Readers? Forum

Apropos the cover story (Kerala Calling), Organiser, September 2, 2018, the ground report of the flood fury comprehensively highlights the story of brotherhood and common struggle in the flood-hit State. It brings out the fact that army Jawans, fishermen and the RSS swayamsevaks have been leading the rescue and relief operations here. However, what is utterly unfortunate is that cadre of the CPM is still indulged in the politics of violence and hatred. The recent attack on a Divyang Swayamsevak, Anoop, by CPM youth wing, DYFI, is highly disheartening. Communists must realise that the whole Kerala is actually standing in brotherhood and they should not tarnish the image of common Malyalayi with their misdeeds. Let’s be one in the hour of grief and devastation.

The article (Making of a Disaster) in the cover story, Organiser, September 2, 2018, brings out the lesser-known facts about how there is a ‘man-made’ angle in the Kerala flood fury. The sudden opening of the Banasura Sagar Dam which contributed to the deluge in Wayanad District in northeast of Kerala is now being reported. Pinarayi Vijayan Government should be questioned and investigated for its failure in managing this crisis. People in Kerala are distressed as of now the material and human losses are unprecedented. But by doing our share of help and assistance, we must also raise the demand for an inquiry into the mismanagement of the crisis which led to the loss of so many human lives.

Apropos the editorial (Rebuilding Kerala), Organiser, September 2, 2018, rightly argues that in the reconstruction process of Kerala, we should keep this in mind that the much celebrated Kerala Model of Development was somewhere wrong and there is a need for immediate rectification. The climatic and environmental sustainability was certainly never a part of this model, as Kerala flood reinstates it. The sheer negligence of the subsequent Communist and Congress governments in Kerala has resulted in this devastating flood. It has also been rightly pointed out that Kerala’s rebuilding requires consolidated efforts of all the national stakeholders. ‘God’s Own Country’ should not be misjudged as merely a Communist safe-haven, as the Pinarayi Vijayan Government is deliberately trying to project it that way.

Apropos the article (My 50 years with Atalji), Organiser, September 2, 2018, Shri Shivkumar ji has shared heartfelt reminiscences with Atalji. It was a pleasure to know about the lesser and unknown facts about Atalji through his closest aide who stood behind and beside him like his shadow for 50 years. The anecdotes about the poet and the orator par excellence and how he struggled against so many surgeries were moving. This tribute is worth a lot!

Apropos the article (Visualising Scientific Headway), Organiser, September 2, 2018, the writer brings out a much-neglected fact in the array of tributes given to Atal Behari Vajpayee. Atalji always believed in the advances of Science & Technology and using it in making lives better for the common people. It has been very remarkably mentioned in the article how while addressing a gathering of scientists in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Vajpayee reminded the gathering how they can use radiation processing in increasing the longevity of freshness of onion. It is remarkable that how he was thinking about the prosperity of farmers while even addressing an atomic research centre. He was truly a people’s Prime Minister.