An average Malayalee has multiple loyalties due to international connections, either as working or settled in a foreign country , or by having beloved ones working in foreign countries. Peace and stability globally is a great concern for Malayalees, because any turbulence in a foreign country , where Malayalees are settled in large numbers , produce a ripple effect , causing much anxiety and heartbreak in Kerala. For instance,many
Malayalee nurses are trapped in Mosul, recently seized by terrorists. About 40 Indian workers have been kidnapped in Iraq. These developments cause much concern in India.
Any threat to peace and stability causes concern to peace-loving people
around the world, because everybody is affected by the threat of terrorist
attacks. Travellers pay a huge amount as security taxes. Even those who have sympathy for the terrorists pay these taxes, which were unknown 20 years ago.
When tensions mount in the Middle East, oil prices rise, and the adverse impact of it is felt in every household, in the form of rise in the price of essential commodities and depletion of foreign exchange reserves.
' Cry, the Beloved Country' is the title of the famous novel written by
South African novelist Alan Paton. It was published in 1948. In his novel,
Alan Paton highlighted the pain and suffering caused by apartheid. According to Paton, his country is beautiful and rich, but it's an arena of
conflict , tension and unnecessary loss of life, caused by the apartheid system. He entitled the novel ' Cry, the Beloved Country' to express his anguish.
In the present context, the title ' Cry, the Beloved Country' can be slightly
changed to 'countries' because many countries are in the throes of conflict and massive loss of life, as in Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan,
Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia etc.
In a personal perspective, I'm deeply distressed by the frequent terrorist
attacks in Nigeria and Kenya, two countries dear to my heart. My wife and I worked in Kenya from 1974 to 1981. My elder daughter ,Kuleena, was born in Nairobi. It was a time when the country enjoyed perfect peace and security. We worked in Nigeria from 1981 to 1987.My second daughter,
Praveena was born in Maiduguri, which has become the epicentre of the
Boko Haram attacks in the North Eastern states of Nigeria. In the 19980s, Maiduguri was a perfectly peaceful city, where we used to go for shopping. Now, that part of the country has become killing fields, with frequent attacks on churches, schools, markets, bus stations and so on. The
kidnapping of more than 200 school girls hit the headlines globally, but the
girls have not been rescued.
My own state, Kerala also qualifies for the title, ' Cry, the Beloved Country', even though terrorist attacks haven't taken place there. The destruction of the environment, violence against women and children, corruption, Goondaism ( thuggery), quotation killings, excessive consumption of alcohol, increasing rate of road accidents, fraud etc cause
much concern. Prisons have become guest houses for convicted murderers
who use mobile phones with impunity. Like South Africa, Kerala displays the symptoms of a violent society.
' Cry, the Beloved Countries.'
Malayalee nurses are trapped in Mosul, recently seized by terrorists. About 40 Indian workers have been kidnapped in Iraq. These developments cause much concern in India.
Any threat to peace and stability causes concern to peace-loving people
around the world, because everybody is affected by the threat of terrorist
attacks. Travellers pay a huge amount as security taxes. Even those who have sympathy for the terrorists pay these taxes, which were unknown 20 years ago.
When tensions mount in the Middle East, oil prices rise, and the adverse impact of it is felt in every household, in the form of rise in the price of essential commodities and depletion of foreign exchange reserves.
' Cry, the Beloved Country' is the title of the famous novel written by
South African novelist Alan Paton. It was published in 1948. In his novel,
Alan Paton highlighted the pain and suffering caused by apartheid. According to Paton, his country is beautiful and rich, but it's an arena of
conflict , tension and unnecessary loss of life, caused by the apartheid system. He entitled the novel ' Cry, the Beloved Country' to express his anguish.
In the present context, the title ' Cry, the Beloved Country' can be slightly
changed to 'countries' because many countries are in the throes of conflict and massive loss of life, as in Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan,
Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia etc.
In a personal perspective, I'm deeply distressed by the frequent terrorist
attacks in Nigeria and Kenya, two countries dear to my heart. My wife and I worked in Kenya from 1974 to 1981. My elder daughter ,Kuleena, was born in Nairobi. It was a time when the country enjoyed perfect peace and security. We worked in Nigeria from 1981 to 1987.My second daughter,
Praveena was born in Maiduguri, which has become the epicentre of the
Boko Haram attacks in the North Eastern states of Nigeria. In the 19980s, Maiduguri was a perfectly peaceful city, where we used to go for shopping. Now, that part of the country has become killing fields, with frequent attacks on churches, schools, markets, bus stations and so on. The
kidnapping of more than 200 school girls hit the headlines globally, but the
girls have not been rescued.
My own state, Kerala also qualifies for the title, ' Cry, the Beloved Country', even though terrorist attacks haven't taken place there. The destruction of the environment, violence against women and children, corruption, Goondaism ( thuggery), quotation killings, excessive consumption of alcohol, increasing rate of road accidents, fraud etc cause
much concern. Prisons have become guest houses for convicted murderers
who use mobile phones with impunity. Like South Africa, Kerala displays the symptoms of a violent society.
' Cry, the Beloved Countries.'
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