Today, I ran the Kochi Mini Marathon. Having run 5ks, 10ks and a half marathon before, this was my first time running in Kochi and more than the run the surprises were simply astounding!
I reached Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kallor at around 5:45am so I could register at the venue before the 6:30am start time. After a quick registration, I ran into Akhil, a 15 year old runner my wife and I had met a, few weeks back, at a district level school athletic meet. He was with a friend, and the three of us decided to start the race together.
But, then came the insensitive announcement that the race was rescheduled to 7:30am, all because important people like the Mayor, a justice, and a movie star were running late. And no, they did not run in the race!! Do these people even have any clue what making someone ready to run a 10k even means?!
The race finally took off around 7:40am. The entire run was mostly on main roads, and even though the roads were for the most part kept clear of traffic, that was not the case for the later half of the race. Around 6k mark traffic started flowing around us.
In the end it was a fun run, and even though I did not track my own time, there was no electronic chip based official timing either. They did not even announce the winners timing. The 10k route also seemed to have changed during the run, and it looked more like an 8k, considering that we did not even run on one of the sections on the map.
It was weird that for a 10k, basic things like route, starting time, distance, time tracking etc were either lacking or done with a “This is India” kind of attitude. I did finally mention these issues to a Manorama reporter, and to my surprise, he was defending the way things were done. All I could think of was, people do live in a well here; even a reporter has no idea either about how well a 10k can be organized or why in a run like this the runners needs are important.
But, it’s a start, so this time I am going to give the organizers the benefit of the doubt, and I really hope things improve for the next run.
Nothing like a beautiful poem to bring out the sweetness of a language. Here are a few Malayalam Kavithakal that will both touch and evoke that Malayalee in us.
Here is a view into how Corporation of Cochin makes and spends money. The data is via Corporation of Cochin’s September 2009 Income & Expenditure Report. The stark reality from this 7 month report is that there is very little money at the Corporation of Cochin’s disposal. Even though there might be a lot of rich people in Kochi, the city itself is very poor.
From a total revenue of Rs. 46.58 Crore (~10 Million Dollars) between April 2009 and September 2009, about 57% of the income goes into expenses and the remaining surplus (43%) goes into the Municipal fund. Out of the Rs. 26.63 Crore (~5 Million Dollars) the Corporation has spent this year, more than half goes towards salaries and employee related allowances. Only about Rs. 4 Crore (~ 800,000 Dollar) is spent on city maintenance.
The reality is in the numbers here; this city makes very little reveune, and so has very little to spend. And from the very little it has to spend, half the income is not utilized, and from the rest very little goes towards actual maintenance and improvement of the city.
Fiscally the city is good at saving money, but with the very little revenue the city has right now, it really needs to rethink it’s strategy. It needs to become more efficient at how it utilizes the revenue, put more of it in improving the city, and be willing to spend more on the city.
“A Box With A View” a Documentary by Magee Clegg, providing a great snapshot of how Cable TV is changing the lifestyle, culture, and traditions of villages in Kerala through interviews done in a village in the backwaters of Kerala.
Recently Kerala Water Authority(KWA) was in the neighborhood to fix a blocked sewer system, and as a result I got to witness the way KWA does things, which unfortunately has not progressed much over the years.
Firstly, I found it very strange and troubling that the very authority that supplies us clean water, is the one responsible for the sewerage systems in Kerala. It will be well worth an investigation to find out what really goes on behind the scenes. Even more disturbing, KWA started back in 1938 plans to build modern sewer systems in Kerala. It’s 2009 and only two cities, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi have sewer systems, with work progressing in Guruvayoor. So, if you are expecting sewer systems along “modern lines” in Kerala in your lifetime, you can forget about it!
If that has been discerning, the rest of this post is not going make things any better. The KWA workers who lower themselves down into the disgusting sewerage waters are not offered any sort of protective or safety gear. In the land of rubber, these workers don’t even have rubber boots, gloves, or any other sort of protective clothing. Sewage work anywhere is a dirty job, but at least KWA could better equip their workers to make their working conditions bearable.
Utter disregard for basic cleanliness is the next observation. The KWA workers dumped the water from the blocked sewage pipe into the nearby open rain gutters. These rain gutters in Kochi don’t even drain rain water properly, and so the stinking sewage water dumped into the rain gutters, started to quickly overflow in to the neighborhood and stinking up the place.
Lastly, there is no planning, no supervision, or any professionals involved; just poorly equipped and probably poorly paid KWA workers making random decisions on how to fix things. When the water was being dumped into the rain gutters, there was no thought put into the consequences of the action, the potential stench and disease the sewerage water can spread. It was business as usual, and same practices as they have been doing for decades. To make things even more disgusting, the solid waste from the sewage was being transported in plastic waste bags, which obviously ripped and spread more filth in the neighborhood.
“We will provide quality water supply and wastewater services in an environmental friendly and sustainable manner”
That is the vision of Kerala Water Authority, the ideals the KWA needs to stick to are all in that vision. Unfortunately, like most things in Kerala, such statements are either ignored, or even unknown to most. As a first step, KWA needs to not only change its ways but also become a department which sticks to its own vision statement for a change.
KWA is pretty much the soul of cities in Kerala. Without it’s clean water, and collection and treatment of sewage, cities in Kerala will become unlivable, filthy, and disease prone. With a little bit of re-thinking, re-structuring, and a whole lot of action, KWA can change all this and make Kerala a lot more cleaner.
Here is a compilation of video clips shot while at Barcamp Kerala 6.
For those who are not familiar with Barcamps, it’s an informal unconference where people gather to share and learn from each other. Barcamps are great for meeting and getting to know people in your local area with similar interests and passions.
This was my first time at a Barcamp in Kerala, and the first challenge was getting there. Having started to drive in India just a couple of days back was not favorable, but being a Sunday the traffic was less and Google Map directions via iPhone made things easier. Other than a couple of wrong turns, the getting there part was not too bad.
Overall the Barcamp was great to both put faces on some of the tweeple from twitter and to meet some of them. The venue was great, and the event was well organized. Even though I was around only for the morning sessions, I got to see some really good sessions and discussions.
Yesterday, I got to know a few security guards at Skyline Builders and Ambedkar Stadium in Kochi. Through conversations with them, I was able to gather quiet a bit of shocking details on the life and work of a security guard here in Kochi. Like most workers in Kerala, the stereo typical Gurkha security guards of yesteryear’s, have now been replaced by security guards from states like West Bengal, Assam and Orissa.
As the monsoon rain was pouring around us, some of these men told me about their jobs, their living conditions, their plight, and their dreams.
The Job
The security guard duty is mostly a 24/7 job. There are no shifts, and a single person works round the clock. This to me was shocking, especially in a place like Kerala were the in power communist government is supposedly on the side of the workers.
The Pay
The guards I talked to make around Rs. 8000 per month. About Rs. 3000 of which is spent in expenses, and the reset they either save or send to their families back in their villages. There are no other perks, except for extra cash their employers might throw at them, or income from additional work they might perform for others.
The Accommodation
They are not given any accommodation. They usually keep their belongings somewhere in the premises they guard. Use the toilet facilities either in the premises, or outside. Some of them sleep on chairs or any place they can find within the buildings they guard. They eat out mostly, which is also one of their main expenses.
The Dream
Like all of us educated and successful people, these hardworking security guards have dreams and ambitions of their own too, and most of them are in it for a short period till they can save enough to pursue their dreams. One of them is an almond trader back in his village, and after a couple of months work as a security guard, he will go back to his village to trade almonds. Another was going to nursing school, and also learning English, so he could go work in an English speaking country as a nurse, and he spoke English very well. A third has been working as a security guard for over three years, he wants to marry a nice Malayalee girl and settle down in Kerala, but at the same time he was very curious to know if someone like him could go places and make it.
Even though life was hard, and work was tough in almost unthinkable conditions; hearing their hopes and passions was inspiring. It was an awakening for me, a shy and not very conversational person, to get to know some of these amazing citizens of our country, and hear their stories and to know who they really are. In a country of caste and class issues, we assume a lot about the people who work for us, and rarely stop and try to listen to their struggles, stories and dreams. If most of us did that, we will not only have a heightened awareness of the issues facing India, but also find solutions to some of the real problems facing us.
Even though, as a Nation, India has not done much for them, their plight, and their protection; even though most of them believe people in other countries have better lives than them; they were neither hateful nor held any grudges against the successful in India. They wanted to hear my stories, just as much as I wanted to hear theirs.
A million thoughts were going through my mind as I spoke to them. Why does this sort of stuff happen here? Builders like Skyline make billions of Rupees, yet they are incapable of considering basic workers rights and respect for a fellow human being. Simple things like max hours of legal work per day, minimum pay, break time rules, vacation requirements, have neither been thought of nor enforced. I really am not able to point out why we are the way we are yet. In the land of Karma and Dharma, why this continues to happen is baffling and disturbing to me.
To the security guards I talked to last night, you have a new friend, and thank you for teaching me a new lesson in life and pointing out that India has not really changed for those who really need the change. I don’t know where this will go, but I hope to share more stories like this about the people who really need change in India.
An afternoon trip to Fort Kochi ended up being both very interesting and educational. Since it was Eid holiday, most places were closed, and so it was a very calm and peaceful afternoon in Fort Kochi.
1. Take the Ferry, it’s really cheap
The ferry to Fort Kochi costs just Rs 2.50, can’t believe it’s still that cheap. The only catch is, that the ticket can be bought only prior to travel. Ticket lines can be long too depending on the day, but ladies lines are usually shorter. The beautiful views of Vembanad lake and Kochi from the ferry is an added bonus.
2. Kerala’s Labor Shortage
I got a glimpse of Kerala’s labor shortage. There were hundreds of worker from Assam, who were headed to Fort Kochi for the holiday. I struck a conversation with one of the workers, and from him I was able to gather that most of them work for Rs 190 a day for about 12 hours of work. They are given really poor housing, and have to pay for rest of their expenses.
Most of them work for a few years, and head back home. Even though hearing about their hardships was hard; it was refreshing to see them take a day off, shoot videos and snaps with their cell phones, and have a good time in Fort Kochi.
3. Chinese fishing nets are there for tourists
According to the fishermen in Fort Kochi, the Chinese fishing nets no longer catch the quantity of fish it used to 20 years back. They blame mostly the polluted waters for the decline in fish numbers. The pollution is mostly from all the Kochi canals that dump into Vembanad lake. So, the fishing nets are there mostly for tourists now, and the fishermen make their living mainly out of whatever the tourists give them for the Chinese net fishing experience.
4. The Majestic Rain Trees
They are hard to miss in Fort Kochi, for they are every where. Some of them are giants among trees, and as you enjoy their cooling shade, don’t forget to look up and take in their breathtaking size and beauty. They are an ecosystem in itself, and whoever planted them here, was probably going for their cooling shade and majestic beauty. For that visionary we should be forever grateful.
The race finally took off around 7:40am. The entire run was mostly on main roads, and even though the roads were for the most part kept clear of traffic, that was not the case for the later half of the race. Around 6k mark traffic started flowing around us. 
In the end it was a fun run, and even though I did not track my own time, there was no electronic chip based official timing either. They did not even announce the winners timing. The 10k route also seemed to have changed during the run, and it looked more like an 8k, considering that we did not even run on one of the sections on the map. 
It was weird that for a 10k, basic things like route, starting time, distance, time tracking etc were either lacking or done with a “This is India” kind of attitude. I did finally mention these issues to a Manorama reporter, and to my surprise, he was defending the way things were done. All I could think of was, people do live in a well here; even a reporter has no idea either about how well a 10k can be organized or why in a run like this the runners needs are important.
