KARMANYA and SUKRITHAM

This morning I registered two charitable trusts. The first is KARMANYA Trust for Education and Training for Employment. This is an umbrella organization under which I intend to build progressively a series of world class training institutions of such excellence that employment will be in abundance. Each of these institutions will be governed by a board in which authentic trainers, employers, academicians apart from the investors will be represented. I want to cover a series of trades starting from masonry and plumbing to high level professions. The first project on the anvil is KARMANYA Plumbers Institute in which highly skilled plumbers will be trained with the help of international association of plumbing who will give technical and training support. The trained plumbers will not only get ready employment in India and abroad, but also twice or thrice the earnings when compared to the present.

The second trust registered today is SUKRITHAM Geriatric trust under which a series of facilities for the aged including self contained townships are proposed to be organized. 

A new Avatar...as a ‘Social Entrepreneur’.

Last Saturday to Sunday afternoon I stayed at the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ashram in Bangalore. It was a time of solitude amidst the Ashram’s blissfully peaceful surroundings.

I had the privilege of a personal one to one audience with Guruji for a half hour Guruji had taken a personal interest / liking for me the last time I visited the Ahsram as the Chief Guest alongwith Sri Vellappilly Natesan at the Malayali Sangamam on 15th August 2013. It was a joyous occasion in which about 8000 Art of Living followers from Kerala had participated.

Guruji had taken me in his car to his room after the meeting and discussed with me my life and future plans. He expressed the feeling that I am not being properly utilised by the powers that be and had advised me to be bolder and strike forth to use my capabilities for the service of the country.

The General Elections came soon afterwards; I was in the forefront of Congress candidates for the Kollam seat which I had represented three times earlier. The intervening period of my absence had made Kollam electorate sympathetic to me, my contributions had been acknowledged especially in comparison to others and the consensus of opinion among the public was that I could win the seat if chosen as the candidate. There was also at least half a dozen other aspiring candidates apart from the sitting MP.

Again a student!

My modest effort does make an interesting story. I had wanted to do a PhD during my education phase but then I joined the IAS and was continuously engaged in important assignments In the IAS. I was lucky always in getting the best possible assignments, a Keralite cadre officer could have hoped. In each of the assignments, I tried to make a mark by launching innovative projects in the implementation of which I was intensively involved. Taking a Doctorate would have involved taking a three or four years study leave (which some IAS officers in India had done). So my Doctorate effort had to wait till my later political phase in which last four years I had no worthwhile political assignment. I chose BITS Pilani, because registering in Kerala University would open me to allegations of influence peddling (a normal cynical reaction of some Keralites) and also because BITS is a Technical University suited to my technical background in education.

Again at the crossroads

I could not be active on the blog for the last few weeks because of certain unavoidable preoccupations. 

Firstly I was actively engaged in the political developments relating to the Kollam Parliamentary Constituency which ultimately ended in the allotment of the seat to the RSP and Sri Premachandran. The party took the decision in its perceived best interests in the current political scenario of the state. The aftermath of the Kasthuri Rangan Commission report adversely affected the former settlers of Idukki and Wayanad and posturing of some political outfits like the Joseph Congress put pressure on the Oommen Chandy government with its razor thin majority in the legislature. The under wrap negotiations with the RSP  led to their deserting the LDF and moving over to the UDF with their two MLAs in return for the Kollam Parliament Seat.  Well, that was that.

Back again!

I am back here on the blog scene and I intend to be as regular as possible.

Really I am not keen on commenting on the daily war of words and day-to-day tumble of state politics which essentially have no permanent value to the state or its people. I will comment only when any issue I believe in crops up where I can meaningfully contribute.

But I would my state my opinion on issues of relevance to the life of our people and which are relevant to the progress of Kerala to its rightful place in the world.

Fishermen woes

A delegation of fishermen from Thankasserry area met me with their problems. 

A significant point they make is that the Kollam Port is being developed by the Ports Department without taking into account the livelihood concerns of the fishermen and a cement unloading set up is being planned there generating high pollution. 

The Thankasserry Fisheries Harbour, a project in which I played a crucial role, had been designed for the welfare of traditional fishermen and only such commercial development should be attempted there which would not adversely affect the fishermen. Some experts also argue that the claims of the Port Department of bigger ships coming there are false as the channel has only a depth of 6.5 metres and only very light ships can enter. This whole range of issues has to be studied and I am taking up the matter and taking a scientific and principled stand. 

Mr. MK Salim a noted developmental enthusiast of Kollam suggests that Kollam Port can be a fisheries processing zone for deep sea trawlers in the high seas who can process their catches there and re-export without affecting the domestic fisheries economy but creating sizeable employment for the fisheries community.

I am studying this project in detail and would advance it, if found workable, as a project to be promoted by the Citizens for Kollam Development.

Down memory lane