‘Kerala Model’ is one of the most discussed subjects across the country and beyond when development indexes come into conversations. Many other states of the country suggested their model of growth, instead of the Kerala Model, and claimed its superiority over the former. Nevertheless, the Kerala model is standing ahead of all other states of India in the most internationally approved development criteria for inclusive growth. Will the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic help us reinvent the proclaimed Kerala Model into the next level, and be a trailblazer to guide other states of the Indian Union? Yes, is my answer to this question. As a state and as a community, Kerala has many advantages over other states to take benefit of the current situation to elevate our social setup to the next level. Kerala has one of the large expatriates’ communities working across various countries in the world. This edge contributed to the economic well-being of the state, but it also contributed to creating a society that respects a multicultural environment. Members of the expatriates’ community are comfortable to live in a multicultural climate and to speak multiple languages, including foreign languages. In a more globalized world, these grounds shall provide an immense power to capitalize on the opportunity.
The leaders in the Government and the opposition may make use of this situation to change the habits of people that stop us from becoming a more developed society. Japan, after World War 2, became an economic superpower within an unimaginably short period. This boom in the economy called the Japanese Miracle. Many factors contributed to the Japanese Miracle, but the role of its people’s culture played a very significant role in it. They have always put the country first and became more responsible citizens. Instead of waiting for the government machinery to respond to a situation, they behaved responsibly to build their country.
Many of us may have heard the stories from Japan that prove their commitment and responsibility. One of my mentors shared a story when he visited Tokyo for a conference. He wanted to send a courier while attending the conference and asked one of the volunteers, a Japanese girl for help through her supervisor. She agreed to do the task, accepted the material, and offered to visit the courier office by the evening. The next day, as the conference continued, my friend searched for the girl to confirm whether she sent the material or not; he finds the supervisor. When asked for the girl, the supervisor asked for the purpose. The supervisor perplexed and said not to ask her for the status of the task assigned. She will take it as a personal insult as per the Japanese level of honesty and dedication, and informed my friend that your task of sending the material end when you handed over the material to the girl. This true story is a pointer of the Japanese work culture, commitment, and priorities.
Active and responsible citizenship is a precious asset for any country. As a state, Kerala has a very engaging community that interacts in every issue through television and social media. Though this province is highly politicized through these active engagements, the discussions contribute to the improvement of its human development indexes. Kerala is the first state to come up with an LGBT policy a few years back is an example of the positive effects of such discussions.
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In India, we generally not very keen to obey the rules. Historically we have a very relaxed approach to the laws unless the law-keeping agencies strictly monitor it. Things are changing in recent years. The governments are taking steps to improve the monitoring mechanism, and the awareness level was also advanced. Lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything. People have never gone through such a situation. They have experienced what they have never experienced before. The lockdown affected people of every class in the society irrespective of their social status and education. I think this is a unique opportunity for governments in India to take the lead to build a more responsible culture of citizenship. Kerala has some unique features which we described at the beginning of this article; to lead this change. Let me explain some areas change is already visible, and the leadership is supposed to make a push and the possible areas where we need improvement to make use of the situation.
- The pandemic taught us to use masks and sanitizers to help us keep ourselves in better hygienic conditions. We have stopped spitting on public spaces because of the awareness we have achieved, and because of the masks that we are using. Now the political leadership can take steps to establish this as the new normal.
- Health issues reduced dramatically after the lockdown. Epidemics that usually come with the monsoon not seen and visits to hospitals decreased significantly. More immaculate public spaces shall have contributed to the advancement. Political leadership shall take steps to maintain this condition by certifying that we have already achieved it.
- The view with naked eye of faraway objects reported after the lockdown in various parts of the world, and in Kerala. These incidents can be considered as a precise indicator of a cleaner environment. The Governments shall take robust initiatives, with long term vision to keep the environment pollution-free. Citizens shall now be better aware of the importance of keeping the environment clean, and support from the citizens can better be ensured after this period. Let the citizens proud of the neat and tidy environment by not littering their neighbourhood.
- People have learned collective responsibility after the two floods happened last two consecutive years, and this lockdown due to coronavirus. This is the ideal time one for persuading citizens to take ownership of the system and pay the taxes responsibly. There will be many other government policies that stop people from paying taxes. With a long term vision, the Government shall take initiatives to build trust between the citizens and the system. Create a feeling of belonging and ownership among the citizens of the country.
- People were running like crazy behind the fancy things most often they don’t afford to buy. Stuff like cars and superbikes were selling like hotcakes, not because they are required but to show off. Lockdown changed preferences, and they started examining the real needs before making any spending decisions. At this point, if the Government makes the public transport system more efficient by connecting all forms of transport including buses, trains, water transport, etc., and by integrating them with technology, it will become the new fashion. A superior public transport system is evidence of a developed society.
- Violating traffic rules is a habit in Indian roads. Those who keep the rules considered dull drivers, and it drives even the typical drivers to become crazy. If the political leadership can make use of this opportunity to create a herd of responsible drivers consists of more than half of the total drivers’ community, it will be a milestone to achieve in this way. While observing foreign countries with high expatriate communities, it is evident that the process of taking a driving license is functioning as a cultural orientation program for a more civilized society. In this way, if we achieve the milestone, it will be remarkable.
- Evading rules are not limited to roads in India but in all areas. People are usually thinking about how to bypass the rules rather than keeping them. There are many reasons, including historical circumstances, for this habit, but it is not the right time for examining that. Let us use this opportunity to improve the feeling of responsible citizenship and self belongings. Let’s improve the trust between the citizens and the system.
- Among stories heard about Japanese practice, one of my teachers told me about the queue system immediately after WW2. In railway stations, people queuing up for tickets but no one there to keep the queue. More interestingly, there was nobody to issue the train tickets as well. Passengers were taking responsibility and purchasing the tickets from an unmanned counter. We also need a culture like this. It is happy to note that many instances reported from many parts of the country people taking responsibility during this lockdown. It is the right time to develop and evolve such habits immediately after the lockdown period.
- India is a country of large gatherings like religious and other festivals, and even ordinary Indian weddings are a large assembly of people. Strengthening of the extended family relations is the bright side of such gala weddings. But often, it causes the spreading of diseases through viruses and bacteria. This pandemic teaches us to keep distance in such gatherings and let’s keep the social distancing even after the lockdown. The Government may make laws to curtail such spreads and keep the gaps for a healthy community.
- A civilized society will always respect the rights of others. They will never intrude in the affairs of other people. They will keep themselves away from judging others’ beliefs and behaviour, as far it is in their personal space. In India, we are a multicultural society, but we always try to judge with limited knowledge about such matters. Many forces are trying to spread misinformation about the beliefs and customs of other communities. They use these tactics to secure a political position by generating fear among communities with each other. But this tendency is harmful to the national interest. It will be great if the leadership can use this occasion to build trust between various communities residing in this country.
- During the lockdown, we have learned to share resources. One of the biggest lessons one should learn about humanity is that we can exist only as a community, not as an individual. We have learned to keep a second bottle of sanitizer for the next person in the queue. We have learned to buy necessary foodstuffs only, rather than buying the entire stock in the store. We cared for others because we have realized the lesson about the existence of humankind. Let’s practice this valuable lesson, and let’s be an enlightened society.
- Historically, we are an agitating society. We raise our voice on the streets rather than the places where it meant to do to solve such issues. This practice may be because of two reasons. One is a lack of education and knowledge about such systems. The second reason is the lack of trust in the system. But now it is time to change. Our governing system is strong enough to protect every minor stakeholder of society. Every minority has the people educated enough to raise their voice in the system. This lockdown is the right time to make the shift.
- We need more positive news in our newspapers. Great civilizations are not built on bricks and mortar but the human spirit. We need to more positive news to enhance such a mood of progress. Negative news usually diminishes such enthusiasm. Newspapers are on the verge of a paradigm shift in terms of technology and platform. This shift is the right time to make a transformation from negative news style to a positive one. Necessary changes should bring by the Government to encourage such a move.
- Every human deserves respect irrespective of the colour of skin, the religion he believes, gender, sexual priorities, region or cast he belongs to, etc. Indians are born, grown, and living with such discrimination, and we are often failing to acknowledge that we are doing such biases. This custom has to be changed, and there will be no better time to make a change. Political leadership has a significant role in shaping the transformation. Who has the stomachs to take the lead is the big question.
The bottom line is that this lockdown is a lifetime opportunity for creating a great nation. At least, the state of Kerala has all the premises to makeshift to the next level and be a model state for all other member states of the Indian Union. The efforts to create a Kerala Model 2.0 shall start now. The points mentioned here are some indicators to visualize a magnificent civilization. Let’s all together work together to ensure that we are not missing this bus. Buzz a word about it in your timelines to initiate it.
Asif Theyyampattil
Founder – ATBC
