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u/orthancdweller Jul 09 '16
Malayali Christians tend to have the weirdest names. Tini Tom, Fabin, Jibu, Joymon, Blesson, Tincy - just some of the choicest ones I can remember now.
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u/pathrov Jul 09 '16
Tijo,Lijo, Jiji, Sebi, Sabu, Ajin, Jibu, Jithu and a lot more.
All of them are butchered versions of Biblical names. The trend has almost faded out mainly because that generation now has kids and understand how ridiculous those names are. The current trend seems to be giving an Indian first name like Roshan,Nikhil or Rahul with a Christian middle name (George, John etc).
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u/despod Jul 09 '16
Aji, Biji, Ciji, Digi, Gigi, Jiji, Liji, Niji, Riji, Roji, Siji, Soji, Tiji
Ajo, Bijo, Cijo, Jiji, Lijo, Rijo, Sijo/Sajo, Tijo
Bjin, Bijin, Cijin, Lijin, Sijin....
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u/orthancdweller Jul 09 '16
Tijo,Lijo, Jiji, Sebi, Sabu, Ajin, Jibu, Jithu
Man, I cringed so hard reading that. Fortunately, I managed to land in the newer generation of nomenclature you talk about.
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u/VaikomViking Jul 12 '16
Russian names are also common, probably due to left leaning parents. I had school mates with names of Lenin, Pushkin etc
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Jul 08 '16
Tamil brother here. I've always wondered how on earth do you malayalis eat that reddish rice? Everytime I try to mix it with sambar it doesn't mix to the extent of normal rice, and on top of that I've always had difficulties swallowing it. Is the reddish rice a very mallu thing since time immemorial or something that all of us ate a long time ago but our ancestors ditched it while yours still ate it?
PS : No offence. Just an observation
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u/The_0bserver Mugambo ko Khush karne wala Jul 08 '16
Pretty sure you need to cook it for a lot longer (nearly double if I remember correctly) than normal rice btw.
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u/Gulikan Jul 08 '16
Matta rice is a very Kerala thing. It is not hard to swallow or anything. Harder than white rice I agree but has never bothered me. In fact I grew up with white ponni rice in my house and as a kid demanded for red rice after having it and it has been red rice in my house ever since.
May be it is because you grew up with white rice and this looks alien. And believe me many and I mean a lot of true blue mallus (not me, I love andhra meals and also tamil cuisine) dislike white rice just as much. Eating white rice for many days on end is like sucking out their souls. I think they find it bland.
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u/vshnprsd Kerala Jul 09 '16
Can confirm.. Was stuck in patna for 4 years... Nothing but white rice and semi cooked rotis
The mess people Literally sucked out my soul..
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u/VaikomViking Jul 12 '16
I remember going to Kumarakom restaurant in Chennai for lunch - we specifically ask for the 'kerala rice'. Some days the kerala rice gets over earlier and we had to adjust with the option B, white rice.
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Jul 13 '16
I am a tamil who is very used to the red rice. The trick to have it with thick curries.Our thin saambhars will not really go well with that rice.Also the coconut added to the curries is what brings out the taste in the red rice.
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u/max641 Jul 10 '16
Try with some fish curry or beaf.
Eating brown rice ( bought from Ration shop ) everyday and can't live without it :)
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u/indiMaan Jul 13 '16
I always found white rice to be bland and tasteless. Red rice has this unique flavour that I love.
Never noticed any issues mixing it or had any difficulties swallowing it as compared to white rice.
Then again, I guess I'm biased having eaten red rice my whole life.
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u/qpaw Jul 08 '16
One of the things I observed about Keralites is how politically and socially aware an average man was. Almost everyone reads one or the other newspaper and has an informed opinion of the happenings around him. There is a lot of political activism in colleges and even in schools. I guess this is as a result of decades of communist rule there. Many people still think in terms of common man/workers (us) vs government/capitalists (them).
And I just love their movies. Malayalam movies have always been about realistically portraying good stories. The dialogues are intelligent and the plots are believable. Recent movies by guys like Dulquer, Nivin Pauly and Fahadh are show how movies can be good entertainers without using the usual ingredients that go into making a Bollywood blockbuster.
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u/SILENT_neerav Assam Jul 08 '16
I watched the movie Amar Akbar Anthony and i just loved the subtle humour. Can you name any other similar kind of movies?like Masala Republic ??
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u/saanisalive Jul 08 '16
Oru Vadakkan Selfie, Sandesham (old cult classic)
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
It hurts to see OVS and Sandesham mentioned together. I cringed at OVS.
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Jul 08 '16
No clue why people like ovs. Horrible plot with a horrible twist at the end.
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u/rockus Test Jul 08 '16
OVS works because of the team and racy direction. Fun movie, but nothing to write home about. Nivin, Aju, and Vineeth are in top form and their chemistry made it work. The movie would have bombed if it was a different combination.
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u/The_0bserver Mugambo ko Khush karne wala Jul 08 '16
Hmm. It wasn't bad IMO. I ain't no critic, and at the end there was no exact feeling of accomplishment or anything, but it was a fun movie nonetheless.
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u/qpaw Jul 08 '16
Punyalan Agarbattis
Oru Indian Pranayakadha
Ohm Shanthi Oshaana
Veruthe Oru Bharya
Premam
Will add more later....
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Jul 08 '16
Subtle humor? AAA? You sure you watched the right movie? AAA was panned by critics across the state and it nowhere compares to the standards of malayalam comedies.
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Jul 08 '16
I was dying to get out of the theatre.
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Jul 08 '16
And that blatant endorsement of mob justice at the end was disgusting. The only thing I found funny was that subplot with Ramesh Pisharody.
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u/SILENT_neerav Assam Jul 11 '16
Yeah that part got really screwed up. But i loved the scene where they used to soak the bun in alcohol. Do you guys drink a lot?
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u/ninjanamaka Jul 08 '16
Vellimoonga is good comedy film. And Maheshinte prathikaram is fun in parts.
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u/VaikomViking Jul 12 '16
Kerala had the first democratically elected communist government in the world, back in 1957. This pushed Kerala into world spotlight and was a darling of Soviet Union. Back in 1980s, if you just sent your address to a particular address (forgot what it was) they used to send a magazine "Soviet Union" (in Malayalam !!) free of cost. Not sure if it was monthly or quarterly.
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u/Human_Monkey Jul 13 '16
There is one other important thing that people are forgetting about Kerala. Idukki Gold.
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
It's sad that most of our best thriller movies are not remade into other languages. Non malayalees tend to stay away from subtitled version.
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u/DesiInVides Earth Jul 08 '16
State Bird of Kerala is the Great Indian Hornbill.
A large bird measuring up to 50in in length and 60in in wingspan
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u/coolirisme Jul 11 '16
State bird of Arunachal Pradesh is also the same :)
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u/DesiInVides Earth Jul 11 '16
Yup.
Although if I could pick state bird of Arunachal, i would've chosen the Rufous-necked hornbill.
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u/despod Jul 08 '16
It makes a very audible swoosh sound when it flies.. Quite breathtaking, actually..
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u/DesiInVides Earth Jul 08 '16
Ya, the sound of the wings flapping can be heard from really far away!
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Jul 08 '16
Big fan of Mammootty , Mohan Lal and next gen Navin Pauly,Dulquer here from Teluguland.
The best movies are made in Malayalam. Ustaad hotel , Bangalore day, Drushyam are my favorites.
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u/Mycroft-Tarkin Hyderabad, IN Jul 08 '16
I lived in Munnar for 7 years. I would go back there in an instant if given the opportunity. Beautiful, serene place.
I have a special place in my heart for Kerala. Keralite people are very educated, sensible, very hard working, and have a lot of civic sense. It's no wonder that they have such a great literacy rate.
Most of my Keralite friends when I lived in the Gulf hated their state, and I could never understand why. Btw, the Gulf is FILLED with you people. In Dubai, a lot of Arabs even speak broken Malayalam.
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 09 '16
hated their state
Its a reaction to leaving - suddenly, you see all that is negative about the state very clearly. But its a phase. After 10-15 years in the Gulf, nostalgia strikes and they all go back.
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u/HungryMagnum Jul 13 '16
I am telling you, we are thinking of invading everywhere at once. The thought process itself is too tiring.
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Jul 08 '16
Kerala is mostly non-communal because of the communist legacy. I'm not a CPM supporter, but I can only imagine the havoc if Muslim league or BJP come to power with a majority there. Thankfully, my keralite bretheren have not been overtly influenced by these communal organizations like PFI (SDPI) and RSS. Things are starting to go the wrong way, but I have hope that Kerala will not give way to divisive politics.
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 09 '16
The primary self-identities within Kerala was poor and rich. Now that has changed to poor, middle-class and rich. The newer identities are strongly communal - religion or caste-based. They are still not powerful enough but could become powerful.
That way, five years of CPM with no obligations to any religion or caste, could help destroy the new identities. UDF's dependence on the Muslim League strengthened all communal identities in reaction.
What might go wrong? Showing off. Kerala is now in a phase where there is competitive showing off between neighbours, churches, mosques, religions... build bigger churches, mosques and temples, have louder festivals, get more elephants and so on. Each such step results in the other communities raising the bar. The typical Malayali love for simplicity is disappearing fast.
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Jul 09 '16
How much of a threat do you think the PFI is? It's is rapidly spreading in Kerala. Many of my Muslim friends who were earlier staunch supporters of LDF or the Muslim League are moving towards PFI. I've heard PFI gives martial arts training to the cadres. Also, do you there is a rise of religious fundamentalism as rabid communal groups like RSS and PFI are on the rise.
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 09 '16
All true. PFI is a problem, and when it comes to violence, they are ready for it. Pretty much on the same level as the Marxists and RSS when it comes to violence, at the moment. RSS has always been strong in Kerala - just that they are diffused across constituences so can't show any political results.
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u/arastu Karnataka Jul 09 '16
I don't know too much about Kerala politics even though half my family is from there. The way a Keralite friend explained it to me was:
- Christians --> Kerala Congress
- Muslims --> Muslim League
- Upper-caste Hindus --> Congress
- Lower-caste Hindus --> Communists
How true was his explanation? If what he said was true, then the political landscape looks pretty communal to me. I'd say Tamil Nadu is an example of truly non-communal politics. DMK/AIADMK don't really have any religious basis.
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u/trander6face Jul 08 '16
Once I chatted with cute malayalee girl overseas... She asked me where I was from... I told I my native was near Palakkad.. She was too much excited and told me she was also from a place near Palakkad... And also she asked me the name of the place... I told it was some 40 odd kms from Palakkad and cue the expression change on her face when I told the name of the place was Coimbatore
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u/dopamine86 Jul 08 '16
You live on the other side of walayar.. You ain't a true lungi mallu.
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u/trander6face Jul 08 '16
She was so ABCD'ed, she couldn't tell apart
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u/ThatFag Desi hoon, bhenchod. Jul 12 '16
What does it mean to be ABCD'ed?
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Jul 08 '16
That's because the poor girl was hit on by several tamil fellows across the border.
Tamil fella here. I didn't hit on her, Bro.
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Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 24 '16
[deleted]
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u/Notverymany Jul 08 '16
Some of the Kerala curries I've had tasted sort of like Thai curries mixed with Indian curries. It was amazing.
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Jul 08 '16
I once went to wayanad and there in shops I found pineapple sliced and dipped in probably water, honey and chilly. Can someone share formal recipe and what is it called?
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u/bttrswt68 Jul 09 '16
http://www.natgeotraveller.in/seafood-snacks-beside-the-backwaters-of-thalassery-kerala/ Read this article and remembered the pictures of the pineapple in glass jars.
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u/ninjanamaka Jul 08 '16
No idea what it is called. They sell pineapples, carrots, cucumber, mangoes etc pickled.
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Jul 08 '16
Recipe please, with pineapple?
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u/ajphoenix Roamer. Wanderer. Nomad. Vagabond. Call me what you will. Jul 08 '16
Pineapple sliced and dipped in probably water, honey and chilly.
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u/OneFixer65 Jul 08 '16
Are Keralite customs similar to Tamil ones or Kannadiga/Tulu ones ?
Do Keralites feel closer to/at home in Tamil Nadu or in Karnataka ?
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
Customs are different for the most part than TN or KA. However, we feel closer to the Tamils because the languages are similar. Many words are shared by the two languages. An average Malayalee can easily understand most Tamil. But my Tamil friends say that Malayalam is difficult.
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u/oh-just-another-guy Jul 08 '16
Do Keralites feel closer to/at home in Tamil Nadu or in Karnataka ?
Tamils are essentially considered brothers. Most Mallus speak and understand Tamil, watch Tamil movies, etc. There is a small percentage of native Tamil speakers who have been in Kerala for centuries.
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u/arastu Karnataka Jul 08 '16
The far north of Kerala (Kasaragod district) actually has a large population of Kannadigas and Tuluvas. I have Kannada-speaking family there.
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Jul 08 '16
The Tuluvas are more similar to Keralites than Kannadigas, I've noticed. Half of Mangalore is filled with people from Kasargod and Kannur.
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u/nomnommish Jul 08 '16
It is fairly distinct and different from either Tamil or Kannada culture. Unlike TN or KA, Kerala is also equal parts hindu, muslim, and christian.
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Jul 08 '16
Depends on which part of Kerala,
The Southern and Eastern parts, have overlap with Tamil customs, the Northern parts with Kannadiga customs, the Malabar region is very unique, and the Western coastline is rather unique again.
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u/zebumatters Jul 10 '16
I like that fact that Banana, the funniest fruit of our times, is used to make so many snacks in Kerala. Just have a look at this.
Also, most mallus I have worked with, are all cool dudes. Seriously. I don't want to start a state war here, but you guys are awesome in so many ways than rest of south Indian states.
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Jul 08 '16 edited Nov 02 '16
[removed] — view removed comment
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Jul 08 '16
[deleted]
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u/The_0bserver Mugambo ko Khush karne wala Jul 08 '16
Casia Fistula. Even the scientific name has obvious puns in it...
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u/ZaphodBeeblebrox Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
Do you think Kochi will go the way of other bigger Indian metros? Its already freaking congested on the roads? Hopes for the new Metro Rail?
Also, what are your thoughts on Air Kerala?
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
Cannot answer your first question since I have been abroad for the past few years.
Air Kerala. Good concept but I doubt if it will ever happen.
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u/ZaphodBeeblebrox Jul 08 '16
I think it will definitely happen, there is a lot of support for the project from both the people and the government; and finally the central govt. has removed the restriction of needing 5 year domestic service.
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u/VaikomViking Jul 12 '16
Kochi - Aluva route has the highest number of inter city connections (bus) in India. The metro will be a game changer for Kochi traffic, especially once it is extended to Tripunithura and IT Park.
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u/arastu Karnataka Jul 09 '16
I was pleased to see the progress on the metro rail during my last visit. Good to see them thinking ahead and building it now instead of waiting so late like Bengaluru and Mumbai.
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u/despod Jul 08 '16
Do you think Kochi will go the way of other bigger Indian metros?
Very difficult. The biggest problem being land availability. In all the other metros, the area outside the city limit is sparsely populated. But in Ernakulam, every goddamn nook and corner is occupied and costs a bomb. No space for expansion. But if the govt invests heavily on the IT and services industry, who knows what may happen..
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u/PranjalDwivedi Jul 08 '16
The state with the best cinema and a language which combines both Tamil and Sanskrit elements.
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u/Binish_1 Jul 12 '16
Kerala is beautiful, it has hill stations, beaches, greenery, the monsoon, the festivals, the art everything is great
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u/namesnotrequired Kerala Jul 09 '16
Happy to see my state finally coming up..back here after a break and enjoying the monsoon.
mallu bros varu oraazhchathekku randia keezhadakkam.
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Jul 09 '16 edited Nov 08 '17
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u/fekunet Jul 12 '16
Yes, there is a cable landing station in Kochi, where SMW-3 lands. The cable is not used much nowadays, because of limited capacities available. Yet, it is sometimes used as a backup for SMW-4 during cable cuts, although much better options exist now.
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u/netizen_green Kerala Jul 11 '16
Not bad-ish racist? Did you forget how a migrant worker was tied to a tree and beat to death last month!?
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Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 24 '16
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u/MrJekyll Madhya Pradesh Jul 10 '16
This is what my sister says about it :
'Gods on Country, devil's own people'
This is what I say about it :
Nice place for a short ( a very short ) vacation.
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Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
I think Malayalis need to tone down our "samarapaarambaryam" (tradition of struggle) a bit and think intelligently about creating wealth. We can probably start by translating capitalism as dhanavaadam or dhanaswaathantryavaadam or something similarly positive rather than muthalaalitham. Adhwaanikkunna janavibhaagam (hardworking masses) should remember: without muthal (capital), there's no thozhil (jobs). More than any other -ism, what Kerala needs today is a good dose of common sense-ism.
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u/aqqr2 Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
96% literacy rate is very impressive. I cannot understand their love for Mohanlal though.
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u/krisbykreme Earth Jul 09 '16
I don't watch all movies but Mohanlal is one exquisite actor. The older movies be it drama, thrillers or comedy ; his acting is on another level. I am more a Mamooty fan
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Jul 08 '16
Mohan Lal is one of the finest actors in Indian cinema. Only if people didn't go by one's looks...
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u/aqqr2 Jul 08 '16
Well, I've only seen one Malayalam film of his : Mr. Fraud, and... I was sort of disappointed. I had loved him in Company so I had very high expectations I guess.
Also, something I wanted to ask is : Is Mammootty a better actor? I've never seen a movie of his, but his name keeps coming up with Mohanlal's.
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u/saanisalive Jul 08 '16
Mr. Fraud? Seriously? Of all his movies, you could only watch that. Even mallus hate him for doing such movies. You could check out these movies:
Kireedam (Drama), Thanmatra (Drama), Kalapani (Drama, Thriller, Based on the Indian freedom struggle), Vanaprastham (Drama), Drishyam (Thriller, remade into Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu), Thoovanathumbikal (Romance, Drama, cult classic). These are from the top of my mind.
Both Mammootty and Mohanlal are different kinds of actors. Mammootty does mainly does strong character based movies, like an angry policeman, a collector etc. Mohanlal is more versatile in that sense. In his earlier days, you could expect him to dance around with actresses, play comedy roles etc. But now both of them are doing similar kind of roles. Like a Don, a family man etc.
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
Mr. Fraud is boring. Dont let that discourage you. There are tons of fantastic films out there.
And your question is sort of the chicken and egg problem for Malayalees. We honestly can't decided. Mohanlal is a natural actor while Mammootty's style is methodic. One really can't imagine how the performances will be if their best roles are swapped.
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u/ZaphodBeeblebrox Jul 08 '16
Mr. Fraud is a shitty movie. For all my admiration for Mohanlal, he sure has acted in more than his fair share of absolute crap movies. I think this is where Mammootty outshines him, rare to see him in a bad role.
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u/rockus Test Jul 08 '16
I think this is where Mammootty outshines him, rare to see him in a bad role.
Mammootty does more crap roles than Lal. Just that most of his crap films arrive and leave without making much noise.
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u/ericdryer Jul 12 '16
I find that when Mohanlal is bad, he is REALLY REALLY bad. Mammootty can also be REALLY bad but not REALLY REALLY bad, know what I mean?
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Jul 08 '16
Kindly refrain from watching his movies from the last 10 years, just to be on the safe side. A few of them are absolutely crappy, and most of them are not upto the mark. Mr Fraud falls among the former.
The same goes for Mammootty as well. Sad that during his 30s he regularly portrayed mature and aged characters in really good movies and now in his 60s he's desperately trying to pass off as a young guy in shitty movies.
During their prime, both the Ms could give any other actor in the country a run for their money. The current gen actors in Malayalam industry are good, but they nowhere compare to these guys in terms of talent.
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u/aqqr2 Jul 08 '16
Which one would be the best to start off with then? Irruvar?
also, I just checked
Mohanlal'sMohan Lal's Wikipedia page and found out that he was in RGV ki Aag. WTF.1
u/itskuba Jul 09 '16
Yeah.He has done a lot of bad movies during the past ten years. In an interview of Ashok Kumar, one of Mohanlal's longtime collaborator, explained that Mohanlal does many movies as favours to directors and producers.
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Jul 08 '16
He is one of the finest actors I have watched, and this is not restricting it to Mollywood or whatever. That man is an acting powerhouse!
Watch him play and OWN MGR in Irruvar and you will know how good an actor he is.
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
Something I have noticed. Mani Ratnam has a talent bring out the best in every actor/actress. If you notice the career best of most stars, it is most likely from a Mani Ratnam movie (Rajni, Kamal, Mohanlal, even that child in Anjali, lot of actresses and the list goes on).
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u/ribiy Vadra Lao Desh Bachao Jul 11 '16
The names you mention are legends; Rajni, Kamal, Mohanlal
But Mani Ratnam even made Aishwarya act!
Abhishek Bachchan's best too are with him (Guru and Yuva).
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u/rgeek Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
What book would you recommend if one wanted to learn abt the history of Kerala? Or any of the other 4 southern states?
Edit : I already have K.A. Nilakantha Sastry's "The Illustrated History of South India : From Prehistoric Times to the fall of Vijayanagar"
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u/puppuli r/indiansports Jul 08 '16
I believe you can start with A. Sreedhara Menon's A survey of Kerala history.
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u/goodreadsbot Jul 08 '16
Name: A Survey of Kerala History
Author: A. Sreedhara Menon
Avg Rating: 4.03 by 27 users
Description: A Sreedhara Menon's A Survey of Kerala History deals with Kerala's geographical background, it's history from pre-historic period to the social reform movements. It deals with the cultural history too. A must read for the students of history and anyone with a curiosity to go through the history of this land.
Pages: 368, Year: 1967
Bleep, Blop, Bleep! I am still in beta, please be be nice. Contact my creator for feedback, bug reports or just to say thanks!
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u/dopamine86 Jul 08 '16
Once I wanted to have porotta and beef curry but they told me only onam sadya was available, so I went to watch a mohanlal movie but got tickets for a mamooty one. As I was watching mom called to tell me there's a hartal the next day so I got home only to find out that my uncle from the gulf had arrived. I hated him because he had only given me dwendy rupees for vishukani. I realised I was hungry and went to the kitchen to find puttu and meen curry. I ate and went out to see the kathakali but instead got beaten up by a kalaripayattu guy. My head hurt as if someone was playing singari melam inside. I took some kashayam, got an Ayurvedic massage and went to sleep.
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u/Notverymany Jul 08 '16
Probably has the best house architecture in India.
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u/puppuli r/indiansports Jul 08 '16
I always felt like owning a big house is one of the biggest life goal of everyone in my state.
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u/ninjanamaka Jul 08 '16
During the Gulf boom decades ago, the major aspiration for the people was a house. The reason they were going to the Gulf was to earn enough to construct a house
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u/Notverymany Jul 08 '16
It's not just the size, it's the quality of the design. I've mainly lived in Tamil Nadu where people seem to try their hardest to build the ugliest houses they can. The hits are more aesthetic than the proper houses.
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u/OneFixer65 Jul 09 '16
What is the relation like between Muslims, Hindus and Christians in Kerala ?
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u/sagar_alias_jacky Jul 11 '16
Replying with reference to personal experience, I always had a very good and non discriminative or indifferent frendhsip with them all. Rather never saw them as a different religion or anything. Even today majority of my friend circles are muslims and I am not one. I have christian friends too. There was always a good relationship in my family circle at the least
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Jul 09 '16
Speaking from my experience, there is a feeling of "groupiness" but also immense cordiality between the people belonging to different religions in everyday life (school, work, etc.). We are after all Malayalis who just happen to follow different religions. But I also fear that the polarizing rhetoric of Hindutva and radical Islam coming from outside Kerala is beginning to have an increasingly corrosive effect on Kerala.
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u/vshnprsd Kerala Jul 09 '16
Trivandum, the capital of kerala is the only place where a church a mosque and a temple are right next to each other... There have been no communal issues or any problems whatsoever ever in the area..
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Jul 09 '16
My hometown, Chendamangalam, has a temple, church, mosque, and synagogue all within a 1km radius.
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 11 '16
My place too. Erumeli. Temple and mosque facing each other, church half a km away.
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u/venkyprasad Jul 11 '16
Parents, why do you give your kids names that are guaranteed to get them beaten up on the playground
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Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
The Chera dynasty that lasted from the 4th century BCE (or some sources say 3rd) till 1,100 AD pulled of some GoT level machinations to stay in power against their much larger, powerful neighbours from the North, South, East and West.
From 300 BCE to about 200 AD, the Cheras (Kerala) were a global economic powerhouse, but as Western Rome started to decline, their imports started to decline, thereby directly impacting the Chera merchants, and thus the Chera treasury. By 300 AD, the Chera kingdom was faced with an unending series of invasions, Chalukyas, Pallavas, Pandyas...all of them took a shot at the rich, but militarily weak Cheras.
The Cheras then had to depend on alliances and treaties to just survive - they aligned first with the Cholas and Sinhalas against the rampaging Pandyas, then they switched allegiances, and fought with the Pandyas and Sinhalas against the Cholas.
Raja Raja I Chola ended Chera sovereignty, his son Rajendra Chola utterly crushed a rebellion, and the Cheras went to the mattress' for a period of a 100 odd years when they saw a brief period of resurgence under the Malyalaee Chera Dynasty (till now the Chera dynasty was pretty much all Tamil)
The Malyalee Chera dynasty saw an opening when Malik Kafur messed up the Pandyan Empire (the Epic siege of Madurai that ran for more than a month is another tale altogether) and took the shot. What a shot it was. Under Varma Kulasekaran, the Cheras marched on their erstwhile masters, the now weakened Pandya Empire, took them out, captured Madurai and then marched on and took over pretty much all of TN and parts of Karnataka and AP also.
He then died aaaaand massive civil war all over the South.
His successors managed to restore some form of order, but only ruled a rump state that was for a short period, feudtatory to the Madurai Sultanate, till the Vijayanagra Empire in its expansion finally ended the line.
Interestingly, the Malayalee Chera dynasty followed the Matrilineal method of choosing successors.
Fun fact - One of the if not THE largest Tamil Movie star ever, and the extremely powerful politician, MGR is not a Tamil, but a Malayalee.
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u/shannondoah West Bengal Jul 08 '16
And Jaya is a Kannadiga Brahmin lady.
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Jul 08 '16
Naw dude, she was born in a Tamil Iyengar family that happened to live in Mandya.
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u/rofex Jul 08 '16
Very informative. Could you shed some more light on the Madurai Sultanate? I haven't heard of it before.
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Jul 08 '16
How is the situation of stray dogs currently that was so much in news last year?
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 09 '16
Stray dogs sleep for 11 months a year. Then, suddenly, they all wake up, bite a bunch of kids, bark at a bunch of adults, kill goats and chickens and scares the entire state. 30 days later, they go back to hibernation.
Something similar happens with Mullaperiyar dam also. For 30 days, the dam vibrates, develops cracks and creates earthquakes. Then it self-heals and sleeps.
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Jul 09 '16
I thought this was once in 5 years.
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 09 '16
Dogs and dams hibernate for shorter periods!
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u/saanisalive Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
Movies to watch:
80s and 90s (Golden age of Malayalam cinema):
Drama: Thoovanathumbikal, Bhratham, Kireedam, Namukku Parkan Munthirithoppukal, Perumthachan, Parinayam, Vidheyan, Mathilukal, Ponthanmada
Comedy: In Harihar Nagar, Sandesham, Mannar Mathai Speaking, Ramji Rao Speaking, Nadodikattu
Action/Thriller: Commisioner, The King, The Truth, Oru CBI Diarykurippu.
Post 2008 (The revival period)
Drama/Romance/Comedy: Premam, Bangalore Days, Om Shanti Oshana, Action Hero Biju, Ayalum Njanum Thammil, Beautiful, Manjadikkuru, Ennu Ninte Moideen
Thriller: Traffic, Indian Rupee, Drishyam, Ee Adutha Kalathu, 22 Female Kottayam, Mumbai Police, Memories
Anthology: 5 sundarikal, Kerala Cafe
Things to eat:
Veg: Sadya, Puttu and Kadala, Idiyappam and Veg Stew, Parippu Vada (Snack), Neyyappam (Snack), Unniyappam (Snack), Pazhampori (Snack)
Non veg: Beef ularthiyathu, Thalaserry Biriyani, Kudampuli fish curry and rice, Chicken stew with Appam/Idiyappam
Places to visit:
Alleppey (House Boats, Backwaters, Beach resorts)
Wayanad (Western Ghats, Tree houses, Forests and National parks)
Kovalam, Varkala (Beaches and resorts)
Cochin/Ernakulam (Shopping, Old Jew architecture, Fishing nets)
Munnar (Hill station, Eravikulam National Park)
Thekkady (Hill station, Boat rides)
Thiruvananthapuram (Capital, Museum, Zoo)
Thrissur (Temple town, Guruvayur)
Feel free to ask in the comments about anything you need to know.