Closer to the gods

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Munnar is a known hill station, but it is named after three rivers ' yes, Munnar owes its name to three mountain streams named Muthirapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala, all 1800 ft above the sea level. One of the most coveted destinations in the South, you can enjoy boating, trekking, driving, sightseeing and wildlife spotting here. The misty canopy and the blue-and-green omniscience makes it a favourite honeymoon getaway too.

Munnar is located in the Idukki district of Kerala at a cool 5000-8000 feet above the sea level. Natural resplendence reigns in this region; other famous tourist attractions here include Thekkady, Periyar Tiger Reserve etc. The district is also the largest producer of spices like black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg etc in the state. Once the summer resort of the British in South India, the colonial history is evident in the beautiful architecture of buildings dating back to the days of the Raj. Even more plentiful are the tea plantation estates that pervade the entire canvas. More than 24,000 hectares of tea plantations over rolling hills and rising plateaus; the sight promises to stay with you long after you've moved on.

Trekking and mountain climbing enthusiasts go on to Anamudi, the highest peak in South India at 2,695 metres. The 'water types' will find Devikulam' only seven kilometres from Munnar ' a sheer delight with its velvet lawns, gorgeous natural gardens, and peaceful mountain settings. The lake here is an ideal place for trout fishing. The Mattuppetti Dam, 13 km away from Munnar, is famous for boating and elephant safaris; also around is the highly specialised dairy farm ' the Indo Swiss Live Stock Project. More than 100 varieties of high yielding cattle here, should you be interested in some bovine facts.

At Pothamedu, enjoy a panoramic view of the entire Munnar. Just 15 kms away from Munnar town is the Eravikulam National Park, flanked by the Anamudi Peak on one side and a deep vale on the other. The Nilgiri Tahr, a unique species endemic to this region, is least afraid of human presence and walks along with you in groups of 25 to 50, giving you ample photo opportunities. But be warned, while you click away the Tahr, don't miss the rarest species of birds fluttering about. With more than 254 varieties of birds in the forest area, musical company is assured everywhere you go.

In addition to the plethora of rare and medicinal plants, here is a particularly famous resident; the Neelakurinji ' a blue flower which flowers once in 12 years. Though they are quite abundant, you'll have a tough time spotting one, for the local tribal folk who are also the forest guards are hesitant in pointing it out. They do so only on the condition that you don't pluck it; they say it flourishes in no other part of the world. Book your trip for 2018 ' that's when the precious blossom will oblige us next. Until then make do with the fragrant sandalwood trees of Marayur, 40 kms from Munnar, and the Muniyara caves with Stone Age relics and murals. All in all, treats from the past, present and future' Closer to the gods DESTINATION DOSSIER

STEERING THE COURSE

Kochi International Airport to Munnar is 140 kms. The drive through thick woods is a treat in itself. For train travellers, the nearest railway stations are Kottayam and Ernakulam.

COSY CORNERS

One has the whole range of accommodation facilities available in Munnar town, including five star hotels, to choose from.

THE 'SEASON'ED TRAVELLER GOES NOW

November to April is ideal, but if you like it nice and wet, any time is good'

'SAVOUR' FAIRE

Traditional Kerala fare is abundant. The resorts and hotels have other options too, in case the coconut oil gets to you!

GET TO WORK

A bath in the waterfalls ' there are plenty around ' is a must. Try trekking to Attukal waterfalls. Boating in Mattupetti River is relaxing. Don't miss the Eravikulam National Park.

WHAT'S THE WORD

Malyalam, to feel at home. Considering the regular influx of tourists that the locals are used to, English is good to get around too.

KEEPSAKE COURTESIES

Load up on the locally grown tea leaves for yourselves and your friends. Natural cardamom from Anchunad Hills. Sandalwood from Marayur is a good idea.

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Third is no consolation

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All Things Bright And Beautiful, All Creatures Great And Small, All Things Wise And Wonderful, The Good Lord Made Them All! The plight of the third gender reminds Ravi Inder Singh of our conveniently forgotten morning prayer from school'

'It happened roughly 35 years back when my best friend's (Santosh) father, a senior insurance agent at a reputed insurance agency, broke the news of Santosh's wedding. She was about to be married into a very reputed business family. The match was perfect and the ceremonies were underway. Right after the grand pomp and show, as is the wont of an Indian wedding, Santosh was on her way to honeymoon. We were eagerly awaiting juicy tales of romance upon her return. Instead, Santosh came back with swollen eyes ' as if she had cried her eyes out ' and a scratched face and injuries all over her back. On much prodding, she revealed it was no accident, but she had been beaten up by her husband. Reason? On that much anticipated night when the wedding was supposed to be consummated, she found out that her husband wasn't a male, but a eunuch! Appalled and cheated that she rightfully felt, her angst at the fact being hidden from her and the family was met with brutality. To my horror, the family, other than Santosh's mother, wasn't supportive at all. And to top it, she was asked to resume a 'normal' life with the 'man' she had been married to. 35 years later, Santosh works in a bank, earns for herself, also supports her 'husband', who now has been disowned by his own family too and tries her level best to keep up with the pseudo values and the social pressure that existed at the time of decision making,' recalls Anita of her friend Santosh, requesting anonymity for both of them.

Transgenders or eunuchs, as they are known, are human beings who are born with a genital abnormality. They have deformed male or female reproductive organs, or under-developed ones, or both. This tragic aberration of nature slots them as the 'third gender'. Homosexuals have fully developed genitals; it is hypothesized that it is hormonal play that induces feelings for the same sex, while the third gender has to contend with the physical shortcoming as well as hormonal hysteria. While the gay community is finding increasing acceptance in our society today, transgenders are still looked askance at. Violence and repulsion are the mainstays of their world; eunuchs are forced to move and live in groups because of this. Not only are they supportive of each other, they look out for each other too and also try and adopt young ones who are unfortunate enough to have been born this way. Legally, they aren't allowed to take away new born eunuchs from the hospitals, but small nursing homes do as do parents. It is after all not easy to withstand the prejudices of a society looking to pick on you day in and day out, particularly in the less affluent sections. Third is no consolation One can imagine the deep-rooted bias when a eunuch is not allowed to donate blood by a doctor. If supposedly well-educated folks behave this way, what to say of others? Dr Vinant Bhargava, Physician, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital was understandably moved. 'It is hard to believe that a qualified doctor would do that. I would like to clarify to the people that apart from a slight physical deformity, there is nothing different between a eunuch and a normal man/woman's constitution. The blood in the human body is same for one and all. Not knowing the details of the case in question, I would say that the only reason why a qualified doctor might refrain from accepting a eunuch's blood is that they are high-risk candidates as most of them are involved in prostitution on account of lack of livelihood opportunities,' he says.

Prostitution isn't the only refuge; some others are beggars, many earn through dancing at celebrations etc. It's hard to understand why avenues are so severely limited for the third gender, when other differently-abled or physically challenged individuals have opportunities beckoning. Quite a few transgenders enroll themselves for distance learning courses and have basic education; some have technical skills too. Is there scope for them in the corporate sector? 'Their plight is understandable and I'm sure they could do well in backend operations of any organisation or at least data entry. Even if there is an issue making them the representatives of the company or the face of an organisation, there are certain profiles which do not need gender discrimination. It is usually the recruiter's bias at work. Growth prospects are shallow and networking and bonding that happens in and after office hours may be restricted,' comments a senior HR employee in a leading MNC.

Hope is certainly alive for the community, at least in some parts of the world. The US government, for example, supports transgender sex change operation, helping him/her to lead a normal life. It is time that the Indian scenario changes and the concerned authorities take notice. The Vice Chancellor of the National Law School University of India, Bangalore, Prof. R. Venkat Rao believes that for any reform, there'll be plenty of resistance. He says, 'I will propose that a column for transgenders be included in the admission form. Though the CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) committee will need to approve of it.'

In Santosh's case, it is difficult to say who of the two partners has a more difficult life. Only if the rest of us create a little space for our fellow beings, the world would be a better place to live in and no one would have to find themselves in such trying circumstances.

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Irresponsible politics by Cong and the CPI(M) has put Kerala's secular traditions in danger

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Brewing trouble - Parties, media to blame

B.R.P. Bhaskar
Senior journalist and social activist

Kerala, which has had a long tradition of communal amity, now stands polarised on religious lines with political parties having their eyes set on the next elections and the media transfixed on TRP ratings and circulation figures playing roulette with gay abandon. The CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF, which have been voted to office in alternate elections over the past three decades, tacitly acknowledge the rise of communal sentiments, each blaming the other.

An article in the CPI(M) daily Deshabhimani this week said, 'Rightwing forces have always taken the stand of attacking the Communist movement using caste and religious politics. When the rightwing weakens such interventions become sharper.'

This is a palpable half-truth. No doubt the Congress has benefited most from the intervention of communal elements in politics. However, the communists have played the game as recklessly as the Congressmen. At present it is the Left which is weakening and the CPI(M) is playing the communal card.

It is by invoking memories of the 'liberation struggle', which resulted in the overthrow of the state's first elected communist government in 1959, that the CPI(M) projects itself as a victim of communal politics. It hides the fact that Nair patriarch Mannath Padmanabhan, who played a leading part in the campaign, had contributed to the undivided CPI's electoral triumph two years earlier.

After the fall of the first government, headed by EMS Namboodiripad, communists faced political isolation. It was with the help of parties with communal orientation like IUML and the Karshaka Thozhilali Party, which was launched by a priest to protect the interests of Christian farmers who had encroached upon tribal lands, that they overcame the problem. These parties joined the CPI(M)-led seven-party alliance in the 1967 elections and were rewarded with ministerial berths. Their entry into the corridors of power gave sectarian politics legitimacy and respectability. The Congress, which had enlisted the League's support earlier to prevent the communists' return to power, had kept it out of the government. IUML has been a part of power politics since then. It is now one of the Congress's oldest allies. IUML split twice and on both occasions, the CPI(M) struck alliances with the breakaway groups. There are now other Muslim organisations like PDP and SDPI. The Jamaat-e-Islami has indicated readiness to enter electoral politics. A common factor animating these groups is the feeling that IUML takes a soft position on issues. Until recently, the CPI(M) was ready to do business with the most hawkish Muslim group provided it was against the Congress.

IUML's growing clout played a part in the emergence of communally oriented political formations in other religious groups. The Kerala Congress formed by a group of dissident Congressmen, mostly Christians but with a sprinkling of Nairs, is the most notable among them.

The concept of 'majority' and 'minority' is unreal in the Kerala context. The Hindus who constitute an estimated 56% of the population are only a nominal majority. Historically, the organisations of the Nairs and the Ezhavas, who probably account for about 16% and 22% of the population respectively, have tended to follow separate and often contradictory positions on issues of political import. The determination of these organisations to retain their political clout has foiled BJP's bid to build a Hindu vote bank. For long the communists commanded the support of the Dalits and Adivasis, who form 10% and one per cent of the population respectively, but lately they have been seeking to chart an independent course. BSP and a new local outfit called Dalit Human Rights Movement are seeking to capitalise on their disillusionment. It is this situation that has prompted the CPI(M) to play the Hindu card.

Kerala's tradition of communal harmony goes back to the Jain-Buddhist period. Jews fleeing their homeland to escape persecution found refuge in Kerala 2,500 years ago. According to local Christian tradition, not long after the crucifixion of Jesus, his disciple Thomas arrived here to preach the gospel and won converts to the new religion. Malik bin Deenar, an Arab, is believed to have built the Cheraman mosque at Kodungallur in 629 AD when the Prophet was still alive.

Thanks to the strength of the secular traditions built over the centuries, social cohesion holds tenuously but the suspicions generated by thoughtless political propaganda and insensitive coverage by the media, especially the 24x7 news channels, linger on. Efforts are on to preserve the secular ethos but these are marked by sectarian division and cannot be trusted to improve matters.

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KARNATAKA EDUCATION: Sex workers' children to get free education under RTE Act

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A life of dignity

The Karnataka government has decided to provide some 'special' privilege to the children of sex workers in the state. Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the government will provide these children, who are most likely to be denied admission to schools, free, compulsory and quality education.

'The RTE Act talks of children of disadvantaged and marginalised sections of society. We are going to include children of sex workers in the draft rules of the Act in the state soon,' said Prabha Alexander, junior programme officer, state project office, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Bangalore. Officials like Alexander are hopeful that its mention in the Karnataka Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010, would help end the discrimination that these children face in school and society.

Sabita S, secretary of Karnataka Sex Workers' Union (KSWU), a 750-member strong group consisting of sex workers, said: 'We will do everything possible to convince the departments about its importance. We will raise our demand to make appropriate mention of children of sex workers in the RTE Act. Our children are among the most discriminated, with little access to schooling.'

Regarding this Sangama, an NGO working for the betterment of sex workers and their children, and KSWU are planning to meet Karnataka's primary and secondary education minister Vishveshwar Hedge Kageri.

Geetha, director of KSWU that was formed in 2006, said: 'When school authorities get to know about our children's background they ask more donations. In most of the cases they shut their doors on us. Even if somehow admission is managed, once the school authorities learn about what we do for a living, they throw our children out.' For the first time, KSWU is planning to conduct a survey to find out the status of sex workers' children in the state. 'We don't trust any NGO or Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, as they are only engaged in lip service. Till now they have failed to uplift our social status,' says Geetha.

Each year, KSWU gets about 80-90 complaints about children of sex workers being denied access to education. Elavarthi Manohar, who works with Sangama, said: 'Most sex workers are single parents. The work they do is done so that their children get the skills needed for a life of dignity. It's gross injustice to deny these children education. They too deserve free, compulsory education of a good quality.' This time the government is giving positive signals in tackling the burning issue.

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