Kerala...

• Brief History
• Kerala People
• Accommodation & Food
• Art Forms of Kerala
• Handicrafts of Kerala
• Kerala – Some General Facts

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Some facts about Kerala People

Keralites are popularly called 'Malayalees', for the language they speak. The people of Kerala form a well educated unit. The fact that Kerala is the first state in India that achieved a 100% literacy rate stands testimony to the aforesaid claim. Even though Keralites can boast of a Dravidian legacy, traces of ancestry can also be derived from Aryan invaders and settlers from Northern India. Other than the Dravidians and the Aryans thousands of Non-Indians from the regions of Arab, Jewish, Portuguese, Dutch, and British had settled in Kerala. Later on they got intermarried with native Malayalis.

For the women of Kerala, Sari is the most popular attire. North Indian apparels like Salwar kamiz, Churidar, lehanga, and kooris and western fashions like jeans and top are popular among the younger lots. Of late, western fashion has made a big impact on the dress code of the teenaged fairer sex in Kerala, who prefers a sophisticated life style.

For the males the conventional attire is Kasavumundu. The younger lots mostly prefer trousers and shirt. On days of traditional significance, even teenagers can be identified wearing Mundu, which gives that so called 'Malayali look' for men. At home they prefer Kaily or Lunky, which resembles Mundu but comes in printed forms and in different colors. The traditional Kerala dresses are more popular in the rural areas. Another interesting fact about Malayalee men is their passion for thick Moustache.

Even though the official language of Kerala is Malayalam, English too is widely popular among the younger generation. The next most common language is Tamil, spoken mainly by Tamil people from the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Kannada is spoken in some parts of the northern district of Kasargod, adjoining to the Karnataka state.

In addition, Kerala is home to 321,000 tribal communities. Almost 63% of tribals reside in the eastern districts of Wayanad (where 35.82% are tribals), Palakkad (11.05%), and Idukki (15.66%).These groups, include the Irulars, Kurumbars, and Mudugars, who speak their own native languages.

Demography

Out of the total Indian population, 3.44% of people belong to Kerala. The land of Kerala is three times densely settled when compared to the rest of India (819 persons per km²). The density of population is worse on the coastal region. However, Kerala's population growth rate is far lower than the national average.

Between 1951 and 1991, Kerala's population almost doubled from 156 lakhs to 291 lakhs. Fortunately, the population growth rate has reduced considerably since then. As per the 2005 survey, the total population of Kerala stood at less than 330 lakh (33 million).