Kerala was not built in a day!

With the spread of Covid-19, the fault lines in world politics, economy, and especially in the healthcare sector, lie starkly exposed. One narrow strip of land that stands out in this crisis is the southern state of Kerala. The world has taken notice and is lavish in its praise of the state, its people and leadership. Whilst many so-called ‘developed countries’ are struggling to contain the fear and chaos unleashed by the virus, Kerala has managed to restrict the number of cases to around 450 and deaths to just three since the virus first appeared in the state.

Swami Vivekananda in the 1900s called Kerala a ‘lunatic asylum’. It was the caste system and the prevailing social-economic structure that forced the comment. But to the credit of Malayalis, they took that comment on their chin and worked diligently on many aspects of society and made considerable progress. The enlightened erstwhile rulers of Travancore, the missionaries and the Communists have all played critical roles in making this transformation. The visionary legislations related to social reforms, education, land reforms and healthcare have made all the difference.

Assimilation and equality

Adi Shankara, the celebrated saint who proposed Advaita Vedanta, came from Kerala. From here, the philosophy travelled across the globe. Kerala is believed to be the place where St Thomas landed in 52 AD. When the Jews faced persecution in their lands, they were welcomed and, in fact, Cochin has the oldest Jewish synagogue in the Commonwealth countries. The Cheraman Juma Mosque in Kerala is the oldest mosque in India and is said to have been built in 629 AD. Thus, it’s clear that local people and rulers welcomed outsiders, which brought prosperity and, more importantly, new ideas and thoughts.

Social reformers like Narayana Guru led the social transformation of Kerala. Although the Advaita philosophy was in currency for a long time, a practical manifestation of it had to wait till the 1900s when Narayana Guru installed a mirror in a temple, in place of the deity. The idea was to see oneself – in line with the Upanishadic saying – Tat Tvam Asi (You are that) and Aham Brahmasmi (I am the divine). His fundamental teaching – “One Caste, One Religion, One God” -- was a path-breaking approach to change the society into a more egalitarian one.

This kind of teaching and exposure to people from foreign lands enriched the society. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “I do not want my house to be walled or my windows closed, I want the culture of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet.” One can see the actualisation of that dream in Kerala.

Education, health reforms

The mid-day meal is such an important policy tool in the hands of governments today to drive primary education. It is said that the Catholic Church started mid-day meals in school way back in 1850s to get more children enrolled. In 1864, the church issued a circular that mandated that each parish should establish educational institutions. This dramatically made education available to more people. With the backing of the ruling kings and various others, education was deemed a priority sector. What followed was that in 1991, Kerala was declared 100% literate, the first state to achieve the feat in India.

Even after independence, feudal agrarian systems continued in many parts of India and Kerala was no exception. The historic Land Reforms Act of 1969 introduced by the Communist government with the slogan “land for the tillers” was a shock treatment for society. But in hindsight, it can be said that it was justified and has paid rich dividends for the overall development of the state. The state swallowed a bitter pill then and is healthy today.

In the age of Corona, the focus is squarely on the health sector. There are over 100 medical colleges spread across Kerala. While the WHO norm is to have a doctor for 1,000 people, Kerala is ahead with one doctor for about 520 people. The state boasts about one of the lowest child mortality rates, comparable with that in the developed world. Life expectancy is the highest in the country at 75 years. The medical infrastructure and capacity has been built over a long period of time with focus and dedication.

Kerala Model

These days, the ‘Kerala Model’ is touted as the way to manage the health crisis. Other states can implement the model, but expectations should be nuanced and moderate. Culture, habit and capacity-building are long-term work and Kerala stands out on all these factors. Is it a perfect state? No. In fact, far from it. Kerala is miles ahead, but it’s still very much a work in progress. Kerala is putting in the tough miles, and no one should imagine that Kerala was built in a day.

(The writer is an automobile industry professional based in Bengaluru)