Sometime back we got glad tidings of a bumper crop from relations in Kuttanadu. And then... murmurs of anxiety as the unions refused to allow the use of the harvest machines. Then the summer showers came and the anxiety gave way to wails as their crops died before their very own eyes...drowned in the paddy fields.
I wanted to lash out. Then I saw this post by Kochuthresiamma and decided to link it here instead. She has written about the situation so well. I am so mad!!!
Welcome to Goons Own Country!!
18 comments:
Damn these unions..They make my blood boil.There has to be some legislation that should curb their activities.
India is ranked second in the world in terms of agricultural output and also farm output. Incidents like this explain why India's agricultural efficiency is much lower compared to developed countries.
Whatever is the reason, crops should n't be left to be wasted like that considering that a large amount of people are 'below poverty line'.
Hmmm..I dont think unionists were what Dennis had in mind when he wrote that nor me when i edited it..i guess for a more accurate take on what u r so mad about check this story that Dennis himself wrote on the same day as the white panther story
http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/19/stories/2008031956290300.htm
machiavelli: I am not reacting to the story by The Hindu. But the whole situation from what I have heard and as described by the blogger I have linked here. The Hindu link is a pointer to whose own country Kerala is nowadays.
yup..got it..I just gave the link to provide a bigger picture of what powers that be move the unions and the machines at the ground level..and yes the panther story is indeed a satiric pointer
I thought animal farm was a story...But i think it was inspired when Orwell visited our place..Really sad to know what happened..But I wonder when people understand that they are made puppets here..It is equally sad that we can just vent our frustration in blogs..I dont even see a single political leader in our state whom i can look upto and say..'I think I should vote for him'..We need a change of guard..
No wonder industries dont dare to come to Kerala. Mavoor Rayons closed down for the same reason. Leaving aside rice, ven vegetables come to Kerala come for Tamil Nadu. And once they reach the prices again go up , thanks to the unloading charges levied by these unions
Seema: They will revolt against the legislation...sigh. Remember the agitation against speed governors and against Microsoft for the right to copy software without harassment?
Aravind: It is a massive waste indeed of much needed food.
Machiavelli: Thanks for the link :)
Mathew: Blogs raise awareness...and since a whole lot of Malayalees have access to Internet thanks to IT,it may have favorable effect in the long run. If you notice it is only in blogs that people are discussing the problems dogging Kerala. Unlike newspapers where newsworthiness and readership dictate content bloggers can keep the issue in the limelight for as long as it takes.
Karthik: The common man in Kerala has to raise his voice. That I guess is the only hope.
Just imagine a situation where the summer rains didn't arrive and they used these harvest machines. Where will the normal labourer go for work? Obviously he doesn't know any other work. It is the same situation if I loose my job also. What else do I know other than to code? (Probably Driving)
That is One situation. How do we tackle this kind of situation?
Using Goons to control such things is different. That is totally wrong whether it is by unions of left or right parties. Sadly this is all happening in our state.
Now when it rained, the suffers are not just the paddy field owners, but the workers too. It is definitely a lose-lose situation for everyone. Probably God decided to teach everyone a lesson and lets hope everything will be fine next time.
About the Goons part-its not just in Kerala we have goons, they are there every where. How different is it a "quotation gang" from the gangs used by big banks like ICICI to harass the defaulters. I am actually happy that the same Kerala Police which was secretly supporting the violence in Kannur, has started such an initiative in Alapuzha. That should be much appreciated if they are a success.
So let it be God's Own Country itself rather than being Goon's :)
Sorry about a mini post :)
@Mathew - Agree very much on the Animal farm thing. Orwell might have foreseen things quite clearly. A thing which Marx might not have even dreamed of in his strangest of thoughts
there is hardly adequate labour available in kuttanad. and most farmers can hardly afford the wages. many of them carry on with their farming activities just for the love of it. if the owner of his land is forcibly prevented from chosing how he wants to cultivate his crops, isnt this a form of fascism? ppl like my grandfather winded up paddy cultivation when he found he could barely break even and sold his lands... his brothers and nephews turned all the paddy fields to rubber and other stuff. i hate going to that place now.
it is a miserable situation...i have seen my grandfather' sad face in years of bad yield...and to think about these farmers who lost a bumper yield. don't be surprised if the cpm spins this disaster into a great socialist struggle...the land owning farmers vs tradeunions and workers.
Saw this on news on TV and the first thing that came to mind was goondaism... What was the government doing? Is it because the trade unions are the strong hold of the government and they dont want to miff them?
Whatever the reason, its really very sad.. who listens to farmer's woes anyways ...
Down with the unionism.. jus saw varavelpu yesterday... the same bloody unions play villain there as well! No wonder people dont want to work in Kerala these days!
Dhanush: No problems with mini posts :)
I am afraid I don't agree with you here. Just because the recession is threatening our jobs does not mean we start sympathizing with these goons. Kerala and this region particularly has a critical shortage of labor, and the unions are holding farmers to ransom for that. This is extortion and arm twisting of helpless people. And you can hardly compare these hired killers and hit men to collectors hired by pvt sales agencies of Banks.
Jiby: You said it! Fascism is what it is! Unionism is just in the name, it is goondaism in reality.
Deepti: From what I have heard the govt cultivates these unions. So it is natural they do what they want due to the political patronage. If I were in Kerala I would join an union too because that would be my ticket to the easy life and to do what I want and get away with it.
Balu: We cannot do away with them legally...I guess they wont stop till they shut the last shop down.
Exactly what I was trying to say.. They have succeeded in making Kerala a consumerist state, with no chances of any industry being setup!
PS: What happened to the oldest tech park in India-- the one at Trivan-drum.. How did Bangalore manage to leap frog us?
We had to pay a lot of money to be able to load and unload our furniture onto and from the truck when we shifted our home. Our neighbours told us those creeps do not hesitate to beat up people who do not cough up the money.
our FM chidambaram said that the left only wants to distribute poverty. which is their whole funda of political survival and mileage. unless the poor exist, the party wont survive. so its in their interest someone always suffers in our country, and they are doing it very well.
our FM also added: "Anyone who understands the power of compounding will know that India's per capita income will double in ten years,". and when that happens, the growth would have percolated to even the poorest of the poor. problem is left will not accept this, and like some nag, will keep complaining about everything and not allow anything constructive.
Balu: Scary!! See MC's comment. Mkes a lot of sense doesn't it?
AP: I have heard the same and know of a family that was beaten up wife, kids and all.
MC: That succinctly summarized the whole sordid saga in one neat para. Read your post, will comment shortly when I have gathered my wits!
Kuttanad situation is getting dicier by the day!and politicians arent helping any
Post a Comment