Page 17 - Keralite Magazine _2020

KERALITE  APRIL 20 20 35
and they complement each other in making the
meal a satisfying repast. So too it is with India, so
too with Kerala.
Keralites see the best guarantee of their own
security and prosperity in the survival and success
of a pluralist India. The Malayali ethos is the same as
the best of the Indian ethos – accepting,
inclusionist, flexible, eclectic, absorptive. The
central challenge of India as we enter the 21st
century is the challenge of accommodating the
aspirations of di erent groups in the national
dream. The ethos that I have called both Keralite
and Indian is indispensable in helping the nation
meet this challenge. All of these are qualities that I
hope we can continue to build upon each year
when we celebrate Onam. As a Keralite and an
Indian, I look forward to the day when Kerala will no
longer be the exception in tales of Indian
development, but merely the trailblazer.