Today is the Malayalam star of Atham and the countdown to Onam has begun. Ten days from today will be the Onam festival which falls on the Malayalam star of Thiruonam in the month of Chingam. This festival is the highlight of life in Kerala as it is celebrated by all irrespective of class and creed. The flower carpet that greets one at the doorstep of all homes is laid out from this morning and reaches a crescendo as far as size and intricacy go by the tenth day. The preparation for Onam including the flower carpet, new clothes, kaikottikalli and the cuisine for all the days is something that has to be worked out in advance and gives so much of joy to all concerned. However the intention of this article is not to point out the highlights of the festival but to bring to attention of the reader another aspect of Onam, which is not so pleasant to read or to hear especially if you are a Malayali and a Marunaadan (someone who does not live in Kerala) Malayali at that.
To add to the already vibrant mood of the Malayali male during this festival is the intake of alcohol. It is but common all over the world to toast any celebration with alcohol; however to a Malayali the consumption of the same seems to be the main focus. I am forced to say this because records how shown thus. How can we otherwise justify the sales of alcohol during the Onam season in the year 2010? It is said that the sales reached a whopping 235 crores of rupees in that single week. Thus securing the first place as a revenue earner and surpassing the revenue from petrol and diesel!! Well one way of looking at it could be that alcohol is to the Malayali male what petrol and diesel are to the motor vehicles. Both in a way provide fuel, except that one can easily be done without. I wonder as to what records are going to be broken this coming season??
As a child when we used to travel by car from Chennai to Calicut, just on crossing the border at Walayar, there would be a vivid change in the landscape and in the midst of the lush green would stand out little huts which had large handwritten boards pronouncing Toddy/Arrack. The board would be both in Malayalam and Tamil. Since Tamilnadu was a dry state where there was prohibition, it was common for people to cross over and either become tipplers or turn bootleggers. I cannot remember the IMFL shops, but I am sure there must have been more than one in every hamlet. It is indeed upsetting to note that nothing has changed in the intervening decades. Instead there has been a progressive degradation with every passing year.
A stage has reached when the word SHOP or SHAAP has only one meaning. If Communism flourishes in Kerala, it can be seen in its true form outside a Liquor Shop. Here the rich and the poor and the old and the young are all equal and are ready to stand in a perfect queue and wait their turn. There is no chaos like what prevails in a bus stop or a train station or a movie theatre. The camaraderie is so perfect that if someone is in a hurry, he is allowed to cut the queue and make his purchase. It is said that on the day before a hartal or bandh the queue at the Liquor shop is so serpentine that it can easily be more than a 500 metres long. I wonder if the State provides as part of their Onam markets which cater to clothes and provisions, a separate market for Liquor. Otherwise how on earth can it be possible for liquor of this amount to be sold from the existing shops? It is mind boggling that a state with a population of 31 million of which anywhere between 5-10 million may form the targeted group can consume this quantity of alcohol.
Wonder as to what forms the basis of this trend. I think one of the main reasons could be the availability of easy money. With lack of industries, thanks to the prevalent policies, most of the youth are without any commendable jobs. At the same time most of the families have bread winners in the Gulf States who remit diligently substantial amounts to their families in the State. With peer pressure mounting, mothers are forced to hand out the hard earned money to their sons, who think nothing about squandering the same at the SHAAP. Depending on the financial position the visit can be to a Toddy or Arrack parlour (the modern parlance for a shop) or to an IMFL bar or can just be a purchase from the shop to be had at home. Liquor has taken such a centre stage when it comes to the social fabric that any small happening calls for the opening of a bottle. This is so truly reflected in the Malayalam Films where it is hard to come across a movie which does not involve at least a couple of scenes without the bottle. How can it be otherwise, for in the recent past the film industry has lost to the bottle so many talented actors, musicians and lyricists who had in them so many more years of genius left. The scene is so sad and I wonder as to what the remedy if there is one could be.
The shady offshoot of the liquor industry is the illegal brewing which is ever so rampant. In connivance with corrupt tax officials this industry thrives. It is only when there is a hooch tragedy that the Government opens its eyes to close them again in no time. Alcohol seems to be a curse which has permeated into all strata of society. As long as the treasury is filling, I wonder if the State would ever bother to curb the menace. It is after all Liquor that is spinning Kerala its Gold.
I wonder as to what the figures would be at the end of this Onam season. I am sure it will break the ceiling set last year and set yet another unbelievable record. If Kerala is GOD’S OWN COUNTRY, then it has also sadly earned the sobriquet as LIQUOR’S PARADISE
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
The following is an article I wrote for a Newsletter on Plastic Free India.
Plastic is derived from the Greek word plastos which means something that can be shaped or molded into any form as is deemed necessary. Possessing such a great property, Plastic has certainly been put to use in far too many industries and to list them in itself would be time and space consuming. The way in which plastic has permeated and percolated into our daily lives, it would indeed be extremely difficult to shake ourselves away from it. This being the case, the possibility of a Plastic Free India is just a Utopian thought, something which is soothing to hear and to dream about but absolutely impossible to achieve. My understanding of a Plastic Free India would be an India where we try our best to stop the use of those plastics which are disposed off after a single use. Having said that, it would be indeed difficult to use a disposable syringe over and over again and the same would hold true for all the single use plastic products that are used in an operation theatre.
As a lay person I can think of two products that we can cease to use. By doing so we would indeed be helping our environment and making our city a better place to live in. These are the widely used ultra thin plastic shopping bags and the even more widely used packaged drinking water bottles. Coming to think of it, the use of these two products in India began around thirty years ago. The bags were considered the in thing and right from the big departmental stores to the small corner shop to the street vendors took to it like fish to water. It was considered chic and easy to carry and thus the age old cloth shopping bags were relegated to the back or totally forgotten. The fall out of this idiocy combined with the poor literacy rate helped create a catastrophe. Thus we used the thin bags and threw them into our trash which was then collected and thrown into dumps were they have been lying for the last thirty years. Had the plastic been biodegradable, with the help of the sun, most of it may have broken down and mixed with the soil. The same holds true for the packaged water bottle, which when it was first introduced was considered fashionable. I guess we have ourselves to blame, for if we had taken care to see that our water bodies were safe and if we were able to provide good drinking water to the masses, the question of a packaged water industry would never ever have risen. Now to make matters worse, the poor disposal of plastic has led to the clogging of most of the smaller streams and canals. Thus we can take a pledge that we would go back to our cloth bags and glass/steel water bottles.
A Plastic Free India would be one in which we are bereft of most things that we are used to and take for granted. Having reached the second decade of the 21st Century, are we ready to go back to that era of the 19th Century when plastic was not discovered?? As I mentioned earlier, let us be practical and let us do everything to lessen its usage and to learn to make do without it wherever possible. As citizens of this country, let our mantra be to REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE.
Plastic is derived from the Greek word plastos which means something that can be shaped or molded into any form as is deemed necessary. Possessing such a great property, Plastic has certainly been put to use in far too many industries and to list them in itself would be time and space consuming. The way in which plastic has permeated and percolated into our daily lives, it would indeed be extremely difficult to shake ourselves away from it. This being the case, the possibility of a Plastic Free India is just a Utopian thought, something which is soothing to hear and to dream about but absolutely impossible to achieve. My understanding of a Plastic Free India would be an India where we try our best to stop the use of those plastics which are disposed off after a single use. Having said that, it would be indeed difficult to use a disposable syringe over and over again and the same would hold true for all the single use plastic products that are used in an operation theatre.
As a lay person I can think of two products that we can cease to use. By doing so we would indeed be helping our environment and making our city a better place to live in. These are the widely used ultra thin plastic shopping bags and the even more widely used packaged drinking water bottles. Coming to think of it, the use of these two products in India began around thirty years ago. The bags were considered the in thing and right from the big departmental stores to the small corner shop to the street vendors took to it like fish to water. It was considered chic and easy to carry and thus the age old cloth shopping bags were relegated to the back or totally forgotten. The fall out of this idiocy combined with the poor literacy rate helped create a catastrophe. Thus we used the thin bags and threw them into our trash which was then collected and thrown into dumps were they have been lying for the last thirty years. Had the plastic been biodegradable, with the help of the sun, most of it may have broken down and mixed with the soil. The same holds true for the packaged water bottle, which when it was first introduced was considered fashionable. I guess we have ourselves to blame, for if we had taken care to see that our water bodies were safe and if we were able to provide good drinking water to the masses, the question of a packaged water industry would never ever have risen. Now to make matters worse, the poor disposal of plastic has led to the clogging of most of the smaller streams and canals. Thus we can take a pledge that we would go back to our cloth bags and glass/steel water bottles.
A Plastic Free India would be one in which we are bereft of most things that we are used to and take for granted. Having reached the second decade of the 21st Century, are we ready to go back to that era of the 19th Century when plastic was not discovered?? As I mentioned earlier, let us be practical and let us do everything to lessen its usage and to learn to make do without it wherever possible. As citizens of this country, let our mantra be to REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Guardian Angel
Kristina Roxanne D’Costa: Born on 23rd Sept 1991 and Died on 13th July 2011.
The above information is definitely hard to believe for anyone who has had an opportunity to meet Roxanne in the 19 plus years that she had inhabited planet Earth. Tall and lissome with no handicap of any sort, who would think that death would steal this wonderful creation so early.
I have known Roxanne from the time of her birth. For that matter I have known the family including her parents, grandparents and great grandparents for a very long time. As far as the D’Costas go, longevity is something they possess. I have seen Roxanne take her first steps and I have seen Roxanne go to school. I have seen her graduate from her nursery school uniform to her elementary and middle school uniform and finally to her high school uniform. I have seen her grow up to be a fine girl, well mannered, respectful and possessing all those bygone qualities which the youth of today seem to have otherwise forgotten. Roxanne’s long hair was the envy of all and as for her height; it was something most girls would crave for her. I remember having mentioned to her grand dad as to what a fine model she would make.
Although Roxanne did not live nearby, by virtue of her grandparents being my neighbours, it was but inevitable that I would see her off and on. There were periods of her life when she stayed with her grandparents as going to school was much easier from here. Being the eldest grandchild, she was the apple of their eye and they doted on her more than what any grandparent would do. Her grand dad being a regular visitor to my house, I was always in the knowhow of all the major events in her life. When we heard that she had graduated from school and had joined Stella Maris College for her under graduation, we were elated. Here was a girl who had overcome her Dyslexia and had found her moorings and was getting ready to enter the real world. By virtue of being involved with an institute that promotes aviation related non technical courses, I visit colleges to promote the institute. Thus I have had the opportunity to go to Roxanne’s college and department on more than one occasion and was indeed happy to note that the shy girl had blossomed into a fine young lady. The warmth with which she greeted me on those occasions is ever so vivid in my mind and the hospitality that she extended was unforgettable. To her it seemed as if I was a guest to her college and that I should be looked after well. I was happy to note that she had evolved to become a leader among her friends and she seemed to be in control of things. I remember mentioning these anecdotes to her grand dad, who I am sure, must have been extremely happy to hear the same.
Thus on the 12th of July 2011, when Uncle Bobby (Roxanne’s Granddad) came home almost a lost man, the last thing that crossed our mind was Roxanne. Being a very emotional person, we thought that something minor was bothering him and that he had come over for some encouraging words from my Dad who is a GURU to him. When he mentioned the graveness of the situation, we found it so hard to believe. How can Roxanne be so ill? I had seen her just the previous Friday when she was visiting her grandparents. She looked fine to me although she had lost some weight due to the jaundice that she had contracted in May. Uncle Bobby mentioned that she was in the ICU and that the doctors had pronounced her condition to be extremely serious. We kept tab of the situation and heard at different intervals that her condition was caused by different illnesses. What started off as meningitis-the dreaded brain fever, soon became leptospirosis an equally if not more lethal condition. Thus we prayed for her well being and hoped that a miracle would occur. By Wednesday morning, the doctors at the hospital had washed their hands off. The parents were told that Roxanne could be taken home as there was only so much that can be done. Anyway, when the doors were shut at one of the hospitals, Roxanne was rushed to another for further treatment. Anyway to cut a long story short, Roxanne had a massive cardiac arrest and was declared dead around 7.30pm on Wednesday.
We rushed across to console the grandparents, who were shattered. Young Peter her only sibling had not got the impact of the situation. The next day when I went to meet her Mom, she was speechless but at the same time I felt that the truth had not sunk in. This morning was the funeral and the body was brought to the grandparents place. All efforts were made by the family to give her a grand funeral. But the atmosphere was so very sombre. There was not a single soul with dry eyes. How can anyone reconcile to this untimely death? My heart bled for the family and for her friends some of whom were so uncontrollable in their sorrow. Although the religious service served as a balm to the congregation, the reality was something totally different. I stood by and watched with sadness the whole scene. When the casket was lowered and nailed a chapter had ended. It was not easy for me to sprinkle dust on the casket, but I did so like those around me.
On my drive back home and ever since I returned, I had a hundred questions for which I fervently needed an answer. I grew up imbibing the fact that everything in life has a purpose. If that be the case what was the purpose of Roxanne’s life. Nineteen is an age when you get to know your responsibilities and when you start planning for the future. To take away a life at that age is definitely so unthinkable. The instant reply to this question would be that God takes away those whom he loves the most. I guess, I am not so practical in my thinking and hence to accept this as an answer would be far too difficult for me. Being devout Christians, Roxanne’s family may on the face of it accept this situation. However how can a mother or father forget their teenage daughter who just disappeared from their midst without any rhyme or reason. I would also like to pose the question to the medical fraternity that treated her. Do they have an answer for her demise? I am sure they are as much in the dark as the rest of us. Of one thing I am sure and that is that my mind will continue to search for a convincing answer.
In the meantime I pray to the Almighty to give the D’Costas all the strength to cope with this bereavement. In a family where every death in the past has been a celebration of a life well lived, this may indeed be hard. I would like to believe that Roxanne would always be their Guardian Angel.
The above information is definitely hard to believe for anyone who has had an opportunity to meet Roxanne in the 19 plus years that she had inhabited planet Earth. Tall and lissome with no handicap of any sort, who would think that death would steal this wonderful creation so early.
I have known Roxanne from the time of her birth. For that matter I have known the family including her parents, grandparents and great grandparents for a very long time. As far as the D’Costas go, longevity is something they possess. I have seen Roxanne take her first steps and I have seen Roxanne go to school. I have seen her graduate from her nursery school uniform to her elementary and middle school uniform and finally to her high school uniform. I have seen her grow up to be a fine girl, well mannered, respectful and possessing all those bygone qualities which the youth of today seem to have otherwise forgotten. Roxanne’s long hair was the envy of all and as for her height; it was something most girls would crave for her. I remember having mentioned to her grand dad as to what a fine model she would make.
Although Roxanne did not live nearby, by virtue of her grandparents being my neighbours, it was but inevitable that I would see her off and on. There were periods of her life when she stayed with her grandparents as going to school was much easier from here. Being the eldest grandchild, she was the apple of their eye and they doted on her more than what any grandparent would do. Her grand dad being a regular visitor to my house, I was always in the knowhow of all the major events in her life. When we heard that she had graduated from school and had joined Stella Maris College for her under graduation, we were elated. Here was a girl who had overcome her Dyslexia and had found her moorings and was getting ready to enter the real world. By virtue of being involved with an institute that promotes aviation related non technical courses, I visit colleges to promote the institute. Thus I have had the opportunity to go to Roxanne’s college and department on more than one occasion and was indeed happy to note that the shy girl had blossomed into a fine young lady. The warmth with which she greeted me on those occasions is ever so vivid in my mind and the hospitality that she extended was unforgettable. To her it seemed as if I was a guest to her college and that I should be looked after well. I was happy to note that she had evolved to become a leader among her friends and she seemed to be in control of things. I remember mentioning these anecdotes to her grand dad, who I am sure, must have been extremely happy to hear the same.
Thus on the 12th of July 2011, when Uncle Bobby (Roxanne’s Granddad) came home almost a lost man, the last thing that crossed our mind was Roxanne. Being a very emotional person, we thought that something minor was bothering him and that he had come over for some encouraging words from my Dad who is a GURU to him. When he mentioned the graveness of the situation, we found it so hard to believe. How can Roxanne be so ill? I had seen her just the previous Friday when she was visiting her grandparents. She looked fine to me although she had lost some weight due to the jaundice that she had contracted in May. Uncle Bobby mentioned that she was in the ICU and that the doctors had pronounced her condition to be extremely serious. We kept tab of the situation and heard at different intervals that her condition was caused by different illnesses. What started off as meningitis-the dreaded brain fever, soon became leptospirosis an equally if not more lethal condition. Thus we prayed for her well being and hoped that a miracle would occur. By Wednesday morning, the doctors at the hospital had washed their hands off. The parents were told that Roxanne could be taken home as there was only so much that can be done. Anyway, when the doors were shut at one of the hospitals, Roxanne was rushed to another for further treatment. Anyway to cut a long story short, Roxanne had a massive cardiac arrest and was declared dead around 7.30pm on Wednesday.
We rushed across to console the grandparents, who were shattered. Young Peter her only sibling had not got the impact of the situation. The next day when I went to meet her Mom, she was speechless but at the same time I felt that the truth had not sunk in. This morning was the funeral and the body was brought to the grandparents place. All efforts were made by the family to give her a grand funeral. But the atmosphere was so very sombre. There was not a single soul with dry eyes. How can anyone reconcile to this untimely death? My heart bled for the family and for her friends some of whom were so uncontrollable in their sorrow. Although the religious service served as a balm to the congregation, the reality was something totally different. I stood by and watched with sadness the whole scene. When the casket was lowered and nailed a chapter had ended. It was not easy for me to sprinkle dust on the casket, but I did so like those around me.
On my drive back home and ever since I returned, I had a hundred questions for which I fervently needed an answer. I grew up imbibing the fact that everything in life has a purpose. If that be the case what was the purpose of Roxanne’s life. Nineteen is an age when you get to know your responsibilities and when you start planning for the future. To take away a life at that age is definitely so unthinkable. The instant reply to this question would be that God takes away those whom he loves the most. I guess, I am not so practical in my thinking and hence to accept this as an answer would be far too difficult for me. Being devout Christians, Roxanne’s family may on the face of it accept this situation. However how can a mother or father forget their teenage daughter who just disappeared from their midst without any rhyme or reason. I would also like to pose the question to the medical fraternity that treated her. Do they have an answer for her demise? I am sure they are as much in the dark as the rest of us. Of one thing I am sure and that is that my mind will continue to search for a convincing answer.
In the meantime I pray to the Almighty to give the D’Costas all the strength to cope with this bereavement. In a family where every death in the past has been a celebration of a life well lived, this may indeed be hard. I would like to believe that Roxanne would always be their Guardian Angel.
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