tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-342345722011-12-31T16:23:15.160-08:00abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486440637900771888noreply@blogger.comBlogger81100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34234572.post-38810983154032321052007-06-05T06:31:00.000-07:002007-06-05T06:33:10.757-07:00

In recent weeks, Kerala Chief Minister Achuthanthan has caught the state by surprise by sending earthmovers and bulldozers to Munnar to remove illegal encroachments, including properties owned by politicians of all hues. In the process, his actions have won the hearts of some of his staunchest critics among the public. Around the same time that Achuthanthan decided to move against what has come

abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486440637900771888noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34234572.post-1165723762967015542006-12-09T19:59:00.000-08:002006-12-09T20:26:29.343-08:00

It is a sad fact that Kerala has the highest suicide rate in India. A friend of mine once speculated that the Malayalee is a unique creature prone to caving into peer pressure which forces people to resort to extreme measures in desperate times. Any doubts surrounding that idea should have been repudiated by Lee Ban Seen, a Malaysian contractor, who committed suicide this past November and

abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486440637900771888noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34234572.post-1161874021255100252006-10-26T06:35:00.000-07:002006-10-26T10:22:02.603-07:00

Two weeks ago, I posted a blog to assess the public perception of violence in politics. The question was:Do you think that hartals and shutdowns are favoured by:1) A minority of the political parties?or2) Almost every party in Kerala?Of the 39 voters who voted, 30 opted for (2). Before writing this article, I might have done the same, since almost every political and trade organization in Kerala

abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486440637900771888noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34234572.post-1160326397416044982006-10-08T09:52:00.000-07:002006-10-19T13:53:36.243-07:00

In the movie, the Patriot, the legendary Benjamin Martin (played by Mel Gibson) questions the revolutionary forces recruiting men for their war against England, “"Why should I trade one tyrant 3000 miles away for 3000 tyrants one mile away?" The question although posed in a colonial setting is relevant to anyone who is concerned about who leads Kerala. Let me digress for a moment.The 2004 General

abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486440637900771888noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34234572.post-1160064210293565782006-10-05T08:39:00.000-07:002006-10-06T00:18:37.760-07:00

Dear Abhishek,I am a sorry to say that Election Watch Kerala is somewhat in the doldrums at the moment without sufficient volunteers for work. The demise of our Chairman Prof M.N.V.Nair has weakened us. The members are still keen on the work except that each is busy in his or her own work and unable to provide the kind of time and effort that we managed to put in during the 2004 election. We need

abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486440637900771888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34234572.post-1160062740715920872006-10-05T08:34:00.000-07:002006-10-05T08:39:00.730-07:00

Dear Sir,I am an Indian based in the U.S. and am very interested in India-related issues, especially electoral reforms. I have a bachelor’s degree in economics and I keep abreast of economic and political issues related to India and Kerala in particular.Recently, I have begun researching the backgrounds of Kerala Legislative Assembly candidates through the help of the ECI database containing

abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486440637900771888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34234572.post-1158349412772656062006-09-15T12:39:00.000-07:002006-09-29T15:59:32.716-07:00

Recently, the Kerala chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said “a single day's shutdown costs the state a staggering 7 billion (or 700 crore) rupees”.Put that estimate and Kerala’s population together and that translates to a cost of 233 rupees per Keralite for a single day’s shutdown. No, don’t look in your wallet; your pocket change is probably still there. The money in your

abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486440637900771888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34234572.post-1158007312267292032006-09-11T13:41:00.000-07:002006-09-12T05:58:43.576-07:00

I wrote an essay for a competition in Kochi when I was nine. The topic was “My Home is my Heaven”. I won and I like to think it was because of my writing skills. But the truth of the matter is that it was an issue near and dear to my heart. Many expats have a very keen sense of what their home is and my family is no different. At home, my parents insisted that we speak Malayalam, irrespective of

abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486440637900771888noreply@blogger.com10