Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Monday, Aug 18, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version | Audio
Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Monday, Aug 18, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version | Audio |
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Industry & Economy
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Tourism Web Extras - Lifestyle States - Kerala Columns - Random Walk Pageantry amidst hardship It is only appropriate that as Kerala sets its sights on the colours and gaiety of the imminent Onam, the traditional harvest festival, the State’s official policymaking bodies have had to shift focus to agriculture and the plight of the ordinary citizen. K.G. Kumar Last Sunday marked the beginning of the Chingam month of the Malayalam calendar, which heralds the harvest season in Kerala and is generally believed to be a harbinger of prosperity and good times. The Chingam month, coming in the wake of the torrential rains of the generally undesirable and illness-spreading month of Karkidakam, is also the period for Onam, Kerala’s national festival, which witnesses over ten days of feasting, boat races, song, dance and general merriment, enjoyed by all Keralites, irrespective of caste, community, religion or region. Originated as a joyous annual reminiscence of the golden rule of King Mahabali, a mythical king during whose reign Kerala was supposedly a land flowing with milk and honey. With the current rate of inflation and the relentless upwards trend in prices of essential commodities, today’s Kerala is far from that mythical state of abundance and prosperity. Yet the wonder of Onam is its power to colour the bleakness of reality in a sheen of pomp, gaiety and artifice – all with more than a dash of official help. Thus Kerala Tourism is all set to launch an array of festive activities, starting the State-level celebrations from September 10 to 16 in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital, and the district-level festivities from September 11 to 14. Fourteen venues, including the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, the main venue, will host a number of cultural events, including the traditional art forms of Kerala. A colourful procession will conclude the festivities. According to Dr. V. Venu, Secretary, Kerala Tourism, a major attraction of this year’s celebrations will be the organization of village sports events traditionally related to Onam, most of which are on the verge of extinction. Also to be showcased are folk art forms representing the different districts of Kerala. Amidst all this sense of imminent exhilaration, it would appear churlish to point to some very real and palpable problems Keralites face, which could dampen the highest of spirits. Rising prices of rice, vegetables, meat, eggs, fish, spices, fuel, transportation fees...This is but a short litany of complaints that the average Keralite harbours. No less a person than the Kerala Chief Minister, Mr V.S. Achuthanandan, pointed to some of the problems in his Independence Day address last week. He said the prime task before the State is to increase foodgrain production to achieve self-reliance. Dwindling farm production, the power crunch caused by scanty rains, and the crisis in the public distribution system (PDS) inflicted by the Centre were gra ve issues to be addressed seriously, he added. Achieving self-reliance in foodgrain production for its staple needs may be a distant dream for a State which had lost much of its acreage under paddy.
But it would be certainly possible to increase rice production from six lakh tonnes to at least 10 lakh tonne s in three years, Mr Achuthanandan said. Meanwhile, at Thrissur the Farmers’ Relief Forum last week said that a large number of poor farmers who had taken agricultural loans from financial institutions were being cheated by not being granted the debt relief announced by the Central Government. Forum district president V.V. Murleedharan said that agricultural loans taken by farmers prior to 1997 and those who had renewed their loans after paying the interest due are not being considered for the waiver by the financial institutions on various grounds. He said that the governments in other States had been able to intervene in a timely manner to sort out the problem in favour of farmers. In Kerala, however, he said, the State Government has not so far taken steps to make available the relief offered by the Central Government to farmers burdened with debt. Even as these grouses were being aired, a recent report in The Hindu said that the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has increased the refinancing facility to the Kerala State Cooperative Bank (KSCB) to 75 per cent of the actual crop loans for 2008-09 from 35 per cent, in order to avert a liquidity crunch likely to arise on implementing the agriculture debt waiver and debt relief schemes of the Centre. It is only appropriate that as Kerala sets its sights on the colours and gaiety of the imminent Onam, the traditional harvest festival, the State’s official policymaking bodies have had to shift focus to agriculture and the plight of the ordinary citizen. The writer can be contacted at kgkumar@gmail.com More Stories on : Tourism | Lifestyle | Kerala | Random Walk
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