Give me back the anonymity of Kerala of the yesteryears!
Published June 4, 2010 | 
Let’s be frank about it. I think , given a chance, many of us would love to go back in time to the old life style of Kerala, even if it means to be a bit slow, lackluster and mundane. Life in Kerala was much better than what we are destined to put up with now in the name of development and modernity; atleast that is what I realized during my weekend ramble along Kerala .
The onward journey to Ooty in the neighbouring State of Tamilnadu was enjoyable and hassle free. We had set out much before the day break; much before the Kerala high ways get chokeful with vehicles from all over India, bringing in food supplies to the famished Keralites, who shamelessly depend on other states for everything from grocery to milk, meat , egg and even flowers to deck up the malayalee brides!
However our journey back home was nothing less than a nightmare that robbed us off the weekend fun. Things were pretty smooth till we reached the Walayar Check post in the Kerala border where we were greeted by the meandering lines of vehicles of all possible shapes and sizes! Inching our way through the soot and the thick plumes of smoke from the tail pipes of vehicles, we managed to reach Palakkad after an hour or so only to find more unsavory sights.
The roads abruptly became narrow and potholed as we crossed on to Kerala with many eyesores like the open drains, graffiti, and broken footpaths pointing towards the official apathy and the rampant corruption all over. What was baffling was the fact that though there were no basic amenities like good roads and parking facilities, Keralites always had an uncanny penchant for palatial homes, ostentatious hotels and vehicles that show off the newly acquired wealth and gulf money. Most of the hotels open straight into the roads with no parking lots or front yard. Forget about the building rules that stipulate adequate parking facilities, frontage space, rain water harvesting and many more. Rules are made to be broken in Kerala; ( I could even see many shops that have encroached the footpaths ( some have put up iron grills and annexed it to their shop- smart move indeed!!)
As the politicians clamor for their share of the undercut for having scuttled the NH road widening project, the local populace can blame their fate for having to live in near hell like conditions all their life! Being one of the smallest states, Kerala should have been one of the best managed states in India with well planned wide roads, tree lined avenues, underground cables and other facilities. But the corruption, red-tapism and vested interests of the mighty have rendered the God’s own country to devil’s abode. I sincerely wish to get back the anonymity of the bygone era, when atleast Kerala was a charming land of lush greenery, clean surroundings, pure water and air with paddy fields to feed everyone!
Changing Kerala and the Malayali
Published June 2, 2010 | What drew my attention was an e-mail forward I got about a paper advertisement for coconut tree climbers for an Agri farm in Thrissur. The advertisement offered experienced coconut tree climbers a salary of RS: 7875 per month. This advertisement is said to be the first of its kind in the history of Kerala. It shows nothing else but the pitiful situation Kerala faces today in labour. People have started giving advertisements for labourers – same jobs that were considered menial. 
Kerala has turned out into a state, where people are getting more self conscious by abandoning menial jobs for status-oriented ones outside. Keralites now more like to say they are engineers, doctors, Nurses, and doing the jobs that would give them some pride in telling others. The new generation don’t like to follow the footsteps of their parents or in other words, they don’t like doing the jobs their parents followed traditionally. The coconut tree climbers are the ones who are fast facing extinction on the job scene. Since the job requires some risk and is paid very less, the people who were traditional coconut tree climbers seemed to have withdrawn from the scene. In the same way many other jobs which are paid less and gives no pride as is perceived, are facing considerably less workforce.
The people in Kerala have changed a lot and so are their habits and lifestyles. People are lazy or find it too hard to do even the household work that were once never an issue. The household works like cooking, cleaning, washing and looking after kids all have turned to be a cumbersome tasks for the most today, in-spite of the assistance of all those home appliances. The Keralites who today gives advertisements for rubber tapping, baby sitting, housemaids and home nurses, in future may give ads for cutting and shaving or even to pick a leaf from the courtyard.
As Malayalies, each one of us may wonder at this situation. If we could change Kerala this much, we can also change ourselves to a hard-working generation by at least doing labour for our own households. What do you say?
Mundu Wearing Compulsory – by government order
Published July 27, 2009 | The Kerala State government has decreed that Kerala men must wear Mundus on Saturdays. The mundu is the Kerala equivalent of the Indian dhoti or Lungi. It is generally white with a coloured border or in the most formal states threaded with a gold border.
Like many traditional indian dresses, young Keralites have forsaken the mundu for jeans or “slacks”. In the countryside most still wear the mundu.
The mundu can be worn in two styles: full the ground or in the heat, folded once to the waist so that it is raised to above the knee.
Like many traditional Indian clothing, it is seen as unfashionable even though all admit it is supremely comfortable and suitable to the sticky tropical Kerala climate.
The government are hoping to stimulate the cotton industry by forcing more men to wear and buy mundus. The real beneficiaries will probably be the tourism trade as foreigners revel in their experience of authentic india.
Whether the government should be telling people what to wear is one question, but what a pleasure to see more Keralite men gliding down the streets gently wafting their mundus.
Making hay while the sun shines
Published January 31, 2009 | It is paradoxical that while many of the native Keralites go out to various parts of the country and abroad in search of lucrative jobs and heft pay packs, labourers from neighbouring States like Tamil Nadu, Orissa and West Bengal are enthusiastically stepping in to Kerala to fill this vacuum. These hard working labourers make a few fast bucks by doing an array of jobs especially in the construction sector.
They can be seen in busy junctions at the crack of the dawn waiting for a prospective employer. Though in the past, they were assigned manual jobs like clearing the bush, or cleaning up the sewage pits or waterlogged canals, now things have undergone a sea change. They have become experts in an array of well paid jobs like masonry, plumbing and landscaping among others, which would not just fetch them a higher pay but also offer convenient working hours.
There has been an marked increase in the quality of their living styles as well. Most of them stay in cozy, one room housing blocks, built by the locals, exclusively keeping the migrant labourers in mind.
Most of them reach their work places riding their stylish bikes and could be seen working merrily listening to their favourite Tamil songs from their mobile phones. Next time when you pass along any duplex apartment complex under construction, take a closer look at these sporty youngsters with their hallmark earphones popping out, giving finishing touches to the avant- garde edifices of contemporary Kerala.
Moustache out, Clean look in!
Published July 11, 2008 | July 11
Men and Moustache has been associated with each other since ages, and when the talk is about our Kerala men then one can’t imagine these men without their whiskers. But it seems that these Kerala men are shedding their age old manly symbol for a funkier look.
Gopalkrishnan Pillai, 55 an accountant in a private bank and a father of two sons, tells how youth of Kerala are slowly distancing themselves from the ethnic look and are embracing the clean cut shave. ‘Gopal’ takes a trip down the memory lane and fondly remembers his teenage days and how he was proud of his moustache. It was his identity which he still restores with pride.
If we turn back the pages, we would find that every single man was proud of their whiskers, but time has changed so has the ideology of our generation-next. Now moustache on men has become an outdated trend. And even if you will find few with the ‘Mishas’ (moustache) they might be keeping that due to some parental pressure to follow this ethnic Kerala style.
Suraj, 20 a young college boy with a dude look and a fire in his belly believes that one has to move with the time and for him looks matters the most. He with his spike cut and clean shaven look feels more confident and comfortable to stand out with his pals in society. His parents though are not in favour of his so called funky look, but that never bothers this young lad, who defines this to be a generation gap.
All this mixed views point out that the youth of this God’s Own Country is steadily moving at a rocket speed and are aping every new trend out in the global scenario.
The saga of the “Cardboard box”
Published July 9, 2008 | Kochi, July 9
You all might have atleast for once travelled in trains, and if your journey is to the heavenly abode Kerala then the trip becomes more interesting and exciting for sure. It is said that you can find Cockroaches, mosquitoes and mallus anywhere and every where, and I think its true.
Where ever they are, but they visit to their motherland at-least once a year or two, they may travel to their native place with a pair of suitcase and bags, but watch out while they return; they have a new member in their luggage. Neatly tied and sealed this smart cardboard box has been one of the most travel essentials of these Kerala born travellers, when they bid adieu to their mother land with a promise to come back again next year.
Well if you all are quizzing what’s in that cardboard box then, the list is long friends. The box has all the flavours of their hometown, from jack fruit, mangoes, bananas, coconuts and lots more typical Kerala stuffs. Well this treasured cardboard box connects them to Kerala every time they relish the things this box carried for them.
So next time you people make a visit to Kerala don’t get amazed finding this cardboard box with every two travellers.
A new addition to God’s Own Country!
Published December 14, 2007 | Cochin, December, 14
After a television boom in Kerala, resulting to a new era of television with a flurry of channels providing a high dose of entertainment to the Keralities. These days it seems the air blowing around in the Gods Own Country is full of music and upbeat theme. After the television industry gifting Kerala people with an array of entertainment and news channels, now it’s the time of the media houses to come with a new idea which many Keralite were missing in their lives.
Well killing the suspense, the buzz was in the air and it was soothing to listen, hey that was the first radio station launched in this heavenly abode. With Malayalam Manorama coming up with its first radio station, Radio Mango 91.9 offering Kerala people a sweet musical and informative treat to refresh themselves and stay bonded with their culture and values with a musical thread. This was just the beginning of a new revolution in the Kerala radio industry and soon the leading jewellery brand Joy Allukas came up with a innovative and trendy idea of connecting the web browsers to radio by launching the first online radio service which can serve a blend of old and new Malayalam songs to all the malayalees across the globe.
Following the same trend another media baron, Mathrubhumi has recently initiated a new project to launch a radio station 94.3 Club FM for the radio lovers of Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur which will be soon aired. So now if you find any Keralite humming these days, don’t be shocked it’s the radio fever which is gripping Kerala with all musical flavours. So stay tuned for more!