How The Kerala Club examines the successes and faultlines of the Kerala Model

Once among the poorest regions in India, Kerala has become a State virtually free of extreme poverty. Economists and sociologists frequently celebrate the “Kerala Model” but this book refuses to indulge in self-congratulation. Beneath the gleaming malls and lavish houses lining Kerala’s highways, the writers detect structural weaknesses that cannot be ignored indefinitely. S Subbiah points out one such weakness: the absence of any reliable mechanism to verify if government programmes actually reach the last beneficiary. Equally revealing is Sreenivasan’s account of his difficult post-retirement experience in Kerala’s higher education sector. His reformist suggestions were fiercely resisted and he himself was manhandled. Financial imprudence is another recurring concern in the writings of T Nandakumar and N Ramachandran.

Several essays stand out for their practical wisdom. KB Valsala Kumari sees the success of the Kudumbashree programme as proof that genuine gender equity is possible only when women are entrusted with leadership. Dr K Ellangovan makes a persuasive case for empowering nurses to handle minor procedures and emergencies, especially in rural areas where doctors are scarce. Environmental anxieties too run through the book. Bransdon Corrie’s essay on forests is among the most evocative. Beginning with the observation that “forests have neither voice nor votes”, he appeals that humans must speak for them because only through people can forests be heard. Former IAS officer and Union Minister KJ Alphons sounds an alarm over the Mullaperiyar dam, calling it a “ticking bomb”. His proposal that Kerala offer free water and electricity to Tamil Nadu in exchange for constructing a new downstream dam reflects the seriousness of the issue.

Throughout the volume, the intellectual shadow of Amartya Sen looms large. His “capability approach” to development finds repeated mention because Kerala’s achievements are ultimately measured less in terms of wealth and more in terms of human well-being. Joy Vazhayil hopes Kerala can restrain the growing influence of pressure groups with narrow agenda and evolve into an egalitarian society marked by a high happiness index. Urbanisation, entrepreneurship and decentralisation are examined with similar candour. P Joy Oommen sees opportunity in Kerala becoming one continuous urban corridor from the north-end to the south-end. T Balakrishnan worries about mounting debt but finds hope in a younger generation willing to embrace entrepreneurship.

The personal narratives lend the anthology warmth and readability. Vinod Rai recounts how, though originally allotted Nagaland, he eventually joined the Kerala cadre. Rajan Medhekar offers perhaps the volume’s most delightful anecdote: a science student topping Ancient Indian History in the civil services examination after devouring Amar Chitra Katha comics.

Though written largely by former bureaucrats, the essays rarely lapse into officialese. They write with humour, erudition and emotional investment in the State’s future, making it both a serious reflection on the Kerala model and a collection of memories.

Philip is the president of Kerala Club, New Delhi