Kerala’s modernity and its discontents (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 1: Society
Prelims level : Not much
Mains level : Evolving social conditions in Kerala over the years

Context

• Kerala’s transformative experience in education, health, social security, land reforms and decentralised governance has been widely acknowledged as a ‘model’ for other States.
• This article is an effort to evaluate Kerala’s modernity in the context of the transformation that took place in Kerala society in the early part of the 20th century and the events that unfolded over the last six decades or so.

Process of renaissance

• Kerala’s modernity may be said to epitomise the social actions of a community to fight successfully the caste, class iniquities and capability deprivations of the lower castes.
• The abolition of agrestic slavery and untouchability, the successful fighting for the right to worship in temples meant for the upper castes, the right to wear clothes of one’s choice, the right to walk on roads exclusively meant for the upper castes, and so on were great achievements towards enhancing people’s capabilities and freedom.
• Importantly these happened in a unique geographic environment of rich biodiversity, water bodies, mountain ranges, wetlands, and so on, which are rare natural endowments.
• It is for the Kerala people and its governance system to carry forward the process of expanding freedoms, and development without damage to its unique ecosystems.
• Despite the constraints of a State in India’s quasi-federation, the quality of State and local politics is key to reducing corruption, conserving the environment, improving higher education and health care, and making policy choices that enhance freedom and social equity.
• That Keralites voted a Communist government to power in 1957, which initiated several progressive measures besides delivering an uncorrupt regime in the early years, cannot be forgotten.

Trajectory of development

• This was followed by two events which radically altered the character of Kerala’s polity, society and economy:
• The growing outmigration of Keralites following the Gulf boom which resulted in a steady flow of remittances.
• The introduction of Central government-led economic reforms towards liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation which not only accelerated the foreign remittance inflow, but also promoted the market-mediated growth process.
• These forces triggered an unprecedented increase in per capita consumption (resulting in generation of waste) and unleashed a construction boom that adversely impacted the environment, widened inequalities, and created a service-led growth process.

Where is public action?

• That public reasoning worked well in Kerala cannot be denied. Unseeability, untouchability and agrestic slavery that alienated the Dalits, and several rituals and superstitions among the Namboodiris, came to be accepted as irrational by the public.
• Of late, particularly after the emergence of innumerable political parties with the support of religious and community leaders, Kerala has become a virtual post-truth society.
• The TV debates of many Malayalam channels will bear this out. Civil society is fast slipping away from public rationality and public morality.

Way forward

• The divided communities and multiplicity of political parties have fragmented the society and slackened the expansion of a reasoned public sphere.
• University and the higher education system have become a caricature of what they ought to be.
• Student, teacher and bureaucrats’ politics dissipate the time and energy of universities whose primary purpose is the production and dissemination of knowledge.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) Consider the following statements about investment models:
1. A difficulty of the EPC model of PPP is that, there is high financial burden for the government.
2. In Hybrid Annuity Model, revenue collection would be the responsibility of the developer.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer: A
Mains Questions:
Q.1) Do you think the society in Kerala remain the same as it has seen couple of decades ago? Critically comment.