100*

Just a filler in observation that the previous post was the 100th on No Man's Land? :-)

100 posts in nearly 3 years on Blogger isn't anything spectacular, I know... Small landmarks on this even smaller space on the world-wide-web. But no, I'm not opening champagne.

Thanks to all friends and foes of this blog who've been a constant source of inspiration to keep the space oiled and running. I hope I haven't let you folks down, I've been putting my honest efforts into each and every of those 100 posts. And let me tell you, the opinions are honest...

On way, let me list down the posts which have generated the most hits since 2007. Stats from Google Site Analytics.

The Quintessential Mallu, still fetches approximately 30-40 hits a day just on keywords "mallu", "mallusex", "mallu women and sex" and the likes. I'm thinking about adding a few more tags like "Shakkeela", "Maria" etc to disappoint more enthusiasts from messiah Google.

I'm Green Today brings in a good few from the search engines. Surprises me too. Perhaps it's an indication that the world is more and more inclined towards 'going green'. Good.

Shashi Tharoor: A year into the job, courtesy Dr. Tharoor's couple of tweets which boosted my site hits by 5000 in just 2-3 days. Remains to date, the post with most comments here, 60 and counting! 

Cochin Metro: Essential or Extravagance? The project may not have moved an inch further but still a dozen visitors land here everyday searching for Cochin Metro. Glad to see that there are people still interested in infrastructure and similar projects instead of the old sex, masala and stuff.

Kerala Gold rush: many lost market researchers end up here. Another dead end, please refer market watch :-)

Didn't you get the point? Most lads landing here are lost souls looking for something 'sinister' or better. Surely someone who scrambles Google for "How to act in mallu sex film with Kerala girls" and "IPL gate- what is Gate" or those with "mallu sex videos" have reached the wrong place, haven't they? See, Google owns us.

Good day & good luck!

PS: Forgot to tell which blogpost remain closer to my heart. My personal jotting after the birth of my daughter by far remains my favourite: in da club!  I took just half-an-hour to put up that small personal post but it still remains so very special to me. They say when you combine your emotion with an event, you seldom forget that event. Its true. You mustn't leave without reading it if you haven't. Happiness multiplies when you share it, you see. :-)

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Catalysts for progress

India celebrates 63 years of freedom today!

Every passing year such reverent public holidays usher in a sense of pride and a feeling of patriotism in being a citizen of democratic secular republic of India, doesn't it? That's the idea behind it. New India now blogs, tweets, checks in on Four Square, wield their smart phones and drive top notch wheelies, also acknowledge the political system, gives out about it (like you and me) and sits on our ass most of the spare time because we don't know how or what to give back to our homeland.

This young India is like compacted tri-nitro-toluene ready to unleash its power, constructive or destructive depending on how you use it.Youth or the hyper-productive age group constitute 42% of our population. They they have the thrust, vision, compassion and dedication to do something meaningful, all they need is support.

I'm happy to take this opportunity to look up at some of the lesser known but meritorious groups functioning in our cities, working selflessly towards the benefit of the society. I've picked four such organizations I know best about, specific to Kerala but obviously an example for every city and citizen in India.

Tidycity

Tidycity is one of the most respected youth movements who does jobs which isn't considered so glamorous. Taking up the social responsibility of keeping our public spaces clean and tidy, Tidycity currently functions within the city limits of Trivandrum.

 Initiated by a fairly well-known cyber-journo and blogger Cris Seetha, Tidycity has nearly 100 members upto date with over a dozen actively working citizens. One of the earlier members and co-blogger Srijith. V is enthusiastic about the humble initiative and finds time for it even in between his hectic work schedules.

Tidycity leads by example by voluntarily tidying up major public spaces in Trivandrum like the Museum, Veli, Kallar etc. They've also joined hands with various Residents Associations for local clean-up operations.The group finds the necessary funds within themselves and has plans to join hands with the local authorities to promote use of bins in public areas.

Tidycity has picked up public awareness and responses via organizing rallies and undertaking School Awareness programmes. With the motto "working towards a clean city", initiatives like Tidycity deserves more than a pat on the back for their efforts.

Contact Tidycity
mail@tidycity.org
Sreejith: (0091)  9895891445

Trivandrum Development Front (TDF)

When it comes to city-promotion and developmental activities, TDF has no predecessors or competitors. It is a group of professionals who have fierce motivation and dedication towards the single point agenda: economic development of Trivandrum. From fighting for Vizhinjam project, high court bench, promoting the city as an IT/ tourist destination or in luring investments into the city, TDF exemplifies the critical difference between armchair critics & activists from people ready to give their sweat and blood for their homeland, literally.

Founded in 2002, the works of TDF would put the much heralded Members of Parliament from Trivandrum to shame. No strings attached in its work, the organization through field work, blogs, forums, mail groups and meetings push forward for development of the city and has become one of the unneglectable voices of new Trivandrum.

TDF has cut no corners in its motives when it comes to chronicling and projecting the shining profile of the city on major investment meetings and B2B meets. The Intelligent Trivandrum presentation by TDF at the CII India IT summit 2009 is an example of how a non-profit, non-political citizen's movement has taken up the duty and responsibility adhered to out local Government bodies in promoting investment and creating jobs.




TDF has actively functioned in many crucial development projects including Trivandrum's dream project Vizhinjam, Technopark and Technocity, Road development projects and has also presented the strengths of the city to leading software development companies, Infrastructure developers and builders.

The group has over 2 dozen committed members working on the ground and handed out memberships to 150-odd Trivandrumites from all professional sectors.

Website: www.tribiz.in
Ramkumar Rajan (President) ram@tribiz.in
Sreeram Iyer (Secretary)  sreeram@tribiz.in

Kerala Urban Development Society (KUDS)

A relatively new entity for urban development, KUDS is a Cochin based organisation created by local businessmen, NRIs and a few motivated youth interested in the development of Cochin in particular and Kerala in general.

KUDS has already made a name for itself in this short span of time by involving themselves in some crucial development projects. KUDS is managed by a governing council and offer membership in 3 ways. Any Indian Citizen, NRI’s, PIO’s, OCI’s, and other like-minded individuals etc can enroll themselves as a member of KUDS. The heads of the some of the similar minded organizations are given ex officio membership. KUDS keeps its door open for representatives from Corporate world too.

KUDS devises an elaborate and systematic plan of action for infrastructure development with the involvement of Public Private Partnership in Cochin. From city beautification to planning and design, ecotourism to heritage conservation, provision of Wi-max connectivity to integration of GPS technology in social lifestyle, KUDS possesses the expertise to machinate executable proposals for projects in association with various Governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Members of KUDS have been behind the screens for Vytilla Mobility Hub, MG Road walkway project, solar powering of the city and many more initiatives.

KASS (Kochi Arts & Science Space), AYPIC (Association of Yound and Progressive Indian Citizens) etc are associated wings of KUDS formed to engage with targeted sections of development.

http://www.keralaurbandevelopmentsociety.org/
Anup Jaochim. T (Secretary) Ph: (0091) 9544044440
anuptj@gmail.com
kudsindia@gmail.com

Make A Difference (MAD)

Teaching is the most noble profession in the world. And teaching with pure service as the motive will be one of the most selfless jobs you could do. That's exactly what MAD (Make A Difference) does.

Make a difference initiative is an organization working at another level: development through social improvement. Founded in Cochin, MAD functions through volunteers who make use of their free time in providing English and computer education to grad students thereby increasing their effectiveness in attaining skilled labour.

With the motto "to bridge the inequality in society through education", MAD website explains their work philosophy:

We are an Organization of young people working amongst orphans and other underprivileged kids to provide them with quality education so that one day it shall empower them to stand on their own feet and when the times comes fly away. We try not to grill into their heads the tedious school syllabus but instead prepare them face life better by improving their communication skills, computer skills and their overall personality.

Winner of the Ashoka award in 2009, MAD has grown outside the state borders with branches in India's main cities. Currently nearly 2500 kids have benefited from the 800odd selfless MAD heroes.

Join MAD
jithin@makeadiff.in
president.trivandrum@makeadiff.in


In every Tidycity worker, in every MAD volunteer or in every TDF professional could be the one unsung hero our city is looking forward to. Some of these above mentioned organizations could definitely do well with your support because two hands are definitely better than one. So what have you decided to do for your city on this August 15?

WISHING YOU A HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

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In the news

The first step to get noticed is to get mentioned. And that's exactly what's happened today.

After 23 months, 65 published posts and two dozen unpublished/rejected drafts www.scorpiogenius.com managed to make itself printed on India's national newspaper.

The Hindu, Metro Plus, Trivandrum, 22/10/2009

Such blogs, however, are notoriously difficult to write and considered quite boring by many netizens. Not to mention they have to be as accurate as possible. Anish Sahadevan, a male nurse who blogs as ‘scorpiogenius,’ opines that blogs still speak a hypophonic tone in India, unlike in the United States where they are parallel to mainstream media and as powerful and influential as the traditional press. “Most development blogs appear a tad dull for the majority. A small example is in my blog itself. According to my Google Analytics the most read articles on my blog are the three posts I wrote about films and movie stars! It takes considerable time and effort to draft posts like the Vizhinjam project but it still hasn’t got half the clicks the article on Mohanlal got. Still there is a surge in the interest generated by development blogs and forums, a sure sign of a change in the attitude of the populace.” he says.

Featuring on The Hindu, even if it was on a regional supplement  is a great shot in the arm for a simple human being like me, a wild-card entrant to the social blogosphere. This is a sure encouragement to go the extra mile when drafting new posts, oh but surely I don't possess any delusions of grandiosity. More commitment to blogging? Yes, the last thing now you want is to go down like a lead balloon after getting  first hand evidence that blogs and social forums could actually make a difference (in a big way at least in the future).

Now isn't this what I've always been hoping for?

Proud and delighted to find myself  amidst fellow bloggers from different corners of the world but possessing a common factor, Trivandrum. To Nikhil Narayanan (Bangalore), Brahmaprakash Narayanan (USA), Nishanth Nair (Australia) and the one-and-only Ajay Prasad, with special thanks to Nita Satyendran, Sub-Editor, The Hindu, Trivandrum.

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The lesson not learned...

Its an all too familiar situation if you are in Kerala at the moment. Yeah, there is a typhoon swirling across the state, a political one as always, and the storm originating in the teacup(again, as usual).

The calmest part of a storm is said to be the eye, and the adjective is easily adorned to the center of the present controversy: Page 24 in the History textbook, Class VII, Kerala Syllabus.

Ok, so before I go on about what I feel in this case, here are some excerpts from some of the social bloggers I take seriously...I've long back ceded relying on print & visual media to catch a glimpse of the true state of affairs, and blogosphere is the last arena where you can see some honest and open opinions.

Just as I was fretting over the vacuum in the versatile Kerala blogspace about this affair, Talkies guru Brahmaprakash Narayanan detailed out the matter, for the first time for me to understand what the turmoil was all about.

Insights into the matter were given by Kerala Tips, in a revealing mirror image twin posts. Make sure you read the corrected second post before the original opinion. Ajay Prasad, who seldom writes anything without "Trivandrum" in it, has his say here, and is surprised himself by the response he received for an off-topic. I've gone through the posts of Kenny Jacob and a few other related ones and found them all supporting the chapter.

Now here is the eye of the tempest, anglicized.

The setting is the principals office, where the kid, Jeevan appears with his parents.

Principal: “What is your name?”
“Jeevan”

Principal: “Good name...father’s name?”
“Anwar Rasheed''

Principal: "Mother’s name?”
“Lakshmi Devi”

The Principal raises his chin & looks at the parents

Principal: “What should I fill in for the kid’s religion?”
Parents : “Keep it blank…or else add No Religion”

Principal: “What about Caste?”
Parents : “not needed”

The Principal leans back on his chair and asks seriously.

Principal: “What if he wants a religion when he grows up?”
Parents : “If he feels he needs a religion, he is free to choose the one he likes then”

I'm damn sure about my feelings in this case.. This lesson needs to be taught... Taught in such a way that the kids never lose the lesson in it.

Now back to the outburst itself. This seemingly innocuous prose managed to kick up such vehement hostility among a large section of the public. All the religious organisations and political parties joined hands against the Govt accusing this as a definite attempt to instill Communism and atheism in juvenile thoughts.

The Education Ministry, though boldly rubbishing the allegations, stands in deep waters. The interests of all the players in this drama are temporarily aligned. It turned out that there was a well-disguised backup to this chapter in a series of sessions & workouts in the textbook, which brings the intentions of the Govt under scrutiny. Check out the following excerpts from the same text book:

This time the setting is an agitation against a typo landlord, who has a car and a big bungalow. There is a group shown as agitating against him. A motorist is watching the scene.

The group: Stop letting the fields remain without harvest.

Landlaord: I'll do whatever I like in my paddyfield...may fill it...leave it barren or will construct a building. I'm a free citizen of India.

The Motorist:(at the agitators) don't these people have any other job?

The textbook asks the students: How will you respond to social situations like these?

Here is a very evident attempt to promote the commie ideas of ''vettinirathal'' and ''anti-feudalism protests''. But for Gods sake where does feudal landlords exist in Kerala now? And it is a dangerous attempt to create more futile citizens like we have in DYFI and the likes now. Please allow at least the next generation of Keralites to come out of the hole???

There is another instance in the textbook when a guy apparently hails India's present day economic development, but immediately it is compared to India's progress under the British regime...

Guy 1: Whatever, British rule was a class in itself. Everything had a proper arrangement.

Guy 2: What are you telling? Even if it was for 2 days, didn't Mukesh Ambani become the wealthiest man in the world?

Now how vicious is that appearing to be?? This essentially provides opportunity for interpretations as a deliberate way to turn young minds against big-gun Industrialists..

Throughout the textbook there are passages about ''social equality'' and ''freedom''. We know where this water flows to...I'm not arguing that there shouldn't be social equality and freedom, but Communism is the last thing you'd need to create that.

Nowhere in the 4.6 billion years of Mother Earth's history has a Communist setting provided the above social qualities.. As a contrary check out the major red-zones of the world; you will clearly see what is meant by anarchism. Just look at China, North Korea and co...

The textbook also hails Gowri Amma's historic speech in the Assembly(oops...Gowri Amma, of all people!), Channar & Kayyur rebellions(have a clue what it is?) , land reforms, liquor and land mafia and other touchwood communist ideologies. Compare to the Gandhiji & Nehru speeches, Freedom struggles and other historic rebellions we were taught as kids. Now perhaps we could teach them Geography of Cuba and Chinese language in schools, eh?

And at the end of it all the lesson in page 24 appears. Innoxious, as it is in itself, but read it with the whole script...you will find a well-written story unfolding.

No wonder the Congress is on strike. They are the only guys who are desperate to get this textbook out of the schools, and they got strong and effective allies: their traditional strongholds, the Church & the Muslim League. Sadly, the 2 latter groups doesn't know what they are fighting for, because the chapter in itself doesn't proclaim atheism or communism.

In other words, the chapter must be taught! No confusions about that. Let the children learn what is the true meaning of ''secularism''. Let them understand that India is a secular state, meaning a no-religion state; and not a state where all religions are considered equally. Many of the most secular nations of the world provide a 'No Religion' option for their citizens, and its high time that we adopt such forward ideologies. C'mon, we don't need a brand to trust in God, do we? And did someone tell that social rot occurs if one doesn't have religion? mmmm... Santhosh Madhavan, Osama Bin Laden & George Bush did so much on behalf of their own religions. Are they doing the world a whole lot of good?

Allow the individual to have a say about his religion, let it be one of his personal rights. But in a country where parents & society decide what the child studies, whom to become, how, when and whom to marry and when to reproduce, this thought will take some time to go in...

So what about the landlord, Ambani, Gowri Amma and Kayyur saga in that book? Well, press that 'delete' button please...quick!

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