This charismatic NRI diplomat who was more than unfamiliar to the common man at the capital city of God's Own Country turned out to be their darling in less than three weeks. The newfound sincerity and difference in every word and promise of his, stood apart from the banal stuff that his contestors had to say. His stellar resume and use of new media technology won him a margin of about a lakh worth votes more than his nearest CPI rival in this land where "Marx's communist idealogy" and "anti-bourgeois" are topics of heated debate even at "chaya kadas"!
Though it is the capital city of the south Indian state lauded for its social infrastructure, why didn't Trivandrum make it to be a metro city like Chennai or Bangalore or Hyderabad? Though blessed with beautiful beaches and greenery and an amazing climate throughout the year, why couldn't this green clean city gain its rightful place in the nation?
Yes, it is true that Kerala deserves a praise for its commendable infrastructure for primary education (I have not seen a single malayali who doesn't know how to read or write). But personally, I feel that we need to improve a lot in college education and higher studies. For instance, why do we have just a handful of IITians from our state every year? (Well, may be because of the non-existence of coaching centres, but why so? ).
Similarly health indicators like life expectancy and infant mortality in the state are comparable to those in developed countries. But, I feel that this is mostly because of advancements in private investments in health sector. The rich middle class in Kerala with its enormous purchasing power is able to afford this expensive health care. The government hospitals lag behind and needs total revamping.
The state is more or less like an extended city with minimal urban rural divide and equal facilities throughout. All these are laudable. These may be because of the movements, bloodshed and sacrifice made by the communist martyrs who strived for equality and a classeless society. The entire social fabric of this state was altered by the communist idealogies. "Prabudha Keralam" with each and every individual enlightened about his rights evolved into what it is now - a state with very high HDI comparable to developed nations but with low GDP.
Sadly we had to pay the price for the equality and uniform development that we gained. The communist ideology that tempered an average malayali's attitude made him view the idea of high-handedness on the proletariat in a bad light. This led to the thriving of militant 'labor unions' or 'trade unions' who opposed even the slightest of pressure from the side of the management. And every new establishment was vehemently opposed claiming the entrepreneur to be a "bourgeois". The common man who is well aware of his rights - the right to restrict one’s personal freedom through bandhs and hartals, the right to obstruct using demonstrations, the right to demand contributions - conveniently forgot about his duties. This stalled the flow of investments to the state leading to stagnant physical infrastructure and manufacturing sector.
It is high time for a change. We need to understand the fallacies of our beliefs and ideologies if we need to move forward to be the best in the new century. The old ideology has served its purpose of creating a more or less equal and fair state. But we need to alter it to race with the changing world scenario. We have miles to go to reach where we actually deserve to be. A complete restructuring of our thoughts is needed to further the development of our state. We need educated, committed and sincere leaders to help us rise and shine.
Let us hope that Shashi Tharoor, unlike other politicians, will keep his promises regarding his vision for Trivandrum. [http://shashitharoor.in/english/vision]. Let this be the first step towards a change in the attitude and thoughts of the average malayali. I dream of Trivandrum as a global city of the 21st century.
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ReplyDeleteWell written and forcefully argued article. The 'Tharoor effect' washed onto you eh? :D
ReplyDeleteAs you rightly pointed out, Kerala, like Bengal, has achieved considerable success on social indicators but it has been at the cost of economic development. Followers of Marxism around the world are beginning to realize the futility of its dogmatic principles. Indeed, clever states like China had changed tracks long ago and are reaping the benefits now.
Unfortunately, Indian communists (and the 'pseudo-socialist' UDF in Kerala) are only now realizing this but are yet to give up their archaic ideals. That's why you see a Cuba, rather than a Vietnam, in Kerala, with high standards as per social indicators but low on economic progress. History has shown that sound economics is necessary for real progress on the ground, as is evident from Tamil Nadu or Gujarat or Punjab.
Thankfully, the focus all over India is now shifting towards (inclusive) economic development as the highest priority. I am sure that in the near future, T'puram would also become a modern city with a focus on higher education and service sector. But the government should also focus on creating more blue-collared jobs, especially in manufacturing, for the large lower economic classes, lest it repeat the initial mistakes of Karnataka or Maharashtra.
As for Tharoor, it is indeed heartening that someone like him has got elected and will now be a central minister. It is a healthy development, not only for T'puram or Kerala, but for Indian democracy as a whole. We need more people like him in our polity.