Kerala
Kerala (or
Keralam) is a
state in
India.
Administration
Kerala is divided into 14 districts. They are Alappuzha (Alleppey), Ernakulam , Idukki , Kannur (Canannore) , Kasargod , Kollam (Quilon) , Kottayam , Kozhikode (Calicut) , Malappuram , Palakkad (Palghat) , Pathanamthitta , Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) , Thrissur (Trichur) and Wayanad (Wynad).
Thiruvananthapuram is the capital of the state.
Demographics
More than 95% of the people in Kerala speak Malayalam.
The major religions followed in Kerala are Hinduism (57%), Islam (23%), and Christianity (19%). Kerala also has a tiny Jewish population, said to date from 587 BC when they fled the occupation of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The state has many famous temples, churches, and mosques. The synagogue in Kochi is the oldest one in India.
Politics
Kerala gained the distinction, in 1957, of having the first democratically elected Communist government anywhere in the world. Kerala has a reputation as being the most left wing state in India.
Following is the chronological list of Chief Ministers of Kerala\n* E. M. S. Namboodiripad (1957-1959)\n* Pattom Thanupillai (1960-1962)\n* R. Sankar (1962-1964)\n* E. M. S. Namboodiripad (1967-1969) 2nd time\n* C. Achutha Menon (1969-1970)\n* C. Achutha Menon (1970-1977) 2nd time\n* K. Karunakaran (March 1977-April 1977)\n* A. K. Antony (1977-1978)\n* P.K. Vasudevan Nair (1978-1979)\n* C.H. Mohammed Koya (October 1979-December 1979)\n* E.K. Nayanar (1980-1981)\n* K. Karunakaran (1981-1982) 2nd time\n* K. Karunakaran (1982-1987) 3rd time\n* E.K. Nayanar (1987-1991) 2nd time\n* K. Karunakaran (1991-1995) 4th time\n* A. K. Antony (1995-1996) 2nd time\n* E.K. Nayanar (1996-2001) 3rd time\n* A. K. Antony (2001-present) 3rd time
Geography
Kerala occupies a narrow strip of India's southwestern coast. It is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west and the Western Ghats in the east.
Many places in Kerala have become tourist attractions. These vary from beaches to hill stations. Central Kerala's backwaters (inlets of the sea connected by canals) are major tourist attractions. One of the premier tourist attractions is Kovalam, which is 20 minutes by taxi from Thiruvananthapuram. Western tourists lounge on the beach while fishermen pull in their nets with the catch.
The states of Karnataka in the north and Tamil Nadu in the east are Kerala's immediate neighbours. A part of the union territory of Pondicherry, Mahe also shares a land border with Kerala.
Arts
Kerala has a rich tradition in Arts, both classical and folk. In addition to the classical uppercaste art forms like Koodiyattom (UNESCO Human Heritage Art), Kathakali and Mohiniyaattam, Kerala has numerous folk art forms performed by non-uppercastes in various regions of the state. Both classical as well as folk art forms have become artefacts of the past as contemporary art forms weave their own identity according to the contemporary needs. Mimicry and Parody are two of the most important entertainments that are popular in Kerala now. Though at times very insesitive to women and subalterns, the mimicry artists dare to expose any luminary in Kerala's social life. Cinema is another space of creativity and Kerala films are very distinct from films made in Bollywood or Hollywood.
Kerala ranks highest in India with respect to "social development parameters" such as primary education and healthcare. Kerala was declared the world's first "baby-friendly state" under WHO-UNICEF's Baby Friendly Hospital initiative. The state is known for Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine, which finds great market in the growing tourist industry now.
Literacy in Kerala, at higher than 90%, is the highest among Indian states. This is mainly due to the policies of early goveernments, which made these services available free of cost for Keralaites who would not otherwise have access to them. Kerala has a traditional calendars of its own, which are used by respective communities, but only for religious functions.
Kerala has its own form of Martial arts, [[Kalaripayattu].
Onamis declared as the State festival, but Keralites celebrate many ohter festivals according to religions and secular ones as well.
Economy
\nKerala's economy can be best desribed as a socialistic welfare economy
However, Kerala's emphasis on social welfare also resulted in slow economic progress. Kerala possesses few major industries, and its per capita GDP is lower than the nation's average of 360 USD per year (1998). Remittances from Keralites working abroad, mainly in the Middle East, make up over 60% of the state's GDP.
Agriculture is the most important economic activity. Coconut, Tea and rubber are grown extensively. Coir (Coconut fiber), Cashew, and Spice are among the most important products.
Tourism, too, plays an important role in the state's economy. Kerala has great beaches (Kovalam , Varkala), serene hill stations, national parks (Thekady and Munnar) and beautiful inwaters Kumarakom. Kerala is a popular tourist destination both for domestic & foreign travellers.
History
\nKerala was officially declared as a separate state in the independent India by the State formatino Committee, by combining Travancore, Cochin and Malabar.
People have lived in the region now known as Kerala since ancient times. Regional identity developed in the 14th century with the development of the Malayalam language.
Vasco da Gama's voyage to Kerala from Portugal in 1498 was largely motivated by Portuguese determination to break the Kerala Muslims' control over the trade between local spice producers and the Middle East. He established India's first Portuguese fortress at Cochin (Kochi) in 1503 and from there, taking advantage of rivalry existing between the royal families of Calicut and Cochin, managed to destroy the monopoly.
The dispute between Calicut and Cochin, however, provided an opportunity for the Dutch to come in and finally expel the Portuguese from their forts. The British moved into the area in the form of the British East India Company and were firmly established in Kerala by the beginning of the seventeenth century. Tipu Sultan attempted to encroach on British-held territory in 1792, but he was defeated and the British remained in control until independence.
The Portuguese were surprised to discover, when they arrived in Kerala 500 years ago, that Christianity was already established. The history of that community dates back to the arrival in 52 of St. Thomas the Apostle, and to the establishing of a Christian community by a contingent of Syrian Christians who arrived in 192 via Baghdad. (See Saint Thomas Christians.)
Modern day Kerala was created in 1956 from Malabar, which had been part of the Madras Presidency, and from Travancore and Cochin. The latter two were princely states which had been ruled by maharajas, both being somewhat unique among their kind in that they had concerned themselves with the education and provision of basic services to the residents of their territories.
Notable praises
\nFollowing are few notable praises/sayings about Kerala and Malayalis\n* By tourism department, Kerala is quoted as "God's own country"\n* Malayalis are often known to be available throughout the world. A parody which is popular in Kerala says Neil Armstrong was served chaya (Tea) in moon by a Malayali (which means Malayalis were already went to moon!).\n* Malayalis are widely known for running many Tea shops around the world. It is also common to refer Tea shop as Nair shop and chaya shop in India.\n* It is also common to refer Malayalis as educated and clean twice bath takers.\n* Beedi (ciga), beard, lungi, chaya (Tea), fair skin, education are usually attached to Malayalis.
List of famous Keralites
\n* Abu Abraham - cartoonist, worked in The Guardian\n* Adi Sankara - 8th century saint, poet, thinker, reviver of Hinduism in India\n* Adoor Gopalakrishnan - film maker\n* Anju George - First Indian woman to win a bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships. She won the medal in Paris, 2003.\n* Arundhati Roy - Booker Prize, 1997 for The God of Small Things\n* George Sudarsan - physicist\n* Hariharan - singer, ghazal, film and pop songs; record-breaking album Colonial Cousins\n* Jassie Gift - Musician\n* Jimmy George- Volleyball player\n* Joseph Ayranikudy - Malayalam Poet and musician\n* Kamala Das, also known as Madhavikutty - poetess, Asian Poetry Prize, 1964, Kent Award,1965\n* K. J. Yesudas - singer, devotional and film songs, exponent of Carnatic music\n* K R Narayanan - President of India (1997-2002)\n* M.T.Vasudevan Nair - Writer and Cinema personality, popularly known as M.T\n* Manoj "Night" Shyamalan - Hollywood film director, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs\n* Mammooty - film actor. Three-time winner of the Best Actor prize at the (Indian) National Film Awards: 1990 (for Mathilukal and Oru Vadakkan Veera Gaatha), 1995 (for Ponthan Maada and Vidheyan) and 2001 (for Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar) \n* Mohanlal - film actor. Two-time winner of the Best Actor prize at the (Indian) National Film Awards: 1992 (for Bharatham) and 2000 (for Vaanaprastham) \n* Sree Narayana Guru - social reformer, teacher and founder of the SNDP (Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogum), created for the upliftment of the low-caste communities of Kerala. \n* O.V.Vijayan - novelist, cartoonist\n* Prem Naseer or Prem Nazir - leading Malayalam cinema actor of the 60's and 70's. At one time he was considered to have acted in the lead role in more movies than any other actor. \n* P.T.Usha - Indian Athletics Legend\n* Ravi Varma - painter\n* Shanker - cartoonist\n* Shashi Tharoor - novelist, Commonwealth Writers Prize, 1991; Under- Secretary-General (Communication and Public Information) of the United Nations\n* Vaikom Muhammad Basheer - writer, philosopher\n* Dr Verghese Kurien - architect of India's Milk Revolution\n* W C Naraynan BA BL - one of the earliest members of the Ezhava community to graduate and get a law degree; later he became a district judge and served Kerala before and after independence. He was the chairman of the minimum wages committee appointed by the then government of Kerala.
External links
\n* Kerala Information & Reference\n* The Official Web site of Kerala Government\n* More Kerala Info from Department of Public Relations\n* Kerala Tourism Information\n* Kerala News & Current Affairs\n* History of Kerala
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