Does the COVID-19 promise any lasting paradigm shift in the Kerala economy? Yes, definitely for good! Kerala has always been the fountainhead of knowledge workers across India and the world. Professionals, engineers and non-engineers, are employed in all the new-age enterprises including IT, ITES, Fintech, e-commerce, mobility, auditing, education, design & media. They work outside Kerala and make a living there - marrying another Malayali and raising their kids there. Except for people working in Gulf countries who would spend a predominant portion of their earnings in Kerala, they spend only a small portion of their earnings back in Kerala. Most of the time, they don’t even return leaving behind their ancestral properties and parents. We call it the “brain drain”! This could change, we are now seeing more of them back in Kerala ‘working from home’. We thought they will go back once the COVID-19 eases. But that is still some time away. Amazon extended their “work from home” till J

Are migrants from other states a burden or benefit for Kerala? That’s a question popping up in our thoughts and discussions now and then. Particularly, when we have incidents of brutal murder or robbery by them on the locals. Immigration is a global concern, where a lot of political capital is spent on retaining or gaining power raising this. We mainly encounter four thoughts against immigration. Immigrants rob jobs and livelihood of locals The social support extended to them is a financial burden on the state There are criminals and terrorists among immigrants Immigrants ruin the local culture Perumbavoor, a town near Kochi, is a hub for migrants in Kerala. The town has welcomed them to the extent that people included Hindi in name boards of shops and route boards of public transportation bus. But still, the town witnessed multiple murders and robberies by them. Lately, there was even Al-Qaeda terrorist arrested from Perumbavoor. Hence, the thoughts and concerns of locals are real and

Kerala is now officially in the 2nd wave of COVID-19. The numbers are rising and the peak seems to be a few more days away. As our masks slipping-off, COVID is slipping-in! It has been 6 months since our movie theatres were closed. There was no movie released during school holidays and Onam. Most likely there will not be any releases during the imminent Puja & Id holidays. Christmas also is doubtful. The industry is passing through its toughest time. Regal Cinemas, the 2nd largest movie chain in the United States shut their doors recently. Going by that, how many theatres will reopen in Kerala is to be seen. Except for the financially stable, all the cast & crew behind movies are struggling. It’s the same in the tourism industry. The hotels and resorts missed domestic tourists during the school holiday and Onam seasons. From October till February, it is the time for International tourists. They would also give this season a miss. The industry is going through a crisis not soon

Is it ok for a woman to slap a man? Is it ok for a woman to swear a man? Is it ok for a woman to outrage the modesty of a man? Few women took the law into their hands and did all of them to a man who was making abusive videos with sexual overtones against them. Right or wrong reasons, taking the law into hands is not good for the society and the law should take its course. That’s it! It does not matter whether it is being done by men or women. In a state where men kill others for political reasons, a woman slapping a man need not be given greater importance. But the slap was on the face of many ‘alpha males’ in Kerala. They were equally surprised by the range of ‘vocabulary’ these women had! The revered health minister quickly endorsing the act made the matters worse for them. Women may feel reassured by this bold and unlawful act. But endorsing the act will not serve good for society. For a state that is ahead of even other countries on multiple Human Development Indicators, another