DYSTOPIA

 

Today, as I was reading the newspaper I came across the word 'DISTORTED.' 

Suddenly the word 'DYSTOPIA' had popped into my mind. I asked Lila, who has a very good vocabulary, what the word meant. She said she didn't know. 

It prompted me to explore the 'net.' 

It was a revelation. It tells what autocracies does when they assume power. 

One may think it is restricted to nations alone.

No, it begins at home. It is there in your workplace. It is in your religious organisations. It is in the families. It is everywhere, where people converge.

It's an eye opener 

I place here what the 'net' unfolds on DYSTOPIA.

"A dystopia is an imagined, often futuristic society characterized by dehumanization, totalitarian control, environmental disaster, or other extreme miseries. It is the opposite of a utopia (an ideal society), serving as a cautionary tale highlighting the dangers of current societal trends, such as unchecked technology, inequality, and oppression. 

Key Characteristics of Dystopian Societies:

• Totalitarian Control: A tyrannical government or corporate power dictates life, suppressing individual freedom.
• Constant Surveillance: Citizens are constantly watched, eliminating privacy.
• Propaganda: Information is heavily managed to maintain conformity and obedience.
• Dehumanization: People live in fear, often stripped of individuality and forced to adhere to strict roles.
• Environmental/Societal Decay: The world is often desolate, ruined, or chaotic, following a massive, catastrophic event. 

Iconic Dystopian Literature and Film:

• Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell: A seminal work detailing a state with extreme surveillance and surveillance (Big Brother).
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: A society controlled by technology, drugs, and genetic engineering.
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: Explores a patriarchal theocracy.
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Features a young adult narrative focusing on rebellion against an oppressive, brutal government.
• Blade Runner (Film): A quintessential cyberpunk film depicting a dystopian, technologically advanced but decaying future. 

Dystopias function as mirrors to contemporary society, questioning trends in politics, technology, and social structures to prevent such scenarios from becoming reality." 

VETTUKAD BEACH AT NIGHT

 Vettukad Beach at night

The waves were  hitting the shore

Relentlessly

The breeze blew

It was cool on that hot

Summer day

We went to the Church first

They now have an AC underground Chapel.

Built in a style that you find abroad 

It was fantastic.

Didn't know of its existence. 

Built a few years after the church was rebuilt

                                                               

                                                               

 

                                                                           

                                                                        

                                                                 

 

SHOPPING AT TRAVANCORE FRESH SUPERMARKET VANDITHADAM TRIVANDRUM

A DAY OUT FOR SHOPPING TO HEART'S CONTENT

IN FREEZING TEMPERATURE IN TRIVANDRUM

 

                                          IN FREEZING TEMPERATURE IN TRIVANDRUM

                                                 AT THE  MALL OF TRAVANCORE

                                  IN SUMMER THE TEMPERATURE IN TRIVANDRUM

                                                 IS ALMOST 36 DEGREE CELSIUS

                                                              THIS YEAR   

                                                                    AND

                                       THE NORMAL TEMPERATURE IS BETWEEN

                                                       25 DEGREE CELSIUS 

                                                                   AND

                                                       31 DEGREE CELSIUS                     

Kuzhipallam Botanical Garden and Research Centre (KBGRC)

 

Kuzhipallam Botanical Garden and Research Centre (KBGRC) was established by Mr. John Rose, Mr. Georgekutty and Mr. Joshy (three brothers of a family) at Nellimoodu, Thiruvananthapuram of Kerala State, India in 1972. 

They were the pioneers in the nursery revolution that took wind across the length and breadth of Kerala later on.

When they began the land was the slopes on two hills that converged into a valley down at the bottom. Agricultural operations were inconceivable on that land where wild plants thrived.

Kuzhipallam Botanical Garden and Research Centre in the private sector  is now one of the largest Botanical Gardens in Kerala spread over 40 acres. Once you  experience it, you would be prompted to describe it as 'God's own garden' in 'Gods own country'

It is situated  at Nellimoodu near Balaramapuram, 22 km  from  Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Keralam and close to the two well known tourist centres, Kovalam and Vizhinjam  Port.

We visited the place on 5th May 2026.

We were welcomed by Mr.Georgekutty. We were astounded by his simplicity.

He was good enough to be photographed with us.

We considered it a privilege to be with him, a great achiever, in a frame.

A few plants, that surprised us, are presented here.

               

                                                   

                                                   

                                              

                                                 

                                                       

                                                   

                                                     

 

                                          

                                                                     

                                                                 

 

                                                                            

                                                               

                                                                     
                                                                       

                                                                         

 

                                                                         

                                                                   

                                                                         

                                                                   

 

                                                                         

Please see the beautiful red flower.  

Each plant costs Rs.1500.00.

Our friends, Mr.Sreekanth and Mr Rejeesh, who are awaiting  results of the final year BD Examination they had appeared in April 2026, took us to this wonderful locale.

Rejeesh knew everyone there. He was the perfect guide for us. He knew each plant very well.

His wife Frincy, a wonderful girl who is battling a severe health issue cheerfully, jocularly commented, “My husband doesn’t know how the house is managed, but he knows all the plants at the Kuzhipallam Botanical Gardens very well. He loves nature. He loves plants.”

We could only agree with her because we have found Rejeesh to be an encyclopaedia on plants and their cultivation.

                                              Posing amidst Bougainville’s of all hues.

                                                     Feast of magnificence

 

                                                          Caught them unawares

                                                                            

ALL TIME VIEWS REACH 100479 // I AM MORE THAN OVERWHELMED

 

 ALL TIME VIEWS  REACH 100479 // I AM MORE THAN OVERWHELMED

I am indeed grateful to my viewers over the past six months  when I observe that  all time viewers for the blog has surged from 50020 on November 7, 2025 to 100479 on 5th May, 2026 in these six months.

It was pretty fast especially when it had taken almost 15 years to cross the magical number of 50000.

Crossing the 100000 barrier was beyond my dreams when I began 

It is 100479 at the end of the day on  5th May, 2026

I express my gratitude to my viewers for the support you have extended 

I am humbled by your encouragement.

I thank each and  everyone for keeping alive your interest in my posts.

You have made me what I am.

I am placing here  the post on November 7, 2025

ALL TIME VIEWS  REACH 50020// I AM OVERWHELMED

I am indeed grateful to my viewers over the years when I observe that  all time viewers for the blog has crossed the magical number 50000. It is 50020 now.

Quite a landmark for an unknown writer, an alien to English language.

For whom Malayalam is the mother tongue.

Who did not speak a word in English till the age of twenty.

Where adverse circumstances made him speak English haltingly from that age.

And write.

I am humbled by your encouragement.

I thank each and  everyone for keeping alive your interest in my posts.

You have made me what I am.

BOUNCER

 

                                                         Someone forwarded                                                                                                      

                           

                                                         Instead of, "I am the door," many churches think that 
                                                   Jesus said, "I am the bouncer"!  

                                                   And I replied

                                                   They take cognisance of what Jesus did at Jerusalem Temple.

                                                   But they don't take cognisance of the cross that ensued.

                                                   Perhaps they are the ones Jesus had trounced from 

                                                   the temple.

                                                   And they masquerade as Jesus to vanquish the true followers 

                                                   of Jesus from the Churches built in the name of Jesus 

                                                   once and for all.

                                                   A risen Jesus is no longer for them