Sunday, June 3, 2007

Onward, Kerala

Did you know that a group consisting of academics, corporate executives, successful entrepreneurs and other committed individuals is working for Kerala’s great leap forward? It is called Kerala Global Support Network (KGSN). These powerful people who are either of Kerala origin or are friends of Kerala are on an endeavor to bring about the State’s development. I heard about it from K.O. Isaac who is the CMD of ABL Biotechnologies Ltd.

Isaac also gave me a copy of a book, Kerala’s Economy: Crouching Tiger, Sacred Cows, which he had picked up at a meeting of KGSN in Trivandrum, Kerala’s capital, in April 2007. This volume contains papers presented on Kerala in the Global Economy: Opportunities and Challenges, at a conference at Trivandrum, in December 2005. It was organized by KGSN, Stanford Center for International Development (SCID), the Asian School of Business (ASB) Trivandrum, and TiE, (a chapter of the Indus Entrepreneur, a global organization of South Asian entrepreneurs). The theme was to look at Kerala’s development strategies in the national and international context

The book is an impressive collection of articles by eminent persons. It is edited by Sunil Mani, Planning Commission Chair Professor in Development Economics, Centre for Development Studies, Thirupanamthapuram, Kerala, India, Anjini Kochar, India Programme Director, Stanford Centre for International Development (SCID), Stanford Uiversity, California, USA, and Arun M. Kumar, Partner, KPMG LLP, Silicon Valley, USA. This is a valuable volume that should be read by all those who are interested in Kerala’s progress.

In the introduction, Arun M. Kumar strikes the right note by stating that the outlook for Kerala is positive and progressive. There are ten other well-studied presentations on economic reforms, service-led growth of Kerala, enabling environment, augmenting transport infrastructure, info-communications, electricity sector, elementary schooling, higher education, and case studies of successful entrepreneurship. The last article on the outlook for Kerala in the global economy concludes with the dogma that pragmatic action should replace ideological rhetoric.

The cover, which depicts ‘Global Migration’ by K.S. Radhakrishnan, is designed by O.P. Jayakumar.

The book is published by DC Books, Kottayam, India – 686001. Online Bookstore www.dcbookstore.com

Ends.

Also see: Autobiography of a School


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