Poooiiiiiiii…..

Poooiiiiiiii…..

We being a state blessed with a head to toe coastal line, fish is a staple diet in Kerala. It comes in fried and curry form. The preparation of fish with ‘Kudampuli’ is a Kerala delicacy. 'Karimeen fry' is synonymous with Kerala coastal tourism too.  Of the many similarities between Bengal and Kerala, liking for fish is one.

There are people whom we call ‘Meenkaran’ chettan (Fisherman) who bring fishes to houses from the coasts. They used to come on cycles earlier. Now they have begun to use motorcycles. But one thing has not changed. The way they indicate their arrival. They make this loud howling sort of sound – ‘pooooiii’ and the people come out to buy fish.Even though people in the house will be alert about his arrival, equally alert are the cats and dogs. They await for one or two fish that the meenkaran might throw at them.

Keywords : Malayali blog, Malayalee blog, Kerala blog, Mallu blog, Kerala, Malayalee, Namaskaram, Malayalam, Onam, God's own country, Back waters, Coconut, Coconut oil, Coconut trees

Kerala’s George Clooneys

Kerala’s George Clooneys

        We have our own Clooneys who are always ‘Up in the air’ J. They are what we call ‘Chethu karan’ chettan. Due to their profession, they spend more time on coconut tree tops than on the land. They extract ‘Kallu’ which is native toddy from the coconut trees.

        I would say they were the first visionaries of the mallu land, quite literally so ;) . Their line of sight were always above and beyond us, the mango people. Owing to this ability to ‘foresee’ things, it is said they were privy to many family secrets of olden times ;). They were the first of its kind drones or ‘eyes in the sky’ as the world calls it these days J.

Keywords : Malayali blog, Malayalee blog, Kerala blog, Mallu blog, Kerala, Malayalee, Namaskaram, Malayalam, Onam, God's own country, Back waters, Coconut, Coconut oil, Coconut trees

Fathima & Mehruba

Fathima & Mehruba

        Those are not the names of two political figures who have had immense influence on the Kerala landscape. Neither are they two journalists who were the gate keepers of Kerala conscience. But, those are names of two albums which became a rage across the state J.

       That was a time when all the malyalees were humming the tunes of Fathima & Mehruba. From the autos to the Sedans to the public transport buses, the speakers were singing out loud the lyrics of these two albums. There were many other fabulous albums like “Sundariye vaa” and many from East Coast.

    That was a time when our language Malayalam was being used increasingly lesser by the modern generation. Such artistic excellence acted as positive interventions towards viewing Malayalam in a much endearing light.

Keywords : Malayali blog, Malayalee blog, Kerala blog, Mallu blog, Kerala, Malayalee, Namaskaram, Malayalam, Onam, God's own country, Back waters, Coconut, Coconut oil, Coconut trees

Shashi

Shashi

        This is one name which has turned out to be a curse to people. 5 years before, no one would have thought the name “Shashi” will be looked down up on.

     In today’s kerala, one is referred to as shashi when one is taken for a ride by someone else. For instance, if a girl dumps a guy, the guy becomes “Shashi” J. It can also be used when one makes a fool out of oneself.

    This name has been made fun of so much that it no more suits a person in a position of power or respect. For instance, if you introduce yourself as “Hi, I am the director of XYZ company. My name is Shashi”. The person you are talking to will suppress a smirk especially if he/she is a youngster.

    The only person remaining in Kerala who still commands respect and repute with the same name is Mr.Shashi Tharoor which implies his achievements are of such scale. Else he also would have come under the fun curse of “Shashi”! J.

Keywords : Malayali blog, Malayalee blog, Kerala blog, Mallu blog, Kerala, Malayalee, Namaskaram, Malayalam, Onam, God's own country, Back waters, Coconut, Coconut oil, Coconut trees

Dubai Duty free

Dubai Duty free

        A large section of kerala population lives in the Gulf of middle east (‘Gelf’ as we mallus say it). When I say a large section, it means at least one member from a family! Due to this, there are many aspects of the gulf culture which are familiar to the mallus, be it kubboos, shawarma or saying Aiwa J.

        The picture here shows a duty free carry bag. There was a time when this became an integral part of our existence. For many of us, seeing this cover at home meant that our father or an uncle or aunt has come home for leave J. Then begins, the search for goodies – chocolates, perfumes, toys, videogames and what not.  People even used to carry a bunch of these covers to distribute among relatives. There was a scent which these covers brought along – the scent of the deserts of the gulf J.

Keywords : Malayali blog, Malayalee blog, Kerala blog, Mallu blog, Kerala, Malayalee, Namaskaram, Malayalam, Onam, God's own country, Back waters, Coconut, Coconut oil, Coconut trees

Ola!

Ola!

        ‘Ola’ is neither a way of greeting in Kerala nor a cab service. It is the leaf of coconut tree. We all have fond memories of playing with toys made of ‘Ola’. I don’t know how many of today’s generation have seen them. Toys ranging from balls to Kattadi(sort of a small windmill) to watches can be made from Ola.

        The picture shows the new logo of Cohin Airport. I am in love with the creativity here. How better can Kerala and aviation be represented together? It is a plane made of Ola J. 

There is also a usage in Malayalam called ‘Ola Pampu’(snake made of Ola). This refers to a phoney tactic to scare people. People often say “ I won’t get scared seeing this ola pampu that you are showing” J

Keywords : Malayali blog, Malayalee blog, Kerala blog, Mallu blog, Kerala, Malayalee, Namaskaram, Malayalam, Onam, God's own country, Back waters, Coconut, Coconut oil, Coconut trees

Sancharam

Sancharam

‘Sancharam’ is one of the first programs which became popular in the Malayalam television world. It is a travel diary in motion. Malayalees are known to travel far and wide. Anywhere in the world you go, you will find at least one malayalee family; be it in Africa or in Argentina!

The popularity of the show is due to two factors – One, it shows picturesque locales from different parts of the world in a very unique way. It is unique in the sense that it doesn’t show those places as you see in a typical travel show. It has got a personal touch to it. When you watch the show, you feel like it is you who is travelling .The second factor is that it looks like the traveller,Mr. Santhosh Kulangara. is a lone traveller. Very rarely does he come in front of the camera. The voice over is given by Aneesh Punnam Peter whose voice has become synonymous with the program now.

It goes something like this. “Njangal ippol Latin America yude theruvukaliloode angolam ingolam sancharichu kondirikkayanu. Ivide road arikil valiya pine marangal undu. Roadukal vishalavum thirakkozhinjathum aanu. Sancharam thudarunnu… “ J

Keywords : Malayali blog, Malayalee blog, Kerala blog, Mallu blog, Kerala, Malayalee, Namaskaram, Malayalam, Onam, God's own country, Back waters, Coconut, Coconut oil, Coconut trees