From: TC@dengr.msstate.edu (Thomas Chittooran)
Newsgroups: alt.culture.kerala
Subject: Kerala and HDI
Date: 15 Dec 1992 09:39:45 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


In Alt.culture.Kerala <ps4e+@andrew.cmu.edu> Prathapan Sreedharan 
wrote:
>
     
     
> So much is said and discussed about the "progress" Kerala has made.  In
> my opinion (historical advantages apart) the full credit to this
> artificial progress goes to two mostly invisible sections of our
> society.  The Marunaadan Malayalees who vacated their fair share of
> space, and the resilient and hard working Malayalee farmer who made gold
> out of available space.  Barring them Kerala today is a welfare society

    I do agree with Parathapan that Marunaadan Malayalee and the 
    farmers are two of the major contributors to the progress Kerala 
    has made.  Both the farmers and the marunaadan malaylee richely 
    deserve the credit - the farmers had to battle the forces of 
    nature in addition to the labor, union, and political elements - 
    the marunaadan Malyalee who had to battle the employers, foreign 
    governments, live in harsh conditions and work harder than ever 
    before to earn foreign exchange. 

    However ( Am I disturbing a hornets nest?) I feel that 
    most malayalees (your's truely included) while in Kerala do not 
    work hard. It seems to me that only hard work most do is to figure 
    out a way to make money without working. May be I am the only who 
    feels this way!!!!     
    
    To rephrase Prof. Higgins (My Fair Lady):
    
    "Why can't,  why can't the in-state-malayalee show a work-
    ethic like a marunaadan malayalee??"    

> immersed in consumerism with little or no productivity.  We live in a
> society which  is yet to recover from that feudal mentality:  
>  "Annadhaathavaya Ponnunthampuran".  The ponnuthampuran today is the
> Government (I am quoting this from an article by Zacharia in India
> Today, I shall try to post a translation of that article later.  In the
> same article, he wonders if the drop in population growth is another
> example of lack of "productivity")

     The last sentence is one lack of productivity I am truely proud of.
     Unless    of course the article was reflecting on the height of
     lazyness..) 

     Seriously, Prathapan has made a point that I am in agreement with - 'no
     productivity'.  In the HDI, the low $$$ asssociated with Kerala (ranks I
     believe 12 in the list of 17 states, IMHO is because of the low
     productivity.  SDP is a factor that forms a part of HDI according to the
     original posting.  KERALA cannot boast of a manufacturing sector. Kerala
     has no manufacturing base because ( may be a 'Top ten reasons why list
     is applicable here...) of an awareness that provokes malayalee to be
     pre-occupied with the notion that 'the INVESTOR is a bad guy whose
     business need to be snuffed out since it might make me poor'.

> 
> Bashing the labor mafia (as some one pointed out) is also fashionable. 
> But  the truth remains that the prevailing wages in Kerala is fair
> compared to the unfair wages paid in other states.  We need more
> industries:  but it should not be at the cost of laborers.

     Yes, working conditions in Kerala is better than those in other states.
     But then why is the productivity of the the people with fair wages and
     decent working conditions not at par with others? Shouldn't the literate
     people be able to digest the the truth that distribution of wealth
     assumes that wealth is being created?

     ISN'T KERALA STRIVING TO EQUITABLY DIVIDE THE WEALTH THAT IT HAS NOT
     GENERATED?? 

     Yes, Kerala needs Industries, but WHO WILL invest?  A few years ago, 
     one of my friends (non-indian) asked me would I set up an manufacturing
     organization in Kerala (if I had money to invest). My answer was an
     emphatic 'NO' then, and it's still a 'NO' today. The reasons may be in
     another post.

> 
> It is interesting to visualize the situation when all the Marunaadan
> Malayalees (who make up a third of the population) return to Kerala for
> good!!

     They won't be able to hang on to their wealth, since it might create an
     uneven distribution of wealth. They will need a UNION to
     survive!!!!!!...... 
> 
> Prathapan  

     I welcome comments from ACKers.  

> 

     Thomas Chittooran

Newsgroups: alt.culture.kerala