THE STORY OF MY JOURNEY IN LIFE

I had the rare good fortune to have been born on India’s Independence Day, 15^th August 1947.  Born on an auspicious day as India’s Independence Day, Swathanthrakumar (Freedom Boy) would have been more apt a name for me, but perhaps since my parents were so over-whelmed with joy to have their first baby boy born on an auspicious day like India’s Independence Day, the strongest and most powerful of the Cochin King Shakthan Thampuran’s birthday and assumption day of St.Mary ( Jesus Christ’s mother), all combined together, they named me  Joy. I remember having heard that my grandfather made my birth a celebration by inviting and giving feast to all children in the neighbourhood since my birth happened to be on an auspicious day like India’s Independence Day.

            I had my schooling in Tharakan’s High School, Aranattukara and St. Aloysius High School, Elthuruth in Thrissur District of Kerala. I passed my Pre-Degree examination from St. Thomas College, Thrissur and took degree in engineering from Govt. Engineering College, Thrissur.  I was considered bright in my studies by my parents and teachers since I stood first in almost all my classes and I was school first for my S.S.L.C. exam. I was also considered a good public speaker during my school and college days and got many prizes and awards in public speaking and essay writing in all Kerala competitions. I was elected school leader during my school final year and also won in engineering college the first election I fought with thumping majority. For a short period of three years I worked in the student wing of the Congress Party, Kerala Students Union. At that time I was classmate and associate of Sri V.M. Sudheeran, now a veteran Congress leader, Ex-Speaker of Kerala Assembly, Ex-Minister and former Member of Parliament. I took part in the meeting of the K.S.U. in which Sri A.K. Antony, present Defense Minister of India, was elected as State President of K.S.U.  I was a member of K.S.U. during the period when Oomman Chandy, present Chief Minister of Kerala, Sri Kadannappilly Ramachandran former Left Front minister and Sri Kottara Gopalakrishan (He became the youngest MLA in Kerala at the age of 25.) were State Presidents of K.S.U. My close friend Sri. V.M. Sudheeran was then Thrissur District Presdinent of K.S.U.  When he became State President, I was out of K.S.U and joined my engineering degree course.  I quit active politics to concentrate on my engineering studies and also because politics was unknown and forbidden in the professional colleges in those days.

Even then I continued as a Congress sympathizer but the declaration of emergency by Smt. Indira Gandhi and suspension of civil liberties caused my final break with the Congress. I was on my way to the railway station to go home from my work place when the news of declaration of emergency reached me. I was shocked, angered and grieved and drops of tears were actually rolling down out of my eyes, thinking anxiously about the future of India and its democracy. I had the feeling that the country is entering a prolonged period of darkness. Even though I was a government official I openly criticized the Internal Emergency for which I had to pay a price later. Finally when the emergency was lifted in 1977 and general election was declared I heaved a sigh of relief. One of the happiest moments in my life is when the news of the election defeat of Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi reached me over radio. There was no television at that time.

            After completing my engineering degree course, though I got appointment orders from Central P.W.D., Indian Railways , Central Water and Power Commission and Kerala P.W.D., I preferred Kerala P.W.D., since at that time I didn’t want to leave Kerala to be a support to my family and younger ones who were all studying in various colleges. (Had I been given a option now, I would have opted All India Services because it would have helped me to discover India more.)  It was not very long after my entry into government service, emergency was declared. I was bold enough to openly criticize emergency at that time. This angered some of the staff members of my office affiliated to the Congress-backed NGO Association. At that time the prestigious P.W.D. Guest House of Shoranur, where usually ministers, film stars and celebrities camp, was in my charge. Outdoor scenes of many of the famous Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi films were shot in Shoranur in those days in the picturesque background and beautiful locations of Bharathapuzha River. As the officer in charge to allot accommodation in the Guest House, the film production executives approached me for booking the guest house for one or two weeks for the stars and technicians to camp. Thus I was then known to film people and in those days I had the good fortune to get acquainted with famous film stars like Prem Nazir, Shivaji Ganeshan,Bharath Balan.K. Nair, M.G. Soman etc. etc.  

I was strict in enforcing rules and regulations in the Guest House and prohibited any unlawful activities there. I came to know that some of my staff members used the Guest House for immoral activities and I warned the caretaker of the Guest House that he will be charged if such activities were repeated. This again infuriated my already antagonized Congress supporting staff due to my open criticism of emergency and they send an anonymous petition against me to Vigilance Department on some false and flimsy grounds. One day when I was returning from inspection of roads under my charge, vigilance raid was going on in my office and residence. It was the dark days of emergency and there was unwritten  instructions to the Vigilance Department that a certain number of government officers must be suspended daily and the news broadcast over radio to instill fear in the officers. So a vigilance inspection meant sure suspension. One of my friends, who was  actually innocent, was suspended for dereliction of duty for a fraud committed by his subordinate officer without his knowledge and the news was broadcast over All India Radio. After long hours of search and inspection the vigilance people couldn’t find even an iota of evidence in the charges against me in any of the allegations in the anonymous petition. The Vigilance officers became convinced  that I, a young man of only 26 at that time, was innocent and the petition was sent by people who  had personal scores to be settled with me. They reported so and I was fully cleared of all allegations. Thus I had to suffer during the Emergency for no fault of mine except for openly criticizing the declaration of emergency and also for preventing Congress people from committing immoral activities in the Guest House in my charge.

My service story will not be complete if I don’t describe three more instances where I tried to protect public interest. At that time I was an Assistant Engineer in charge of Peechi Dam Project. There was an old rusted dilapidated  steel aquaduct of about 100m long in the Left Bank Canal of Peechi Dam which had to be renovated. Tenders were invited from contractors and the lowest tender received was at 40% above estimate. Retender was invited and this time we got tender at 50% above estimate. The contractors were in collusion. So in consultation with my superiors I took up the challenge of executing the work departmentally under my supervision. I approached Steel Authority of India for departmental purchase of steel materials for the work and they allotted the necessary steel. I took delivery of steel from Cochin Ship yard and transported departmentally to the work site. I got the work done through piece work contracts for erection, welding etc. The work was completed in record time and also the government saved lakhs of Rupees in the execution of the work. Considering my tremendous efforts and sincerity in executing the work departmentally and for making substantial savings of public money, Government of Kerala awarded me a Good Service Entry. It is recorded in my Service Register.

When I was Executive Engineer Alappuzha District there was a long pending bridge work in the then Chief Minister A.K.Antony’s constituency. Remember he  was my former colleague in K.S.U. ( At that time my friend, classmate and former colleague in K.S.U. Mr. V. M. Sudheeran was the Member of Parliament from Alappuzha and we worked in close alliance to do substantial improvement works in that reach of National Highway 47 passing through Alappuzha District.). In July 2001 Chief Minister A. K. Antony assigned me the challenge of completing Aroor – Arookkutty bridge work in his constituency, pending for the last 10 years, before 28^th February, 2002. I took up the challenge. I took full interest to solve some technical challenges and financial bottlenecks holding up the bridge work for the last few years. I must admit that I had the full backing of the Chief Minister. He used to call me every alternate day. Some days when he called me at night 10 o’ clock still I would be in my office working and he congratulated me for working so late and so hard. As promised by me I completed the last concrete work of the bridge in the night of February 27^th 2002 ( One of the most unfortunate days in the history of India when the a coach in Sabarmati Express was burnt down in Godhra, Gujarat).  The next day there was a bandh orgnised by BJP. Even then I reached Alappuzha in my official car and sent a telegram to the Chief Minister telling “ Aroor – Arookutty Bridge  completed”. I was so happy that I could fulfill the challenge thrown at me by Chief Minister. C.M. wanted to fix up the inauguration of the bridge connecting Kochi to an Island Arookkutty in Alappuzha District. But due to an indefinite strike by non-gazetted officers of Government of Kerala the inauguration took place only in April. In my whole service life I haven’t seen such a grand inauguration with genuine and spontaneous response by the people of the island. Chief Minister A. K. Antony inaugurated the bridge and two State Ministers, K. R. Gouri, M. K. Muneer and Sri. Vayalar Ravi present Central Minister were present on the occasion.

The Aroor – Arookkutty bridge is on the same back waters over which Mattanchery bridge situates and is of the same length and specifications. The cost incurred for my Aroor – Arookkutty Bridge  was  less than half  the cost of Mattanchery bridge constructed by Gammon Indian Ltd. on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis. The toll rate fixed for Mattanchery Bridge was so exorbitant that the local people started an agitation against such a high toll rate. Gammon India’s estimate was boosted up so high that they can charge a high and unjust toll rate. The top persons in the department, especially the Principal Secretary, the I.A.S. man, were hand in glove with the Private company against peoples’ interest.  The agitating organizations filed a petition against Kerala Government and Gammon India Ltd. in the Kerala High Court. The advocates pointed out the huge difference in cost of construction of my Aroor – Arookkuty bridge and Gammon India’s Mattanchery bridge over the same backwaters, of the same length and constructed at the same time. The Court took into consideration the low cost incurred for the Aroor – Arookkutty Bridge as a basis for deciding the case of Mattanchery Bridge and favourably commented on the low cost of construction of the Aroor - Arookkutty bridge.

Now I come to the fag end of my government service. Usually a government officer is given an opportunity to work in his home district before his retirement. But I preferred to remain in the place where I was, since I was not prepared to hold anyone’s feet for getting a transfer. This time an unfortunate incident happened and I had to take long leave from my department till my retirement. One contractor who had taken up a major work in the N.H.47 wanted a big advance of lakhs of Rupees on the guarantee of materials stacked by him. It came within my discretionary power either to grant or deny the advance. The materials were stacked in contractor’s own yard in Ernakulam District and the work to be carried out in Alappuzha District. I had no faith in completing the work by this particular contractor.  I was sure that after taking the advance on the materials stacked in his own yard in another district, he may not do my work  and  will utilise the materials for some other works . I declined to give the advance. The contractor, a politically very influential man, brought down on me great political pressure, but I didn’t yield. I didn’t think the minister, a young man then, was personally corrupt, but I clearly knew the Principal Secretary of my department, the I.A.S. man, was personally corrupt. (After my retirement, I wrote a personal letter to the new Chief Minister, Sri. V. S. Achuthanandan, when Oomman Chandy stepped down after election defeat, warning him against posting this particular I.A.S. man in another key post, but it is not known whether any action was taken on my letter.) Under the influence of the Principal Secretary, the Minister convened a conference of the Principal Secretary, the Chief Engineer, the contractor and me. I knew that this conference was convened only to pressurize me to give the advance of lakhs of Rupees to the contractor with no written orders from any quarters. I didn’t personally attend the conference feigning illness and sent one of my subordinate officers. After returning, my subordinate told me that it was wise on my part not to attend. Otherwise I would have been pressurized somehow so intensely that I would have to yield. The next day I applied for long leave, left the place and never rejoined the department till my retirement day after 6 months. But they took revenge on me, an officer with unblemished record, by delaying my pension for more than one and a half year. After entering government service as a gazetted officer, I worked for 32 years and retired as a Class I officer of Government of Kerala. Thus I come to the end of my service story. I was offered some good postings after my retirement, one as the Engineer in charge of whole of South India for supervising the works under Prime Minister’s Sadak Yojana Scheme, second as the Senior Engineer to supervise Asian Development Bank works in Thrissur District and third as a consultant engineer by National Highways Authority of India, but I refused because I wanted to live a life of my own and to fulfill my desire to serve the people of this nation as an independent person.

I had the good fortune to associate myself with Nava Bharatha Vedi, an anti-corruption movement founded by late Dr. Sukumar Azhikode even while I was working in the government as a responsible officer.  Even while in government, I was also bold enough to work in Hindustani Andolan (Indians in Service of India), a Gandhian organization to fight against corruption and communalism, (a forerunner of Anna Hazare’s India Against Corruption) founded by late Mr. Madhu Mehta who was previously the All India General Secretary of Rajaji’s Swatanthra Party. On leaving active politics he started this movement. Madhu Mehta was the National Convener of Hindustani Andolan and I was State Convener for Kerala. My speech in a Bombay meeting of the Hindustani Andolan just before Babri Masjid demolition was described by many of my friends as prophetic. (Recently I got a hand-written manuscript of this speech among my old papers  and emailed to many of my friends.).  At that time  Sri. V. P. Singh came out of Rajiv Gandhi government as its Finance Minister on Bofors issue and formed an anti-corruption movement, Jana Morcha.  A former Congress minister of Kerala who was out of government tried to act as the spokesman of Jana Morcha in Kerala. I knew this man was corrupt to the core. I wrote directly to Sri. V. P.  Singh warning about this man with a copy to Madhu Mehta, friend of V.P.Singh. When V. P. Singh visited Bombay soon after my letter, Madhu Mehta spoke to him about this former minister of Kerala. Then V. P. Singh made a public statement that this man would have no place in his movement. V. P. Singh wrote directly to me in his own handwriting.  After the demise of Mr. Madhu Mehta, Hindustani Andolan came to a natural death. 

I had also served as the President of Thrissur Junior Chamber, State Vice-President of Kerala State Junior Chamber, President of Thrissur Rotary, President of Car Owners Association, Vice-President of Subway & Infrastructure Society, President of Investors Club, Thrissur (Still I am president.), District President of Senior Citizens Service Council, State President of Kerala Catholic Federation, State General Secretary of Joint Christian Council ( both the organizations (the former founded by me) were for fighting against the autocracy,  suppression and oppression of the ordinary believers by the Bishops and the Clergy of Christian churches, the latter, a common platform of 12 progressive Christian organizations). I founded the residents’ association of my locality named Mission Quarters Pourasamithy fifteen years ago and had been its president for 13 years out of 15 years of its existence. Mission Quarters Pourasamithy is the first and strongest residents’ association in Thrissur Corporation area. At the time of the formation of Thrissur City Corparation, there was some anomaly in the demarcation of new Divisions by the Election Commission.  The Congress Party filed a case in the High Court of Kerala. But the High Court dismissed this petition. Then as the President of Mission Quarters Pourasamithy I approached the High Court of Kerala on another legal ground against the division formation and won the case against the Election Commission. At that time I was an officer of the Government of Kerala and my superior officers, though they admired me, was startled and warned me against repercussions. But luckily nothing happened.

I could also play my humble role in the India Against Corruption Movement of Anna Hazare in August 2011.  Anna’s fast in Delhi at Ramlila Maidan was to commence on August 16^th 2011. I felt strongly that something must be done in Thrissur also. I contacted all my friends in various organisations in which I am involved and asked them to be present in front of Thrissur Corporation Office on 16^th August morning 10 am. While we were deliberating on what to do in Thrissur, volunteers and leaders of Laloor anti-pollution action council also came there with the same purpose. We jointly decided to start a relay fast in front of Thrissur Corporation Office till Anna Hazare ends his fast in Delhi. After procession along Thrissur Swaraj Round, we started the relay fast. This was a very exciting and illuminating experience in my life. On all evenings lot of people including women and children visited the shamiana where the fast was going on and conveyed their solidarity with us. Evenings we lighted candles as a symbol of eradicating the darkness of corruption in India and to spread the message of anti-corruption movement. Thousands of people responded in this symbolic candle lighting in the evenings. In those days of agitation I had direct contact with Arvind Kejriwal and other top leaders of the movement.  I wrote many articles in support of the Jan Lokpal movement and sent by email to more than 1500 people in India and abroad.

            Now a few words on my family though not much relevant to my public life. My wife, Lucy, was a professor in St. Mary’s College, Thrissur and now leading a retired life. My son Anoop Joy B.Tech. M.B.A. is an Asst. Manager in Reliance Communications LTD. of Anil Ambani group. My daughter Amitha Joy B.Tech. is now working in Infosys Technologies Ltd. Both are married. I hope it will not be out of place to mention here that my daughter Amitha Joy was State First Rank holder in Kerala S.S.L.C. examination of 1997 out of 6.5 lakhs students who wrote the exam. She was awarded the Gold Medal of Kerala State by none other than the then Chief Minister Late Sri. E. K. Nayanar. Then Education Minister Mr. P. J. Joseph visited my house in Thrissur and congratulated my daughter personally on the day of declaration of the S.S.L.C. examination results. She also got gold medals from the then Finance Minister, Sivadasa Menon, Agricultural Minister Krishan Kaniyamparambil, Bishop of Thrissur Mar Jacob Thoomkuzhy etc.  Sri. K. Karunakaran former Chief Minister and then Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly personally presented to my daughter the Gold Medal in his own wife’s name, Kallianikkutty Amma Memorial Gold Medal.

After my retirement, I started my Bharat Darshan (Discovery of India) tours which took me to most of the States in India. Subsequently I undertook my Viswa Darshan  (Discovery of the world) tour. I am fortunate in that as part of my Viswa Darshan tour I could set my foot in many countries of the five continents of the world viz. Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia and North America. I have also written a travelogue in Malayalam “Daivathinte Nattilninnu Daivaputrante Nattilekku” (From God’s Own Land to Son of God’s Land). This book was published by St. Paul’s Publications, Kochi.

At present I have joined as a humble volunteer of Aam Aadmi Party which, I believe, is the last and only hope for India, in the darkness of all pervading corruption and mismanagement of public money.

            This is the story of my journey in life so far. I have no regrets whatsoever. As long as I can, I crave to be useful in the service of my country and my people.