|
|
|
|
| News article |
back to newsletter |
| |
 | Kerala –land of the coconut |
|
The in 1956 founded Indian state is literally the land of the coconut. The name derives from the words in Malayalam “kera” (coconut palm) and “alam” (land) and rightly depicts the abundance of coconut trees in this area. But Kerala is much more than just palm trees. It is so rich in natural resources, colour and heartiness that it is actually barely comprehensible. A lot of the economical income of Kerala is based on agriculture, meaning the cultivation of tea, rice, coconuts, natural rubber, cocoa and of course spices, especially pepper. No wonder that tea and spice plantations border the streets around the Periyar National Park. Most of the products are exported or used industrially. Industry and factories, however, are rare in this green state which makes the unemployment rate higher than in other Indian states. Industrial production is limited on further processing of agricultural products. Besides food, spices and rubber also textiles, especially cotton and wool. The colours and brightness of the fabrics are beyond Western imagination. No matter how small a village there are dozens of tiny shops selling textile products. Mainly untreated material that still needs to be handled by a tailor of which there are plenty, especially in the cities.
Another important branch is fishery which is also strongly oriented on export. But nevertheless, there is still a lot of fish sold on the home markets, since fish is one of the main ingredients in Kerala’s cuisine. But being on a fish market in the middle of a day having the burning heat on one’s neck is everything else but enjoyable. The stench of the fish wants you to move on very quickly and for Western people is not understandable how the fish can still be consumed. We would also not understand how papadam can be dried on the streets while hundreds of cars are passing every day. It is funny to see, even though we would not like to eat and it also makes us aware where tourists often get their stomach problems from. Indian herbs and spices are nowadays sold in many European shops and therefore cannot be hold responsible for all kinds of digesting problems even though South Indians cook very spicy, too spicy for our tastes.
|
|
| |
|
Although Kerela’s main income is drawn from agriculture and the unemployment rate is quite high, there are no drastic cases if poverty as you will meet them in North Indian congested areas. For the past decades a consistent agricultural reform and employment-creation measures have been carried out so that poverty could be limited. Also the health and educational system are very well organised. Therefore it is not surprising that the illiterate rate lies only at about 10%. Small children are already taken care of in day care where there are taught to read and write in Malayalam and even some words in English. Also women have a good chance to get an education which can be acquired at universities especially for women. Hence, the social position of women is in Kerala comparatively good. Nevertheless, the role of the woman often concentrates on family and child care and arranged marriages are still no rarity. But somehow these women show a high self-confidence and an immense amount of pride. And with their beautifully colourful sarees they are just stunning.
Talking about Kerala can always be only scratching on the surface since there is so much to discover. Food, hiking tours, a houseboat tour through the Backwaters, Ayurveda cures, city tours, beach holidays or a roundtrip that brings you to the most fantastic areas this Indian state has to offer. Slowly also tourism is discovering the Southern part of India and in no time there will be tourists all over the place where elephants, temple festivals and Kathakali are at home.
|
|
|
| |
|
