Who are the real anti-heroes?

In a country like India where democracy is to its maximum, we blame politicians for all the underdevelopment and delays in implementation of government aided projects. But are politicians alone are responsible for this? I don't think so.

More than the politicians, bureaucrats are responsible for all this. They are eating up the tax payer’s money and doing nothing for the people and the country. The ministers cannot look into every single issue and instruct the officials to do the needful. The officials are responsible to do the work at the ground level. The ministers will get the required approvals and provide the funds. But in reality, most of these funds will go diverted or unused. 

The current political setup itself is not favourable for the overall development of the country. Our ministers should minimize their time spend for public meetings and do some productive work utilizing this time. Even to inaugurate a public tap, ministers are coming. This pathetic situation should change. For this to happen, the outlook of politicians and general public should change. More and more young faces have to come up. The role of aged veteran politicians should be limited to advisory in nature.

Considering all these facts, we can put the blame on both politicians and bureaucrats. But can we wash our hands off by blaming them? No, not at all. We, the general public are also responsible for this. We should react against this. But all of us have fear in our life. So we are not reacting. We Indians claim that we have the right to raise our voice against injustice. But in reality, do we have that right? Yes, I would say but at the risk of our precious life. 

But still the question remains: who is the real anti-hero? I would say it is the democratic set up existing in our country. We enjoy too much of democracy in India. That is the problem. We’ll realize the importance of something only when we are deprived of it. So for Indians to realize the value of democracy, we should be deprived of it. That is not going to happen in the near future. So the only way out of this is to change our outlook.

Importance of Gandhism

Gandhiji had said “There is no such thing as Gandhism”. But in this era of violence and terrorism, Gandhian thoughts and values have great significance. We should teach the importance of these values in our life for the new generation so that we’ll have a peaceful world at least in the future.

Terrorism is definitely a threat to our nation. But violence within our country is becoming an equally important threat. We Indians had very anxious moments during the previous days when the judgement of Ayodhya issue came after so many years. But Indians had shown that we’d matured enough than we were in 1992. Most of us including the political parties and various religious organizations handled it in a very matured way. But it’s unfortunate that some of our politicians utilized this situation for their cheap political gain. But I hope Indians will realize this and give them the right answer during the next election.

Previously people turned into violent activities as a last resort. But now a days the situation has changed. Most of us are using violence as our first resort itself. This is causing threat not only to our lives but also to the development of our entire nation. If we look at the condition of the countries where violence is a normal phenomenon, this fact can be understood. To have a peaceful world, not only all the nations should have a peaceful atmosphere, but also they should have a better understanding with other nations. For achieving this, Gandhian values can play a significant role.  

Hoping to see a peaceful world before my last heart beat…

Jai Hind.

Extinct Punalur-Sengottai Meter Gauge

The Punalur-Sengottai Meter Gauge ghat section was one of Indian Railway’s most beautiful routes. This meter gauge section became extinct on 20^th of September 2010. I got a chance to travel in this route on the last day of its journey. This was the last meter gauge railway line in Kerala. Now it has became part of history.

This railway line runs very close to the nature. You can enjoy the scenic beauty to its maximum. It took almost two and a half hours for a 49 km journey. But you never feel that you’ve travelled for this much time. The Punalur-Sengottai passenger has seven stops in between.

Punalur-Edamann-Ottakkal-Thenmala-Kathuruthy-Edappalayam-Aryankavu-Bhagavathipuram-Sengottai

The Kollam-Sengottai Meter gauge line was conceived and implemented by Great Maharajah Balarama Varma I (Uthradam Tirunal) of Travancore. The inaugural run was on 1 July 1904. The meter gauge line from Kollam-Punalur became extinct on 30^th April 2007. And now the line from Punalur-Sengottai has also became extinct leaving behind no meter gauge lines in Kerala.

It’s difficult to take pictures during such an awesome journey. It’ll ruin the enjoyment. Moreover it is difficult to shoot on a running train. But I managed to take some photos and videos for those who missed this opportunity. Here are a few of them:

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കായംകുളം ജലോത്സവം (Kayamkulam Jalolsavam) 2010

A boat race was conducted in Kayamkulam lake on 28th of August 2010 as part of initiatives to bring Kayamkulam to the world tourism map. Kayamkulam was once the commercial hub of Kerala. Kayamkulam Jalolsavam was conducted to bring back its lost glory. There are two versions as to how Kayamkulam got its name. Some say that Kayamkulam got its name from a portmanteau of two Malayalam words - kayam (sap of a spice tree) and kulam (pond) while a more reliable version is that Kayamkulam got its name from "kayal" (lake) and "kulam" (pond),since the Kayamkulam lake (Kayamkulam kayal) is as shallow as a pond (a bit exaggerated). Kayamkulam is well known for its coir, fishing and tourism industries. One of the largest power plants in Kerala, run by the NTPC, is located in Kayamkulam. Kayamkulam is closely associated with the legend of Kayamkulam Kochunni. He was a famed highwayman, active in the area known as Central Thiruvithamkoor, in the early part of the 19th century. He is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor (like Robin Hood). Legends about his exploits are part of the local folklore.

Thousands of people witnessed the Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 on the banks of Kayamkulam lake. All the races had a very close finish. People had to wait till the official declaration of results to know who had won the race. The event was a huge success in terms of participation and spirit. A total of nine snake boats and several small boats participated in the events. 'Paipad Chundam' turned out to be the winners of Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010. You can have a look at the boat race and the associated events by visiting the below links:

Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - Practice rowing

Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - Boats lining up for mass drill

Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - Vanchipattu

Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - Mass drill

Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - Loser's Final

Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - The Grand Final

Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - Anxiously waiting for the final result

As part of the boat race, several cultural competitions were organized in different categories. Also a Mimics Mega Show lead by Tini Tom and Guinness Pakru and a musical extravaganza lead by Rimi Tomy were organized. You can watch part of these events by visiting the below links:

Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - Mega Show Fusion

Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - Mega Show_Kasthuri

Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - Tini Tom and Unda Pakru

Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - Ganamela_Vada mappile

Kayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - Ganamela _Ee neela raavil

ayamkulam Jalolsavam 2010 - Ganamela_Kuttanadan punchayile

You can also see some of the photos below: