Kerala (Malayalam: കേരളം, pronounced is a state in the south-western part of India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganization Act bringing together the areas where Malayalam is the dominant language. (Wikipedia). Other than being the exporter of spices over the ages and in more modern times the tourist destination of choice of the backpacking thrash of the world, Kerala has attained status of being the THE exporter of human labour. Over the last 70 years or so men and women have traveled to all corners of India in search for a better life. In the last 50 years, they have taken the dubious cattle class flights out to the sands of Arabia. Generations of Malayalis have undergone uprooting of their traditions and then finding homes in alien spaces. This story is of several such families.
In Kerala all families have a family home name (veedu perr). It can come from a family temple, a river, city or a village. Parayil House is my mother's family home name. Literally translated, it means House amidst the rocks. Over the next year or so I plan to write the story of Parayil House - It is not her biography or the story of her family. It is the story of several families that sent their eldest out into the vastness of India. I started writing about these families eight years ago, reached around 20000 words and gave up. I hope to do better this time around.
Before I start posting / writing, I want to confess that my English is not the refined English of many of my learned friends, so forgive me for the bad language/ grammar, spellings etc.
Sunil R Nair
Photo courtesy
hubpages.com
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