REVOLUTION 2020 CHETAN BHAGAT REVIEW

Chetan Bhagat has mesmerized me through his creative writing. I have read all his books. They are wonderful. The language is superb and is handled with dexterity.  The context is Indian. The characters are all Indians. The stories are in sync with our people and the happenings around us.

‘Revolution 2020’ is the latest from Chetan Bhagat. The story revolves around triangular love and the frustration of the one who lost out at the end. The build up is terrific. There is a corrupt politician. The rot in the current system of education is well documented. The struggle of the middle class and the lower class to attain success shakes us. There is a sub plot. Raghav publishes a newspaper. It reminded me of the epic struggle in 'Northern Light' by A.J.Cronin. Quite unlike 'Northern Light' Raghav gives up when adversity strikes him. The author somehow lost his bearings towards the end.  He could not sustain the crescendo. The story ends with a whimper. The conclusion is rudderless and is a poor cousin to the beginning and the middle that are forceful.

‘Revolution 2020’ is a very good attempt to project the helplessness of the average Indian. The relentless onslaught of corruption and unfair practices that has vitiated his life is portrayed well.  ‘Revolution 2020’ would have been revolutionary if the author had worked on the conclusion like his earlier creations.

BANGKOK - HORRENDOUS VISA ON ARRIVAL

The flight landed at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok at 6:25 AM on 13^th September 2011.  It took 3:30 hours from Colombo. On board the service was superb and we felt relaxed and refreshed     We had earlier been through Bangkok twice.  We were travelling to Hong Kong and Beijing and back to Colombo.  As we did not have a Visa for Thailand at that time we had to sweat it out in the aircraft till it  took off. Bangkok was impressive from the air. Glancing through the windows we had found the terminal sprawling  Awaiting the take off we were dreaming of strolling through the terminal and of a holiday in Bangkok. The dream took  some time to turn real and we were on the threshold of fulfillment.

International flights though very pleasant and comfortable, entail check in three hours prior to  take off.  The passengers have to forgo sleep as majority of flights are scheduled for night. Though it saves on accommodation and the day for the passengers on short haul, it is exacting.

We had reported at Bandaranaike International Air Port, Colombo at 10.30 PM on 12^th September 2011. Security was tight. Footware, Belt, Watches, Pens, Coins and Cell Phones had to be taken off and subjected to scanning before we passed through the metal detector and the physical search. Hot meal was served after the flight took off at 1:25 AM.  We managed to catch some sleep before our arrival at Bangkok.

We were at the Terminal after a hectic night. As the Visa fee had to be paid in Baht, local Currency, we had to spend some time at the Currency Exchange. We could never anticipate what awaited us. A big crowd of international travellers with Indians forming the majority were at the immigration counter. There were two counters. One counter was Fast Track where one had to pay 1200 Bahts for quick clearance. The other counter was the normal one where the fee was 1000 Bahts. Two officials (women) each were assigned to both counters. Though the Fast track had one line only it moved fast as both the officials were handling the passengers efficiently. Passengers, instead of forming the line likewise formed six lines at the normal counter. Thai officials did not bother to regulate the lines. The milling crowd became restive. Thai officials were shouting at the passengers to form two lines only. They stopped processing the visa applications for a while.  They refused to issue Visas until the passengers merged the six lines to two lines. No one listened. We were at the back. Passengers were pushing, prodding and jumping the queue, Indian style.  We could see some officials taking photographs of the crowd. One official shouted at the passengers to go back to their countries.  In the melee we found some who were at the back taking places ahead of us. Finally it took four and a half hours for us to obtain our Visas. It took three hours and thirty minutes only to reach Bangkok from Colombo. We were fed up with the horrendous system that prevailed at Bangkok.  We had never been to a place where tourists were ill treated like at Bangkok and where the officials shouted rudely at the tourists to go back to their countries. It was the job of officials at the Airport to organize adequate measures to disperse fast the assembly of passengers discharged from three or four flights that had landed one after the other. We had experienced a similar situation at Beijing when we had been there. The officials were alive to the situation. They formulated emergency measures to speedily handle the large number of passengers. There was no confusion. We did not have to wait  in the line for long hours like we were forced to at Bangkok.

The Thai officials treated travelers of different nationalities alike. On one occasion while we were crossing over to Egypt from Israel, the Egyptian officials were clearing visitors from USA and Europe ahead of Asians.  We had felt bad about the discrimination.

It was with trepidation we approached the immigration counter on our return. It surprised us when the clearance took only a minute. We felt the Thais deliberately delayed the issue of Visas on arrival to force the passengers to shift to the Fast track where they could net 200 Bahts more from the tourists. Indeed an admirable promotion of tourism worth emulating !! Beware when you visit Thailand!!!

ORDEAL OF PEDESTRIANS

We stay in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala State in India. We have travelled to a number of destinations both in India and abroad. The city was not busy when we set up residence here. We infer from our travels that Thiruvananthapuram is on the threshold of breaking out into a metro city in a short time.

One major deficiency the city has is the abject neglect of the pedestrian. The pedestrian does not have a foot path on all roads. Even if  foot paths are there,  they are usurped by   street hawkers and petty shops in many localities. Beggars too had occupied the space at one point of time. Fortunately they have disappeared. 

The number of vehicles on the roads is ever on the increase. Inadequacy of public transport and dearth of a metro railway have forced the public to have their own transport for mobility. The confusion on the roads is unimaginable. It is apparent a bustling city will have a very large number of pedestrians. No one thinks about them. They are forced to negotiate the roads along with the vehicles that race past them. The most difficult part is when it comes to crossing the roads. It is impossible to cross the roads when traffic is heavy. There is no let up in traffic most of the time and people risk their lives many times a day as they cross the roads. Some people perish and some are injured in the imbroglio.

We have observed that there are options in the form of underground passages or foot over bridges for the pedestrians to cross the roads in many places we have visited. At some places the over bridges had escalators too whereby excessive exertion by public had been circumvented.

We have always wondered why we are denied  simple world class facilities in Thiruvananthapuram. The story in other parts of the state is no different. Bursting at seams all the cities and towns of Kerala endure in silence what Thiruvananthapuram undergoes.

It is not that no one is aware of the pedestrians and their misery, but it is that no one is interested in mitigating the ordeal. We look to a day the pedestrian can safely negotiate the roads. We look to a day over bridges and under passages are introduced wherever the traffic is heavy so that  pedestrians do not have to risk and lose their lives crossing the roads. Thiruvananthapuram and other cities and towns in Kerala will look for the better with the arrival of  simple world class facilities.

EXPERIENCE AT THIRUVANANTHAPURAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

It was our first trip after the commissioning of the new terminal at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The terminal is definitely an improvement on the terminal at the other end of the Airport. The authorities have made a serious effort to bring it to international standards. Aerobridges save the passenger from the vagaries of the weather as they board and disembark. The terminal is nowhere when it is compared with Changi, Hongkong, Beijing, Bangkok or Dubai. We are happy that at least a beginning has been initiated.

Immigration was very quick when we passed through the barrier. The official was very thorough as he went through the passports and documents. Incisive questions were raised. But they were not offensive. He even joked as he cleared the documents and wished us bon voyage.  It was a welcome shift from our earlier travels where the officials maintained a stiff upper lip and looked at every one with suspicion.

Our journey took us to Bangkok via Colombo. Except for confusion over the issue of visa on arrival at Bangkok clearances at both the airports were quick and hassle free. On our return clearances were faster. The officials at all the counters were courteous. They were helpful.

The experience on our return to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport left us with mixed emotions. Immigration was quick.  The travails began after that. Once through the immigration counter, there were five or six counters, all the passengers had to converge and pass through single exit where an official with a very suspicious face stopped us. He was there to confirm whether the passports were properly stamped by the official at the counter. While he took his time to do the verification passengers were forced to crowd in the limited space. It was a bit ridiculous as we were exposing our distrust of our own capable officials before the international travellers.

As we went on to claim the baggage we were asked to put our hand baggage through a scanner. Different countries have different laws and customs. We have traveled to a number of countries. We have never experienced such a scanning as we were making the exit.

The baggage was delivered through the conveyor quick. There were no porters to irritate the passenger. On our way out we spotted a duty free shop where we paused to pick up a packet of chocolates. As we finally pushed the trolley to the exit a Police Officer stopped us. Thinking that he wanted to verify the baggage tag, we showed him the tags. He said, “No, Passports.” (No ‘please’ we were used to at airports abroad). The passports were handed over. He rifled through the   passports and took out a slip of paper detached from the arrival card by the immigration official. He handed me my passport and commanded, “Get it.” I did as I was told. He said the slip of paper had to be filled up and led us to a counter where a lady official in white uniform sat. He asked us to fill them up and hand them over to the lady. Obviously it was our fault. As we had  filled up the arrival card in the aircraft we had omitted to fill up the last part where we were supposed to write our name and the flight number. When we handed the slips to the Officer she told us to hand them over to the Police Officer who had ordered us to fill them up. Taking the slips from us he allowed us to move on to the exit. I stole a look at the ID the Police Officer sported. It read, “Expiring on 09.09.2011.”  It was interesting that our return was on 18.09.2011.

The Police Officer was doing his duty. We were in the wrong as there was an omission on our part. But as we were filling up the slip of paper we found many other passengers moving out without any one stopping them to verify their passports.

We are not blaming any one. What we cannot understand is that as we were passing through airports abroad such procedures were not in evidence. No officials were there to confirm the officials were performing their duty well. There were no slips of paper detached from the arrival card and no security personnel to stop us once we were through customs and immigration. It beats us why the arrival card should have a detachable format that serves no purpose at all in a totally computerized environment. There was no scanning of hand baggage. The procedure needs simplification. We have to ensure that the visitors to India return to their countries with pleasant memories. Tourism is a money spinner for all countries. We are fine tuning it to offer the worst.

PUTHEN MALIGA PALACE MUSEUM THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Puthen Maliga Palace Museum,  Thiruvananthapuram is an imposing  monument adjacent to Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple that hogs limelight these days  due to the invaluable treasure discovered in its vaults.    The stunning palace, known earlier as Kuthira Maliga,  was built as the official residence of Swathi Thirunal Maharaja of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore. The construction of the palace took four years. Swathi Thirunal stayed there for one year. He was a great musician. He passed away at a very young age. Considered as unlucky due to the premature demise of Swathi Thirunal, the palace never had another occupant. It is an eighteen and a half acre compound where there are two more palaces that were built for the princes of Travancore.  No one stays there either.  A trust administers the property.

A few years ago Kuthira Maliga was converted as Puthen Maliga Palace  Museum where artifacts, paintings, porcelain and priceless treasures of the Travancore era are displayed. The museum is open all days except Mondays from morning till evening. Though I have been residing in Trivandrum for a long time, I could not visit the museum earlier. The visit was worthwhile. I have been to a large number of places in India as well as abroad where artifacts and precious treasures from a bygone era are displayed for the visitors. Puthen Maliga is a revelation. I feel proud that what is on display here is far superior to what I have seen elsewhere.

The wood work in the palace is remarkable. The precision is unimaginable. The artwork on the ceilings differs from room to room. There are full size portraits of the rulers of Travancore. There are paintings by Europeans. When photography was not in existence events were frozen in time through paintings. A painting caught my  attention by the  brutality evinced. It was the Pulikkoodu (Cage of leoaprds). It was a circular cage on the Sanghumugham Beach, adjacent to the indoor court with  high roof. Indian Coffee House functions from a part of the building at present. The painting depicts a few leopards devouring prisoners sentenced to death in the presence of a large assembly of citizens and the militia. There is no trace of  the Pulikkoodu at Sanghumugham today.

The weaponry of the Travancore army is on display confirming its might.  There are beautiful porcelain vessels gifted to the royalty by visitors from abroad. Large imported mirrors adorn the walls. There is a medicinal cot. Different pieces of antique furniture are exhibited.  Two dressing tables displayed in adjacent rooms are unique. There are the musical instruments, the perumpara (drums to proclaim royal dictats), Crystal Throne and Wooden Throne. Beautiful statues of Gods   are on display. Two ivory cradles displayed are the icing on the cake. I have never seen such a luxury anywhere else. The gun captured from the Dutch Captain Delenoi at Kolachel is prominent by its rarity. It reminds in abundance the greatness of the legendary Marthanda Varma. 

There are halls for music recitals and for meetings of scholars. Swathi Thirunal wrote Keerthans in eighteen languages sitting in an elevated room with a window through which he could view the top of the Sree Padmanabha Temple.  The  Keerthans were inspired by the presiding deity of the temple, Sree Padmanabha Swamy. As I looked through the window I could see the top of the temple very close.

The magnificent palace has two floors. . All the rafters have a horse’s head crafted at the end acquiring the name Kuthira Maliga (Palace of Horses) for the Palace.  There is a Guest House in front of the Palace called Thekkini. Thekkini was built to accommodate the European Guests.  Every year Swathi Thirunal music festival is held at the Palace grounds for a week.

Though I was really impressed by the Palace and the Museum, its maintenance is very poor. The hedges are not trimmed. Grass is not mown. The rooms where the exhibits are kept are poorly lit. The visitors are led through the museum by an official guide who is poorly trained.  He is proficient in Malayalam alone. There is no commitment.  He gives the impression that he detests the job he is doing. He is not proactive.  Having seen guides in various parts of the world and after listening to them, I feel what is on offer here is the worst one can ever have in the world.  Seventy five percent of the Palace is out of bounds for the visitors. It has to be thrown open. Photography and videography are strictly prohibited here. There is a world out there that permits the visitors all this to enable them savour their tryst with history. Lingering memories persuade the visitor to come again and again and spread the message the palace conveys across the world. Eighteen and a half acres of Palace grounds and all the  palaces can be thrown open to the Public after beautifying them. The Chinese are doing this with their palaces and the palace grounds in the old city. They make money in the bargain. Here relaxing behind archaic customs, archaic laws and chronic inactivity we are negating the efforts we make for promoting tourism. Tourism is not for foreigners alone. It is for our countrymen as well. Here is the opportunity for our people to learn of our rich heritage. We have no qualms in barring it. I look to a day when I can state with pride we maintain world standards in Thiruvananthapuram.

HERITAGE - OLDEST CHURCH IN TRIVANDRUM

CSI CHRIST CHURCH, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Consecrated on 15^th November, 1859 Christ Church is the oldest Church in the city. An integral constituent of the Madhya Kerala Diocese of the Church of South India, Christ Church,  surrounded by the University Stadium and the Chandrasekharan Nair  stadium, is strategically located at Palayam in  Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India on the arterial Mahatma Gandhi Road on one end and  the Kerala Legislature Complex at the other.

For visitors to the Church, it is a glance into the past. They find history unfurling before them. The ancient tombs in the cemetery speak volumes on members of the Church who had moved over to strange new territories and had perished in an alien terrain.  The architecture of the Church is majestic. Anticipation turns into amazement as you enter the Church.  Well preserved antique furniture and invaluable paintings as well as pictures on the windows   faithfully serve the worshippers as they join together in the name of Jesus Christ, a tradition carried down all these one hundred and fifty two years of existence of Christ Church. The aisle and the pews make you kneel and pray to the omnipresent and the omnipotent who bestows love and affection upon the whole of mankind. 

The chiming of the tubular bell that dates back to 1915 is the precursor to the worship at the Church. The mood is still. The chiming has music in it and as it reverberates the hushed audience awaits the beginning of the divine worship. There are not many bells like it  in the world at the moment and Christ Church has in its possession a rare and wonderful object that has the stamp of history.

 Well preserved stained glass windows dating back to 1889 present a picture of serenity and piety as the worship progresses in the Church.   The beauty is unsurpassed

The portraits of Emperor Haile Celassie of Ethiopia and Rev. T.B.Benjamin, both great visionaries, adorn the Centennary Hall of Christ Church.. The visit of the Emperor to Christ Church was  historical. The Emperor in order to commemorate it made a handsome donation and laid the foundation for the Centenary Hall. The project took off with the donation  and the Centenary Hall became a reality with contributions pouring in from members whose names are inscribed on its walls. Centenary Hall has seen many events of significance taking place in it. Today, the Kerala Legislature Complex and the Centenary Hall face each other.

Elegantly displayed in the glass walled museum,  the hearse – coffin bearing carriage – is a sight to behold. The ancient mingles with the present. The hearse, imported from the United Kingdom, was in operation   till late 1960s. 

Connect, Grow, Serve and Go define Christ Church’s dedicated vision and  mission.

Connect   

‘Connect’ with God for a momentous existence.  Mark: 12: 29-31 tells  to connect with an open heart. It reminds that building enduring relationships alone suffice. Connect highlights the significance of worship, prayer and fellowship.  The Church is the platform that links man at once with God and the community.

Grow  

‘Grow’ in body, mind and spirit (Romans 12:2). Discern God's word and gaze at the effect in an individual. Though knowledge is vital God’s word makes one perfect when it is animate in him.  The true disciple comes into being as he heeds God’s word.

Serve 

‘Serve’ with willing hands (1 Peter 4:10-11). It nourishes the soul. The church is packed with limitless opportunities to minister and serve.  When the constituents work together for the Church they function as God has intended. He empowers His followers to serve and multiplies their efforts exponentially.

Go

‘Go’ with ready feet (Matthew 28:19-20). It moves one out of the confines of the Church to a domain that spreads across the whole of the community and of the world. . Witnessing Jesus Christ before non believers as well as believers is the most challenging and demanding task a true Christian faces relentlessly. 

KERALA'S VILLAGE OFFICES SHUN COMPUTERS AND HARASS PEOPLE TO THE HILT

The Village Office plays a stellar role in the lives of Keralites. It is the arm of the Government that reaches out to people. For most of the people Government begins and ends with the Village Office. The services rendered there are at once basic and extensive. People do not require anything more from the Government in their normal lives.

If we hold title to land it is mandatory that land tax as per law is paid every year. Failure to remit the tax bars us from enjoying facilities extended by the Government. In the event of default Government has the right to take over the land.

I make a trip to the Village office every year to remit the tax. I recount my experience this year.

I reached the office at 10 A.M. No one was there. As I waited I observed that there were a few others who were playing the waiting game. The officials arrived at the office after some time. All of us went in. There was a queue. The official advised the individual at the head of the queue that he would have to wait if had come to remit the tax. Then he took the cell phone and rang up some one. We could hear him conveying to the person at the other end to come to the office and do a cleaning up job in the office. He remarked to the other official in the office that unless the job was outsourced the office would never be clean.

The official disposed off the person at the head of the queue quickly, advising him that title to the property would be recorded only after 3.00 P.M. He looked at me. I showed him the receipts for the previous year and said that I had come to remit tax for current year. He said, “You have six receipts. It is a big job. Hand it to the official sitting next.”

I did not dare to tell him that it was the very same official who had directed me to present my case to him. It was back to square one. The official who had directed me elsewhere looked at me as I stood before him. “You have to hand it to the lady standing behind you.”

I turned around, saw the lady and handed over the receipts. She made a search, located the registers and placed the receipts and the registers on the official’s table. Then she repeated the procedure for the next person. The register was placed on top of the registers that contained my receipts. I did not object as objections would only delay the procedure and the officials might even stop the day’s collection stating that they faced a heavy workload. I recalled the experience the previous year. I had to trek it to the office three days in succession for the simple job. The first day the officials, as the serpentine queue reached midway, announced that they were stopping the collection for the day since they had other important work to attend to. We were advised to come the next day. The next day when I went there the officials were not there. We gathered that they had all gone to the collectorate to remit cash and there would be no collection on that day. Though I had to wait two hours in the queue I was lucky the third time.

Suddenly the official who had turned me back had a change of heart. “Give me a register. I will do some work,” he said. I felt unlucky as I found him taking the register on top. In the mean time I saw him reversing his earlier stance of attending to the recording of the title for another applicant. I thought the rules were dynamic at that office. One man was turned away and the other was entertained.

A Village Office always makes you learn and practice patience. I waited. I was gleeful when the official finally took hold of my receipts. He started writing. He opened the folio and compared the data in the previous year’s receipt with the data in the folio. He wrote out a receipt for the tax and returned the old receipt to me. He recorded some data on one folio. The collection of tax for the year was recorded in another folio. The process was repeated five times as I had six receipts with me altogether. The receipts I had with me belonged to different people. I was entrusted the job since the others did not have the time to squander. Finally I managed to extricate myself from the office with current year’s tax paid receipts.

While the official was going through the laborious process I felt it was high time the Village Offices were computerized in the State of Kerala. It would assist the officials efficiently carry out their functions. The State stands to gain too as it would dramatically improve the flow of funds to the exchequer that is always starved of funds for developmental and day to day expenditure. The productivity of the people also will improve as their turn around time is shortened enabling them conserve precious time for important activities.

As I had set apart the day for payment of dues to the Government and local bodies, I went over to the office of the local body to pay tax on the house. I had the shock of my life when the lady finished the job and handed me the receipt within a minute. She said," The office is computerized."