JIMMY WE MISS YOU

Jimmy was our Labrador retriever. True to his nature he never let any intruder or stranger into his domain. He died fighting a cobra that strayed into our land. Though he killed the cobra he succumbed to its venom. He was nine when he was taken away from us abruptly. He gave up his life to keep alive people he loved most.

Jimmy came to us when he was three weeks. The puppy, black, had not yet opened his eyes. He needed warmth. Like a child he was fed milk through the nipple. We kept him in our bed room for three months in a large basin covered with clothes to keep him warm. When he grew out of the basin he was free to trundle in the bed room. He was the new born in the family. He made high decibel noises. We had to clean the floor umpteen times a day. No one complained. With him after us life had a new definition and dimension. He was transferred to the kennel after three months as he did not require closer attention like in the initial phase. Though the kennel was his abode he was allowed into the house whenever he chose. He would lie down in the living room quietly after making sure we took our place. Time flew. He became full size. Twice he had fathered puppies. He was an exemplary watch dog. Our neighbors felt secure as he was doing an excellent job in a virtually seamless vicinity. Slight movements anywhere near our place put him on the alert. His snarl meant something was amiss.

Jovial and playful he was obedient to the core. He would watch, listen and respond quickly. He read our minds so well that his response to what went on in our minds at once surprised us and our visitors. He had no inhibition in expressing his emotions either.

We felt miserable when he left us. We wanted to save him, but the venom acted so fast that death was instantaneous. We could not do anything at all. We felt devastated. Death is real. It is brutal. One moment you have the animate brimming with energy. The next, it is all very quiet. Motion is stifled. The animate becomes the inanimate. The space is vacant. We stare into vacant space hoping for a turn around. The inevitable mocks at our pretensions of invincibility. What is gone is gone. Those who live have to carry on till they too reach the end.

We buried him covered in clothes. As he was lowered gently into the grave the three of us looked at each other with ashen faces. We could not hold back our tears. He meant very much to us. He had kindled a sparkle in our lives. He loved us. We loved him. He trusted us. We trusted him. He was a member of our family. He loved a ride in the car. We shared celebrations with him. .

“Jimmy, thank you for what you had been to us. Thank you for every thing,” was our spontaneous and tearful expression as death parted Jimmy from us with an irreversible and cruel finality.

Babudom and plight of the common man - Lokpal or no Lokpal

The  experience with the municipal corporation of a City in Kerala is placed here  for  information . At the outset I wish to emphasise that this is not a complaint against anyone in particular, but to sensitize the reader  to the happenings in any  office  he may have to approach

I along with my son and daughter in law had called at the  coporation office on 24.07.2010 and  had submitted the application for the issue of a marriage certificate. Rs.120.00 was remitted as the fee. The receipt was issued by the official. At the time of submission of the application we had enquired when we should call at the office to obtain the certificate.The staff at the office advised us that the application was in order. We were told that we need not call at the office and the certificate would be sent to the address in the application through post. Though the marriage was conducted way back on 30.12.2004,we had applied for the certificate as we had read in the newspapers that official marriage certificate will be an absolute necessity in future.

Till june 2011 we awaited the certificate from the corporation. We did not make an enquiry because we were specifically told that there was no need to make enquiries.

Sometime in June 2011 I called at the office. After  enquiries at different seats I reached a cubicle where there was a queue. Someone had directed me there. When my turn came up I  handed in the receipt. I was told that the certificate was issued by a lady staff at the corner where there was a big crowd, each one pointing the receipt at the person to catch her attention like we find in crowded markets.

Though I pitied the plight of the poor lady I had to do as the others were doing because that was the only way to find a way out of my predicament. Finally she took the receipt from me , verified a number of registers and told me that the certificate had not yet reached her. She asked me to go in and contact the official.

I went in. Met the official. He asked me why I did not make an enquiry earlier. I replied that I had been told that there was no need for it. After verifying the computer and registers he told me that the certificate was not issued because there was an objection. He said the objection note had been sent by post to the address in the application. I replied that we have not yet received the objection note and if we had received it we would never have hesitated to enquire about it. When I asked what the objection was I was told that the application had not been signed by the applicants. I showed the copy I had with me where the applicants had signed at the space provided for it. However I was told that the applicants have to sign on the face or the front page where there was no indication or mark that required the signature of the applicants. I was told that the certificate would be issued only after  obtention of the signature on the front page. Knowing fully well the intricacies of the babudom I said I would bring the applicants and satisfy the requirement. It took a few weeks because the applicants had to be available to sign the application. Once the application was signed I was told that the certificate will be issued in ten days' time and I could come and collect it from the official himself.Since i was a bit busy I could go there only on  26.08.2011.  When I met the official he checked with the computer and advised that the certificate had been issued on 10.08.2011 and that  it was with the issuing staff at the corner. As it had been the earlier time the poor lady was going through a harrowing phase. She checked the registers and told me that it had been sent to our address on 11.08.2011 itself. To my reply that we were yet to receive the certificate I was told that the certificates were sent by post when  the application was accompanied by a stamped self addressed envelope and it had not yet been returned unaccepted. I replied that we had not submitted any such envelope.  She checked the files. She confirmed that it was in her custodt. She handed over the certificate and asked me to sign an acknowledgement in a register.

I know this is a bit lengthy. But I wanted every one  to know what is happening in  the offices that had been set up to serve us.   Certain simple steps may obviate the difficulties of the public.

1. If the signature is needed on the face which I feel is unncessary, make that transparent by indicating it or keeping a slot there.

2. Please ask for the contact phone number through which the applicant can be intimated and the response and disposal time will be quick

3. If an objection is intimated please ensure that it is really intimated.A registered letter will serve the purpose better than an ordinary letter.

4. Let there be a scrutiny when the applications are accepted. The scrutiny shall never be casual or perfunctory.

PALLIATIVE CARE AT ITS WORST

Ms Rebecca George is seventy five. She is a spinster. Her father had passed away when the children were young. Her mother had to look after the four children without much of an income. The eldest was a son and other three were girls. Though her husband had held a job with a Government organization and the wife was eligible for a job under the compassionate appointment scheme of the Government, her husband’s brother tricked her into signing a no objection certificate whereby the job on offer was grabbed by the deceitful brother in law. True to his nature the gentleman never bothered to look after his brother’s wife and the four hapless children. The struggle to make a living and raise her children fell upon the young widow. The family pulled on by little acts of kindness extended by a few.



As High School education was almost free all the children despite abject poverty managed to pass the High School Leaving Certificate examination. Like all Malayalees were doing at that time each of them boarded the train to Bombay armed with the precious certificate. At Bombay all of them had a horrid time before landing a job that paid them very little to survive. As time progressed except for Rebecca all the others married and began to raise their families. Rebecca chose to remain single and take care of her mother. Time flew. Rebecca was fifty two. She was sending her mother whatever little she could save and the two were able to pull on with the little salary Rebecca was getting though they were staying hundreds of Kilometers apart.



One day Rebecca woke up with the message that her mother was sick and needed someone with her. While she passed on the information to her siblings, her brother expressed his inability to look after the mother. He stated that he had to look after his family and was not prepared to meet even a part of the cost of medical treatment of his own mother. The two sisters were prepared to meet the cost in part but were unable to leave their families. Rebecca took voluntary retirement and came down to Kerala to stay with her mother and look after her. Rebecca did a good job with the limited resources she had. Finally Rebecca was left alone when her mother passed away.



Rebecca has now ended up in a home for the aged. She pays for the boarding and lodging. The staff at the home looks after her. She is examined by a Doctor once a week. The stay at the home is alright. Food is alright. But Rebecca is unhappy. What she really needs is someone to cater to her emotional needs. She needs someone to talk to occasionally. She needs a patient listener. She needs someone to take her to a hospital when she is ill. The authorities of the home are not in a position to depute an attendant solely for Rebecca. In the present day Kerala the cost of services are very high. Though the home is in a town in Kerala where the relatives of Rebecca are staying none of them bother to visit her.



Rebecca is now loaded with a problem. There are holidays in Kerala when all the employees will go home. There will not be anyone to take care of the inmates. As the holiday season has approached the authorities of the home have requested the inmates to stay with their relatives for a week or make some other arrangements for their stay as entrusting them to temporary hands is not a good idea. Rebecca contacted her relatives in the town and requested them to allow her to stay with them for a week. The reply was heartbreaking. None of them wanted her. What happens to Rebecca concerns no one.

EXPRESSION OF LOVE

Mr.Mathew Abraham of Cholakathu, Kunthirical P O, Thalavady  , Alapuzha District, Kerala,  India

had a neighbour, Mr. Raveendran. Ramesh, his son, was afflicted with Polio and was crippled while he was a child. Ramesh crawled around and Mr. Raveendran could not do much for the child. Mr. Mathew Abraham took it upon himself to ensure that Ramesh had a good life. He took him to CMC Vellore where he was operated upon by specialists. Ramesh started walking with the help of crutches. He was taught stitching by the rehabilitation centre there. Mr. Mathew Abraham gifted Ramesh with a stitching machine. Ramesh became a tailor and started earning. He has married. He has children. He drives around in a car today.

What one individual did for a fellow human being was splendid. How many are prepared to sacrifice their own interests for  any one else ? Mr. Mathew Abraham did have a family. He had two children, a girl and a boy.  He was already supporting two of his sisters who were badly off. He was never rich. He was only a Clerk in Life Isurance Corporation of  India. Those days the Pay and the Perks were very low. What drove him? He wanted to  put  a smile on the face of a large number of his unfortunate and disadvantaged brethren.  It was single minded devotion. The constistency with which he was locating  the persons  who required assistance was astounding. He never bothered to saddle any one else with the paucity of finance that stared at him all the time. Yet he went on serving the needy.

We do not have to be rich to put a smile on the face of the unfortunate.

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YOU CAN AND YOU WILL

YOU CAN AND YOU WILL

I quote an article that had conveyed a great message. (original author unknown to me)


The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world.

Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

COACH NELSON AND SREENITH MOHAN

From the Sunday Express of 19.12.2010 published from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. The article was written by Aswin J Kumar, ENS
Coach Nelson delighted with Sreenith’s show

Sreenith Mohan is a happy lad. He now holds the new state record of 1.98 metres in junior high jump at the state school meet, breaking the old record of 1.91 metres. But there is a happier person, C.M.Nelson, the coach of Sreenith and physical education teacher of Guruvayoor Devaswom Sreekrishna Higher Secondary School.

Nelson watched his ward so closely as he went on to break the record and set a new one at the state school athletics. He let out a wild cheer when the new record was set. It was something special for him.

Six months before when there was not a jumping bed for Sreenith to practice, his coach did something unusual for him. Nelson went around collecting used up beds from Devaswom lodges and prepared a jumping bed for his student. When the cover of the pit kept tearing apart under the impact of spikes, he went to Chennai and scourged the markets to find a tarpaulin that was tough and durable.

Whenever Sreenith, who comes from a humble background, needed quality spikes and sports kit, the coach did not wait for school management’s aid. He spared a portion of his salary to ensure Sreenith did not lack anything. On Saturday, Sreenith repaid his coach by performing impressively. Not only did he come first in the event, he also set a new state record and made his coach proud.

“I knew that he could go a long way. Last year he had won a silver in the same event. He was also the individual champion at the sub-district level this year,” said Nelson, who lives in a rented home in Guruvayoor. Despite his financial hurdles, Nelson along with Raghu have been supporting Sreenith in every possible way.

“I have a family to look after. But Sreenith is like my son. I am sure that he is going to wear the tricolour(national flag) soon. I am now looking for a sponsor who can support him,” said Nelson.

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Comment

Kerala is on the west coast at the southern tip of India. Though small the state has high literacy and is ahead of other states of India in Human Development Index. In fact the HDI compares well with that of advanced and developed countries. The major event in the sports calendar of the schools in Kerala is the state school athletics meet. Talent is aplenty. The story dwells on how talent is nurtured. At Christmas time, Coach Nelson shows  how he fulfils the message of Christmas.

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WAY OF THE WILL - INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT KEY TO DEVELOPMENT

WAY OF THE WILL

(Developing backward areas is not the job of the Government alone. The people can take up development programmes in a simple manner. A blueprint by ABRAHAM JACOB
FROM THE HINDU ‘METRO’ OF 31ST JANUARY 2000 FROM TRIVANDRUM)

Thembamood is fascinating place. The area east of M.C Road is a vast expanse of undeveloped or underdeveloped land. The potential is unlimited. But little seems to have been done for its progress.

The people here are mostly illiterate or semi-literate. The difficult terrain inhibits people from seeking education, let alone higher education. The few schools here offer education upto SSLC. Dropouts are legion. After acquiring little education the people migrate. Unfortunately the inadequacy in qualification forces them to go for menial jobs. They toil hard, but the income they generate is meager, just enough for sustenance.

How do we improve the scenario?

Dr. Mahatir Mohammed, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, found that his country was doomed to remain poor. He turned a few sheets of history. He found that the phenomenal growth of Germany and USA was due to the wide roads – the autobahn in Germany is a showpiece even today. Mahatir initiated historic steps. Today, Malaysia is different.

TWELVE LANE ROAD IN DUBAI - SIX EACH IN BOTH DIRECTIONS 







We have to emulate the great. Let us have four lane roads with four-lane traffic. Develop the roads east of M.C Road to Ndumangad to such a specification. This can be done on a build operate, transfer (BOT) basis. Let the people who use the roads pay the toll till the cost is realized. Let the people whose property appreciates in value pay for the roads. The investment can be recovered within a short time.

It is time that we stopped sending out brilliant citizens as labourers. They must go out as brilliant technical personnel and rub shoulders with the best in the world.

Pullampara Panchayat can take the lead. It must set up technical institutions within the Panchayat – Engineering College, Polytechnic, Nursing College, Medical College and a higher – grade college exclusively for courses such as Computer Science, Biotechnology, Agriculture etc.

Resources cause the major headache. Where do we have the money? The best option is to go for an apolitical body similar to the NDDB of Anand in Gujarat – a Co- operative for the comprehensive development of the place. The head load workers, tappers, traders, planters, landlords and NRIs would be the share holders. Each can take shares according to his/her financial capacity.

Huge amounts can be collected from abroad in large dozes. Even if on an average, the remittance is pegged at Rs.30000.00 per day, per year the money that comes in is an astronomical sum of Rs.90,00,000.00 plus. This is a very conservative estimate. If the sources are duly exploited, crores and crores could be collected. The money has not been put to use creatively.

Dreams take a man to the impossible. We must have dreams. We must transform the dreams to reality.
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Addendum on 16th October 2010
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Expansion of infrastructure ensures establishment of large industries in any locality. Educational institutions of higher learning ensure supply of man power required by the industries. Other southern states in India , Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka realised this well. They had set up educational institutions of higher learning across the states liberally right since independence. See where they are now and what they have achieved.

Thembamood is a village on the outskirts of Trivandrum. I had worked there during 1996 – 1999. I really liked the villagers. They were simple souls. I wanted to do something to better the lives of the people. I knew I could do nothing on my own. I had discussed the ideas I have put forth here with a few representatives of the people. They expressed their helplessness as the prevalent top down system gave them no leeway whatsoever to go for dynamic initiatives. As I was leaving Thembamood after my tenure there, I wrote down the ideas expressed and had sent it to ‘The Hindu’. I never believed it would be accepted for publication in the news paper. To my surprise I found that it was published in ‘Metro’ on 31.01.2000. Nothing came of the blue print for development. Though I had forwarded a copy of the article to a few people who mattered it was never even acknowledged.

Development probably has to seep down from the top down structure and Thembamood occupied the least priority in the developmental concerns of the state and the authorities. Thembamood remains where it had always been that is at the bottom of the pyramid.

There has been a whiff of development in the neighbouring Panchayats. An Engineering college, a Dental College and two Medical Colleges have been set up in the private sector. There is the University Institute of Technology set up by Kerala University. These are not enough. People are supreme in a democracy. The much neglected interior of Trivandrum cries for development. All round development of a region relieves pressure on other developed areas of the state.

Kerala is now looking for avenues to develop Vizhinjam port. There has to be a people’s movement. The company to set up the port can sell shares to the common man across the state at rates affordable to the common man. The money is available in Kerala. It can be done. Malayalam Communications had done exactly this once. We can do this repeatedly to find resources to make Kerala a better place.
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