Ready...Steady...GOLD!!

Oh, I think its time I've to be more optimistic about India on the global sport arena.

Seeing what this young man, Abhinav Bindra has done on the world's biggest stage, I feel (and hope) India is going to feature more prominently & consistently on the Olympic medal list. First of all whole hearted congrats to Abhinav! Words cant express the gratitude to you, the lone man standing among the Indian ruins of Beijing 2008.

Watching this video has been overwhelmingly emotional..Honestly, I never felt such an overflowing sense of patriotism, pride and euphoria, anytime in the 27 years of my existence, as seeing the Tricolour rising against the background of the National Anthem.

As always the sports-lovers of the country believe that this is going to change the fortunes of the cruelly neglected, mismanaged and corrupt sports arena in India. Dirty politics, chicanery, inefficiency and all sorts of synonyms you could think of, plague the respective sports regulatory bodies. We have illustrations all around us, and sports (except for cricket) take the backstage in Indian administrator's books.

A glimpse at the success story of Abhinav Bindra is a testimonial. He took up shooting seriously as a competition event in his early childhood and had the support of his affluent family. Abhinav also had the luxury of practicing in his personal air-conditioned shooting range at his Chandigarh home. This facility was fitted with all world class equipments including imported rifles, computer analytic system and other essential amenities.

Shooting is always a very expensive sport to pursue, which only the rich and affluent could afford. Abhinav and Gagan Narang have financially strong family backgrounds whereas Rajyavardhan Rathore is a high ranking Army personal. But what about those events which requires broader support and grooming from grassroot levels?

The plight of football, hockey and other physical sports events highlight the point that something is seriously wrong somewhere in India. And we all know what this 'something' and 'somewhere' is...The miserable state of our National sport, Hockey is a classic illustration. India last won the Gold in 1980, and from there its been a steady down slide.. And now it has hit the trough with a crash-bang, seeing an Olympics Hockey list sans India! A new low for the sports lovers...

The Hockey debacle has led to one of the major purification of the ruling body with the super-cop turned sports administrator KPS Gill and his footlickers shown the door, ending his 14 years of misrule. The next pest in firing line must be the Indian Olympic Association(IOA) President Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, who've been at the helm since 1996. The latest parasitic infestation of Sports Governing bodies by politicians is of BCCI by the useless Sarad Pawar, who doesn't even know how to hold a cricket bat.

This political interference is not the only cause of the Indian debacles on World stages. The ones in charge seems least bothered about the complete lack of Infrastructure at community levels. How do you unearth and harness talents if you don't have the necessary framework to mould it?

The sad state of the G. V. Raja Sports School in Trivandrum explains it all. The school, dedicated to sports development, doesn't even have a clay track for its athletes(dreaming of a Synthetic track is like going to Mars). The long jump pit has more gravels than sand and a swimming pool exists only as drawings.

International Stadium, Cochin pic courtesy Stillwater

The existing stadiums in the state are more often used for Film Award functions, dog shows and consumer exhibitions. The so-called International Stadium in Cochin only hosts Cricket matches every other year. A Swimming Pool Complex of 'International' standards is being built at Pirappincode for the last 8 years...it still doesn't have even a drop of water inside. The University Stadium in my neighbourhood in Trivandrum looks better like the Serengeti plains during summer...brown and bushy...Oh, lately they've built a Synthetic track at Maharaja's ground..thats a biiiiiiig achievement. ;)

I've genuine doubts as to the job description of the Sports Ministry and its Minister. One main job of the minister seems to be giving out statements like "50 lakhs to promote Weightlifting in Kerala"( after Malleswari bronze in Sydney 2000), "Football to be rejuvenated"(after Santhosh Trophy win in 2003-04) and "Tennis clubs to be formed across the state"(when Sania Mirza came here for some Jewellery opening). The latest gimmick is about "a shooting complex in Thodupuzha" just after the Bindra Gold at Beijing...

Is there no end to this farce?

India will be second to none in the Global sports stage if adequate money and willpower is instilled into attracting and grooming the raw talents in the nation's heartlands. But with pests like Kalmadia and clueless administrators like sports Minister M. S. Gill reigning, the light appears far. A touch more effort from the administrators would've seen boxers like Akhil Kumar stepping up on the Olympic podium to glorify the nation.

Akhil, who had to choose between his food and boxing gloves, is a reflection to the state of affairs of our sportsmen.


How long will a person be able to keep the passion in him against the fire in his stomach?

Which parent will be allowing his child to pursue a career in Sports, risking the kids life and a chance to live well?

We've enough and more examples of sportsmen who struggled for a livelihood just because they became professional sportsmen... Vijayan, Pappachan, Satyan...They got nothing other than empty promises and broken careers. How long will we go on with one Cricket and self-built successes like Abhinav?

PS: If you wish to relay your personal greetings to Abhinav Bindra, log on to his blog http://abhinavbindra.blogspot.com/ . A really good role model for the youth...educated, humble, self-controlled, sportsman, businessman and familyman! May be like what Raymonds have been searching for all these years...the complete man.

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The Silicon State

If the ambitious plans by the Govt. of Kerala are turned to reality, then the state will soon turn into the first true Silicon Valley in India.

Too tall a hope, some would say, and even I'm not so freak an optimistic to dream that Kerala would threaten the throne of Bangalore, the undisputed Silicon City of India. Numbers make the fact clear; Bangalore employs 6 lakh software professionals and Kerala just over 25,000...comparing Ferrari with Maruti 800 eh?

Kerala plans to follow the Bangalore success story in its own unique way, by spreading the IT wave all across the state. The state has adopted a unique scheme to augment and disperse its IT development instead of the single-city oriented method adopted by our neighbouring states.

In other words Kerala plans to become the first real Silicon Valley in India, adopting the same pattern of development of the Californian blue chip valley.

Silicon Valley in California encompasses the whole of the northern part of the Santa Clara Valley consisting of as much as 25 cities and counties. With a population of 2.4 million, the Silicon Valley is home to the giants of the hi-tech industries like Apple, eBay, Google, Cisco, Intel et al. It unofficially stretches to about 150km from San Francisco to Gilroy and another 100+ km from San Jose to Union City and beyond. In simple words, a colossal continuous techno-corridor.

Silicon Valley map

This is exactly what Kerala hopes to emulate...a continuous urban conglomerate dotted with hi-tech industrial havens at regular intervals. The hub-and-spoke model, as they call it, envisages mega IT Parks at hub-cities and associated technology parks at neighbouring districts. Arguably a greener model of development; also a balanced and sustainable one, if everything goes according to plan.

And that is one biiiiig 'if'...

There are obvious advantages and drawbacks to such a structure, especially in the IT world. Advantage being that our cities would be relieved from a permanent market-day scenario as in Bangalore or Chennai, where the roads to these Software Parks are chronically plagued by gridlocks. Concentration and load of pressure on the infrastructure could be well dispersed and the cities will be more equipped to catch up with the necessities. And development would reach out to all corners of the state, instead of intensifying in a single city or region.

As per the blueprint, there will be 3 Technology hubs in the state. The Technopark in Trivandrum, Infopark in Cochin and the upcoming Cyberpark in Calicut. The Technopark is already the biggest IT Park in the country in terms of built-up space and employs over 18K professionals. Infopark, around 200km from Technopark has grown pretty quickly in its short tenure so far, and is going to harbour the much touted Smart City in its premises. The Cyberpark in Calicut is still in the womb, and is also located at about 200km from Infopark.

The idea is to develop satellite centres to these 3 IT hubs and allow development to spill into neighboring districts. The Technopark, nestled in 375+ acres of evergreen land is getting a sibling in the name of Technocity, a massive 500 acre park, threatening to outdo the big brother in all aspects. The third IT Park will be developed in Kollam district, 50 km from the Technocity.

Technopark areal pic courtesy Ajay Prasad

Plans are afloat for a Trivandrum- Kollam infrastructural corridor, and these 3 technoparks will form the nucleus of the development. Already the stretch of NH 47 along this Technopark-Technocity corridor is witnessing unprecedented boom and a handful of private technology parks are slated to appear along this corridor.

Inforpark will be the hub of developments across 5 districts in Central Kerala. Apart from the Smart City which promises nearly 1 lakh jobs, there will be 3 more technology parks coming under the Infopark brand; 2 each in Alappuzha district and 1 in Trichur district. The triplets will be at a radius of 75km from Infopark and will be christened Infopark-Cherthala, Infopark-Ambalappuzha and Infopark-Trichur, after the places they will be born.

Smart City and Infopark plan

Ernakulam district which houses the Infopark is already on the overdrive with over a dozen massive IT-related projects up its sleeve. This region is expected to throw up anything over 2.5 lakh blue-chip jobs when the proposed developments are realized.

Cyberpark, the new yet-to-be-born kid on the bloke is all set to regroup the surging hopes of Malabar. This small 68 acre affair has already started making waves in the regional real estate front. Cyberpark will come up along the newly opened NH 17 Calicut Bypass, and the space has already been reserved by IT companies.

This development is a crucial shot in the arm for Calicut city as well, which was forced to take the back seat in Kerala IT development. A major commercial centre and the capital of the Malabar region, Calicut has all the necessary ingredients to become the third software hub of Kerala. Cyberpark, once up and running, will have associated centres in Kannur and Kasargode districts. The Calicut International Airport, IIM-Calicut, NIT-Calicut and the proposed Kannur Airport will add to the advantages of this region.

Malabar area and the proposed IT Parks (click for higher resolution)

Such a model of development enhances the growth of local IT entrepreneurs like UST Global, IBS and co as we could provide easy low cost start-up options for the newbies. Local economy will flourish all around the state. This model could also reduce the attrition levels in the companies as the professionals get increased chance to work near their native places.

Development of infrastructure is quintessential to the success of this style. There should be quick, hassle-free and efficient modes of transport from one end of the state to another. Cities must adapt themselves to the requirements of the young professionals, and Kerala must shed its orthodox and archaic mindset against industrialization. A new work culture must evolve, devoid of hartals, nokkukooli and other menaces which hinder development.

Silicon Valley

It will be interesting to see how this model works out, say in 15 years time. Trivandrum, Cochin and Calicut would've established themselves as IT heartlands but the growth in the associated small centres remains to be seen. But the officials in charge seems confident; it will be slow but sure!

So is this the start of another Kerala model of development?

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Setting the standards- Part I

When the highway between Dubai and Sharjah was expanded in the 1980s, the Japanese town planner in charge designed it to be a 12 laned one; 6 lanes each on either side. He was mocked and ridiculed at that time as it was perceived as a colossal wastage of public penny. Now, when the traffic along the highway has surpassed even the wildest imaginations, choking all the 12 lanes, the residents bow to the astounding foresight of the foreign architect who predicted this scenario over 25 years ago.

The Dubai-Sharjah Road

We've had such visionaries in Kerala too, when it came to the designing of public infrastructure, the likes of Sri. Panampally Govinda Menon and the Travancore Royal family.

When Panampally built the MG Road in Cochin he was lampooned over his decision to provide the road a width of 21 m(70 ft). The road was initially known as the 70 feet road as the populace saw it as an extravagance. But Mr. Menon had the vision of a great leader that even this road would become inadequate in future, and how right he was!

MG Road, Cochin

Same is the case with the Kowdiar Avenue in Trivandrum built by the Travancore Kingdom, which still remains the stand-out road in the state. The 60 years of Democratic regime constructed some so-called highways which pales in comparison with the 'rajaveedhi'.

Kowdiar Avenue, Trivandrum pic courtesy Sudheesh

Sadly the avenues above remain the only instances where the planners have shown some prudence while designing the roads.

Kerala has 2 major highways, the NH 47 (Parassala-Valayar) and the NH 17 (Edappally-Manjeshwaram) apart from the MC Road(Trivandrum-Angamaly) and a couple of hilly roads recently bestowed the Highway status. Out of this a mere 70 km roadway(Chertala-Angamaly) has been widened to accommodate 4 lane traffic, and that too within the Cochin Metropolitan Area. Keralites are chronically subjected to travel on pothole-filled, congested 2 laned 'highways' for the remaining 700+ km...

What a curse!

The standards adopted by Kerala in building roads regularly fall woefully short of basics. For us the customary width for any road is 2 lanes, roughly 10-12 m. A 4 laned road seems to be the superior level, and 6 lanes a profusion!

Taking into account the last few major roads built in Kerala; the Seaport-Airport Road, Trivandrum NH 47 Bypass, Calicut Bypass, Nedumbassry Airport Road(from NH 47), all are ordinary 2 laned ones. Of this the Athani-Nedumbassery Road connecting the Airport saw a unique episode of land being returned back to the owners after being acquired for a 6 laned carriageway! Dont ask why...

The Seaport-Airport Road

Now they are planning to build an Aerotropolis around the Cochin Airport...The hotels, apartments, shopping centres, golf course and all other luxuries are under construction. So the plan seems to be to finish building all these and then think about the road...

That's the Kerala model of development..reverse technique. By the time they 'plan' to develop this road to 'international' standards( meaning 4 lanes), the land development would be completed, land values would've shot up in geometrical proportions, there would be court cases, survey & marking procedures (using the techniques invented by Egyptians for their Pyramids), eternal relaying of cables and posts by KSEB, protests, action forces and whatever you could think of. End result: The road never gets widened.

Just for kicks: The Govt is still 'developing' the 3 km long Sahodaran Ayyapan Road in Cochin, which commenced in 1996.

Acquisition of land is the biggest headache for planners when it comes to road development. The density of population, continuous urban stretches, astronomical property prices all create incessant turbulence to acquisition. The authorities fail to encounter this problem over and over again by repeating the same mistakes. The Trivandrum Road Development works present another example.

42 km of roads in the capital is being widened and new corridors created. The plan appears good but again falls worryingly short of basic standards. The widest road is the MG Road, planned to accommodate 6 lane traffic at 28m edge-to-edge. This includes 2.5m wide footpath on either sides and a road divider, which essentially shortens the carriageway to 24m. Appears all right, but considering that this will be the arterial avenue and one lane each would be sacrificed for parking, even this road seems inadequate.

The expanded MG Road at Palayam. pic courtesy Ajay

Even more worrying is the way the link roads have been planned connecting the evolving urban complex along the bypass. The Poonthi Road which connects Kumarapuram to Bypass and then to Kochuveli Railway Terminal is a plain 2 laned road! (Officially 3 laned...) This could've been easily converted to a 32m wide 6 laned avenue as it didn't have built-up areas except for a few stretches. There is no doubt that this development is going to backfire within the next 4-5 years. Imagine how much effort will it take to expand this road again by eviction and demolition...

Another link to the Bypass, the Ulloor-Akkulam Road is expanded to 16 m...I'm not sure about the width this road will have along the International Convention Centre premises, but given the 'sense' of our planners I see no more than an ordinary 4 lane carriageway through this future artery for Trivandrum.

Trivandrum Bypass Road

The Trivandrum Bypass, slated for expansion, seems to adopt some of the necessary standards, thankfully. It is understood that the architecture for the Bypass encompasses service and emergency lanes on both sides, a 10 lane toll plaza and exclusive service roads when the development is complete. On second thoughts, developing it into a 6-8 laner right away would alleviate many miseries in the future. A transhipment port, international tourist destination, an Int'l Airport, huge Railhead, India's largest Technopark, various Industrial Parks and a gigantic Technocity are all lined up along the 30+ km from Kovalam to Pallipuram! Not to mention the countless residential & commercial developments.

Its a shame that the authorities can't think beyond this 16m and 20 m wide 4 lane roads. We must learn from the scenario in Bangalore, like in Airport Road and Hosur Road which has a carriageway of nothing more than 15m (footpaths on either sides make it approximately 28m). Hosur Road has service lanes in patches, but too inadequate for a city aspiring to be a global metropolis...Chennai has double the vehicular population of Bangalore but isn't as congested as the latter, as it harbours wider roads. Planners of Hyderabad needs a pat on the back as they seem to have set a basic standard of 24-32m for all new major roads under development. So where does it leave Trivandrum?

Hosur Road, Bangalore

There are people arguing that the width is more than enough for Kerala cities as it is mostly occupied by mopeds, bikes and rickshaws. Well, they must've heard the TATA Motors' plan to replace them all with their Nano...If the scenario is bleak now, it will be a total disaster tomorrow!

TATA Nano!

In order to develop into a noteworthy city good, wide roads are indispensable. Trivandrum and rest of Kerala must radically revamp the standards they have set for roads. Having a 16m wide avenue and building malls, hotels, apartments, hospitals and offices all along it would eventually grind down the place to a slum. Cochin plans to transform into another Singapore and Trivandrum dreams about emulating the success of Bangalore, well if we cant go beyond 4 lanes and 16m roads then we may wake up soon from the dreamzzz...

Expanding the roads are not the only solution to the apparent eternal gridlock we are going to face in the future. Rejuvenating the screwed up Expressway project and constructing new channels for specific traffic is radical to the citizens of Kerala. Will continue here in Part II.

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Whats in a name??

''Raindrops keep falling on my head''...

Gotcha? Dont worry, I'm not into poetry now. Nor am I babbling about the golden old song. That was the name of an apartment complex in Bangalore...! Not finished; here are some more 'wonderful' improvised names the same company invented for their other housing projects: ''Green is the colour" , "Windmills of your mind" , "Reach for the sky" and many more!

I guess this is what they meant by "the difference" in their website..lol..

To be honest I've come across even more ridiculous names in the Kerala house-building scenario, not to mention the names of individuals themselves. Yours truly is a classic example. When my mother filled out my name in the Registration form she thought it would be a good idea to include both her name as well as my dad's name as initials.. So I ended up with my dad in the middle & her name as my last name.

The embarrassment started when I reached Europe, where your last name is considered to be the official name. So I'm now Mr. + my mom's name...The local Europeans doesn't have a clue about the joke of it, thank God, but it is a real torture in Airports and places with fellow mallus, when I'm addressed that way.

I didn't hide my anger and frustration at my poor mummy, and she seems more upset now..Imagine a man being called Mr. Philomena or Mr. Ambujakshi....well, thats what it is for me now. Poor me...:(

Not a lone tale ok, this is the case with many Kerala boys... heheheee some joy atlast, seeing more people in trouble..:)

Another common naming joke was a meiosis of the parent's names..Say for eg Lalitha & Murali will have their son named Lamu...and daughter? Check yourself...

But there are miraculous exceptions too. The best illustration is my own sweetheart. Her name is a chemistry between the first 3 atoms of each of her parent's names. But it is one of the most beautiful names you can come across...it can mean 'love' or 'music'.

Back to apartments, when I was on a shopping spree for my piece of moon, one of the conditions I had(secretly) was the name of my apartment complex. May be my ego, born out of the knowledge that I will be receiving an already christened home, but I wanted my apartment to bear a decent name. And some of the builders seemed to be on a competition to vulgarize their own projects.

Some of the efforts remind me of an old Priyadarshan movie, narrating the hero Mohanlal's toils to open a biscuit company in his mother's name...ie Dakshayani Biscuits. The movie ends with the opening of the factory but we could guess very well how many biscuits he would've sold. Selling milk in the brandname 'Cockroach' made more sense...

When one builder in Delhi named their project 'Utopia', another one retaliated by announcing their apartment 'Thuglak'! By the name of God, didn't someone tell them what Thuglakistan represents?

Another major Bangalore builder found the British city names so attractive that they adorned all the blocks of their township project after English towns & counties.

Well, Keralites at least seemed to know how to name an apartment. The traditional mile long family names like 'Valiyapeedikayil' , 'Marathakkaraveettil' et al which have created a tongue-twister effect all over the globe,(except Kerala) are slowly starting to fade away with the advent of apartment culture. Those highrise havens proudly bear some strongly anglicized names, for instance Riviera Retreat(for the rhyme lovers), Willow Heights, Alpine Terrain and some posh posh names...

Nothing but a tactic to lure poor open-mouthed localites and NRIs, who will think those foreign names mean something biiiiiiiiiig...and posh...That's the impact!

There are also a few 'traditionalists' who come up with sweet aesthetic names like 'Anugraha', 'Indradhanus', 'Tejas' and 'Sooryaprabha'. It appears as if the name must yield many clues about the project, like its location, quality and so on... Apartments around Technopark in Trivandrum & Infopark in Cochin seem to be all in the Cyberspace. You have 'Cyber Palms', 'Silicon Valley', 'Blue Chip', 'Info-City' and even 'Abacus' all around these Tech parks. Waterfront projects also seem easy to identify with a 'water' tag accompanying them...like 'Waterscapes' , 'Blue Lagoon' , 'Lakeview' and 'Aqua Gardens'. So far so good...

The builder I zoomed in had a very judicious idea. He named his six-block apartment project after the world famous elite universities in the US. I actually doesn't fancy the Western names, but Ivy League now appears a stately enough name for the township and 'Sylvania' cute enough for the block.(Kudos! They had the common sense to edit out the únnecessary part from 'Pennysylvania University'!)

Skyline Ivy League

Well, whats in a name, you may ask. But I don't think you will be a happy man calling your house 'Thuglak'.

PS: A word about my own web pseudonym; scorpiogenius. Thanks to my wife who suggested a combi...after many failed attempts to procure an e-name. After discarding 'scorpioboy' & 'scorpioman', she suggested the present name. Me the 'scorpio' and herself the 'genius'! well...no comments...bcoz she reads my posts. She has also landed in blogosphere, recently, so I must act the good boy.

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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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Sunrise at Vizhinjam

Now before I start writing up some crap about Vizhinjam, I've an honest confession: I have as good knowledge about seaports, harbours and their technicalities as a fisherman would have about software..

But that doesn't dampen my enthusiasm to find out more about why this place 'Vizhinjam' , 16km southwest of Trivandrum would rewrite the horoscope of Kerala Capital, and who knows , the whole nation as a fact.

The concept layout

You would've nudged into very few optimistic souls even in Trivandrum if you spoke about 'Vizhinjam', a few years back...At a time when Vizhinjam featured only on election manifestos once every 5 years and appeared as single column news somewhere inside regional newspapers.

But how things have changed, and quick!!

Vizhinjam International Container Transshipment Terminal(VICTT) or simply the Vizhinjam Seaport (as we will call here) has grown up from a regional patriotic's dream to a megaproject enticing the attention of the nation. The project worth 8000crore INR is all set to become a reality with the Hyderabad based Lanco Infrastructures awarded the contract to own the pie.

The Project

Ok, its simple...Vizhinjam is envisaged as a Transshipment Terminal, meaning a port where you transfer the containers to land. It was a surprise to me to learn that majority of containers to India were actually transshipped from Colombo and Singapore as

Vizhinjam port plan

Indian ports didn't have enough draft to sustain big vessel loads. So Vizhinjam would be sharing its job with JNPT, Mumbai(the other major container terminal in India) and Vallarpadam, Cochin, but will be possessing some serious advantages over both in terms of handling capacity, depth of water both in the channel and at berth and low Operational & Maintenance costs r/t dredging.

The plan is to reclaim nearly 600 acres from the sea to build the breakwater and the necessary port facilities. So that erases the need for population displacement, a thorn in many project plans.

Connectivity isn't going to be a big headache as well. The NH 47 Bypass passes just 2km from the project site, and a flyover is planned from Mukkola Jn, Kovalam to Vizhinjam site. A rail link to Balaramapuram, 8 km away on the Trivandrum-Kanyakumari broadguage line is also envisaged.

Vizhinjam Port site (Pic courtesy Ajay Prasad)

The capacity of the port is deemed at 6.5 million TEU/ year. A TEU or 20 foot equivalent unit is the size of a standard container(20ft X 8ft), so 6.5 million is a handsome figure when you find out that the whole of India handles only 4.6 million TEU an year! Compare with Shanghai, where the number is 5.5 m TEU or Singapore, the numero uno with a staggering 23.2m TEU!! Jeez...

So numbers aside, if Vizhinjam possessed all these potential then why the heck did it take 60 odd years to draw attention to itself??

The History

Vizhinjam dream dates back to pre-democracy era. The erstwhile Travancore Royals nourished plans to build a 6 km channel (something like Seuz channel perhaps) connecting the Arabian Sea to Vellayani lake, thereby turning their kingdom into a port city. Unfortunately, the advent of democracy and the resulting shift of loyalty sealed the fate of this vision. For over 50 years the port project remained in paper, thanks to the lack of interest of regional politicians and active lobbying of adjacent ports in & outside the state.

To be honest, in a democratic set up 'lobbying' is not an obscene word, the alignment of interests are often in conjecture with the party on the seat of power. But often such regional lobbying ends up with the State as a casualty. The potential of this jewel of a harbour evaded the blind (or closed) eyes of the decision makers for a
variety of reasons. The powerful business houses of Central Kerala, which relies on the growth of Cochin Harbour feared a plunge if Vizhinjam materialized. The neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu sprung up plans to develop a harbour on the same lines just a few nautical miles south of Vizhinjam, at Kolachel. With a mangle-like grip at the Centre, and with the Ministry of Shipping in its pocket, the Tamil Ealam ministers projected a constant threat for the project. Worse was the local resistance against it, with the Port project apparently threatening to shake the foundations of the thriving tourism and fishing industries in Kovalam. And to crown it all, the lackluster attitude of the leaders, media and public towards the project made it a non-starter.

But not for the will and determination of some live wires, Vizhinjam would almost certainly have remained as such. When this port becomes a reality, one person needs a
special hug, for fighting a lone battle against all odds to keep this project alive. An old Communist arrogant from Kannur, Mr. M.V. Raghavan. It was heartening to see MVR toiling for Vizhinjam with his mearge resources, when other Trivandrum born politicians were sleeping on top of it. His works were followed up by Mr. M. Vijayakumar, who presently hold the Ports & Harbour portfolio. The toughest job, however, was done by a group of enthusiasts named Trivandrum Development Front(TDF) , Janapaksham and co. They did the groundbreaking job of optimizing public knowledge about Vizhinjam, and gathering local support, absolutely essential for any project of such magnitude and character in Kerala.

The media, at last got involved in the project, and guess what; in a positive way!!(Whew...) Accolades to Kerala Kaumudi in particular and Asianet, who created an aura around the project. Vizhinjam has featured on National and Int'l media and now its upto the GoK to make sure the sleeping giant remains awake...and goes to work.

A banner by TDF

The Govt has been careful in evaluating the bids submitted by the International Consortium as it would be unpardonable to allow history to repeat itself. In the 90s the tender was awarded purposely to a clueless and unlisted Kumar Group just to sabotage the project. Last time when everything came through, the Chinese partners of the successful Zoom Builders happened to be the hoodoo.

The ???s

A few reservations raised about the project would be the agonizingly poor industrial background of Trivandrum. SEZ's and manufacturing based industries need to flourish in and around Trivandrum. Even in Cochin, 90% 0f the goods handled are petroleum products to and from the refinery. The cost of transferring empty containers back to the base port will be same as that of shipping them here, and so competition would become tough for Vizhinjam in spite of all the God-given blessings.

What Vizhinjam must take into its head is that there is a big difference between a Harbour and a Port...Some of the finest harbours in the world seldom see a ship, whereas the busiest Ports are the ones associated with great industrial cities..So Vizhinjam will have some homework and backing up to do!

Rotterdam Harbour

Again as a fair point, Tirunelveli SEZ is just at the backyard of our Ghats and Trivandrum has always been a sister city for them. And the proposed shipbuilding yard on the West Coast of India, if commissioned in Poovar, would be a shot in the arm as well.

It remains to be seen as to how the beach & backwater tourism would react to a shouldering Commercial harbour. Kovalam is well known globally, so lets hope the charm prevails.. There has been a few concerns for the resorts as their sea-view would be eclipsed by the port. Oil spillage and pollution associated with hulk-vessels may rob Kovalam of its blue pristine waters.

But the picture below has signs of an impending upside to these worries... The cruise ship

Cruise ship at Vizhinjam (pic courtesy Ajay Prasad)

seen decked here in the existing fishing harbour could turn the bane to boon for the hospitality industry! The tourism circles of Trivandrum could take a headleap if Kovalam can promote itself as a Cruise destination, courtesy Vizhinjam...

Still I would like to see Vizhinjam develop as how it is planned to be, and there would be a chill of disappointment if these shores are compared to Seychelles instead of Singapore...

The Status

Vizhinjam bids have been awarded to Hyderabad-based Lanco Infratech Limited's consortium with Pembinan Radzai Sdn Bhd (PRSB), Malaysia. Nearly 2400 crores will be pumped in for the first phase which would be ready for action by 2013. The remaining 3 phases would be completed in a phased manner, rocketing the investment to over 8000 crores, making it the single largest infrastructure project in Kerala.

The Lanco consortia would operate the terminal for 33 years, and then it would become the jewel in Kerala Govt's assets...And of course by that time, hopefully, Trivandrum would feature in the port-of-call lists of the colossal Emma Maersk, TI Oceania or the elegant Queen Mary II...



Look, my dreams have started to take wings as well!

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MG Road: Gearing up for the boom

I still remember the first time I visited the main shopping street of Trivandrum, the MG Road.

I liked the avenue for many many reasons...For me, a 5 year old boyyie at that time, going to MG Road and East Fort meant going to 'Trivandrum' ; because the glitz and glamour associated with the city in my mind, the Secretariat, toy and sweet shops, the big bus stand, East Fort, theatres and hotels...all existed on this street.

Also this was the route the double-decker bus took. I was so fascinated by the jumbo-bus that my dad used to take me in it from East Fort to Pattom(the double decker serviced the Medical College route in the 80s) and then retrace back to our home at YMR, Nanthencode.

Not to mention the glitzy lighting of the buildings, the crowd and the shopping fest during Onam!

So it was the MG Road which conditioned my mind to love city life...and Trivandrum.

And as years went by I learned that all major cities had their main shopping avenue named after the Father of the nation. So MG Road essentially was the showcase of any big city.

Unfortunately in Trivandrum, the advantages have turned detrimental when it came to the development of MG Road. The location of the seat of power, the Secretariat, meant that this road would be chronically infested with all kinds of agitations and gimmicks against the Govt. There is seldom a day without strikes, marches, rallies and dharnas, clogging up the street. This would also turn into a battlefield on a wrong day, and the business establishments along the avenue would pay the price.

MG Road was also a testimonial to the cruel treatment meted out to the capital city by various Governments. Almost 50 years after the formation of the state, this arterial avenue of the State HQ contended with 2 lane carriageway for most of its length(except for the Overbridge- EastFort stretch). The picture becomes clearer when you learn that it didn't even have a decent footpath for the shoppers. And about the parking space, the less said the better.

So thanks to our inspiring leaders, the growth of the MG Road stagnated, and businesses started to desert the avenue for greener pastures. Pattom- Kesavadasapuram Road(seen here) became
a hot spot and many business establishments focused on this avenue to enhance their potentials. All major electronics and retail shops have opted for the Pattom road, and the Jewellery showrooms are following suit.

All the same, it is good for Trivandrum as a growing city, but doesn't the arterial road in the name of Mahatma Gandhi deserve better treatment?

Well, that's exactly what is happening now.

Better late than never, the MG Road is now undergoing a radical cosmetic surgery 'threatening' to make it one of the premium stretches of land in the state. Shopping will be turned into a pleasure pretty soon in Trivandrum after the redevelopment works are over along this arterial road.

The 3.5 km long MG Road from LMS to Attakulangara is revamped completely with all the amenities of a modern commercial street. It will have a 6-lane carriageway, 2m wide footpaths on either side, bus bays, central median with streetlamps, cable ducts and drains and intelligent traffic management technologies.

Start of MG Road: LMS Jn

Traffic on MG Road would be streamlined by automatic signal systems on 13 junctions. The signal system would encompass the VATMS technology (Vehicle Activated Traffic Management System), meaning that you will not be stuck at consecutive junctions. Signal lamps would be erected at the following intersections:

LMS Jn
Martyr's Jn
VJT Hall
Spencer's Jn
Secretariat North Gate
Statue Road Jn
Secretariate South Gate
GPO Jn(Pulimoodu)
Ayurveda College Jn
Overbridge
Pazhavangadi
East Fort(Gandhi Park)
Attakulangara

The underpass at Martyr's Column Jn and a flyover at Powerhouse Road Jn are constituents of the inner ring road, which will intersect MG Road at the two ends. Moreover this 4 lane road would make up a parallel for the MG Road, enhancing the traffic entry and exit.

Old dilapidated crumbling structures are pulled down to make way for modern commercial structures. The 7 storied Kerala Lotteries Building (Pothen's building) and the Kesari Building are history now. 2 malls by Nikunjam and Trinity are going Nikunjam Mall u/c on MG Road

to take shopping experience to the next level. Homegrown establishments like Naaz, Premier and Kulatunkal are in the process of shifting to their swanky new buildings. Muthoot Group is demolishing their cinema halls just off the MG Road(Kripa & Dhanya/Ramya) for Multiplexes. Developers who have shied away from MG Road are now vying for a chunk of land. New hotels and commercial complexes will soon be propping up all along the stretch.

The aesthetics of the avenue would also be augmented once the redevelopment is completed. Gandhi Park is already a green dot on MG Road, a hideaway in the heart of the city. TRIDA has plans to develop a public plaza inside the Saphalyam Complex and Putharikandam will soon metamorphose into a gorgeous landscaped park with all public amenities. The bus stand at East Fort will soon disappear and the vintage beauty of the Fort will be a charming backdrop. A paved or landscaped footpath and road divider would add to the charm of the avenue...

So 2-3 years from now, Trivandrum would own a business avenue it would would be proud of!

But not without a few bits & pieces that require immediate attention. The chaotic political exhibitions in front of the Secretariat continues to be a pain in the a**. Common man and businesses will continue to suffer if this menace isn't chained promptly. These gimmicks make a laugh out of the numerous court orders and restrictions against demonstrations on MG Road.

Parking certainly has the potential to be a teething problem along this avenue. At present only 4 lane traffic is possible on the 6-laned Overbridge-East Fort stretch because one lane on either side is gobbled up for parking. New commercial complexes should not be permitted without ample parking space. Parking plazas could be built making use of the Govt properties inside Saphalyam, Ayurveda College and Attakulangara, instead of encroaching into prime commercial land. The feeder roads to MG Road like Press Road, Dhanya-Ramya Theater Road, Thakarapparambu Road et al should be expanded to accommodate parking space. Moreover the authorities have shown the sense to incorporate parking lots in the redesigned Gandhi Park and Putharikkandam Ground.

redesigned Putharikkandam

The relocation of KSRTC Bus Depot in East Fort to the proposed Integrated City Bus Terminal in Attakulangara Bypass Road would free up more prime space for utilization.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to extend the MG Road to Manacaud, for another 1 km. To be honest it was a mystery to me why they decided to terminate the 6 lane at Attakulangara, for Manacaud Road is a virtual continuation of the MG Road. The Attakulangara Sub-Jail stands as another parasitic form of matter, locking up property worth crores to house goons.

Trivandrum is growing, faster...bigger... and taller...A showcase commercial street is a must for the aspiring business town and MG road must be well adapted to meet the challenges. For now things appear bright, and we the citizens of Trivandrum wish to see nothing less than a fascinating boulevard!

Related topic: Trams: Outdated or Futuristic?
Birth of a new city!

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