I do not have any better word to sum up the overwhelming feeling I had when I visited this place. Mavady, far away from the mayhem of Cochin, tucked away in green, is the ideal getaway. Located at the foothills of Wagamon, this place is the great get-away from the quintessential Indian City. Its a great drive up to Mavady - nothing short of bliss - especially if you are the kind who love chicanes. So go get that SUV !!
Vanilla county is a 60 year old villa, and stands amidst a plantation of vanilla and rubber. The villa was built by my grandmother's brother and the estate is part of the 1000 acres given to my great grandfather by the Maharaja. Built using teakwood and limestone, this building still carries an aura that is no match for today's Indian homes. If you like rains, this is the place. The cascades outside the villa palter - " its raining "- all the time !!
Step outside, and you are greeted with the scent of vanilla by a cool breeze. The road down to natures own rock pool is surrounded by 'skirted' rubber trees. Walk a little more to have a swim in the clear water's of Teekoy River - one of the tributaries of the Meenachil river.
Wagamon is only half an hours' drive away. This is a must visit destination if you visit Vanilla county. The sight of the lush-green covered hills is a spectacle. Another place to visit is the Indo-Swiss dairy farm project, managed by the Kurisumala priests.
So...get a back pack, a camera, some books and head to one of the must see destinations in Kerala ! And do get an off-roader if you can find one !!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
The State of the State..
I am no management guru, but it does not take genius to take note that God's own country is in a sorry state of affairs. Take for a start, the state run KSRTC. The corporation once took a U-turn to the path of success, but then again all good things come to an end. It returned to its own botched self in no time. The proposed Vytilla bus terminus, which can save crores for the corporation, has been living in government files for ages. I have been a regular user of KSRTC services all my life, and believe that had the railways seen the glorious opportunity (exactly what is not to be expected from a public sector organization) or had the government allowed private bus services to run in parallel, KSRTC would have been forced to have a look at the mirror and watch in shock of its hallow...GONE ! In Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, in spite early rains predicted this year, farmers were not allowed to use mechanized farming techniques . The crop was washed away.
Is it the government's business to be in business ? It is debatable, but the pill of inefficiency cannot and should not be swallowed. It is arguable that these corporations serve the Aam Admi and cannot be seen as businesses, and can be in RED for a social cause. But subsidies in turn bleed the giver, which is the government, which is us ! I believe in Capitalism with a tinge of Socialism. All enterprises without the 'spirit of entrepreneurship' shall and should fall ! And HOW !
Kerala and Keralite's are quite at home with the so called anti-incumbency factor; living our lives watching ghastly, that neither the 'left' nor the 'right' can live up to (forget EE's or Exceeds Expectations) our expectations. Brothers from West Bengal often disagree, where it is just one choice - but trust me, when it comes to politics, it simply is not the case of 'competition betters the product'. It is a shame and it is cliched, but I cannot help but mention that although Keralite's are touted to be 'well educated' in the classical sense of the word, we are as a society are becoming less informed and even less industrious. Altruism, is indeed becoming 'endangered' and cupidity is taking its place - and I regret that it is going to cost us dear. Gurcharan Das, in his book 'India unbound', says that a burgeoning middle class implies prosperity, and rightly so. In Kerala too, more and more people are becoming middle class. I do not have numbers to substantiate, but I do believe that Kerala lives a good life, ( I'd rather put it...NOT SO BAD life !) thanks to her NRI sons than anything else...say industry, agriculture or IT ! The new sons of Kerala may no longer need to cross a sea to make a living, thanks to Information technology, but most of us cannot earn our bread at home. We can now afford Cars and High Rises but the cost of that, although not in material, is nationalism.
Kerala is what companies would call the 'consumer state' - even pharmaceutical companies, if a report from The Hindu is anything to go by (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/08/09/stories/2004080901181300.htm). Kerala is the biggest market for Psychotherapeutic drugs in India - call it a win or a loss, depending on which side you are. The state leads the national rankings for the suicide rate(excluding two UT's), which is twice that of the national average. Believe me, this is not only the farmer suicides we are talking about, which is gravely depressing by itself. The other reasons for the baffling suicide rate in Kerala are attributed to Alcoholism, Breakdown of the social system and Rapid Urbanization. A friend of mine once remarked, that the queue in front of state-run liquor shops are at least five times longer than Ration stores - through which the government distributes food ! Wine or Bread ?? Its anybody's guess. Take it with a tinge of salt, and it is cynical to generalize, but I don't mind being labeled a cynic to say that we do flaunt our wealth, most often...CYNICALLY ! It does not take an economist to understand that if the state spends most of its revenue paying salaries and pension, there can be no room for development. We are caught in the vicious cycle of debts and loans to pay off the debts.
The Express highway and Smart city have been sound bites for over two elections now. I am glad that at least one is becoming a reality...the highway will again be amidst the rhetoric in the next election, which isn't far...
As always, the big question is - where are we heading ? The answer lies in the ten kilometer stretch from Kerala's most busiest junction, Vytilla, to Aroor. The four lane road was promised to be completed four years back. It was a deathtrap during the last rains - which lasted 6 months. All said, I will always love Kerala, but demand change !
The rains have come again this year, although with less of fury. Is this, as the Tom Hanks flick reads, The "Road to Perdition" ??
Is it the government's business to be in business ? It is debatable, but the pill of inefficiency cannot and should not be swallowed. It is arguable that these corporations serve the Aam Admi and cannot be seen as businesses, and can be in RED for a social cause. But subsidies in turn bleed the giver, which is the government, which is us ! I believe in Capitalism with a tinge of Socialism. All enterprises without the 'spirit of entrepreneurship' shall and should fall ! And HOW !
Kerala and Keralite's are quite at home with the so called anti-incumbency factor; living our lives watching ghastly, that neither the 'left' nor the 'right' can live up to (forget EE's or Exceeds Expectations) our expectations. Brothers from West Bengal often disagree, where it is just one choice - but trust me, when it comes to politics, it simply is not the case of 'competition betters the product'. It is a shame and it is cliched, but I cannot help but mention that although Keralite's are touted to be 'well educated' in the classical sense of the word, we are as a society are becoming less informed and even less industrious. Altruism, is indeed becoming 'endangered' and cupidity is taking its place - and I regret that it is going to cost us dear. Gurcharan Das, in his book 'India unbound', says that a burgeoning middle class implies prosperity, and rightly so. In Kerala too, more and more people are becoming middle class. I do not have numbers to substantiate, but I do believe that Kerala lives a good life, ( I'd rather put it...NOT SO BAD life !) thanks to her NRI sons than anything else...say industry, agriculture or IT ! The new sons of Kerala may no longer need to cross a sea to make a living, thanks to Information technology, but most of us cannot earn our bread at home. We can now afford Cars and High Rises but the cost of that, although not in material, is nationalism.
Kerala is what companies would call the 'consumer state' - even pharmaceutical companies, if a report from The Hindu is anything to go by (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/08/09/stories/2004080901181300.htm). Kerala is the biggest market for Psychotherapeutic drugs in India - call it a win or a loss, depending on which side you are. The state leads the national rankings for the suicide rate(excluding two UT's), which is twice that of the national average. Believe me, this is not only the farmer suicides we are talking about, which is gravely depressing by itself. The other reasons for the baffling suicide rate in Kerala are attributed to Alcoholism, Breakdown of the social system and Rapid Urbanization. A friend of mine once remarked, that the queue in front of state-run liquor shops are at least five times longer than Ration stores - through which the government distributes food ! Wine or Bread ?? Its anybody's guess. Take it with a tinge of salt, and it is cynical to generalize, but I don't mind being labeled a cynic to say that we do flaunt our wealth, most often...CYNICALLY ! It does not take an economist to understand that if the state spends most of its revenue paying salaries and pension, there can be no room for development. We are caught in the vicious cycle of debts and loans to pay off the debts.
The Express highway and Smart city have been sound bites for over two elections now. I am glad that at least one is becoming a reality...the highway will again be amidst the rhetoric in the next election, which isn't far...
As always, the big question is - where are we heading ? The answer lies in the ten kilometer stretch from Kerala's most busiest junction, Vytilla, to Aroor. The four lane road was promised to be completed four years back. It was a deathtrap during the last rains - which lasted 6 months. All said, I will always love Kerala, but demand change !
The rains have come again this year, although with less of fury. Is this, as the Tom Hanks flick reads, The "Road to Perdition" ??
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