It is a diabolic lie that Kerala need a foreign affairs minister since there is a federal democratic government in India and it has got a ministry exclusively for foreign affairs. As per Indian Constitution all foreign affairs of the republic are strictly channeled through this ministry and no state governments are authorized to do so. If we are able to keep this in our mind to analyze the relevance of a minister who is said to be dealing with Foreign affaires related to Keralites, arrows to our reasoning will jump across the strange barriers to ridiculous plane of the exploitation paths imposed by our so called local ruling coalitions.
 
 What Mr.Hassan can do for Keralites sitting as an exclusive minister? May be he will be able to say that remedy for the things sprouting up or for existing not at all under his constitutional right or duty; and that is what he exactly doing. But how much the starving tax payer spent to get this slippery reply, Rupees 50 Million per year or more? He could claim that he is closely coordinating with federal ministry; but for that a minister is a luxury burden since it is a clerical job. This luxury turns as a highway robbery if we could realize that Federal minister for the same issues is the minister for keralites too.
 
 This is not an exceptional issue related to Mr.Hassan and phenomena is not limited to our Kerala government. Years before it was colonies exploited us with their iron grip and in the post freedom days the same colonial interests continuing to do so through different ways but along with mass media and as well as with our politicians. The wish of an old man to remain on his loin cloth up to a period where his people will have sufficient resources and tears from them all are being wiped out became an old story which is being eroded with a rapid pace to mere oblivion.
 
 Before surrendering to our ultimate servitude, at least we should be able to see what is happening around us. We are dedicating this first editorial to one among you or to yourself who was marginalised economically, culturally and politically. You need an ability to see the things with an open eye; eye of your soul without forgetting the paths we had been to and off course you need the ears to hear the sobbing of the discarded child from the darkening street.
 
Prasad Karunan.A
2nd May, 2002.
 
 
Second Editorial
Across the barrier line 
 
There is a an obvious rendering between pleasure and happiness though we often fail to determine. The first one, never last for long; on the contrary the happiness could be persisting. The pleasure, more or less oriented to a possessive concept to an individual where as the happiness could surpass the limitation from a single individual to a community; then to a nation and ultimately it could merge with universal humanity. The search for pleasure is the key word of the entertainment, there by to hyper consumer culture which affected on a span from mere chocolate bar to the so called entertainer movies.
 
In history; far and near, great people discovered their happiness through the revolt and reformation, say from Pugayachev to Mohandas Gandhi; but on the other side, entertainers boiled on the stage inflicting and inducing the plague of pleasure to the people then to a community leading them to a destruction of degeneration.from nineteenth century stage actresses of France to Madonnas of our age .
 
We, Keralites also already started their dangerous treads on the imaginary planes; flourishing entertainment industry and the declination in the areas of production of essential commodities are the clear indication of our tragic path. Theme Parks and TV serials are competing to crown our life. Marketing wizards are quite aware of the purchasing fever of Keralites. We are only 3 percent of Indian population, but we share the sale of 35% of non essential consumer goods of Indian market; especially cosmetic goods!!  Multinational cosmetic business magnates suppress a reactionary laugh between the clenched teeth behind the wax coated faces of Susmitha Sen and the likes..yes, we are spearheading to the progress manipulated by the soap operas blinking in the idiot box in our living room.
 
Keralites in the gulf countries; especially in the UAE are more in to this fever, relatively increased proximity to western life style and the surprise on the quantum of money and material they affording in this area might have spoiled our sense and sensibility. They never liked to open their eyes towards the exploitation behind the star and the super star shows, sales bonanza etc. We are in a ridiculous slot where we could accept even a dead body as a free offer as the part of a sales promotion.
 
We are entrapped in a fragile elevated glass house. Come back to the earth and try to see the life as it is; your eyes should be able to see the tears too of a starving baby of the entangled street.
 
Prasad Karunan.A
9th May, 2002.

 

Third Editorial

Air India and Indian Airlines - State Sponsored looting

 

The Persian Gulf sector is the most fertile ground for the looting for India's flag carrier airline Air India and state owned airline company Indian Airlines. Almost all customers are Indians working in the Middle East countries and they have become the victims of this state sponsored vandalism.

 

There is decade ore more long history for this exploitation through exorbitant tariffs and the protestors'

 voices as well. Out of the early protests, most were suppressed by the pampering diplomacy with little sugar to the paper organization leaders of the gulf NRIs and the rest fallen on deaf ears of an administration body which changed its all policies according to the colour of the flag but remained static to exploit its own people, more and more tried to stream line the exploitation through the manipulated monopoly and the power earned by the state ownership. The Goliath of distorted and obstinate democracy stripped off the last hard earned petro dollar from its subjects on his way back from his job place after a long break with his beloved dependents at home.

 

Most of the victims of the above exploitation are Keralites since Air India and Airlines charge the highest tariffs to Trivandrum, Cochin and Calicut. Airport Authority of India supporting this looting by making the Calicut Sector as a monopoly for Air India and Indian Airlines using their authorized (muscle) power and forcing the competitive airlines operating to Cochin and Trivandrum to pay illogically leveled airport charges to make them reach their tariffs to equal or higher to that of the national looters. The Gulf Sector managers and operators of Air India and Indian Airlines spied on the inevitability, vulnerability and dependency of our poor people on these air line operators and hiked the rates at a throat cutting manner and were rewarded by the establishments for their merits on boosting the business; they acted like pimps rather than business developers to increase the revenue just by exploiting the helpless labours of middle east companies , several unpaid or improperly paid, or with meager income .

 

Air India and Indian Airlines charge their victims, the helpless  passengers from UAE to any destinations of Kerala around Dhs.2,800/-(US $. 761/-) for a to and fro journey in regular period. It is around Dhs. 1,500 /-(US $ 408) and Dhs. 1,200/-(US $ 326/-) when it comes to Bombay and Delhi respectively whre they get less passengers .At any season more than enough passengers are there to Kerala from UAE and other gulf countries. Again; think about a travel from UAE to US and UK which charges Dhs.1300 to 1800 which is far less than our national airlines charge from us to any of Kerala destinations. Just compare more than 12 hours flying time to UK or US and a mere 2.45 hours flying time to Kerala destinations with the tariff provided by most inferior service providers like Air India and Indian Airlines and the most professional services like British Airways, Emirates and Qatar Airways.

 

A few years back, PIA increased their tariff to Pakistani destinations from UAE and Pakistanis resorted to a boycott compelling the authorities to bring down PIA tariffs to a reasonable Level.

 

We are hearing the loud cries of protest against the exorbitant rates of these airlines since long. But those are supposed to hear - our ministers - acted like deaf or blabbered out fancy promises, obviously which they left before they boarded a flight from any of the gulf countries with their heavy load of complements from their blind admirers. In a democracy like India we often failed to realize our zero influences on these neo political kings and just dragged out the time again and again.

 

In any business, customer is the core factor of its success. Except in Calicut, other airlines are doing services. If we are able to boycott Air India and Indian Airlines by depending on the other airlines, even for the same or little more high rates, Air India, Indian Airlines and its charismatic zonal managers those claim that they have made huge business developments in this sector by stripping the working class NRIs of the gulf country off their one to two years' saving s just for a return journey will come to the customer on their knees to pursue them to use their services; directly or indirectly. All decision-makers of the companies who are responsible to procure air tickets in bulk for the employees also need to show their boldness to discard these two airlines from their list. Then only Keralites working in this region will get a bargain power over these two state sponsored thugs.

 

Start right today boycotting Air India and Indian Airlines for your travel needs to any destinations; if not for you, never forget the tears fallen like sweat of the scorching summer of the poor working class trapped in a quagmire with a never ending responsibilities in this region.

 

 

 

Prasad Karunan.A

April 9, 2004.