“Thousands of kilometres away, Gulf-based Malayalis can still have a say in what happens in their hometowns.”
Kerala, INDIA / Dubai, UAE: For millions of Keralites living in the Middle East, moving abroad does not mean leaving home behind. Their families, neighbourhoods and roots remain in Kerala, and so does their concern for what happens there.
But when a road back home is broken, public infrastructure is neglected or a neighbourhood issue goes unheard, being thousands of kilometres away can leave people feeling like spectators.
Kliqe.com is trying to change that.
The Kerala-based civic engagement platform brings local issues, people and public authorities closer together. It helps surface neighbourhood concerns, gather community voices, build public attention and take those issues to the relevant government machinery.
For Kerala’s large NRI community, this also means an opportunity to remain involved in the civic life of their hometowns from anywhere in the world.
CONTD…….
Raising an Issue From the Middle East.
Anzil Abdul Kareem, a native of Chalingad in Kaipamangalam who now lives in the Middle East, is one such example.
Concerned about the poor condition of a road in his hometown, Anzil raised the issue through Kliqe despite being far away.
Kliqe took the concern to the ground, brought local voices around the issue and helped give it wider visibility. The intervention has since contributed to movement towards addressing the road issue.
His story reflects a simple idea: you may live abroad, but you can still have a voice in what happens back home.
From One Voice to a Collective Voice.
Many civic problems are already known to the people living with them. What is often missing is a way to turn individual frustration into collective attention.
That is the gap Kliqe wants to fill.
Rather than being just another complaint portal, Kliqe works as a collective catalyst, bringing unheard voices together, making local concerns visible and helping them reach the authorities who can act.
It does not seek to replace government systems. Instead, it aims to bridge the gap between people and those systems, making civic engagement more visible, organised and participatory.
The approach has already seen results.
At Anchal in Kollam, an overgrown footpath that had become unusable was cleared following Kliqe’s intervention and public attention around the issue.
At Cherankai in Kasaragod, Kliqe amplified the concerns of families affected by sea incursion and damaged coastal roads, helping bring the issue to wider attention and prompting a visit by public representatives.
In Unnikulam, Kozhikode, concerns over an ageing water tank that posed a potential safety risk were highlighted, followed by a decision from the authorities to demolish it.
These may look like small civic issues from a distance. For the people who live with them every day, they are not.
Keeping a Global Kerala Connected.
Kerala and the Gulf share a relationship built over generations. Malayalis abroad remain closely connected to their hometowns, emotionally, socially and financially.
Kliqe wants to add civic participation to that connection.
Someone in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh or elsewhere could raise an issue concerning their hometown. People on the ground can add their voices. Kliqe can help bring those voices together and take the concern closer to the relevant authorities.
Distance, in other words, need not mean civic disconnection.
Kliqe currently operates through Kliqe.com, with a mobile app also being prepared for launch. The app is intended to make it easier for people in Kerala and abroad to raise local concerns, participate in civic conversations and stay connected to issues that matter to their communities.
Beyond problems, Kliqe also aims to highlight people and groups doing meaningful work at the local level, building a wider community around civic participation.
The idea behind it is ultimately a human one: people want to be heard when something is wrong in the place they call home.
Whether that voice comes from a street in Kerala or from thousands of kilometres away in the Gulf, Kliqe is trying to make sure it can find others, be heard, and move closer to action.
SOURCE: Media Release / Supplied Content and Kliqe Image. Based on information shared with EmiratesReporter.com / Editor-Recommended Article. Illustrative Images of Kerala Used.
