AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A SENIOR CITIZEN

" Splashes in the Backwaters of Kumarakom" is the title of the unconventional self and social portrait of an unorthodox Malayali SyrianChristian,nostalgic about his roots and mother tongue. My intimate friend and a former RBI officer K. Cherian never gave an inkling of  his autobiographical venture. Sri C.J.Cherian, an illustrious recipient of the National Award for for Best Teacher from the first President of India, was keen that his son should be a mathematician like Srinivasa Ramanujan. Son Cherian wanted to pursue higher studies in English literature like his father. Ultimately the patriarchal authority prevailed and Cherian joined MSc course in Statistics. Even motivated students found it difficult to sit through the classes of our Professor Aleyamma George( may her soul forgive me ), who had never smiled even once in the class during the two years of the course. The MSc result was a shock only to father Cherian.My friend took up a job in RBI and retired from the Central Bank and NABARD. After more than five decades after his mathematical disaster, Cherian brought out this autobiography in ENGLISH as an ultimate fulfilment of his life-long ambition of becoming a writer in English,which in a way is a tribute to his father who was a well-known English teacher.

Cherian's autobiography is written in lucid Indian English with Malayalam poetry and prose interspersed through out like icing on the cake. He portrays Kumarakom,which nestles on the banks of the enchanting Vembanad lake . The romantically swaying coconut palms and the abundance of  lobsters, prawns and KARIMEEN ( pearl spot ) appear before the reader's vision. He vividly describes the economy, social relations and family patterns over time like a social commentator. The emergence and rise of the Communist Party,which radically altered the economic, political and social landscape of Kerala, has been presented in an interesting manner. He describes the Kumarakom scenario frame by frame like a film-maker. Cherian's marriage with a brilliant History lecturer Geetha and the different phases of his family life  are emotional narratives. Justifiably many pages are devoted to his RBI and NABARD days where he spent around thirty-five years of life. A critical reading of his autobiography will reveal a wealth of information on the social, economic, political, and cultural dimensions of a changing village in Kerala from the early fifties.

Cherian's memory is amazing, and his flair for soft and harmless pornographic literary outing makes his autobiography more human.In his characteristic style,Cherian describes his self-presentation a diabolical masterpiece  and this century's most controversial memoirs to be.

DEATH OF HUMANITY IN KERALA

'Our people derive sadistic pleasure by drawing blood again and again  from an already bleeding, fallen prey' said the father of the Suryanelli girl, who was brutally abused by many for many days by shifting from place to place to Seena Tony Jose, whose narration of the tragic tale of  a God-fearing family in the Malayalam periodical VANITHA is a moving account of the past 17 years of suffering.
It was a small family of four :father- a postmaster, mother- a nurse, and two daughters with plans for the girls like any other family.But their hopes were shattered by a group of SEX-CRAZY men many of whom are " honourable" persons,who could escape punishment with ease.By the time the 16-year old was allowed to return to her home after the gruelling sexual assault, her health condition was so serious that the doctors diagnosed that she would have died had the sexual cruelty continued for one more week.Now ailing and in their seventies, the father and mother became mentally numb. Their house at Suryanelli,which they had constructed with all their savings had to be sold as it became a " sight-seeing spot" for visitors, who are devoid of sensitivity , and the family had to be in exile to escape public ridicule.

Not only justice was denied to the family, the Congress Party leaders in Kerala have started competing with each other in character-assassinating the victim. A retired judge said in a private conversation that the victim was a child prostitute and hence his judgement acquitting the accused.
The latest tirade is from K. Sudhakaran, a member of Parliament representing the Congress Party.Defending Prof. Kurien, Deputy Chairman Of Rajya Sabha, Sudhakaran had the audacity to describe the rape-survivor repeatedly ( like the rapists did physically) as a prostitute.And no remorse from him for making such outrageous insults . The CM and the KPCC President looked the other way.Some leaders said the remarks are the personal views of Sudhakaran. But a person, that too an elected  law maker (???), does not have the right to make vitriolic and vituperative attack on a victim. He has to be punished. Sudhakaran is the personification of the dying  human values among the mighty and powerful in Kerala. Shocking degeneration of a great society!!!

A JUDGE...OH MY GOD!!!

A former judge of the Kerala High Court ,Mr R Basanth , has brought disrepute to the Indian judiciary by his remarks on the 16- year old Suryanelli rape victim reflecting the " HYENA- LIKE
MALE CONTEMPT " towards women. His private conversation was caught on the camera by the
Journalists of ASIANET TV Channel. He revealed his perverse mind by saying that" here is a girl who is not normal, who is deviant. She was used for child prostitution. Child prostitution is not rape. It is immoral." No wonder that all, except one, was acquitted. He also added that the Supreme Court did not read  his judgement when it ordered on January 31, 2013 that the Kerala High Court should hear the appeal afresh.

The Supreme Court recently advised the judges to change their mindset.  Mr. Basanth was last week included in the panel of senior counsels by the Kerala Govrnment to argue for the state in the Supreme Court. What a choice? ASIANET deserves the gratitude of the entire state for exposing Mr Basanth. But he accuses the channel  of unethical and shameful conduct. What about his unethical, disgraceful and inhuman conduct in making HORRIFYING comments , to say the least?

There are widespread protests across Kerala over the remarks of Mr Basanth . The Kerala government may remove him from the panel of  senior counsels as early as possible and initiate criminal proceedings against  him.

ETHICS, JUSTICE AND CHOICE

Some doctors refuse to do abortions whatever be the circumstance as they firmly believe that a doctor
should save a life and not take  a life. Some legal practitioners do not defend sex offenders and persons doing pre-meditated killings. Here personal values override professional interpretations.

Suryanelli rape is perhaps the worst such case in India. A 16- year old was used for sex trade by force for forty days by forty-two persons in power and position. All, except one, escaped punishment; the one who was convicted was sentenced to just five years. Now after 17 years the heinous crime has come to the public domain thanks to to the Supreme Court order to revisit the case.

Prof. P J Kurien, a teacher turned Congress politician, is a very powerful political figure now occupying the position of Deputy Chairman of India's exalted Upper House. The victim has been saying for 17 years that he did abuse her sexually. The poor and powerless family watched helplessly when the Marxist CM refused to believe the girl's charges. Finally the charges were quashed by the Supreme Court because of  the loopholes in the investigation. Arun Jaitley, now Leader of Opposition  in Rajya Sabha, was  Professor's advocate. Did the illustrious Jaitley make the correct professional choice then? BJP which claims politics with values and a party with a difference is cautious to react  because of  the opposition leader's earlier association with Prof Kurien. There is massive outrage in Kerala. How long The Congress and the BJP remain silent when silence is highly deafening.

RIGHT TO STARVE AND RIGHT TO ILL-HEAlTH

The Right to starve and Right to ill-health are guaranteed by the political leaders and their bureaucracy since Independence. International NGO Save the Children's Nutrition Barometer Report
gives some more shocks to which we are accustomed. In a study of 36 developing countries , India,
Congo and Yemen form the unholy trinity at the bottom of the assessment with 90% of the world's stunted children . Child nutrition status has been declining in many states in the northern region.
75% of the children are anaemic and 53 out of 1,000 infants in India do not complete their first year .
More than 44% of our children SLEEP HUNGRY every night.


Care of Indian mothers and children ranks at the bottom of the global ladder. One-third of  Indian women are under-nourished and 55% are anaemic. UK's National Health Service provides high quality medical service to all citizens. Public health is given high priority in all countries with strong democratic traditions. India spends less than 2%  of its GDP on health. If the Planning Commission is given a free hand , it would welcome massive privatisation of health (or ill-health ) care in India. So Universal health insurance, Right to health and Right to have three meals a day  will remain DREAMS for decades, if not centuries.

40 DAYS AND 42 MONSTER- RAPISTS OF A 16 YEAR- OLD

God's Own Country, Kerala, has many devils in human form. Girls and women are mere flesh for trade and enjoyment for these criminals without conscience. They include the mighty and the powerful in the land of Mahabali, the legendary emperor, who is supposed to visit during Onam every year to see his people in peace and happiness.

1996 January was an year of disaster for a family in Suryanelli , a plantation village near Munnar. Their 16- year old younger daughter was lured by a bus- conductor. He then traded the girl. She was raped by 42 men in 40 days by shifting her from place to place . Her rapists included men in politics and power. It was an unexpected tragedy of an unimaginable proportion. A special court convicted 36 accused in 2000. But in 2005 the High Court acquitted all except one. Even in his case the punishment was reduced to 5 years and a fine of Rs. 50,000. One person, who is now holding a high position in India, got " clean certificate" from the Supreme Court; but the accusation has resurfaced again.  The investigation was sloppy and the successive governments showed no interest. She got a job in the Commercial Taxes Department as compensation from the government. A false case was foisted against her by two officers , she was denied bail for six days and was out of job for nine months. Only after the exposure of her plight by the media and women activist groups, she was reinstated. After 16 years in January 2013 the Supreme Court stayed the 2005 order to the High Court and ordered retrial to be completed in six months.

The father of the rape victim said:" The past 17 years were like hell. We were ostracised by our dear and near ones. Our two girls withdrew from the outside world and confine themselves to the house. They have not attended a single family function all these years. They don' t even go to the church.

Will the girl and her family get justice? Will the Kerala government and police take genuine interest in rendering justice and bringing the guilty to arm of law? Will the court rise to the expectation of the Indian people to whom the judiciary is the ONLY HOPE ? Will the victim and her family get adequate protection?

THERE ARE MANY SURYANELLI s IN INDIA. WILL THE NIGHTMARE OF OUR WOMEN  C OME TO AN END?