'What Kerala Thinks Today, India Thinks Tomorrow?'

The above statement was coined by tech mogul Rajdeep Sardesai, in one of his prime time shows with the Health Minister of Kerala K.K Shailaja, where he asked her about Kerala’s secret sauce to handling the COVID-19 situation so effectively. The crux of her answer was TEAMWORK…

Now, amid such rainy days, when at the time of writing this article India presents a figure of 9,352 positive cases, it’s imperative to emulate the efforts of those who have been spearheading the cause and have been paving the way forward towards sunny days. Kerala undoubtedly has heralded a perfect example of flattening the curve, which Mr.Sardesai says is the best in the world! Now that’s intense.

Well, Kerala truly has heralded a distinguishing example of what recovery looks like, and it’s not that far fetched to be honest, as Kerala more often than not bears the ‘Gods Own Country’ tag. Probably an agnostic would have every reason to challenge his convictions in this regard, however, some personal experiences of Yours Truly speak differently.

Visiting Kerala was on my bucket list for eternity, however, it got deferred everytime due to some commitment, not until my journalistic career took me there, and the frequency had been thrice in four months, till last December. Yet, everytime I visited, a new version of Kerala was depicted before my naked eyes. While the ports of old Kochi shone brightly against the backdrop of the greenish blue sea, amid the gentle breeze that reminded me of one of those quiet vigils back in Goa. 

On the other hand, the capital Thiruvananthapuram bore all the impressions of a capital. Congested roads, clogged metro stations, and roadside eateries, perfectly wrapped itself into the humdrum affairs. Kovalam, on the other hand, portrayed a calm, poised and serene picture.

Though the cities seemed diverse, yet there was one dominant factor that seemed vivid. TEAMWORK. Both in the Government and private sectors. During my erstwhile visit to Kerala, I was privileged enough to be invited by the Government of Kerala, and really form an opinion that events can be conducted without chaos, and proper coordination among each other. Now, this was an eye-opener for me as I had organised a similar event of startups pitching (The Indian version of Shark Tank) just a week back, and my colleagues told me that I was on the verge of a major nervous breakdown. Not only because the entire events’ responsibility was bestowed upon me, but because several speakers were backing out at the 11th hour and I had no backups. Things were so worse that while Emceeing, I forgot my script while back at home, and had to rely solely on my impromptu skills.

While emceeing, it was also to be ensured that there was proper video coverage from all angles, and that everything was being uploaded on social media… Now, for a good amount of time, I felt that this conviction was to last till eternally, until my deep-rooted beliefs were challenged!

This is no exaggeration that on Day 1 of the event, no sooner did the host call up a speaker, there were live tweets with relevant hashtags, and a gist of the session, with the perfect backdrop on the LED. After every session, the media was being provided with Press Releases that carried all the relevant points, followed by a one on one interaction with the speakers.

What was even more astonishing was the cleanliness observed and maintained during the refreshments. Not once did I see a plate being soiled and left open, or the tissues scattered here and there, or any plate just left on any table. Everything was speck and span. Neat and clean. No room for complaints. 

The next morning, while at the breakfast table, I noticed a sugar-free caramel pudding reserved under my name. On further enquiry, the floor manager said that she saw me work out the other day, and thus presumed that there was no way I would dive into sugar. Well, Mr, Sardesai was right indeed in his prognosis. 

‘What Kerala Thinks Today, India Thinks Tomorrow.’