributions to the society.Sri.K.Muraleedharan MLA attended the function.The head of the department of communication, Kerala University,Sri.Subhash Kuttan presided over the function. After that the much awaited Tongues on Fire (debate) final started.The topic for the debate was whether invalid vote influenced democracy or not.It was a debate between the two partners of a team. One has to argue for the topic while the other has to interrupt in between. Only the qualified four teams participated in the mains. After the lunch break, there was Ad Zap(act out an ad)competition in which the participants of a team comprising five members had to perform the ad for tourism. It was quite interesting. All the teams performed entirely different based on their creativity.After this, there was a talk on Media Ethics.Doordarshan assistant station director sri.Baiju Chandran was a major talker.All presenters talked on the value and the power of media in the society.Immediately after this programme,there held a recruitment examination of journalist trainees in the Asianet News channel at the AC hall.The events of the second day came to an end by the cultural programme-drama and folk song.It was a rocking session for the participants.Everybody put themselves in tune with the music of fabulous songs and danced like anything.Everyone departed to their respective hostels after the dinner.

       The third day began with a documentary presentation "salt mango tree”. After that,there was a talk on  Cyber Journalism. Then there was a talk on 100 years of Indian Cinema.Sri.Balu Kiriyath was the main talker.Students raised their doubts regarding cinema and the consequences faced by cinema. After the lunch break,it was time for finals of Quiz competition.It had three rounds of brilliant questions. Then there was the launch of "Malabar Gazette”, a magazine by MAS College students by sri.Subhash Kuttan.Then came the valedictory function.Sri,Achu Shankar was the chief guest.He expressed all his wishes for the fest that should be conducted every year.He said that it was a good platform for the students to exhibit their talents infront of their peer group and others.Sri.Achu Shankar and Sri.Subhash Kuttan disributed the prizes for the winners. The programme had come to an end by 6pm.

      "TAKE 2 MEDIA FEST”, a venture of the University of Kerala succeeded in exciting the audience with their mass effort and the exhilarating events. This media carnival was really a great success.