Kerala En'GULF'ed

The recently concluded investors’ meet by name “Emerging Kerala” has shown in very clear terms the destiny of Kerala. The fact that it was inaugurated by no less than the Prime Minister of India and the determined presence of Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission during its deliberations clearly indicates the way a comparatively less developed state like Kerala is going to emerge. Almost all the projects presented during the meet have an NRI content and most of them are based in the Gulf. This is only natural given the fact that a vast majority of NRIs from Kerala are based in the Middle East. But what is worrisome is the hidden agenda involved in all the projects under proposal, namely the allotment of land on free basis or on lease for long periods. And once allotted to an entrepreneur for a particular project, the chances of recovering it (even if unutilized) are very remote. Vast tracts of precious real estate are already in private hands by clever use of this tactic.   

Ruling dispensations in Kerala in contemporary times are really under the combined might of minority sections and the role of politicians and interests representing the unorganized majority is getting marginalized every day. This is reflected even in the number of ministers from the majority community in the cabinet. The free allocation of highly priced land in Kerala assumes great importance in this context. Most of the entrepreneurs from the Gulf represent certain ‘clear’ interests and vast tracts of prime properties are getting allotted by the powers who do not reflect the majority interests. For those have been following the events, the signs and symbols which signal the interests of organized sections in Kerala are very obvious. It is indeed a God’s Own Country, but the question of “Which God” is assuming great significance. Allegiance to foreign Gods are on the ascent through India and Kerala leads this say to sure doom. Forced, coerced  and lured religious conversions have already taken its toll in Kerala.

Another ominous sign that has great significance is the overwhelming importance for industry over agriculture in a predominantly agricultural society. One of the powerful people even went to the extent of suggesting that Kerala need not try to be self-sufficient in food, because the nation is already self-sufficient. This lopsided development philosophy has already ruined many states in the country and it is bound to have serious repercussions in pre-dominantly agrarian society like in Kerala. Everyone knows why Kerala is called the God’s Own Country? It is because of its lush green landscape which is only possible because of Nature’s bountiful blessings. Already overloaded with the highest density of population in the country, Kerala does not have any real estate other than for minimum domicile, agriculture and forests. Perhaps those who are conspiring against this arrangement do not want to control their population, but convert Kerala into an industrial society for their future generations to control.

Mullaperiyar Dam'age’

Bharat was divided on the basis of religion into India and Pakistan (and now Bangladesh). Thereafter India was split into several pieces on the basis of languages. Tamil Nadu and Kerala came into being on the basis of languages, but the umbilical chord that runs through the nation in the form of our common culture and civilization cannot be erased so easily. Moreover, Malayalam, the language of Kerala, is nothing but an offspring of Sanskrit and Tamil in almost equal measure. But the horrific picture of a Mullaperiyar Dam (situated in Kerala for providing water for a few districts in Tamil Nadu) that is about to burst at any time has brought in more damage to the friendliest of relations that have existed for hundreds of generations. An innocuous dam that is providing lifeline to more than four districts of Tamil Nadu has suddenly become a water bomb that is threatening the lives of millions in Kerala. 

Every dam is a potential hazard and it is definitely more so when it is over a hundred years old. Mankind has mastered the science of predicting almost anything except of course a few natural phenomena like earth quakes. They can occur at any place and at any time. The scientific explanations in terms of fault planes that occur later remain as irrelevant and useless as our explanations about the fluctuations in currency rates and gold prices after they occur. But such unpredictable natural phenomena have never prevented mankind from progress and development. We have always found reasonable solutions to all our problems by use of appropriate technology in scientific ways. The same scientific temper should have taken the lead in finding a solution to the dam issue. But instead some known evil forces have taken the lead to misuse the opportunity for their own petty ends. The damage it has done is much more far-reaching than the reach of life-giving water it provides. 

Real Reasons

Biggest bane of Kerala’s political democracy is the existence of ‘needle’ communal parties and its complete polarization into two political coalitions. Though power always shifts from one to the other every five years, these needle parties always find a few slots in the ministries and that invariably results in the undoing of whatever good the ministries achieve. It is quite surprising to note how such rabidly communal parties can operate in a so-called secular country. A nation which was divided on the basis of religion can allow the growth of communal political parties only at its own peril. Yet the narrow political objective of the so-called national parties is failing the soul of Indian nation once again. There are so many reasons to conclude that the present spurt in dam alarm is on account of meeting of minds of two such rabidly communal political parties in power – one with intense local interests and another one because they are indifferent about the place.

The timing of the spurt in agitation is also very much noticeable. Sabarimala shrine has been a problem for many for many decades because of its location amidst an unfriendly environment. Its unprecedented growth in terms of number of pilgrims and the resultant potential of evolving into a much awaited unifying force multiplier cutting across all forms of man-made divisions within the majority community is a nightmare for many political players in the God’s Own country. The state has the maximum number of emigrants and most of the major decisions about Kerala now are taken abroad by collegiums of our own men and international forces with their own agenda. It rarely happens but the dam provided a unique opportunity for all the players to come together and make the best ‘use’ of the dam. After the Sabarimala season the whole cacophony has died down and that makes the situation much more suspicious.

Real Solutions

But the potential problem associated with any water reservoir dam is always existent and it has to be addressed in normal course in a purely scientific manner. A dam is also to be treated as a utility with an economic value associated with it, and like all utility equipment, its annual depreciation must provide enough reserves to rebuild once it passes the allowable age. Mullaperiyar dam has already crossed its limit and technologists must suggest the best solution. India has some of the best technological institutions and brains in the current world and it is not at all an issue to get a study done within a few months. Politics is a curse when it gets mixed with anything else and politicians must be kept out of the picture in all such scientific pursuits. This should include even those who have come into politics from the fields of science and technology. Only ‘sitting’ technologists must indulge in such scientific studies. And in a democracy like India the final decision will always be that of the elected government.

It is also time for all of us to understand that other than unconditional love (which is perhaps only from parents and spouse), all that sustains our lives has a price. Strictly speaking there is absolutely nothing that is free of cost. This is true with regard to the air we breathe, the water we drink and the earth we tread on. Whatever be the history behind it, all the beneficiaries of Mullaperiyar dam must realize that they have to pay for the services it is providing and allow for reconstruction when its useful life is over. It is drinking water and breathing air, and not oil and gas, that are going to be the premium commodities in twenty first century. The beneficiary state must be willing to compensate the rightful owner of dam and its water in the case of Mullaperiyar. Kerala and Tamil Nadu must be willing to finalise a purely commercial agreement for sale of water, and not in wasting their time and energy by allowing petty politics (and politicians) to hijack such sensitive issues.

 
But all said and done, the damage caused in the name of dam’s age, is going to take years to heal. The mean manipulators have also tasted success by the fall in number of Sabarimala pilgrims and the sense of insecurity it has created among those who visited Sabarimala this year. There is no doubt that the same evil forces will be at full bloom next year too at the same time to repeat their show of insane solidarity. They know very well that a few years of repeated efforts will achieve what they really intended. Barring the laudable levels of literacy achieved by the state, all other indications about Kerala are highly alarming and worrisome. The God’s Own Country in terms of its landscape and natural resources is slowly slipping into another Valley of Discontent, quite in line with a nasty NRI agenda.        

Gulfdog Billionaires

Dogs are famous not only for their faithfulness and ferocity, but also for their helplessness and servitude as well. Barring a minority of dogs with European pedigree most of the other dogs in the world fall into the category of either underdogs or now, slumdogs. Both have only sad stories to tell and it is no surprise that their counterparts in the human society are becoming more vocal, visible and violent in recent times. In the bigger canvas of national and international dimensions, all slumdog humans are essentially underdogs in their environment and fields of activity. The simple fact that a few slumdogs from the infamous Dharavi slum in Mumbai could dance onstage in the famous Kotak theatre during the Oscar awards does not alter their ground realities. Those poor children will soon return to their homes amidst all depredation and feeling of unwantedness.

The unprecedented success of slumdog movie will help in focusing our attention of many other types of underdogs prevalent in the current Indian context. One such growing category of underdogs in the last few decades is the case of Indians in the Gulf. The entire Middle East region is now flooded with fortune seekers from the Asian subcontinent and the physical & psychological condition of a majority of them are nothing but that of underdogs. The nouveau riche Arab nations in the Gulf have been enjoying the fruits of highly talented labour force from India at abysmally low charges for almost three decades now. No doubt, India and Indians have benefitted quite a lot in terms of huge foreign exchange remittances and avenues for employment in these Gulf nations. But no one can deny the fact that such prolonged periods of working in closely monitored working conditions have produced a new breed of underdogs and let us name them as ‘gulfdogs’. And many such gulfdogs have managed to become billionaires too.

Slavish Environment

Living conditions of Indians in the Gulf labour camps was a hot topic that was catching up just prior to the start of the current melt down. Flock of politicians and social activists from India were aiming to harvest some attention highlighting the condition of Indian gulfdogs in these labour camps when the meltdown tsunami waves swept away their plans. The biggest concentration of such notorious camps is in UAE and most of them will be deserted in the next few months time. The condition of labour camps in many of the other Gulf states is even worse but it will never attract the same attention as the Dubai charm for Indian politicians. Much tougher access and almost complete opaque human rights conditions will make it difficult for anyone to even witness the reality in these camps. If the notorious Gulf labour camps represent the heights of physical atrocities, the unquestioning atmosphere prevalent in offices and business sector symbolize the peculiar form of modern day slavery that is unique in the Middle East.

South Asia provides the major chunk of labour force and the bulwark of official and business hierarchy in the Gulf countries. A majority of them are Indians and a majority of Indians come from Kerala. Thus Keralites (Malabaris to the Arabs) constitute the bulk of gulfdogs in the Middle East. Thanks to the high literacy levels in Kerala, a significant section of gulfdogs are educated and qualified. Even among the working category, the Malabari gulfdogs stand out as intelligent, literate and skilful. While the slavish hierarchy in the workforce is quite evident, the same mentality is subtle in the office and business. Most of the owners are Arabs but those who wield the real power are either Whites or other Arabic speaking nationals. And at the very bottom of the hierarchy you will invariably find gulfdogs who contribute the maximum but benefit the minimum. Their virtual image (in three piece suits) looks impressive but the real condition of most of them is indeed pathetic.

Crabbish Mentality

Crabs, like dogs, are a set of animals that correlate well with humans in behavior. There is a saying that crabs, held in captivity, in a large glass container need not be covered at all. It is difficult for anyone to climb on glass walls, but in the case of crabs it is impossible because each one of them will pull down the other who is trying to escape. It is quite natural to have this sort of crabbish mentality in any society where the struggle for survival and success is at its peak. Gulf scenario is an opportunity for making quick bucks and the crabbish mentality reaches great proportions among the vast population of gulfdogs. It must be no better among the more qualified tech-coolies in Europe and America as well. But the modus operandi will be more subtle and polished among them when compared to the gulfdogs. Outright cheating, backstabbing and faith betrayal are much more common among gulfdogs than among any other community. Recent instance of one highly successful slumdog billionaire arranging barber training in India for Arabs to backstab his own fellow gulfdog barbers is a revealing one. And the story ends with the said gulfdog billionaire bagging “Pravsai Samman” from Government of India !! Another one has recently been awarded for increasing the fees in Indian schools by a whopping 300%.

There are legendary episodes of betrayals among gulfdogs which are unbelievable. When success or failure of years of toil comes to a choice between standing by or betraying another gulfdog, most of the gulfdogs fall for the devil. Most of the businesses run by gulfdogs are built on such betrayals. It is said most of the hypermarkets, hospitals, hospitalities, money exchanges, gold businesses, contracting companies are built on tainted money which gets more tainted by the sweat and blood of fellow gulfdogs. Many gulfdogs have become lakhpatis, millionaires and billionaires in the process. Just a few examples in gold business (profit margin is merely 1%) where scores of gulfdog billionaires have come up in a span of one decade is good enough to highlight the extent of loot by billionaire gulfdogs of fellow gulfdogs. It is a typical DED(dog-eat-dog) syndrome at its heights.

Kerala has the biggest share of gulfdogs and naturally the highest number of gulfdog billionaires. Every district in the state has atleast one or a few such ‘success’ stories. Many of them have struggled their way up by buttering Arabs and looting fellow gulfdogs. For the Arabs, all Asians are gulfdogs but many of the gulfdogs who understand their language well misunderstand the attitude of masters. Arabs were quick to recognize this opportunity and have institutionalized systems where gulfdogs are employed to spy and pry on fellow gulfdogs. It can be easily established that atleast a few of the gulfdog billionaires have made it thanks to their shameless efforts in betraying their own countrymen and country. Another movie titled ‘Gulfdog Billionaire’ will definitely yield a truck load of Oscars for India.