Tharoor of Trivandrum

The D-day is over!

And Trivandrum has chosen Dr. Shashi Tharoor as its representative to New Delhi.. and whoa, what a refreshing change!



The margin, of 1,00,000 has literally floored me, and a good bulk of the Tharoor supporters as well. Shashi Tharoor himself is lost for words at this Himalayan victory. Well, I don't hear any fair complaints, excusez moi dear commie supporters and well-wishers.

Apparently, the tough work is now over and Tharoor is well on course to handle one of the crucial portfolios in the new Manmohan Singh ministry, the rumour stuck on with the Foreign Affairs. With Congress heading for the magic number on its own, ruling out the usual parasitic infestations in our coalition set up, Tharoor is almost certain to occupy the chair until the scheduled ballots in 5 years time.

That's a good five years that could rewrite the scripts for Trivandrum and Kerala.

Its not that we haven't had good politicians and visionaries in the past, but Dr. Tharoor has very well exhibited that he is the man for the times. He knows how to bring about 'development' , about which our past leaders have only spoken about. And he has already joined forces with the NGOs, groups like TDF and already has a plan in place for a Citizen's forum to usher in the thought molecules of growth.

Kowdiar Avenue Photo courtesy Sudheesh Nair

So here is a man who knows what he is doing and let's wish him luck folks. Lets give him a helping hand in turning his vision about our city into a reality... No, we dont want 45 storied scrapers all around the city, we dont want Metro trains buzzing all over, we dont want another Bangalore or Mumbai out of our sweet little Trivandrum in the next 5 years, but help him bring in things which this city really and realistically needs...

Tharoor knows it as better as we do, doesn't he? Dont tell me you havnt seen what he thinks Trivandrum needs.. And how about this gesture for a start?

As someone quoted here in webspace, its Tharoor-in-the-puram from toady! :)

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So, window or aisle, mates?

If politics is more about numbers, then Kerala has impressed itself in the Race to New Delhi, 2009.

71.45% in 2004 to 73.33% yesterday, plainly translates to 4.12 lakh more citizens casting their votes than in 2004.

Here are the exact numbers, constituency-wise, for those interested.

From an impressive 81% in Kannur to an average 66% in Thiruvananthapuram, we've had our say about the incumbent government, about inflation, terrorism, development, caste, creed and so, to ridiculously alien subjects like Palestine, Israel and the likes...

How the common Keralaite will be affected if the Jews screw up Hamas is another question, but if some political party believes that finding alien life in Mars is going to influence our day-to-day life, then unfortunately there are sections of populace who'll nod to it.

While the spotlight shifts to the states in the next phases, the candidates, electoral and analysts have restarted their calculations based on the final figures available. Now how many times have they been proved completely wrong? Still, we do it to keep ourselves satiated.

Personally for me, the blues of being a non-resident Keralaite, being incapacitated to participate directly in the democratic process of my country for the first time in life, has been pretty melanchelous, I must say.

Why the NRIs, in spite of being a decisive vertebra of the economic nervous system, are debarred from having our say is as contemptible as it is iniquitous. Why couldn't the largest democracy of the world take a leaf out of its western counterparts, where being 18+ and holding a valid passport are good enough requirements to vote for your nation.

So until May 16, it is going to be a long and largely insomniac nights for the candidates and also to a good section of the public, who've got ample time to speculate about what lies inside them machines...

Lets wait, for the full monty..

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Campaign for change

Who told one man cant make the difference?

Who told Politics is not for the ones with academic radiance?



Think again! Trivandrum Lok Sabha constituency is anchoring the most eligible and magnetic of the contestants for the 543 comfy-seats in New Delhi! Dr. Shashi Tharoor. The man we believe could make the difference...

Traditionally, with rare exceptions, Trivandrum has often been voodooed to host a herd of illiterate, apocryphal, nugatory and phony vote-hunters who never used their vocal cords for the cause of the city. Neither did they have a grasp of what this coastal-capital town held in promise, nor did they attempt to get the priorities of the city right.

Reading through the vision Dr. Tharoor has outlined for Trivandrum, one could easily notice the difference between an adulterated and hollow election manifesto and Dr. Tharoor's plausible concepts of nurturing the city into a better one. WOW, this man needs to be given the chance; afterall haven't we enough faux pas? From the womaniser Nadar to the Charles-in-oblivion and lately the buttoned up Rambo Pannyan, this place deserves better, don't you think so?

Trivandrum has got the spotlight on it with Dr. Tharoor's candidature, the type of person any constituency would be proud to own. His professional qualifications, stints at top international offices, prolific writing & and charismatic figure which commands respect is enough to turn the heat on the opponents.

Not being the Devil's advocate here, but how he will be able to wade his route through the sludgy waters of caste, double-cross, money and all evil you could imagine is an uncomfortable question, especially in the prevailing volcanic political environment in the constituency.

My bet is on the apolitical middle class in the urban centers and on the remarkable ability of the educated youth of the city, who have exhibited clear signs of using their brain cells to choose. These new voters could just be the difference!



Come April 16th, the 11 lakh electoral in Trivandrum have the option of choosing the man who could turn the tables for their city. After exactly a month we will know for sure where Tharoor belongs to and how.

Are you ready for the change, Trivandrum?

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The Women Power?

The customary practices of mud-slinging, double-crossing and foul-mouthing amalgamated with the selection of dummkopfs for the biggest democratic exercise in the world is at the anticlimax.

In about a weeks time we will know for certain whom to look out for around our shelters, with that once-in-five-year Colgate smile and exhibition of oh-hello-there-my-dear-old-friend kind of intimacy.

Congress Candidates for 16 constituencies Courtesy: Keralakaumudi

2. 16 crore Keralites are obligated to dispatch 20 cast-offs to fill up the 543 seats in that colossal oriental building in New Delhi. Our two bigbodies, the dynamic and fragmented Congress and the bullheaded Commie blocs have drawn up the list of the most-eligible, with BJP still waiting for that Godot to open their account. Leave aside the age-old faces and the farcical candidatures, the list is all too lame with the glaring dearth of female candidates.


Our political parties appear astutely reluctant to hand the lead over to the fairer sex for some mysterious reasons. Apart from K.R. Gouriamma, there hasn't been a single femme good enough to hold the reins. And the ones who are remembered over time, like Padmaja and Shobhana George made waves for wrong reasons.

Its very strange that Kerala, with its high female literacy, advanced social indices and women-oriented family practices fail to produce women leaders of mass. Kerala, is more often equated to the Western world in relation to social development but pales in comparison when it comes to empowerment of women at the Executive and Legislative levels. It is unexplainable because ladies with the power of command has propped up even in highly unlikely states like Uttar Pradesh.

Arguing a case for the 'weaker' sex, CPI(M) has pitted the young and energetic Sindhu Joy opposite veteran K. V. Thomas in Ernakulam. The poignant SFI Vice President did give Oomen Chandy a run for his money in his own den in the previous Assembly race, and is an encouraging prospect in the long run.

The other lady-in-red in the ranks is Sathi Devi in Vadakara, but she is as non-inspiring as our Health Minister Smt. PK. Sreemathi Teacher.

Congress, as usual has been nothing short of an embarrassment to the womenfolks in Kerala. The ongoing juggling with the Kasargode seat underlines the party's indifference and dishonest attitude towards allowing the fairer sex to take over.

For any society to move forward the hands of women must be stronger. With the fairer sex shunted away from the major highways of power, it seriously handicaps the nations ability to reinforce the basics. Read it together with the unique issues Kerala faces within itself, we render ourselves responsible for leaving our women power unharnessed behind the levees.

What a waste of potential!

Check history, we can see that women has been able to penetrate more easily into the underbellies of our society. Certainly they exhibit more compassion and delicacy when dealing with issues at the foundational level, say, the alcoholism and related related domestic violence at the lower strata of our society.

If we can find a lady who is motivated by one particular issue, then we would most often than not come to a solution to that problem. Arguably because women tend to be driven by principles whereas menfolks may just be reaching out for the pleasure of power.

And hopefully a woman at the helm or in high ranks of Legislature would prompt the Kerala male to learn the art of respecting a female counterpart, one thing our guys need some iron-fisted lessons on.


I'm unaware if any political party has taken up the Women's Reservation Bill as an issue in their agenda. Its been a big and shameful farce when it came up in the house last time. Forget the bill, if our party think-tanks could be convinced to bring in more Sindhu Joys and Shanimols to the frame... not as a ritual without any intrinsic purpose, but as an honest attempt to kick start a much needed change.

Oh, in the meantime we don't want more Jayalalitas, please. One is doing enough and more damage. :)

PS: The candidature of Neelalohitadasan Nadar is an insult not only to the entire Indian womanhood but also to the voters in Trivandrum constituency who have the luxury of pressing the button for perhaps the most charismatic and worthy of candidates, Dr. Shashi Tharoor.

What a refreshing change after decades of picking the best among duds!

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