Why are people so skeptical about Mallus and people from Kerala? Why do people view them with suspicion and hatred?

There are numerous factors that contribute to my own people’s complex behavioural traits. It is not just a Keralite cultural issue; it is an issue for the entire Indian Subcontinent. I’ll explain why we’re so different from other states and how cultural norms evolved.

Our Language:

I agree that Malayalam is a difficult language to learn because of its vocabulary and slang. The round alphabet is of Dravidian origin, but heavily influenced by Sanskrit vocabulary. Our language is not at all like Tamil or other South Indian languages.

Malayalam as a language did not exist in history at all. Our state was divided into small kingdoms with distinct dialects influenced by various cultures. Northern Kerala’s Malayalam has a diverse vocabulary that includes Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit. Malayalam vocabulary in central Kerala is rich in Syriac, Portuguese, and Sanskrit. Malayalam vocabulary in southern Kerala is heavily influenced by Tamil and Sanskrit words. The vocabulary varies according to region and community culture in that region.

Our Culture:

Our culture is completely distinct from that of other Indian states. We are a diverse group of people from various religions, Gotras, and communities.

Our culture is a mash-up of Dravidian, Middle Eastern Christian, Marxist, and Arab traditions. We are a completely different cultural mix of people who coexist without much conflict or violence.

Our Common Likes:

We enjoy football, delicious food, films, alcohol, and greenery in general. We enjoy various forms of art and festivals. We prefer the term Malayalee over Madrasi because we are very different from Tamilians.

We enjoy immigrating to foreign lands, settling there, visiting the state on vacation, and bragging about foreign life. We enjoy displaying our rich tradition, cultural festivals, and unity to the rest of the world. Malayali Associations, Ayyappa Seva Samiti, and other organizations can be found wherever there are Mallus.

Our way of expressing emotions is:

As previously stated, the southern region of Kerala is heavily culturally influenced by Tamil Nadu, so they express their emotions similarly to Tamilians. Tamilians, in general, express emotion with extreme intensity — they cry intensely, fight intensely, love intensely, and argue intensely. It’s their natural way of expressing themselves. The southernmost Keralites are also known as the most cunning of all people. In addition, the majority of the communities in those southern districts came from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh territories, according to community demographics.

Syrian Christians are the majority in Central Kerala. Also, in general, people in Central Travancore do not express their emotions intensely — try to avoid arguments and fights if at all possible. This is due to the dominant Christian community’s culture and values of brotherhood. They are thought to be cunning because they avoid expressing their intense emotions.

They are the least urbanized districts in Northern Kerala. They are generally conservative and sensitive in their expression. Vadakkans (North Keralites) are generally polite and hospitable people, but they are also extremely sensitive. They tend to express extreme anger and violence when they pick fights over trivial issues or comments. Kannur’s political violence is an example of this.

Finally, Keralite emotional expression was undoubtedly influenced by their Community Culture, Regional Circumstances, and Socioeconomic Class.

Our education & literacy:

We have a 100% literacy rate, which is an outstanding achievement for the country. However, because literacy is one of the measures of population intelligence, I do not consider this to be the end case. Keralites have higher critical thinking, intellectual capacity, and logical reasoning, but they lack intelligence in Finance, Economics, Adversity, and Creativity, according to my observations.

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Our way of settlement:

Our behavior is also influenced by the type of settlement in which we live. Villages and small towns are the majority of community settlements in Kerala. They have a mixed lifestyle with different religions, gotras, and social economic classes. It’s completely different from how people in other states live. Kerala lacks a major metropolis like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, or Calcutta.

Look at the psychology of people from various social classes who coexist in a region. In order to survive in that environment, they exhibit high levels of social anxiety, jealousy, and cunning. In the first place, social status competition is fierce. When your Neighbour becomes a little wealthy, builds a new home, their son achieves good grades, and they purchase a new car, it challenges your social standing and your individual social standing. Imagine how anxious and jealous that population would be if this phenomenon occurred on a large scale. The famous phrase “Paara"—backstabbing—"and a reluctance to recognise others’ success among Keralites are also influenced by the small-town syndrome mentality.

Our Politics and Moral Thinking:

Kerala has a long history of caste violence. Before independence, the state had witnessed a brutal form of casteism. The reason for this is undoubtedly cultural invasions, the influx of various population groups, and tribal competition for dominance. The same caste problem persisted in the form of Communism vs Feudalism (lower caste vs upper caste) until the 1980s. The same issue has permeated the Kerala public’s mind, which is why socialism and Marxism have survived in this geographical region.

Caste competition for dominance has resulted in an anti-business mentality and trade unionism for decades.

My Conclusion:

To understand a group’s social behavior, you must look at it from a different angle. Kerala is the most developed state in every parameter of the Human Development Index (HDI). Yes, I agree that our state, like other states, faces serious issues, but we continue to march towards a more sustainable future.

Mallus does not come to you; we happen to you! Spread the love, my brothers, and thank you for reading.

My Personal Note:

Being a Mallu educated outside the state, I see Kerala as a culturally regressive state compared to other South Indian states. Even though Keralites pride themselves on 100% literacy, I must say they are not the most intelligent state in the country. Literacy is one of the parameters used to measure the IQ of people. Literacy is not equal to real, practical intelligence. We shouldn’t confuse both of these terms.

For ex, North Korea has a 100% literacy rate, but their average collective IQ is around 97, which is average in the world. South Korea has 98% literacy rate, and their Average collective IQ is around 103, higher than NK.

Keralites and Mallus are both different terms. Keralites are the ones who were born in Kerala and brought up in Kerala culture. Mallus are the ones who speak Malayalam as their mother tongue or Keralite in ethnicity, like UAE raised Malayalees. These two groups can’t be confused, as both are totally different in thinking and culture.

Even though Kerala is a civilized state compared to the rest of the states in India, it’s not a modern society at all. They have some common cultural traits that you will understand when you interact with them.

In fact, Kerala culture is a mashup of Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Middle Eastern Christian, Marxist, and Arab traditions. They are a completely different cultural mix of people who coexist without much conflict or violence. Their politics are based on community values and thinking. Caste competition for dominance has resulted in an anti-business mentality and trade unionism for decades.

What happens today in that state is the migration of students to other states and countries due to a lack of economic development and freedom. The majority of the people in Kerala are old people, over 50, and they hold back this state’s cultural development. I call Kerala a big village only because there are no big metropolises in that state. Basically, a young bachelor will suffer if he continues to live in that state, both culturally and economically.

To be honest, I feel I don’t belong to them culturally. Most of the NRI Malayalees feel that way. I am an outcast in their conservative society. Yeah, that’s fine!

Youngsters prefer to go outside the state because the universities are outdated here. Schools are doing fine in Kerala compared to other states. Due to the communist mentality, private universities were not allowed there. If we take up the top 30 universities in the country, a single is not from Kerala, except Amrita University (Coimbatore-based) and Jain University (Cochin). They still follow the old mccauley education system in universities. They have to either go to good ranking universities in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, or other cities or study abroad. That’s how I went to Delhi for my graduation.

Even though Keralites speak good English, wear modern clothes and accessories, and drive cars, their small-town mentality has not changed. They are more like academically educated Chapris who speak communism.

I must say, you must leave Kerala, if you want to grow yourself as a person, learn to live with diversity, learn other languages and cultures, and become a more global citizen. If you keep living with Keralite’s, you don’t grow personally due to their village mentality and conservative culture. You will become one of the Coconut Group, culturally.

Take care brothers! I love you all!