Letter to PM - Environment Concern - Flex board misuse

Respected PM Sir,

My name is Vipin Krishnan and am a resident of Pune for the last 3 years. I hail from Kerala and am an engineering graduate. I work in private sector.

I am writing to bring to your notice the issue of Environmental hazards Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC or Vinyl) possess. I would like to specially highlight the PVC used for Flex Printing which is very cheap, accessible and widespread now a days. You must be aware that PVC is non-biodegradable. PVC used for Flex Printing has negligible reuse and is mostly discarded after use. They are printed on one-side only and cannot be recycled.

The use of Flex Prints / Boards has risen exponentially in the last decade. The cost of per sq.ft. flex material and printed banners has gone down to a level that it is now accessible for all. Added to the fact is the ever rising number of printing outlets mushrooming every day. These are so widely that it is impossible to walk even 10m without coming across a flex banner.

Using them for advertisements, name boards for establishments are or can be considered medium term to long term. But use of flex boards for short term uses like political campaigns, festival campaigns, wishes that has a very short shell life is very dangerous as these are discarded very soon. On festival times like Diwali, Ramzan, Christmas etc every street puts up multiple such banners wishing people. These banners soon make way for new ones.

Animals die when these PVC is ingested. There are a lot of carcinogenic chemicals that goes into the manufacturing of these materials which possesses direct health hazards to not only human but to all living beings and environment. All public places are clogged with Flex banners. Road sides, medians, Traffic posts, electric posts, trees and what not. It is not only polluting the environment but also our public places. These cannot happen without the support of the Executive and Polity as you will know. We have a clear cut directive from the Judiciary banning use of advertisements in public places and roads are strictly prohibited. But due to political pressure or appeasement, Executive is not able to execute these laws.

Sir, I am not against people wishing each other on festivals. In fact, these are the very thread of our social being that holds us together. But the ways chosen to do so if hampers our nature and pollutes our public places, this cannot be let to go on forever without being regulated. It can be argued that regulating the use of Flex banners will affect the livelihood of thousands, it should not be forgotten that Flex printing has directly affected livelihood of more people who used to earn their bread by writing on walls.

Sir, I suggest to have a very high tax on the use of Flex materials and Flex Printing Machinery that it be made less accessible for general public. We cannot ban this, but we can make sure it be used only on a much regulated manner. Advertisements can be displayed on licensed spaces, not on roads and public places. Public should not be encouraged to dig roads and road sides to erect banners. Strict guidelines be issued to Printing houses that employs Flex printing machinery. Import / Purchase of such machinery be heavily regulated that this field becomes less attractive for people who want to make quick money.

We have a responsibility to Mother Earth which has always provided to our needs in abundance. Polluting the nature is the worst way of being thankful to what it provides for our necessities. Flex boards are and will never be our necessity but only a menace.

I write to you in good hope and faith that you will not treat this issue lightly. You have given us hope with Swach Bharat. Our Bharat can never be swach if we continue to tolerate and allow people to misuse a technology that threads through a thin line of utility and bio-hazard. 

Thank you for your notice and further actions.

Yours truly,

Vipin Krishnan

(Note: This mail was uploaded in PM's Online Grievance portal on April 17, 2016. Got an official reply from the Director, Ministry of Urban Development Mr. Shailendra Vikram Singh on 18th May 2016.)

Delhi chalo (Delhi, chalo!) – A synergy lost in meaningless politics

A country of a billion plus people in every diverse way you can imagine of. A PM who rose to power in an election that caught the attention of the globe. A shy and introvert former Civil Servant who rose up to the need and became the CM of the country capital’s state administrated region (NCT) with a majority that shocked the rivals and critics alike. Both commoners themselves, worked their way to the top echelons of power in New Delhi. Both visionary leaders, finding a common ground to rule from – New Delhi. Two leaders and one city, what is the story?

A self-made man who carved out a niche for himself battling the biggies of the caste-based power politics in the state of Gujarat. A leader who rose through the ranks in a cadre-style outfit, RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). Someone who spent almost the entirety of his life in (and for) public, Narendra Damodardas Modi’s life could find the pages of history books for future generations. Inspiring a nation to vote for him in 2014 elections that led his party from the corners of the opposition benches to occupying more than half of the floor. People of India did not vote for BJP, but for Modi. BJP landed its first single party majority status after the 1984 win of INC under Rajiv Gandhi following the tragic death of Indira Gandhi. No party had got an absolute majority all by itself in the last 30 years; yet BJP under Modi’s leadership chose to honor the political coalition NDA (National Democratic Alliance). His stint as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for three successive terms prior to the national fame was not short of its share of ups and downs. Many criticized his style of leadership as dictatorial and far right-wing and yet no one can deny the extent and reach of his governance in Gujarat. He is the first PM India got who had an extensive experience as CM (Charan Singh was CM of UP for a brief period, V P Singh was ‘appointed’ CM of UP by Indira Gandhi). A man full of ideas and the will and desire to make them reality, Modi is the leader the country and especially its youth wanted.

An IRS office by profession who shot to fame with anti-corruption crusades and fight that led to the Right To Information Act (RTI). A scholar with IIT background and winner of the prestigious Magsaysay Award. Arvind Kejriwal’s life is nothing short of a stroke of genius, result of hard work and perseverance and an honest compassionate human being who dreamt of making the changes he wanted to live seeing. From leading the anti-corruption crusade with compatriots of the likes of Anna Hazare, a visionary Gandhian himself, to gaining the trust of 4.7 million electorate making him the first underdog Chief Minister New Delhi chose. He did not have neither the political experience of the political stalwarts of INC and BJP nor the financial base these opponents had. But he presented the people of New Delhi a change from the decades old monotonous politics which has leaped from one scam to the other. People found a new hope and a genuine will in him and his political outfit, AAP (Aam Aadmi Party, the party of the Commoners). Even if AAP delivers half of what they intended to do, it will be a major change in the geopolitical history of New Delhi which for centuries have been the political war-zone of the mighty and powerful. It will be a first where the voice of the commoners will be heard loud, their thirst for changes in smaller things surrounding their daily life will be quenched.

PM Modi and CM Kejriwal miss no chance to take jibe on each other and are known for their political rivalry. Both has a different style of working but are highly motivated men and want to bring in changes to the system they hated to see growing up. They differ in their political ideology, but not in their intent. While Modi’s NDA government is finding many roadblocks to implement many of the flagship programs across the country (or even to get them moved in the both houses of Parliament), Kejriwal’s Delhi government has no hustles to plan and implement their programs for Delhi because of their absolute majority in the house (67/70). Modi faces resistance from non-BJP ruled states (which is the major chunk btw) and will probably miss a chance to use the overwhelming majority he won in the race for the Parliament. Without State Government backing or willing to implement the schemes, we will never know how far flung Modi’s governance ideas were actually. Any program needs to be implemented on a sizable population for a measurable duration of time to be weighed for its advantages or disadvantages. BJP rules many large states that may pose many challenges in fully implementing any flagship government programs due to geographical and demography complexity. What Modi lacks is an administrative region cooperative enough that has the characteristics of a state but is not too large that implementation itself becomes a major administrative task! So where do we look? Delhi chalo???

The land of the powerful, the Capital of Kings, Emperors and Imperials, the governing center of India. A metropolitan city that not only is the administrative capital of India but also the administrative capital of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. New Delhi is one of the 11 districts of the larger NCT that is a quasi-state in itself and has its own Legislative Assembly and High Court. NCT an electorate of 13 million and a total population of around 16 million packed in 1,484 square km (density 11,300/km²). It has a mix of both urban and rural populace. Geographically small, demographically diverse and large, NCT represents an ideal administrative place to try and evaluate any mass oriented program; if only these two leaders keep aside their political / ideological / personal differences. If they can forgo their egos and channelize their ideas and willingness for change in a positive way, it will create a synergy that will reap rich benefits. Political rivals have known to have kept aside their differences to work for a common cause. Modi won’t find a better place to try out his programs than in Delhi. Kejriwal will not find a better PM who matches his craziness for development and changes. They both want the best for the people, are known to be selfless individuals. It will be an unusual alliance of ideas and out of box thinking. They can maintain their political rivalry but respect each other and work for a common goal. But will they? In them and with their governments, people of Delhi and India at large will miss a chance to see a Synergy at work that could have done wonders. It is just 2016, Modi has 3 years and Kejriwal 4 years of their respective tenures left to leave their mark. Who know how many decades will pass before such a combination of a strong national leader at center and a visionary leader in Delhi who doesn’t have the load of his political backpack pulling him down will come?

Will they continue behave like grownup children fighting for futile politics or rise up to the occasion and make history? Time will have the answer, and we can only hope it will be a good one our children will read in their history books.

നിര്‍ഭയ അവള്‍

അവള്‍ നിര്‍ഭയ...

ദാമിനിയും അമാനത്തും അവള്‍ തന്നെ.

പീഡിതയാം സ്ത്രീത്വത്തിന് 

പ്രതീകമാം അവള്‍ക്കെന്തിനു പേര്‍, 

എന്തിനവള്‍ക്ക് മുഖം?

എല്ലാ സ്ത്രീയിലും ഉണ്ടവള്‍...

അവള്‍ നിര്‍ഭയ...

അമ്മതന്‍ ഗര്‍ഭപാത്രത്തില്‍ തുടങ്ങി 

കളിചിരി മായും മുന്‍പേ 

വീടിലും, വഴിയിലും, 

പിന്നെ വിദ്യാലയത്തിലും...

പ്രയാണത്തിലും, പള്ളിയിലും,

പ്രവര്‍ത്തിമണ്ഡലത്തിലും..

എന്നും, എല്ലായിടത്തും ചൂഷിതയാണവള്‍..

അവള്‍, നിര്‍ഭയ...

അബലയല്ലവള്‍, അബലരാം മനുഷ്യരാല്‍ 

വഞ്ചിതയാണവള്‍...അവള്‍, നിര്‍ഭയ

നിര്‍ഭയയാം അവളെ നിഷ്ടൂരമാം 

പീഡിപ്പിച്ചവര്‍ ഒന്നല്ല, ആറുപേര്‍..

പിന്നെയെങ്ങനെയാണവള്‍ അബല?

ധീരയായ്, ജീവന്മരണ ഞാണിന്മേല്‍ 

പതിമൂന്നു ദിനം ഊഞാലാടിയവള്‍.

അവളാണോ അബല? അവള്‍ നിര്‍ഭയ..

മാനം കവര്‍ന്ന കിരാതജന്തുക്കള്‍ 

കുത്തിയിറക്കിയത് ലോഹദണ്ടല്ല..

ശക്തരാണെന്ന അവന്റെ മൂഡ ഹുങ്കാണ്.. 

അമ്മയില്ലവര്‍ക്ക് സോദരിയില്ലവര്‍ക്ക്

പെണ്‍മക്കളില്ലവര്‍ക്ക്..

ഞാനെന്തൊരു മൂഡന്‍? മനുഷ്യരെല്ലവര്‍! 

ഇവിടെ തോറ്റത് നീയല്ല നിര്‍ഭയെ..

നിയമം ഇല്ലാതെ നന്നാവില്ലെന്നു 

ശഠിക്കുന്ന പാപി മനുഷ്യരാണ്..

നിന്നിലൂടെ തീര്‍ന്നത് മനുഷ്യത്വമാണ്‌..

അശ്രുക്കള്‍ പൊഴിക്കാന്‍ യോഗ്യതയില്ലാത്തോരെന്‍ 

നൊമ്പരം കേള്‍ക്കാന്‍ നിനക്കാവുമോ എന്‍ സോദരി?

വാക്കുകളില്ലാത്ത ശതകോടി ജനങ്ങള്‍തന്‍ 

ലജ്ജാവഹമാം മുഖം കാണാന്‍ നിനക്കാവുമോ?

അവള്‍ നിര്‍ഭയ...ഭീരുക്കളാം നമുക്കിടയിലെ ഏക നിര്‍ഭയ..

മൃഗതുല്യന്‍ സദ്ദാം

അല്ലയോ സദ്ദാമേ, ജീവിച്ചിരിക്കുമ്പോള്‍ സ്വജനങ്ങളായ കുര്‍ദുകളെയും പിന്നെ കുവൈറ്റികളേയും ബോംബിട്ടും രാസായുധം പ്രയോഗിച്ചും ഉന്മൂലനം ചെയ്ത നിന്നെ ആരും ഒരു മഹാനായി വാഴ്ത്തിയില്ല. അന്ന് നീ കൊലപാതകനും ക്രൂരനും ആയിരുന്നു...

അമേരിക്കയെ എതിര്‍ത്തത് കൊണ്ട് മാത്രം നീ ഒരു ധീരനായി കരുതപെട്ടു...നിന്നെ ധീരന്‍ എന്ന് വിളിച്ച ആരും നീ കൊന്നൊടുക്കിയ നിരായുധരും നിരാലംബരുമായ ആ പാവം മനുഷ്യരെ ഓര്‍ത്തില്ല...

ഇന്ന് പലര്‍ക്കും നീയൊരു വിപ്ലവകാരി...അമേരിക്കയുടെ ആധിപത്യത്തെ ചെറുത്ത വീരയോദ്ധാവ്...അമേരിക്കന്‍ ഭരണകൂടത്തിന്റെ പിന്തുണയുള്ള നിന്റെ തന്നെ രാജ്യത്തെ ഭരണകര്‍ത്താക്കള്‍ നിനക്ക് വിധിച്ച തൂക്കുമരം ഇന്നിപ്പോ ദൈവത്തിന്റെ സ്വന്തം നാട്ടിലെ പലര്‍ക്കും വിപ്ലവത്തിന്റെ ചിഹ്നം ആയിരിക്കുന്നു...അവര്‍ക്കിന്ന്, നീ ചെയ്ത ക്രൂരതകളെക്കാളും അമേരിക്കയെ ചെറുത്ത നിന്റെ വീരകൃത്യങ്ങളോടാണ് ആരാധന...

നാളെ കഴിഞ്ഞു നിന്നെ തൂക്കിലേറ്റിയ ദിവസത്തെ രക്തസാക്ഷി ദിവസമായി കണക്കാക്കുന്ന സാക്ഷരായ വിഡ്ഢികള്‍ ഉള്ള നാട്ടിലെ ആണ് ഞാനും എന്ന പറയാന്‍ എനിക്ക് ലജ്ജയുണ്ട്...സോഷ്യല്‍ വെബ്സൈറ്റുകളില്‍ നീ തെറ്റായ കാരണങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് വാഴ്തപെടട്ടെ...

ചരിത്രം നിന്നെ എന്ത് വിളിച്ചാലും, എനിക്ക് നീ ഒരു മൃഗതുല്യന്‍ മാത്രം...സായിപ്പിന്റെ ഭാഷയില്‍ പറയുന്നപോലെ let your soul rot in hell...

The Conspiracy Plan

"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." 

— Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)

This one qoute have been haunting me since some time. At first, it inspired me to aspire, want something so badly. And I did...but then I found out instead of the whole universe conspiring to help me achieve it, it was conspiring against me...may it be the one call I wanted to make so badly and the network goes down...may it be the one thing I wanted to do or say and I was put in a situation where I was made to think silence would be better...And the most interesting part is, I knew something was conspiring against me...may be because I liked this qoute and was actually starting to believe in its wholeness...

How many times I was turned down, I have lost the count...but it was happeing day in and day out. Slowly, reluctantly, sadly, I was beginning to accept what was coming to me...And, I was getting away from this amazing qoute...because, the whole of the Universe seemed conspiring against me !

I always believed everything happens for a reason...Weird it may sound, many a time did a movie I watched relate to what I was going through at that time..and, I would have seen that movie by chance..not by choice..

Today, I watched one such movie - THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU. I am still not sure what made me watch this movie. All I can remember is the utter anger I was in because of many such 'conspiracies' against me. Then I started with this movie. Ohh my God, was it meant for me??? I just couldn't believe, but I had to. As the story unfolded, I was in for another shock of my life. Slowly I started to feel there was indeed something conspiring 'for' me. Slowly I was realizing why I was being turned down from what I wanted. And the fact none of them actually was successful in backing me off. Now it all seemed a test to test my urge to achieve what I wanted.

I know nothing that I wrote above makes sense to a reader. But, this I am writing not for you, but for me...

Inserting few dialoges from the movie's ending:

{

David: You're the Chairman?

Harry: No.

You've met him though, or her.

Everybody has.

The Chairman comes in a different form to everyone

so people rarely realize when it happens.

David: Is this some sort of test?

Harry: In a way, it's all a test,

for everybody, even the members of the Adjustment Bureau.

David, you risked everything for Elise.

And Elise, when you came through that door at the Statue of Liberty, you risked everything, too.

But you inspired me.

It seems like you inspired the Chairman, too.

David: Is that about us?

Harry: Yes.

David: What does it say?

Harry: It says that this situation between the two of you

is a serious deviation from the plan.

So, the Chairman rewrote it.

David: Okay.

David: Now what?

Harry: Now...

 You can take the stairs.

Most people live life on the path we set for them.

Too afraid to explore any other.

But once in a while, people like you come along

who knock down all the obstacles we put

in your way.

People who realize free will is a gift

you'll never know how to use

until you fight for it.

I think that's the Chairman's real plan

that maybe one day

we won't write the plan.

You will.

}

"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." 

— Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)

Suicide – A few words for the religiously tolerant reader

Suicide – A few words for the religiously tolerant reader

A word which is considered a taboo to be discussed openly, yet a word so common these days that ignorance is no more a bliss. So common there are plenty of ways to it. Some take it for their own selfish reasons, and when few others do it they take lots of innocents whom they not even know with them. And these few do it in the pretense of what they would like to call as 'sacrifice' or 'jihad' and what not. Whatever the reason, I don’t personally justify to put an end to something which was not started by thyself.

Why am I discussing about suicide? Today morning I was reading something about Vedic India. The Epic of Ramayana and Mahabharata came into the pages. I became curious to know how the reincarnations of Vishnu, Shri Ram and Shri Krishna met with their end. We have here Godly reincarnations in human form, who did superhuman things in their life, whom we know as ‘antaryami’ and the One who knows it all.

Just take the story of Shri Krishna, isn’t it obvious that he knew what the outcome of Ayodhya war would be? The victory of good over evil, righteous over unrighteous, or simply do’s over don’ts. Shri Krishna knew it all, and humbly said these are all part of ‘vidhi’ or the destiny. For instance, after the war, Shri Krishna paid the mourning Gandhari a visit. Gandhari had lost all of her 100 sons to the war, to the Pandvas mentored by Shri Krishna. As usual, Shri Krishna tells these were all part of God’s master plan or ‘vidhi’ over which he didn’t have any control. Gandhari replies him, “O lord; you are maker of Vidhi, the Vidhata (maker of destiny). Hence you decided that I lose all my sons. So I curse you that the entire you and your entire Yadav sect will vanish from the face of the earth in 36 years”. And it happened. Being the God himself, Krishna should have known how death would embrace Him. It is said he waited for it in the forest thinking about Gandhari’s curse. Death comes in the form of an accidental arrow. So was Shri Krishna’s death a suicide?

After Shri Ram’s epic battle of Lanka to get Sita back from Ravana, Sita was made to undergo the ‘Agnipareeksha’ (the fire test) so people would know she is pure. Sita came out of the fire as it couldn’t engulf a pure soul. Still Shri Ram sent off a pregnant Sita to Valmiki’s ashram thinking about what his people would think. Later Sita prays to Mother Earth to ‘accept’ her and the earth splits and absorbs her. Shri Ram walks into Sarayu River which leads to Vaikunta (heaven) where Sita was waiting for him. Wasn’t both these suicides?

Come to Jesus Christ. He was the son of God. He knew his end and dedicated it to the salvation of the entire humanity. He knew Judas will give a betrayal kiss to Him. And yet, he waited for it.  So was it suicide?

I am a born Hindu, and I am not an atheist and I respect all religions because all teach to love one another. There might be innumerable explanations on the question I asked above. Still for me, these are basically suicides. We have our belief centered on Divine figures and yet they all were as helpless as we are when death arrives. They did super human things, they were the destiny makers, yet they couldn’t stop their own destiny. And still we fight, kill and die for our beliefs. Isn’t that the greatest comedy of life? The Gods must indeed be crazy then!

When Hinduism and Christianity portray their idols as human-like but Divine, Islam goes a step further by not portraying God at all but only His wisdom. That is Islam’s USP. Religions are here to spread and reach maximum number of people. It groups these people as the so called ‘followers’ and control them to achieve materialistic objectives. Think about religion minus the money they control and command, is something left then? So it is nothing but a conglomerate of individuals who does business in the name of God and belief.

I recall the dialogue from the movie ‘The Godfather III’ where a priest tells the protagonist Michael Corleone something each one of us should think. He picks up a pebble from a water fountain and tells him “Look at this stone; it has been lying in water for years”. He then breaks it to reveal a dry core and tells “and yet the water has not reached the inside. Europeans are like this stone. They were surrounded by Christianity for centuries and yet it has failed to reach their heart”.

Leaving aside the term “Europeans” from the movie, this is a relevant question facing all of us. Has the good ever reached our heart or will it ever reach? Unless it reaches our heart, we all are racing towards our suicide. I can’t think of us any better than a suicide bomber who blows himself up for some foolish belief his master injected to his mind and take the lives of bystanders. The difference is we all carry a suicide bomb with us which will not only kill us and the ones around us, but wipe the entire life from our earth.

Religion has not achieved its purpose since its existence. For me, I see God in myself and you. I see God in the eyes of everyone, for they are capable of doing the superhuman task of giving love without being asked. I love my religion as good as you love yours and that doesn’t give me any edge over you than you over me. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to suicide!!!

Hindi and Kerala

Many times I was faced with the obnoxious question: Why Keralites don’t learn Hindi, it being the national language. Shouldn’t be Hindi made compulsory to every Indian?

I did a small research to find a few interesting things about this and I have included the same below. I have tried to ascertain the authenticity of the facts that I have mentioned. People who has the patience to learn till the end and is interested to verify the content from any sources, please continue as this is going to be a very long mail. Because I will be mentioning the clauses from Indian Constitution.

I don’t usually do this because for me the thoughts of regionalism, religion, color, creed etc is always and will be inferior to my nationalism. This mail is intended only to be reasonable with facts and clear some common misunderstandings. So, if in anyways this mail sounds pro-regionalist or offending to someone, please know that I don’t mean it.

To begin with, the below is from a mail forward that is been circulating since some time. Some of the data has become obsolete. Where ever the data may be wrong, I will be putting some remarks.

Why Malabaris are disliked by some people ???

Check out the following facts:-

1. Indian Defense Minister is from Kerala

2. Indian Foreign Secretary is from Kerala

3. Chief Justice of India is from Kerala (referring to K G Balachanran, former CJI)

4. Chief of "Chandryaan' , the Indian Space program is from Kerala

5. Chief Security Adviser to the Prime Minister is from Kerala

6. Chief of the new Federal Investigation Agency is from Kerala

6. Principal Secretary to Prime Minister is from Kerala

7. The only Indian to contest for the UN Secretary General's Position is from Kerala.

8. The chief of Staff for Security to UN Secretary General is from Kerala

9. Recent two of the Oscar Award winners from Kerala. (Rasool Pookutty and A.R.Rahman (Dileep))

10. Kerala is the only 100% Literate State in India .

11. Kerala was rated as the most baby friendly state with the lowest infant mortality rates and the best Health Care Model by UN.

12. The last Indian representative to the Miss Universe contest was also a Keralite (Parvathy Omanakuttan, 2008)

You know that coming from a small province our people did not climb the above positions thru back door, it is thru sheer competition!!

You will find Keralite farm workers, artisans, technicians, manual laborers, illiterates and semi-literates all migrating to all parts of the Globe.

When they start most of them only know their mother tongue.

Thru hard work, drive, enthusiasm, tenacity, persistence , humor sense they learn the trades and also , Hindi, English, Arabic and many other languages necessary to sustain them.

True that none of them speak Queens English, but most of the world do not do so as well.

The great Chinese Population, majority of the French, German, Arabic, East European and even good percentage of UK population do not speak English or speak only a version of it.?? Nor the vast majority of Indians can speak Hindi , our National language?

You can hate a race/tribe if they are dishonest, lazy , untrustworthy, uneducated etc. We definitely do not belong to any of this categories??

So why you hate us??….reason is simple, professional jealousy!!!

Keralites Mother Tongue is MALAYALAM (You can spell it from right to left & left to right) (*Malayalam is second language in UAE)* In your city, you have seen Keralites as narial Pani Wallahs, manual laborers and shop assistants only. When you come to Dubai you are amazed at their success, influence and the sheer majority irritates you, you cannot take it that those who cannot speak Queens English have become so successful?? You do speak English but your writing and spelling are a horror story!! So dear Friend, we do not apologize for our success, whether you like us or not, we are full of sympathies for you because your fishermen, laborers, artisans do not dare to come out of their villages, because they are illiterates, our men are not, they dare to come out and challenge themselves, become successful..

/That's What Malayali All Around the World./

This mail, part fact, part out of frustration by some obvious Keralite is not meant to ascertain regionalism above nationalism. This tells that the reason behind Keralite’s or for that matter, the so called “Madrasis”, for not knowing Hindi is purely practical. If they are put in Hindi speaking regions, they will learn it. They don’t limit ourselves to particular constraints of region or language or anything. All Keralites learn Hindi in school, they know how to read and write. What they lack is only the practice of speaking it on a regular basis. How many of us can tell that we remember everything we learned in school or college? We forget most of the things because we don’t use them, as simple as that.

Now let us see what Constitution of India says: (Suggested reading pages 212-217)

Article 343: “The official language of the Union shall be Hindi”.

Article 345: the Legislature of a State may by law adopt any one or more of the languages in use in the State or Hindi as the language or languages to be used for all or any of the official purposes of that State

Article 351: It shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language.

So why can’t the Union make it compulsory for its Citizen to speak a particular language? Because, it will be a direct violation to the Fundamental Rights.

I also checked if Hindi is really the national language of India? To my surprise, I found that no where it is mentioned that Hindi is our national language, but is our official language. So what is the difference between National Language and Official Language? The national language defines the people of the nation, culture and history.  The official language is used for official communication.  While the national language can become the official language by default, an official language has to be approved by law in order to become the national language. All languages spoken in India, starting from the language spoken by the most people to that spoken by the least are our national languages. This is because all of them define the people of this nation, culture and their history, collectively.  India has no legally-defined national language; it has only 18 official languages according to the Constitution.  There is a special provision for the development of Hindi under Article 351, though. (taken from an article by Rishabh in http://www.merinews.com/article/hindi-our-national-language/126953.shtml).

Also an article worth reading that appeared in The Hindu: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article94695.ece

Such matters of divisionism was evident in B R Ambedkar’s mind when he took the responsibility of drafting the Indian Constitution. His speech in Parliament while presenting the same is worth reading for all Indians http://pragati.nationalinterest.in/2010/08/the-grammar-of-anarchy/.

You may google and find many articles conveying the same message.

As an Indian, I respect and accept all aspects of India. Hindi is a widely accepted language, but clearly not the National Language. My ability over Hindi is purely situational coincidence and personal interest. That may not be the case with others and we cannot blame them for that.

Politician twist facts for their advantage. As Indian, everyone has the right to work, or settle in any part of India or practice any profession or religion of his choice. He is even entrusted to preserve his choice. Read the constitution when you get time and you will find many surprising facts about our actual rights and what is reality now.

Your views on the same is most welcome.