Star World

COVID 19 in the year 2020 made it to history rendering the most days of the year unproductive and difficult for the entire population of the world. To be agreed upon? Or disagreed? Or maybe it is safe to both? A short introduction about COVID 19 for those reading it after a few years! It is a virus that created a pandemic situation in every nook and corner of the world killing over 1.22 million people. Now have I left you wondering how it has helped living beings? You will find the answers to your questions shortly. Until 2020 we were all running a rat race for money, wealth, comfort, luxury and most people even for survival among the fortunate others.  And when more money offered, the more we followed the vicious circle guilt free. Throughout this race, we forgot, denied Mother Earth and humanity. Every story needs a twist, isn’t it? Unfortunately this too had a twist. It is called COVID 19. It ruined the livelihood of millions in different forms: job loss, loss of financial indep...

What 'chankoottam' (courage)! In a plural country like ours, all those who eke out a living outside their homestate are in different lands of unknown languages and cultures! It is the same 'chankoottam' that prompted them to migrate to various lands of opportunities including other states in the country and survive. It is their ability to adapt to different cultures and traditions and the daring and dashing nature that helped Malayalis, something that they have inherited from their land of birth of great culture and great traditions. If to name a few of those traditions of Kerala, the oldest and the most sophisticated martial art 'Kalaripayattu' originated here, the oldest and the matchingly subtle dance form Koodiyattam, which later evolved into Kathakali, has its roots here. All these point to the reality that the people in this land of cultural and religious synthesis (Christianity set its first foot here after St Thomas, one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Chr...

  Once upon a time he was the cynosure of all eyes, source of all sorts of riches and solace to every caring person at any poor household that became rich due to his hard days in Middle-east. Such was his charisma, such was his attraction for he was the brain behind all the makeover that Kerala had undergone in 70s, 80s, 90s and then in the beginning of 21st century. So says the world; he takes pride in such a situation and brags of his achievements and skills to that effect. As if had it not been for its Gulf NRIs Kerala would have gone to dogs! It's a fact that Kerala's rustic background splendoured itself due to his arduous days in Gulf (read Middle-east). European, American, UK and all other NRIs from the state may be rich because of fat bank balances but they cannot claim to be enjoying that freedom in spending and remittances to their fill as Gulf NRIs. It is the 'thick' line of difference that separates him from his counterparts in other nations. They have to suf...

Didn't I tell you so! That Corona in the days to come would show its real colour! That it is in the mutation stage and might even assume the role of an invisible predator who has the capacity to squeeze out your lungs and finish you off! That is what the fiendish creature is doing now! As days pass by the number of deaths and confirmed cases is running ahead of human imagination in the whole world. India too is maintaining the same tempo. Still Corona is yet to reach that landmark of 10 per cent with regard to death and it seems the figure is a long shot for the micro-organism. Thank God, if it surpassed that figure or even reached near it would have been a fatal disaster of immense proportions, something that will resemble the Spanish Influenza tragedy of 1918 that had snatched away millions of lives. Despite this weak point of the virus, the death toll has crossed the 6 lakh figure. Whom to blame? Who is to be blamed for this mishap and reality? A naïve man may conclude that ...

So that is the situation that Corona has put us into. In fact, it has pushed the whole world into a quandary and all countries of the globe are training their guns at China, supposedly the mother of Corona from whose Wuhan city the virus emerged as if from a womb and wove its web of disaster all over the world. Every Tom, Dick and Harry is in a combat mood and ready to crush China for its dastardly act of spreading the virus deliberately, perhaps, aiming at an international catastrophe of all sorts and consolidation of its superiority in the world market. You can nick-name this as an example of market imperialism which Americans will easily understand. The country read China might have used the World Health Organisation or WHO to foist this fraud on the whole world as Trump and his aides believe.  The hue and cry for a ban on Chinese goods is only a tip of the iceberg. More such outcries are in the offing.   The impulsive assault by Chinese and the valiant fightback by In...

    The triumphant Corona virus is smashing ahead with all the virulence and intensity that it can afford in its nascent stage. Mind you, the mutation stage is in process and there is no guarantee that this devilish micro-organism will not assume more devastating proportions. The mankind which has already been brought to its knees may even be forced into prostration in the coming days or months. Such is the speed and venom with which this  (arguably the most feared of all) virus is galloping ahead like a warhorse numbing every economy not only the budding but even the matured ones in its stride to the extent of grinding to a halt the everlasting phenomenon called life.  Will life stop forever? Even Gods may keep mum on that question because he may not be sure about it! Let us skim through the six-month-old history of Corona since it made its scary presence felt in December last or January beginning and the hellish ramifications that it unleashed. Aft...