networking the aryavaisya community

gupta(n), moothan, tharaka(n), mannadiyar, pathukudi

Vision, Objectives, SWOT Analysis, Issues and Action Plans

Dr. Prahlad Vadakkepat

11 June 2007

(The author thanks the aryanet members for their constructive inputs.)

Vision

Network and form a fine group of individuals

to nurture a cohesive and mature community

Objectives

1. To network the community, tapping the talents and resource pools available within the community for the benefit and betterment of everyone.

   1. To extend educational, career and financial guidance to the needy.

   2. To prepare the community to live with the challenges associated with the ever changing complex living spaces around.

2. To nurture a cohesive and mature community.

   1. To benefit from the growth and progress that India is currently enjoying, and to form a fine group of individuals who can lead and excel.

   2. To take the community to such heights that will make it a role model for other communities to look up to and to draw inspiration from.

Background

Legends narrate the plight of the community down south as early as 700 AD. The community is spread across Palakkad District and has settlements in Madras, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Bombay and Delhi. The community boasts of a rich cultural heritage. After settling down in Palakkad, the community adapted well to the locality while preserving its richer practices. Its presence is felt across the globe in USA, Europe, Gulf, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

The ARYANET portal and the Google group network the community. The community has an online matrimony database aryayogam and a community newsletter aryodayam.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

1. The community is rich in several fronts

1. Geographical: Spread across Palakkad district and other parts of Kerala, with settlements in Madras, Bangalore, Bombay, Delhi and abroad.

2. Career: A large number of members are / were successful as, farmers, businessmen, traders, educators, scientists, servicemen, professionals and artists.

3. Apart from the traditional business establishments, several members have started their own businesses within and outside India.

4. A number of members of the community are known at the state, national and international levels.

5. Overseas pool: Several members are working abroad.

2. Realization of Value of Education

1. The community has realized the importance and value of education.

2. The community has several rank holders, both at the school, and university levels, and has placed its marks in various talent tests at the district, state and national levels.

3. Growth potential

1. The community has tremendous potential to grow.

2. Timely advice and creating conducive environments are the need of the hour.

4. aryanet – Online community and resources

1. aryanet has great potential to help the community.

2. The online community is extending services like sharing career opportunities, offering guidance, assisting matrimony and facilitating habituation to new environments.

5. Gupta(n), Moothan, Tharaka(n), Mannadiyar and Pathukudi sections:
1. The culture, rituals and living styles of various sections within aryavaisya are diverse. Though the community lacks a strong uniform social fabric, the wider spectrum of living styles makes the community culturally rich. Such diversities need not come in the way of social cohesion and unity.
   

Weakness

1. Lack of social unity, cohesion and appreciation of fellow people:

1. Greater cohesion and unity are needed to take the community to better heights.

2. By and large, members have to inculcate ways to accommodate and appreciate fellow members in a healthier manner.

2. Lack of understanding of various social spaces results in “jumping to premature conclusions”, “lack of respect” and “undue critical analysis” in daily living spaces:

1. To become a responsible member of a civilized society, there is greater need to understand and appreciate various social spaces: personal space, nuptial space, family space and community space (the word community is used here with a wider meaning).

2. The complexities associated with living in several spaces at the same time are a challenge for everybody. With a wider sense of being a civic body and by respecting each other’s spaces, it is possible to bring down the social stresses to a larger extent.

3. Matrimonial alliances and divorces:

1. The divorce rate is on the rise.

2. The generation gap and the lack of understanding aggravate the complexities of modern day life.

3. A change in mentality is required to alleviate the stigma associated with divorces among couples with irreconcilable differences.

4. Sex education
1. A change in mentality is required to address the stigma associated with sex education and sharing sex related knowledge with the children.
5. Reading habits:
1. The reading habits of members are on the decline (which is a trend across other communities as well), which can be considered as a bottleneck precipitating in many of the above issues.

Opportunities

1. Information age:

1. With the advent of better communication media / spaces (telephone, visual media, internet) members are better equipped.

2. The younger generation can adapt to the rapid changes all over.

2. Tapping available resources:

1. A good pool of well trained professionals (business, agriculture, engineering, medical, service and education) is available for the community to tap their resources.

2. aryanet (aryavaisya online community), aryavaisya local chapters, and wings of the community in Madras and Bangalore are in place to take the community to better heights.

3. The various community cells can extend assistance along matrimony, career guidance and other services as and when needed.

3. Educational and Career advancements:

1. There are a number of value added courses offered by several Universities across the nation. There is greater need to make use of those opportunities.

2. The resources that are available by way of community cells / bodies can add value to this cause.

Threats

1. Generation gap:

1. The newer generation is spreading its wings across the globe. They feel greater need for appreciation and acknowledgment of their struggles in day-to-day life.

2. There is greater need to appreciate and understand various social spaces (personal space, nuptial space, family space and community space).

3. The situation of parents, whose kids have left their home-towns in search of a better profession/career, needs to be addressed.

2. Matrimonial alliance and divorces:

1. An entirely different school of thought applies to younger generation(s) – the community has to appreciate the challenges the new generation has to face.

2. There is greater need to rise to the expectations of the information age generation.

3. Divorces are tickling in to the community, as in many others – there is urgent need to educate members to appreciate matrimonial alliances beyond matching horoscopes and financial status, and to make them consider matching along individuals’ likes and dislikes as well. Likes and dislikes span across personal preferences, expectations filling up the living spaces, ambitions, goals and comfort levels.

Points to ponder

1. The poorer and deprived sections of the community should be identified and efforts should be made to help them to join the main stream.

   1. Extending scholarships and providing timely guidance can bring about changes.

   2. Available local and outstation opportunities should be made known to the members on a timely basis.

2. Useful tips on financial planning and management; both at the micro and macro levels will benefit a larger cross section of the community enabling them to lead better lives.

   1. Need to educate the community by organizing seminars and workshops on relevant subjects.

   2. Desirable to reach out to the female members of the community paving the way for better house management.

3. Educating members about good health practices and hygiene in order to lead healthy life styles will help in paving the way for a healthier community in the long run.

   1. Need to educate the community by organizing seminars and workshops on relevant subjects.

   2. Desirable to reach out to the female members of the community paving the way for better house management.

4. Educating the community on the value of enrolling for medical insurance policies to guarantee a safer tomorrow for the dependants.

5. To act as a catalyst in nurturing civic and social senses among members to prepare the community to move to higher echelons of living spaces.

Action plans – long term

1. To generate a pedigree of the community, leading to a good data base for every one to access.

2. To prepare the history of the community in the recent past.

3. To study the legendary stories behind the movement of various sections of the community across the nation.

4. To nurture entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship.

5. To collect and consolidate the history of temples that the community worship.

6. To setup a state of the art reading and reference library, both in printed and electronic form, for the community.

Action plans – immediate

1. To organize the aryanet sangamam in December 2007 at Palakkad.

2. To identify and recognize the forefathers who have contributed to the community in their own way.

3. To identify members from all walks of lives (farmers, businessmen, traders, educators, scientists, servicemen, professionals and artists) who have set their own marks within the community across the settlements within and outside India.

4. To set up an online education and career guidance cell.

5. To stream line and popularize the aryayogam matrimonial space.

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