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About Kerala

Kerala is a small state constituted in 1956 in the south western part of India which borders Tamilnadu, Karnataka, the Arabian Sea in the western Ghats and the Indian Ocean. It has an area of about 15000 square miles.

The word Kerala is found from 'Kera'(coconut widely abundant in the state). The official language is Malayalam and people from the state are widely known as a 'Malayali’. Kerala has 14 districts and capital of the state Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala has a legislative assembly of 140 members elected from that many constituencies. The state sends 29 members to the Indian Parliament, 9 to the Rajya Sabha (upper house) and 20 members to the Lok Sabha (lower house). Major religions followed in the state are Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.

Keralites have migrated in large numbers in search of employment to several states in India and countries in Middle East, Europe, Africa, West Asia and America. The professionals from Kerala are mostly wanted in these countries in the field of Medicine, Science, Information Technology, Telecom, Engineering, Education and other Technical fields.

A good saying about a Malayali is that even if you go up to moon you will find a Malayali over there. Wherever Malayali's live no matter they still have a special love and passion towards their home land and to have a tendency to celebrate their traditional festivals. Festivals like Vishu, Onam, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid Al Adha, Easter, Christmas etc. are few among them. ONAM is a unique festival of Kerala.

Kerala is affectionately called as 'Gods Own Country'. The word Kerala itself is actually a Sanskrit word which means ‘the land that was added on’. We usually interpret Kerala as ‘the land of kera or coconut’. Coconut is the tree that defines Kerala as it is found in plenty here and is used in day to day life. The oil, fruit or the shell of coconut are utilized by the Malayalis. Malayalis made it a practice to massage their body with coconut oil or apply oil on their black hair which distinguishes them from the rest. The dishes here have coconut used in it either in the form of oil, coconut milk or as grated coconut. It is also difficult to find a home in Kerala without a coir mat or a coconut shell ladle. Kerala dishes are also famous for its spicy taste.

The language of Kerala is Malayalam which has 53 characters and the accent of a Malayali is indeed a tough one that makes your tongue twist. There are certain words in Malayalam like ‘Uzhichil’, ‘Kazhcha’, ‘Vazha’ etc. with the letters ’zh’ pronounced in a way that makes your tongue twist. These words give an impression that it is possible only for a Malayali to pronounce it with no difficulty. Malayalis have an inborn sense of humor and they laugh at themselves even when they make fun of others. There is also an art form called as ‘Ottanthullal’ which is unique in presentation and involves humor. Their ability to create humor can be seen even today in the field of cinema, cartoons, literature etc.