Kannur was a peaceful place in the memories of my childhood. Its natives were cultured and caring. We always talked about football. Local teams such as Lucky Star and Spirited Youths were a part of our culture.
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Today, Kannur has the dubious distinction of being the murder capital of Kerala. As many as 190 men have been killed by knives and bombs since 1980. Almost all of them were in the prime of their lives. As much as 45 of them were killed in the last 10 years.
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We may divide them into CPM or RSS workers. Blood begets blood, as Shakespeare said in ‘Macbeth’. Bloodletting leads to more bloodletting. How many of our sisters have become widows in their youth. How many children are growing up without their fathers. The addictive politics has become the curse of Kannur.
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We are all awaiting Onam. Let this Onam not be a tearful memory for the people of Kannur. Let not anyone be scarred for life. Let them have sweet memories of their land.
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We empathize with Nilovna Vlasova, the protagonist of Maxim Gorky’s ‘Mother’, but turn a blind eye towards the pain of Kannur’s mothers, who lose their sons to the vendetta politics.
Modern novel developed as a resistance to the homicides in Latin America. We lack a writer like Gabriel Garcia Marquez to chronicle the murders in Kannur. Writers, painters and actors have pleaded for an end to this violence. They gathered at Panur, signed mass petitions and recited poetry, but everything fell into deaf ears. It seems, the killing fields of Kannur have crushed the might of the pen.
Someone has to climb down if this violence is to stop. Someone has to say “no” to this practice of vendetta. Someone has to say that they do not want anymore widows in their land. That will not amount to defeat in any case. They will be the real winners. They will find a place in history. They will be praised by future generations.
The new government has ushered in a tide of expectations in Kerala. Everyone is dreaming of a new Kerala. The government is as much duty-bound to stop the killings as rolling out welfare measures.