A slice of history.

76 years ago on this day, PN Panicker had organised a mammoth meeting at Ambalappuzha to inaugurate the Travancore Grandhasala Sangham - with 47 rural libraries of Travancore - and the then Diwan of Travancore, Sir CP Ramaswamy Aiyer was the chief guest. And from then on, there was no looking back. In 1949, when Travancore and Kochi had merged, it became the Thiru-Kochi Grandhasala Sangham and finally metamorphosed to the Kerala Grandhasala Sangham in 1956.

When it celebrated its silver jubilee in 1970, PN Panicker through his own efforts, by going to every nook and corner of Kerala had set up a network of 5,280 libraries and made it a vibrant people's movement. He had undertaken a padayatra from Kasaragod, in the north, to Parassala in the south and familiarised the Malayalees with the powerful slogan, "Vaayichu Valaruka, Chinthichu Vivekam Neduka" (Read and Grow, Think and Be Enlightened). 

The UNESCO  had awarded the Kerala Grandhasala Sangham with the Nadezhda Krupskaya (named after Lenin's wife) award for outstanding contribution to society. 

When the Kerala Government took over the Kerala Grandhasala sangham in 1977, it was christened the State Library Council and it now boasts of 7,000 odd libraries under its ambit.

Today, we at the PN Panicker Foundation, commemorated the occasion at a small meeting in the courtyard of our office at Thycaud, opposite the Government Arts College. And we are concentrating our efforts towards the spread of digital literacy in every part of the state.

My doubt.

Why is the State Library Council quiet on such an important occasion?

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IQ, EQ, SQ and AQ

According to psychologists there are four types of intelligence :-

* Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

* Emotional Quotient (EQ)

* Social Quotient (SQ) and

* Adversity Quotient (AQ)

Intelligence Quotient (IQ). 

This is the measure of your comprehension ability, solve maths, memorise things and recall subject matters.

Emotional Quotient (EQ).

This is the measure of your ability to maintain peace with others; keep to time; be responsible; be honest; respect boundaries; be humble, genuine and considerate.

Social Quotient (SQ).

This is the measure of your ability to build a network of friends and maintain it over a long period of time.

People that have higher EQ and SQ tend to go farther in life than those with high IQ but low EQ and SQ. Most schools capitalise in improving IQ level while EQ and SQ are played down.

A man of high IQ can end up being employed by a man of high EQ and SQ even though he has an average IQ.

Your EQ represents your character; your SQ represents your charisma. Give in to habits that will improve these three Qs but more especially your EQ and SQ.

EQ and SQ make one manage better than the other.

And please don't teach children only to have higher IQ but also to have higher EQ and SQ.

Now there is a 4th one ; A new paradigm.

Adversity Quotient.

This is the measure of your ability to go through a rough patch in life and come out without losing your mind. AQ determines who will give up in face of trouble and may even abandon their families.

To parents.

* Expose children to other areas of life than academics. They should enjoy manual work (never use work as a form of punishment), sport and art.

* Develop their EQ, SQ and AQ. They should become multifaceted human beings to do things independently of the parents.

* Finally, do not prepare the road for the children. Prepare the children for the road.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by 10. Washing machinex.

It was a quiet Tuesday and the maid was on leave today, too.