Kerala: GOD is vacating His Own Country

BREAKING NEWS: “God is vacating His Own Country, as He cannot bear it any more”

The public discourse in Kerala since May 4, 2012 has revolved round a political murder, that of T. P. Chandrasekharan, CPI(M) dissident, who established a new party, the Revolutionary Marxist Party in 2009.

Political killings are no anathema to Kerala, but the murder of Chandrasekharan became a resonating symbol in the collective consciousness of society. He was stabbed in the face 49 times, and the killing was executed not by motivated cadre but by hired killers. Herein lie the tentacles of a disturbing social trend. Chandrasekharan is an unfortunate symbol of a society in a disturbing transition.

Nobody is safe in the most literate State of India, which is under the delirium of easy money. The last 10 years have conferred a lot of material prosperity on Kerala and its people. Enter the real estate boom and there emerged new breeds of beings novel to the traditional psyche of Kerala. Gangs of varied varieties — real estate brokers, construction mafias, illicit sand mining groups, middlemen of all hues, etc. They were heavily localised, offering “easy money” to willing youngsters, who were needed to put pressure on non-complying people. And thus came into being what are euphemistically known as “Quotation Groups.”

Quotation Groups are hired goons, and a vast majority of them are not hardcore criminals, but unemployed or partially employed educated youngsters who prefer it as a short-cut to savour enhanced material choices. While the number of professional Quotation Groups is formidable, the real threat lies in these ubiquitous amateurs who represent the cross-section of everyday Kerala.

Quotation Groups have their own vocabulary, unfamiliar to the rest of India. Quoting, sketching and drawing are the different stages of this brutal business. The “game of eight” refers to the initiative of handing over a contract to contain a rival. Alas, Quotation Groups have semi-permeable group boundaries, and the docile and ductile neighbourhood boy you see today might be a part-timer in a Quotation Group. Recently, an undergraduate girl hailing from an affluent family was sent to judicial custody in Pathanamthitta district for arranging a Quotation Group to brutally attack another youngster, whose condition remained extremely critical for weeks.

Physical victory over the opponent is the sign of chivalry in mass consciousness, but that is the story of yore. Anybody sans chivalry can settle scores with the opponent provided he has money in hand. Kerala has become successful in democratising thuggery. Pity, Quotation Groups have become part of everyday life, and a Keralite won’t be surprised to hear a primary school child jokingly threatening another that he will be “quoted.”

A redeeming feature is that Kerala is among those rare States where political leaders undertake transformational roles, and many of them truly walk their talk. The top echelons of bureaucracy also reflect a similar picture. But the grass-roots policing apparatus is not at all citizen-centric, and going to a police station is said to be the most intimidating and harrowing experience one can ever have. Unfortunately, the lower level police are yet to learn that the term “public servants” is applicable to them.

Kerala still remains God’s Own Country, thanks to the enlightened media activism which daringly holds a critical mirror up to society through courageous reporting and deliberative wisdom, both rooted in egalitarian impulses. People are aware of the fast deteriorating social health, and it is time to act decisively. The leadership must demonstrate the will to act. It is time to reconsecrate God in his Own Country.