The relevance of a platform for non-resident Keralites to come together and communicate their ideas and needs with the government was the key thrust of an open forum on ‘Loka Kerala Sabha — experiences and expectation’ organised at the Legislative Assembly Complex on Friday on the sidelines of the summit.
Writer Benyamin saw the emergence of such platforms as part of a larger change in how society now views people who have migrated out of their homelands for better prospects.
“In the past, such people were considered as outsiders in their native land, and as second class citizens in the countries they worked in. Now, it is believed that their own countries have a responsibility toward these people. From being seen as mere sources of money, they are considered as individuals and as citizens. Ninety-six countries have now given non-residents full voting rights, with facilities to vote in the places where they reside. So many of those who have left this land for better prospects have ideas to share. Though some might see the LKS as utopian, this is the best platform for these people to interact with the government,” said Mr. Benyamin.
Address of one’s own
Writer Manasi said she after being part of the LKS, she now felt she had an address of her own in Kerala. “I left Kerala more than 34 years ago. Though only people who live outside the country are seen as ‘pravasis,’ even those living outside the State, like me in Mumbai, also have to face the same rootlessness.
Also, there is a difference between the way the men and women experienced this, in those days. I was initially overcome with the fear of not knowing the language and of travelling alone. There was not even a woman to be seen in the literary meets of that time in Mumbai. Now, that has changed,” she said.
Filmmaker P.T. Kunju Muhammed said the non-resident Keralites, who migrated to the Middle East in the 1970s, were for long seen with contempt by society.
‘Persiakkar’
“We used to be known as ‘Persiakkar,’ those who migrated to Persia. Even those intellectuals whose Gulf sojourns and awards were funded by the NRKs, viewed them with contempt. But the NRKs did not let any of this affect them, and slowly worked their way to become the biggest economic force in Kerala,” he said.
Disaster management expert Muralee Thummarukudy called the LKS a unique experiment, which facilitates the communication between Malayalis anywhere in the world with the government here.
“If this becomes a success, it could become a model for the entire world. The evaluation needs to be done maybe after two decades, when the true impact of this initiative would be known. But, we need to look forward in our discussions here, by including subjects that matter in the 21st century,” he said.
