Slow down on fast track

The Highway Department of Tamil Nadu deserves congratulations for the excellent East Coast Road (ECR) that connects the famous destinations, Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry to Chennai. Yesterday forenoon we were on this highway heading or for Kovalam where the 80^th birthday function of my brother-in-law Mathew Alapatt was to be held at his son Paul’s beach house.

There was hardly any traffic. We were cruising at 50-60 kilometers (30-35 miles) per hour whenever we could. I said ‘whenever we could’ because at regular intervals all along the road metal grills were kept half way across the width of the road forcing drivers into a ‘Z’ maneuver at reduced speeds.

That was bad enough but suddenly we were waved down by the police. We were told politely that we were exceeding the speed limit of 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) per hour and slapped with a fine of Rs.300. Later on we did find signboards announcing the speed limit.

I was wondering why they had such restriction on speed on a beautiful road. One explanation I got was that there could be some security reasons behind it. Also, it could be part of the police crackdown on burglars. The media had reported the previous day about the recovery of a large cache of stolen goods from a gang of robbers.

Anyway, we were on time for the function where I met an interesting priest, John Joseph of the Don Bosco community (SBD) who conducted the Eucharist in the most informal fashion that I have seen. It was so interactive, with total participation by the congregation.

We got back to Chennai driving at 40 kilometers per hour. That was good in a way because we could enjoy the scenery on either side, particularly the sea.

Ends.

Photo acknowledgement:

Highway Department, TN.

Old age care contd.

In my last post, Old age care, I had promised to give details of the Elders’ Nest project we had planned. Well, here it is. Detailing a project of this nature has to be site specific, but most of the services and facilities listed here can be worked into the scheme irrespective of location.

1. Tile roofed single storey, self-contained, fully furnished suits where fairly healthy senior citizens can live independent and active lives with privacy without a feeling of being institutionalized. Each of these would have yards in front and rear so that lawns/gardens can be maintained.

2. A geriatric centre (GC) with bath attached single rooms with doors that will open either way, and sit outs, to give total attention to sick and morbid old people.

3. A 10-bed polyclinic with laboratory *a Club to which a few selected outsiders also can be admitted *common facilities.

4. A mobile clinic and ‘meals-on-wheels’ program to help poor elders of the locality.

5. A roofed promenade offering protection from sun and rain will connect the suits to each other, the Elders’ Club and common facilities, all of which shall be at the same floor level to avoid ups and downs while walking and to make the areas wheelchair accessible.

6. The Geriatric Centre will have supportive physical environments like grab bars and handrails in toilets and hallways. Full-time home nurse and daily visits by doctor to be made available if necessary.

7. The facilities and services will include *restaurant * health food *cold storage *basic shop and pharmacy *prayer hall *amusement games *a ladies nook *library *room service *cleaning and washing up *garbage removal *laundry *sheet and towel change *gardening advice * accommodation for visitors *security cover *taxi cabs

8. Residents in the Elders’ Nest can cook their own meals or have food in the restaurant or resort to room service.

9. Health services will have *in-house doctors *alternate medicine doctors on call *regular check-ups *tie-ups with major hospitals and specialists *escort for major check-ups *mobile intensive care units *emergency call system *counseling *physiotherapy *palliative care.

10. Also available will be *indoor and outdoor games *swimming *trekking *boating *angling *picnics *putting greens *gardens and open spaces.

11. There will be *group activities *training courses *discussion forums *competitions *cultural events *scope for social service and interaction with the locals.

12. Apart from the staff that would be fully trained, the residents also would be taught basic first aid and the Golden Hour concept to handle trauma and emergencies. First aid kits and lifesaving items would be placed at strategic locations for immediate availability.

There is more, but that would make this post too long. What is envisioned is a combination of a home, hospital, hospice, hotel and a holiday resort aimed at servicing a rapidly growing need. It makes good business sense as well.

I hope someone finds this information useful.

Ends.

Old age care

All over the world, meeting the needs of the elderly is becoming a critical issue. In 2001 India had a population of about 76 million senior citizens and it keeps growing steadily. The problem of taking care of them is fast reaching crisis proportions particularly in India’s Kerala State.

The reasons for this situation include replacement of joint family system by nuclear units, migration of children, changes in attitudes and values, cultural gap, and difficulty in obtaining domestic help. Also, the younger generation often fails to understand that old age brings several problems that lead to emotional and physical stress and strain and that the elders have to be provided proper atmosphere, facilities and assistance to live in comfort with dignity and delight.

The vast majority of people do want to look after their parents. But they can’t give up jobs to tend to the elders. On the other hand, the elders may not want to stay with their children in strange places where they could turn out to be misfits. It is not just a question of money. Often the elders have sufficient funds to live without taxing their children. The problem is the lack of appropriate facilities. Actually this is the world scenario in the field of old age care – growing demand, dearth of facilities, and escalating costs.

Ten years back I had worked out the details of a project in Olavipe to provide, on a commercial basis, top class facilities for senior citizens. We had ideal land (still have), management expertise, and project funds would not have been a problem. The scheme was to be based on the concept of delaying the onset of diseases. This is a thrust area that would curtail medical costs considerably and improve the quality of life of elders.

The idea was to have two separate wings – one to offer comfortable and enjoyable independent living for the reasonably healthy elders and the other to care for the geriatric cases in a separate housing. A great deal of detailing was done to make it an ideal place for elders.

Then we ran into a roadblock – Coastal Restricted Zone (CRZ) rules which proscribed major constructions near water bodies subject to tidal action. The project was shelved. Later on the rules were relaxed, but by then we had turned to other things.

I plan to do a post detailing the facilities that we had planned, for two reasons. One is that it might be of help to people who plan to put up such facilities. The other is that it could be a sort of benchmark for those who are looking for places to spend their sunset years.

Ends.

Also see:

OLAVIPE: Gift of the waves to Kerala, God's Own Country.

Mahe: Mukundan's novel to be presented in dance drama format

M. Mukundan’s famous Malayalam novel ‘Mayyazhi puzhayude theerangalil’ (On the Banks of River Mahe), which has been translated into English and French is soon to be presented as a two-hour long dance drama according to reports in the Malayalam media yesterday.

This novel obtained wide acclaim and brought many laurels to its author including the title Chevalier des Arts et des Letters from the Government of France, is set in Mahe, the former French colony in India. The main characters are Dasan, a freedom fighter and Chandrika. The author also weaves into the touching story the myth that dragonflies are souls of the dead hovering around, waiting for rebirth. According to Mukundan, the novel has many dramatic moments suitable for dance themes.

Lissy Muraleedharan, a dancer who runs the Natya Kalakshetra of Mahe did the script, which covers the novel almost totally. She had earlier converted and presented Kadathanad Madhavi Amma’s ‘Onakkili’ and VT Bhatathiripad’s ‘Vanajyosthna’ also into dance dramas. She is now busy training a troupe of about fifty artistes at Mahe for this project. A team of experts in various related fields is supporting her.

Mukundan is confident that Lissy Muraleedharan would present the dance drama well. He should know.

Mahe River
Photo acknowledgement:
Government of Pondicherry.

Ends.

Also see:

Mahe - Petite France in Kerala.

The Indian 'King of France'

Ripples on water

I am sharing with you two pictures that I like:



© Thekkanattu Parayil.
Click on photos to enlarge
Also see: Pastoral Olavipe

Dress Codes of Clubs

Yesterday an English language daily which has a fairly good circulation carried a double column front page report about a gentleman in dhoti being denied admission to an elite Chennai club. The newspaper devoted 2 columns x 20 cms space to this piece!

The facts as reported are: an ‘honorary advisor’ to a Government of India department was invited by an organization to a function it was holding at the club (name not mentioned in the report). The man turned up clad in a dhoti but was refused admission because it was in violation of the club’s dress code. He went to a shop, bought a pair of trousers, wore them and was allowed in.

Then comes the ballyhoo. The man writes to the Chief Minister. And he tells the press, “The behavior of these clubs is nothing but a reflection of their continued slavishness to our former Western masters”, and adds for good measure, “English language dictionaries say that the dhoti or veshti is formal attire”.

One can understand the man’s ego being hurt. Now, I was also an honorary advisor to the Government of India, on national disaster management policy, about nine years back. I too was once denied admission to an elite Chennai club, most probably the same one as in this case, for violation of dress code. I went there for lunch wearing a round neck T-shirt, and trousers of course. The offending piece here was the T-shirt. So, the ban is not only against the dhoti.

I know at least two reputed clubs in Kerala, which allow dhoti, but not folding it up. The point is that a club, unlike a restaurant or a town hall, is a private association of people and they the members, decide how it should be run. They set the rules and regulations.

To be fair to the newspaper, it also presents the view of a city lawyer that the clubs are entitled to prescribe a dress code. She said, “It would be difficult to challenge this in court.”

Ends.

Also see:

Some Clubs of India

Sunset at Olavipe

© Thekkanattu Parayil

Photo: Karthiki

Photo: Karthiki

Photo: Karthiki

© Thekkanattu Parayil