What is Kerala?
Within the huge nation of India, Kerala is a small southern state. In a world wide view, Kerala insignificance disappears. One hundred members of the United Nations have smaller populations than Kerala. On an Indian map, Kerala is a narrow strip squeezed between the Arabian Sea and a mountain range, the Western Ghats. Kerala is densely populated---rather like placing the entire population of Canada onto Canada’s Vancouver Island.
Malayalam is the ancient language of Kerala---written with a rounded script, unlike Hindi and like Malaysian. Although there is evidence of early trading contact with China and the Mideast, the indigenous population has been little changed since those early times.
Like all India, the culture of Kerala is essentially Hindu. Both the Muslim and Christian faiths were accepted into the society of Kerala long before the arrival of European traders and missionaries. The major religious groups of Kerala are now Muslims 21%, Christians 19%, and Hindus 60%. In comparison, Hindus and related sects in all India constitute an overwhelming 88%.
Examples of what is called industry in developed countries are few in Kerala. The economic growth is next to zero contrasted to a low 3% for all India. Rice is both a major food and a product in Kerala. Nevertheless, rice and wheat must be imported from other Indian states. In exchange, Kerala sells latex, tea, and coconut products.
In recent decades skilled labor has become a significant Kerala export. According to a recent Indian myth, income repatriated from the Gulf States is making Kerala rich. Unfortunately for Kerala, however, there have been only four years during the past forty in which Gulf wages and other repatriated monies raised the per capita incomes of Kerala to the low average incomes found in all India. (Isaac) A data table comparing and contrasting Kerala performance with India, other Indian states, and neighboring countries is just a click away. This data is selected from the authoritative statistical appendix of Dre’ze(a) and Sen. The numbers from this table will be referenced frequently as we enter into the details of the remarkable Kerala story.
Some familiar European characteristics apply well in India---for each European nation there is a larger Indian state. A traveler from the East sees in European nations similar cultural, political, and economic systems. At the same time he sees boundaries enclosing different language groups. Rather like one of these European nations, Kerala may be seen as one of the several states within India.
We can find few parallels with Europe in India, however, when we look into the history of European military, economic and religious conquests. The lack of Indian imperialism may explain the larger per capita share of Earth resources managed by those outside of India. In their time, each of the imperial powers have sought riches in Kerala, but only in recent years have Kerala gone abroad, frequently for higher education in the West.
One good video speaks directly to the central thesis of this analysis, Women of Kerala, (Suzuki) and a dramatic coffee table book with pictures of the Kerala life experience (Singh(a)) is available.
Kerala Cuisine
Kerala has a distinctive cuisine, very unusual and different from the rest of India. Cooking in Kerala is all about discoveries, aromas and colors. Kerala cuisine is very hot and spicy and offers several gastronomic opportunities to those willing to experiment with the local cuisine. So, if you are planning to travel to Kerala, don't miss out on the opportunity to savour the cuisine of Kerala.
Influence
Sea farers have also played an important role in shaping the history, socio-cultural background and cuisine of Kerala. Christianity came here as early as AD 400, and Judaism and Islam also came via the sea. Over the years, voyagers from Greece, Italy, China France and Africa came to the spice coast of Malabar. Kerala's cuisine with its fascinating array of meat and fish dishes is a constant reminder of the many foreigners who once came here. Kerala' s long stretch of coast and rich sea life ensure that seafood, coconut and other such things are a part of the Malayali kitchen.
Staples
Rice, or rather unpolished rice, is the main food of the Keralite. Aside from the boiled product eaten as a staple, there is also a wide range of snacks and breakfast fare made of the cereal. Pounded into flour, it gives shape to the bamboo formed puttu, the round spongy vattayappam, the lacy edged palappam, the pancake-like kallappam, the sweet uniappam, the idiappam that looks like fine noodles, and the stuffed ball called kozhikotta. |
