JUSTICE WINS

Advocate Thomas Mannanalan practices law at Kottayam. He radiates dynamism. He sticks to ethics. He abhors injustice. He is the voice of the voiceless. He had no hesitation in fighting for the cause of a student who had nowhere to turn to. 

The student had been selected for admission to a self financing institution. The institution had conducted written test, group discussion and interview for admission earlier than institutions in the Government / University sector. He was offered admission after the interview and was asked to remit Rs.100000.00 to secure the admission. As he was not certain he would be selected for admission in institutions where the fee structure conformed to Government regulations he had remitted the amount that was demanded. He was asked to deposit his certificates with the institution.

Soon after the amount was remitted he was offered admission by an institution under the Government / University sector. As the fee demanded was much lower and since the institution had a good reputation he decided to take admission there.

His problems began at that point.

The self financing institution did not consent to let him leave. They refused to part with the certificates. He was advised that the certificates had already been dispatched to the University. But it was a fact that they had not completed the admission process. It was  also a fact that the certificates of all the students would be forwarded to the University only after the admission process was completed. When point was raised he was advised to call at the office the next day. It meant 150 KMs of unnecessary travel up and down. The certificates were returned the next day.  But the institution refused to return Rs. 100000.00, the amount that had been remitted.

The predicament was difficult. The amount was remitted by availing an Education Loan from a bank for higher studies at the institution. The bank had demanded repayment of the loan as the student was not studying at the institution. The student pleaded with the management for the return of Rs.100000.00 as the bank was after him. The management after an interval of time issued a cheque for Rs.75000.00. They had firmly refused to return the balance - Rs.25000.00 -despite repeated requests.

The student understood that legal intervention was necessary if he were to get back Rs. 25000.00.  He met Advocate Thomas Mannanalan and requested him to intervene. As there was no other option a suit was filed. The suit was decreed in favour of the Plaintiff.  The management went in appeal. The  appeal was disallowed.  The advocate fled the EP (Execution Petition) and on the orders of the honorable court, the defendant had remitted the decreed amount at the designated office for transmission to the student.

Advocate Thomas Mannanalan firmly believes in the maxim ‘The law is supreme’. He believes that justice should never be denied. He is focused when he fights injustice. It is people like him who make our country a better place to live.

MUNNAR

                       

I grew up in Munnar. Pappa was an executive in KDHPCo Ltd. Mummy was a homemaker. The Company had provided free furnished accommodation to Pappa. It was the Company’s policy to extend the facility to all its officials.  The labourers were provided free accommodation. I am not certain whether it had been furnished. The officials were staying in single houses or tantum – twin- houses. The labourers stayed in coolie lines that were known as liams. Most of the labourers were Tamils whereas the officials were Malayalis and Tamilians. The Company had permitted all the employees to cultivate the land adjacent to their dwellings. They grew vegetables there. It was a riot of quality vegetables like Cabbage, Cauliflower, Beans, Peas, Carat, Tomato, Potato, Garlic, Corn and fruits like Plantain fruits, Peach, Mulberry, Gua, Orange. The list is endless. They could sell the produce to merchants and supplement their income. The produce of Munnar found its way to markets in the plains.  The employees were encouraged to raise Cows for milk. The Company provided assistance in the form of Cow sheds and labourers for taking the Cows for grazing. Milk was available in plenty.

Munnar Town was owned by the Company. They had a Town Department to take care of it. I am now settled in Thiruvananthapuram. As I move around the roads that had been recently rebuilt, I can see the employees of the Road Authority cleaning up the roads. The roads have reflectors to enable vehicles to move within the lanes during night. All these came in the past few years. I was born in 1950. What is wonderful is that whatever I have mentioned that happen around me today had been happening in Munnar in the 1950s and 1960s. The roads in Munnar were all kept very clean. The drains were kept free of obstruction.

We were staying in a house two miles from Munnar that was in between the roads to Mattuppetty and Grahamsland, There were very few vehicles on the roads. A bus would leave for Mattuppetty in the morning and return in the evening. There was a Van service for Grahamsland and estates beyond in the morning that too would return in the evening. All one could do most of the time was walk, walk and walk no matter whether it was heavy rains or biting cold. Munnar Town has an elevation of 5000 feet above sea level. The Yellappetty and Gundumalai estates were beyond 7000 feet.

Opposite to the mountain where our house was located there was another mountain. The tributary of the river Periar flowed in between in all its majesty to meet the tributary form Nullathanni. The rivers met at Munnar at the point where the Head Quarters of the Company was situated. Legend says that the Railway in Munnar once operated from there.

The road across the mountain took one to Devikulam where the powers of the Government were seated. The General Manager of the Company had his Bungalow- Ladbrook – at Cigarette Point. I still do not know how that name came about. Perhaps the British in the earlier days must have stopped there while they were riding their horses to their work stations or on their return – before the advent of vehicles – for a smoke to beat the cold.

RECURRING DEPOSITS CAN CREATE WEALTH

Recurring Deposits can create wealth. How?

The Manager of a new generation private sector bank had contacted me with a request. He wanted me to join up in his drive to mobilize Recurring Deposit accounts. He was so persuasive that I had let down my guard for once and had agreed to comply. According to him I did not have to visit his bank to open the account. It could be opened in the comfort of my home provided I had an internet banking facility mapped to the Savings Bank account I had with his bank. If I had assigned any nomination to the SB account, the same nomination would be extended to the Recurring Deposit account I would open.

The account was opened without any hassle. A standing instruction was given to the bank to debit monthly installments from the SB account. The account was for one year. I could see that monthly installments were promptly debited from the SB account. The efficiency of the system surprised me. When the Recurring Deposit Account had reached maturity, the proceeds with interest due was credited to my SB account promptly. There was no need to visit the bank at any point.

I started thinking. If I were to open a Recurring Deposit account through internet banking on the 1^st of every month for the next 12 months, the maturity proceeds would be credited to my SB account on the 1^st of every month of the ensuing year. The cash inflow would improve my financial status tremendously. If I were to repeat the process of opening the Recurring Account every month as long as I would like to, it would ensure the flow of additional cash for my needs throughout my life.

The quantum of installment is for the depositor to decide. It could be multiples of Rs.100.00 or Rs.1000.00 according to capacity of the depositor. There is one hitch. In the initial year the installments would rise with the passage of each month. The combined installments at the 12^th month would be Rs.12000.00 if the monthly installment is set at Rs.1000.00. If this can be managed the cash inflow would begin from the 13^th month. And the depositor would have no difficulty in carrying on with process from the 13^th month onwards as he would have enough money – the combined savings being Rs.150096.00 for an year -   with him then on.  The illustration elaborates the economics.

DATE OF INSTALLMENT	REMITTANCE FOR THE MONTH	MATURITY DATE	MATURITY VALUE/ PAYMENT
1st January          2013	1000	1st January          2014	12508
1st February        2013	2000	1st February        2014	12508
1st March           2013	3000	1st March           2014	12508
1st  April               2013	4000	1st  April               2014	12508
1st May                2013	5000	1st May                2014	12508
1st June               2013	6000	1st June               2014	12508
1st July                2013	7000	1st July                2014	12508
1st August           2013	8000	1st August           2014	12508
1st September     2013	9000	1st September     2014	12508
1st October          2013	10000	1st October          2014	12508
1st November      2013	11000	1st November      2014	12508
1st December      2013	12000	1st December      2014	12508

interest @9% pa courtesy State Bank of India

If one finds it difficult to save every month he can make it a bimonthly affair. If one does not have Rs.1000.00 to spare every month he can reduce the quantum to multiples of Rs. 100.00. This is purely a voluntary form of savings from one’s own income. As the income rises the quantum of installments can also be raised. Though the time frame can be enlarged I would suggest that it may be confined to 12 months only. Money we make is for our needs. Enhanced time frame would decelerate liquidity that is absolutely essential. What could be spared from the maturity proceeds may be diverted to fixed deposits or other forms of investment.

There is a question. How can a salaried employee or a person with variable or fixed income manage to set apart the installments to the Recurring Deposit account from the limited income? There are two surmises. One is that a person can always set apart a portion of his income towards his savings. The second is that the income of an individual always goes up. It is never static.  He has to only set apart the periodic hikes such as increment , enhancement in DA or the hike in the fixed income towards the installments.

I would suggest that the process is carried out through Internet banking. It spares us from visits to the bank. We do not have to fill vouchers or keep passbooks. We can operate the process from the comfort of our home any time during day or night. We can always view the position of our accounts. We can move from strength to strength in terms of financial capability. It makes creation of wealth very simple.

There is no magic here. It is the will of the individual that prompts him to save a part of his income resulting in financial stability for the whole family. 

WORLD CLASS ROADS OF THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Thiruvananthapuram was a sleepy town with congested roads when I had visited it in 1961. There were  no autorikshaws. A few taxis were plying on the roads. Horse drawn carriages  - Judkas – were the common man’s mode of transport apart from a few buses.

Before settling down in the city in 1977 I had been visiting it off and on. The city was growing  tortuously.  The Vellayambalam – Kowadiar stretch was the only section that had a decent width.   All the other segments were narrow. Traffic moved at a snail’s pace.

It has all changed for the better now. The Vellayambalam – Kowadiar section with blooming flowers and greenery resembles roads in well developed cities abroad like Beijing, Singapore and many others.

The icing on the cake is the Vellayambalam – Sasthamangalam section. As one travels through the road, it is as if a foreign location has been transplanted here.  We never had believed such things would happen in Thiruvananthapuram during our time.

The MG Road from  Ramarao Lamp to East Fort that had been congested beyond redemption has been widened to hold six lane traffic. Traffic moves without hindrance unless held up by demonstrations or VIP visits.

The PMG- Kesavadasapuram section has undergone a transformation no one had ever thought possible.

The development of the roads is bringing an upgrade in the construction activities. The buildings that are coming up are a class apart from the buildings of yester years.

The roads in Thiruvananthapuram are now world class and they are throwing a challenge to the city to transform to world class standards.  

I LOVED MALAYALAM YET I WAS FORCED TO RUN AWAY FROM THE LANGUAGE

I LOVED MALAYALAM YET I RAN AWAY FROM THE LANGUAGE

Malayalam is my mother tongue. It is a rich language. It is the language of Kerala.

Malayalam was the medium of instruction while I was in the School. I was able to imbibe everything taught in the School. It was a Government High School located in the heart of Munnar much before its tourism potential came into the focus of the whole world.

Unfortunately many of our teachers had never wanted to stay and work at Munnar. The moment they were posted to Munnar they were moving heaven and earth to obtain a transfer. They would go on leave for weeks together to stay away from Munnar. Naturally the School remained at the bottom every year when the results of the SSLC examination came out.  No one bothered. In the year 1965 when I had written the SSLC examination less than thirty students had come out successful from a total of four hundred and fifty students who had sat for it. Five students alone had managed to secure a First Class that was sixty percent or above out of a total of six hundred marks.   My score – 407/600- was the second in the School.  The topper was a Tamil medium student with marks at 413/600. He became the topper through the high percentage of marks he had scored for Tamil language. I could score only 51/100 for Malayalam and the score had relegated me to the second position despite good scores in all the other subjects.

Those days the examiners were misers when they were valuing the Malayalam answer papers. They refused to award marks to students however well they had performed in the examination.

SSLC was the first hurdle in the academic life of a student.  The next was Pre-degree. It meant I had to leave home and join a College far away. The enquiries on the trend followed by the teachers who were valuing the Malayalam answer papers in the examinations conducted by the University revealed that those who were opting for Malayalam as the Second Language were ruing their decision as the percentage of pass in Malayalam was very low in the University examinations. Further those who were managing a pass were coming out with very low marks. Meanwhile those who were taking up Hindi, French or Syriac were scoring very high marks ensuring a bright future for them.

What could I do? If I did not obtain good marks in the Pre-degree examination it would ruin the scope for higher education. I was forced to run away from Malayalam though I had loved the language very much. I took up Hindi.

TRAINS AT ANAYARA OVER BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

There is an over bridge under construction over the railway line at Anayara near Pettah,, Trivandrum, Kerala, India. It is nearing completion. The people at Anayara have been suffering due to the forced dislocation in their movements. As the market is at Pettah they have no option but to cross the double line to make their purchases of daily necessities from the market. Anayara has a heavy concentration of the the middle class and lower middle class. The rich are few here. People cross the double line with fear in their minds all the time. I had to go to the market on Monday the 14th of October 2013 around 6.00 pm. After ensuring that there were no trains I had crossed over. Once the purchases were over I was returning. It was close to 7.00 PM. As I  had approached I saw a train proceeding up north blaring its horn. Once I reached the track I looked at both directions. There were no trains. There were three of us. One was an elderly lady. We crossed the first track from the Pettah side. We were crossing the second track. As we looked to our left we found to our consternation a train silently turning the curve and approaching fast down south. Though struck with fear we ran for our lives. Just as we had climbed over the mount of earth dumped on the path after the track we saw the train passing by. The question is why the train was coming silently without blaring the horn. As the line has been electrified trains run silently. People have no option but to cross the track to meet their needs as the traffic has been closed for almost two years. The work on the over bridge has been going on all these days. There has been several dead lines, the latest being October 2013. But to a lay man like me it is nowhere near completion. Meanwhile common people like me have to cross the track all the time ransoming their lives each time. The trains move merrily but silently. It is a pity people's lives are  left to the vagaries of trains from nowhere hitting  or killing them. Indian Railways have a lot to learn.

VIOLENT SPIN ON THE HIGHWAY

The black sedan was cruising sedately. No one noticed it. It was just one among the large number of vehicles  on   M C Road, the State Highway. Onlookers were aghast when it gathered momentum. The thunder was scary.  People rushed in from all corners. They were horrified to find two badly shaken men and an unconscious woman in the vehicle. The woman was bleeding profusely. It was apparent that there had been  a vicious head injury.

Alice was a wonderful woman. She was in the college when I had first met her. There was a bus stop in front of my office. She would drop in and chat as she waited for the arrival of her bus. She had never disturbed me while I had been busy. She was a lively girl and what had stood out was her uninhibited laughter. She drifted like a butterfly. She had spread good cheer all around.

Marriage with Thankachan took her to Abu Dhabi. She was content to be a home maker. It was a happy family. The husband and the wife raised their two children – a son and a daughter – inculcating family values in them. The children did not let go the opportunities that came their way. They underwent courses in engineering and business management in premier institutes. As they were well qualified placements came in search of them.

Life in Abu Dhabi came to a conclusion when Thankachan superannuated. They built a house at Thiruvananthapuram for their stay in India. It was a beautiful house. It was self contained. Exquisite landscaping made it glamorous. Life in India was pleasant just as it had been at Abu Dhabi.

Disaster struck the happy family in a most bizarre mode.  There was the funeral of a dear one at Kottayam on 1^st November 2012. Though Thankachan had planned to take the train to attend the funeral Alice wanted to travel by their car –  Maruti SX4 – so that they could visit a few of their relatives and offer prayers in the Church at Parumala. The engagement of their daughter had been set for 12^th November at Thiruvananthapuram. Alice insisted that they take their driver along so that Thankachan would not be taxed.

They had set out from their home at 6 AM on 1^st November 2012. The driver drove at moderate speed. When they reached Kalayapuram near Kottarakkara, the driver suddenly accelerated to overtake a stationary school bus that was taking in students.  It went awry.  The car dashed against  the rear of the bus on the right. The collision had sent the car to several spins on the road. It was a frightening sight. The bystanders could do nothing. They had  felt that no one would come out alive.  As the driver and Thankachan  in the front seats had worn the seat belts and as the vehicle had air bags in  front they came out of the mishap unhurt.  Wearing of seat belts by passengers in the front seats of all cars in Kerala is mandatory. However it is not mandatory for passengers in the rear. Poor Alice who was sitting in the rear had not worn the seat belt as the law did not require it. The violent spin threw her repeatedly against the metal and the glass on her left. She was badly injured. There was blood.  Her head and her face wore the brunt of the spin. 

She was brought comatose to KIMS Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram  at once in an ambulance.  Though the Doctors had tried their best to resuscitate her she had succumbed to the injuries.  Thankachan was dumbfounded. He had hoped and believed that nothing untoward would happen to Alice while he had held her firm on the ride in the ambulance. One moment life was full of happiness. Tragedy had struck him mercilessly. Alice was laid to rest in the orthodox church’s cemetery at Pattoor on 3^rd November 2012.

The unexpected demise of Alice was a jolt to all who knew her. They could not believe that Alice would never come with her trademark smile to their lives again.

Accidents occur without any notice. Freak accidents occur rarely. A moment is enough to turn happiness to deep sorrow, agony,anguish and tragedy. Perhaps the tragedy could have been averted.if Alice had worn the seat belt while she had been traveling.

Citizens  are the invaluable assets of an emerging economy. Our supplication is that the tragic death of Alice opens the eyes of  lawmakers in Kerala   to mandate wearing of seat belts compulsory for all passengers in all vehicles in the state so that precious lives will not  needlessly be snuffed in future.