Karna's Outburst

Kunti
I have come here to take you.

Karna
Where will you take me?

Kunti
Into my parched breast: into your mother’s lap.

Karna
You are blessed with five sons: you are fortunate,
I am without dynasty or forefathers, a meagre king –
where will you place me?

Kunti
Above all.
I will seat you above all my sons.
You are the eldest.

Karna
With what right shall I enter
thus? With empire and wealth?
Those who have been deprived of the treasure that is
a mother’s tenderness –
how will you achieve
absolution of their completeness, tell me this.
A mother’s heart
is not sold in a game of dice
it is not defeated by the might of weapons
it is a gift from god.

Kunti
My child, it is with the right given by god
that you came to this lap
one day; with that right
come back, with your due glory
and without amore reflection
amongst all your brothers, and in
your mother’s lap
take your place.

Karna
I listen, as if in a dream, o lady,
to your words. Look, darkness
overwhelms us in every direction, our surroundings
are now vanished
and the Bhagirathi is
soundless.
To what world veiled by illusions,
to what
unremembered dwelling,
to what dawn of consciousness
have you taken me? Like some ancient truth
your words have touched
my enchanted heart.
It is as if my unrealised childhood,
the darkness of my mother’s womb,
surrounds me today. O Mother of Kings,
whether it be true
whether it be a dream
come, o embodiment of tenderness
place your right hand
on my forehead
on my face
for a while. I have heard
it said by people that I
was abandoned by my mother.
How often have I searched for
my mother in my nocturnal dreams.
She would come slowly… slowly…
to see me.
I have cried out and told her in deepest agony
“Mother, lift your veil, let me see your face!”
But then the figure dissolves, tearing asunder
the thirsty eager dream. Has that dream returned
today in the garb of
the mother of the Pandavas
this very evening, on the battlefield,
on the banks of the Bhagirathi?
Look, lady. On the other side, in the Pandavas’ tent,
burns the lamplight,
and on this side not very far away
in the stables of the Kauravas, the roars of a
hundred thousand horses erupt fiercely.
Tomorrow night will begin that great war. Why
then did I have to hear tonight
in Arjuna’s mother’s throat
my own mother’s voice of love?
Why did my name ring out on her lips
in such sweet music? My heart suddenly
runs out calling “brother” to the Pandavas.

Kunti
Then come away, my dear child, come away.

Karna
I will go, mother. I will go, and I will ask nothing
Without hesitation, without thought.
Lady, you are my mother! Your call
has awakened my innermost soul – in my ears
ring no battle cries, nor victory conches
and false appears
the malice of war, the glory of heroes, victory or defeat.
Where will I go? Take me.

Kunti
To that other side.
Where the lamps glow in those motionless camps
on Pandu’s sandy shores

Karna
There, the motherless will find
his mother forever! There, the star of truth will stay awake
all night, beautiful and vast,
in your eyes! Lady, tell me once more that
I am your son.

Kunti

My son!

Karna
Then why
did you discard me, to humiliation,
without family, class, and honour,
and without a mother’s eye over me
into this blind and unknown universe?
Why did you set me adrift forever
on this tide of disregard?
Why did you exile me from my brothers?
You kept me separated from Arjuna
That is why, from childhood, he and I are drawn
by an invisible bond, taking the form of malice
it is an irresistible attraction. Mother, no
reply? Your shame has penetrated these
layers of darkness and, in silence, touched
my whole being, and is forcing my eyes shut. Let
it be!
Let it be then!
Do not say why you abandoned me.
The first gift of fate in all this world and universe
is a mother’s tenderness – why, from that divine gift,
did you steal your own child?
Do not answer that question. Just tell me this:
why have you come to return me to a mother’s lap?

The Myth about Caste system in Hinduism

 I searched Hinduism on internet curious to see the results and was really agitated on seeing a definition of Hinduism on a British website ‘the free dictionary’. First line of the definition says “a body of religious and philosophical beliefs and cultural practices native to India and based on a caste system; ”

“Religious belief Based on Caste system?? “

I felt that there was an immediate need to write about the fact that caste system is not divinely inspired and was not mentioned in the Vedas. Hoping that it would help few to change their attitude towards Hinduism.

 In this write-up I will be speaking about the myth of 'caste system being mentioned in the Vedas'. I don't want to add Manusmriti into this discussion because I am not a follower of Manusmriti and I disagree with many points by Manu. 
Manusmriti is considered to be a law book that was used to enforce Caste system in the ancient days. Manusmriti was discoursed by Manu and Bhrigu on their own fancy to suite and aid the management of the situation back in the 3^rd century. It was one of the first Sanskrit texts to be translated to English during the British Rule in India. So we could assume the rest, British knew what was good for them. What was supposed to be taken to Britain and what was to be imposed in India!

It is important for Hindus as well as non-Hindus to have a correct diagnosis on the social history of Caste system while the misconception on Vedic teachings is spreading like wild fire.

Introduction

Caste system has always been a problem ‘for’ India, a boon from The British I would say. Though we all know that nobody believes in division of men on illogical factors in this 21^st century but we have to admit that few citizens still enjoy the superiority that they assume to have, due to the illusion from the past.

A recent caste survey found that one in four, among the Indians still believe in Caste system. India could actually change the mindset of rural and the urban with rural attitude by providing good education and creating development in their areas.  Andhra Pradesh being an epitomic example of prevailing caste based system has a recent example of the suicide of Rohit vemula which I don’t want to discuss in this article but point out that caste was misused and pointed at as more relevant by the Media than the actual malfunctioning of education system. Caste system is nothing but a political tool for vote banks and controversies, which is the part of a game.

Generally we go back till the Vedic age when we talk about the genesis of Caste system. But do we realize that the word ‘Caste’ is derived from a Portuguese word ‘Casta’ meaning ‘Race, Lineage or Breed’. There is a big misconception among the public that caste system in India is divinely inspired

What is said in the Vedas?

The most controversial line “Chathurvarnyam  Mahashreshtam” from ‘Purushasukta’ of the RigVeda is brought to debate under this topic but is intentionally quoted inappropriately  since the debaters leave out the very next line “Gunakarmam Vibhathara”.

It says; Brahmano mugha aseeth

            Baahu raajanya kritha

            Ooru thathasya thas Vaishya

           Papbhyaam Shudro achayatha

Explanation

First step towards understanding what is said in the Vedas is the ability to distinguish between ‘Varna’ and ‘Jati’.

Firstly, Caste refers to Jati not varna. Jatis are the thousands of indigenous social- occupational groups, while varna refers to the four individualized societal functions described in many texts.

Let us begin by translating the verse I had mentioned above (from the Purusha Sukta). The 90^th Sukta of the 10^th Mandala in the Rig Veda. Here the entire universe is described as the body of God (Purusha), and of all creation as emerging from Him.  Like in the book of Genesis from the word of God- The Bible

From his mouth came forth the Brahmins (mouth-Brahmins were engaged in chanting and other prayers)

And of his arms were Rajanya made 
(Arms- Kshatriya were engaged in wars and fights. they were the warriors)

From his thighs came the Vaishyas (Thighs- Vaishyas were engaged in works which required no movements, as in sitting. They were business men, accountants etc)

And his feet gave birth to Sudras. (Feet- Sudras were engaged in works requiring alot of travel, they were the messengers, peons etc)

At a literal reading, this indeed appears to define a hierarchical system of classes with the Brahmins occupying the most prestigious position and the Sudras being the most inferior as they emerge from the feet. And this has pretty much become the dominant understanding of the verse among academics.

The best way to demonstrate the silliness of this interpretation of the 90th Sukta, is to actually assume it to be correct and then see where that leads us in terms of understanding the rest of the hymn. Thus, if the above verse indicates a hierarchical system, then presumably the body parts of the God (Purusha) from which everything in creation emerges, or the order in which the names are mentioned, or both, ought to be indicative of its superiority or otherwise.

Let us test this understanding against translations of the next two verses from the 90th ‘Purusha Sukta’:

Of his mind, the Moon is born

Of his eyes, the shining Sun

from his mouth, Indra and Agni,

And of his life-breath, Vayu

Space unfolds from his navel

The sky well formed from his head

From His feet, the earth and His ears the Quarters

Thus they thought up all the worlds.

If our assumption above were true, then the moon ought to be superior to the sun because the mind is superior to the eyes, and also because the moon is mentioned first. Moreover, based on where they emerge from, Indra (the king of the Devas) ought to be inferior to both Chandra (moon) and Surya (sun) and on par with Agni (fire), which also is illogical.

A similarly absurd comparison of the space, sky, earth with the ‘four directions’ will arise from the second verse. If the earth comes from the God’s (Purusha) feet, is it then inferior to the moon which comes from the mind?

There is clearly no hierarchy intended, but only symbolic meanings.

In  way Chathurvarnyam was established as a part of planning and organizing for a better management of the economy. Say an example of a Court, not all can become the judge. We need Peon, Courtofficers, lawyers etc for functioning the court like wise a system and order existed. Hence occupations were charted and people were given options to chose what they want to do. For evidence let me quote Veda “I am a reciter of hymns, my father is a healer, my mother a grinder of corn. We desire to obtain wealth through various actions”-- Rig Veda 9.112.3. I guess this helps us understand that people had choice of career. Chathurvarnyam is not caste system but a proper management technique for a better functioning of the system.

Evidences from the Religion's History

There is only one varna in the ancient Indian society. Read the following passages and quotes from different Hindu texts and Scriptures.

The Brhadaranyaka Upanisad (1.4, 11-5, 1.31) says “We were all brahmins or all sudras,” Same is said in Mahabharata (12.188).

In The Bhagavad Gita, 4.13, Krishna says: “The fourfold varna has been created by Me according to the different ‘Gunas’ (Qualities)”. According to The Bhagavad Gita, ‘varna’ is conferred on the basis of the intrinsic nature of an individual, which is a combination of three ‘gunas’ (qualities): sattva, rajas, and tamas.

In the Mahabharata SantiParva, Yudhisthira defines a brahmin as one who is truthful, forgiving, and kind. He clearly points out that a brahmin is not a brahmin just because he is born in a brahmin family, nor is a sudra a sudra because his parents are sudras.

Apastamba Dharmasutra states that by birth every human being is a sudra. It is by education and upbringing that one becomes ‘twice born’, that is, a dvija.

Manu sums up the relative status and functions of the varnas in the following verse of Manu Smrti: “The brahmin acquires his status by his knowledge, the ksatriya by his martial vigor, the vaisya by wealth; and the sudra by birth alone.”

In Bhagavada Gita 18.41, Krsna states: “The devotees of the Lord are not sudras; sudras are they who have no faith in the Lord whichever be their varna.” Mahabharata says that a wise man should not slight even an outcaste if he is devoted to the Lord; he who looks down on him will fall into hell. SantiParva, Mahabharata also says that there is no superior varna. The universe is the work of the Immense Being. The beings created by him were only divided into varnas according to their aptitude.

Conclusion

This aspect of the caste system as it first existed has been acknowledged by even the most trenchant modern critic of the caste system.

 As Dr. B.R. Ambedkar wrote- “Particular attention has to be paid to the fact that this (the varna system) was essentially a class system, in which individuals, when qualified, could change their class, and therefore classes did change their personnel.” (Writings and Speeches, Vol. 1, P.18)

It has been a trend by the westerners to criticize the sacred teaching and misinterpret it into illogical writings. Not only Vedas but also they try to depict Sanskrit as a language of oppression. 

The beauty of Hinduism is its openess. Slokas like "loka samasthaa sughino bhavanthu"

"Adhiti devo bhava" etc shows us how welcoming and peaceful the religion is. Hinduism is an art of living and caste system is just one of the many factors that the invaders imposed on a Hindu nation which affected the culture and altered the teachings of Sanatana Dharma.

Grubbing down the History of India

Introduction: 

November 14 - 'Chachaji's birthday is celebrated as the Children's Day in India. We were all taught in school, the good facets of Nehru as in he was the first PM of India after independence, he was the man behind IITs and... and .....and what?? Anything else?

Am sorry nothing that reminds me of his great deeds exist anymore. Can you tell me what all did our so dear-darling Chachaji contribute to India?? hmm.... yeah he left behind his legacy- the unworthy descendants to confer upon themselves an entitlement to lead India forever. So how is it like for India, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Mughals, British and then Nehru dynasty??

At last in 2014 NaMo defeated Nehru's paramapara (legacy) and broke the chain of 'robbery'.

Just a question, How would have India been in 2014 had someone else other than Nehru been the first Prime Minister?

I wonder why many other patriots like Bhagat singh, Subhash Chandra Bose or Sardar Patel ended up narrowed down in Hindi textbooks of NCERT. I remember in my second standard I learnt a poem about Bhagat singh after which that man never crossed my academic pages. Thanks to the teacher who praised him as if he was a Bollywood hero at least that stays in our hearts- the way he respected Indian flag, guess she had very little knowledge about the brave deeds of that great man because she kept praising his handsomeness. Patel was never even in the picture, I knew the name Sardar Vallabhai Patel once I entered a new school in my 5th grade because they had house names such as Nehru, Gandhi, Patel and Tilak. So that is how Tilak and Patel entered my brain picture for the first time. Then in my 9th standard civics I learnt a little more about Bal Gangadhar Tilak but Sardar Patel was reduced to some few lines just mentioning about him as a freedom fighter.

Disclaimer:

*I am politically unbiased.

*All the statistics provided in this write-up are approximate values.

Jawaharlal Nehru was never a good leader. People might remember him as the first Indian Prime Minister but I remember him only for 1947 and 1962, shameful Indo-China war and still ongoing problem of Kashmir. Sardar Vallabhai Patel would have been an efficient and remarkable PM instead. Nehruvian Socialism (which benefited those living in cities alone), his promotion of a scientific temperament, his handling of Kashmir, his defense policy and his inability to see through the Chinese deception- He was a failure on all those fronts.

When partition happened, India was going to be divided into 430 odd different provinces. British were very cunning; they always wanted to destroy India’s potential since they feared that one day this country with immense resource, wealth and human population would outgrow every other nation.The British had clearly mentioned that when they transfer back the power, the power of Kings will be reinstated on August 1947. When this news leaked King of Travancore, Nizam of Hyderabad etc declared two months before 15^th august that they are all free separate nation now.  Hyderabad province then comprised of present Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Similarly there were so many Princely states. Among those princely states 120 went to Pakistan. When Patel heard this news he politely requested all Kings to sign the instrument of accession to India and said that there won’t be any Monarchy here after but ‘DEMOCRACY’. But nobody took him seriously especially Nizam of Hyderabad that is when Patel decided to use army where again our dear darling Nehru disagreed. I wonder why he was such a fraidy-cat. This inadequacy of Nehru later resulted in India losing its offer for a permanent seat in Security Council in 1955. Anyways since Patel was powerful he used the force to make India what it is now. Patel asked Nehru what is the use of army if we cannot implement it with civil authorities. 400-500 lives were lost but future was saved. Now that’s what I call leadership! (*Taking right decision at right time*) If for that 400 lives he had not used force then Andhra, Karnataka and Maharashtra would have been separate nations. (Those who support Nehru at this instance saying he wanted to avoid deaths then you should know that Nehru and Jinnah were responsible for 15 million people during the partition. On an average that is somewhere between Hitler and Stalin.) 

This is why Modi declared 31st October as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas. Today you cannot take an inch from someone and it is that man who integrated the whole nation. Don’t you think he deserve credit?

So I am with Modi for spending 2500 cr for the world’s tallest statue. I know this is pinching many but my question to those is; what about the 90% projects/schemes named after Nehru-Gandhis??  Modi is a pucca Gujarati he will get back 2500 cr in a few years via tourism. Even Kashmir would have been ours but Nehru said

“Patel, leave Kashmir to me it is my ancestral place and I will take care of it.” In spite of clear warnings from Patel not to refer the Kashmir issue to the UN. He took the issue to United Nations and see for yourself the state of Kashmir even on his 125^th Birth Anniversary(2014). 

Jinnah had attacked Kashmir surreptitiously it was Patel who sent Army and RSS who fought and got back the land. It was destined that a fine version of Patel with excellent management skill will serve India in the form of Modi.

To know more about Sardar Patel click here

To see the real crookedness of Nehru and the epitome of selfishness from a leader We can refer to the situation when the real problem started for the British as the revolt broke out in the navy. We all know British loved divide and rule policy so there was a section among Muslims which demanded for the creation of Pakistan in 1940 for the first time. Chaudhry Rahmat Ali was the first person to use the term ‘Pakistan’. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was popular among the Muslims and he too had the lust for power. Here is where Gandhi made the biggest mistake of his life. As Jinnah was putting pressure on Gandhi and the Hindu-Muslim animosity was growing. Gandhi agreed for the creation of Pakistan, Nehru who opposed this partition in the beginning then backed Gandhi’s decision just to become the Prime Minister.

Can u imagine a nation was born only based on religion?

Nehru was a Casanova. He was glad and enthusiastic about belonging to the elite class and showing up as a fool for all English parties to flirt with women and was known for swapping too. He was least bothered about the nation which is clearly seen in the November of 1950 when Sardar Patel had written to him a month before his death. It is a masterly and astute analysis of the impending danger from China in Tibet. Had Nehru heeded it, The 1962 debacle would not have taken place.

Nehru was also very selfish. We see that back when Nathuram Godse wasn’t arrested from Pune when there had been a bomb blast in Delhi just 20-30 metres away from Gandhi, 20 days before his assassination? After news of the explosion a doctor in Pune had told the Pune, Mumbai and Delhi administration that Godse had quite frankly told him that he wanted to kill Gandhi. You should always remember guys it was Gandhi who chose Nehru over Patel despite 12 out of 15 State congress committees recommended Patel. But after becoming PM and six months of Independence, Nehru no longer needed Gandhi. In fact Nehru benefited from Mahatma Gandhi’s death since Gandhi was demanding dissolution of the Congress.

To know more, Click Here

Nehru’s progeny has destroyed India. Indira Gandhi who is known as an Iron Lady was actually a soft hearten insecure person, though I like her external appearance and powerful image she has created becoming the first woman PM. She has done many mistakes also, in fact two great things she has done are, releasing ‘Bangladesh’ from Pakistan and The Indian Patent Act. She had ideas to develop India. She was far more efficient than her father; she was patriotic and wanted to save India from being looked down at by other developed nations. But her son Rajiv Gandhi was totally new to politics that is when we realized that Nehru family is trying to keep up their dynasty. Even when she knew there were many eminent people out there to succeed her then why did she depend on her son? Because he was charming and the poor community of India would caste votes thinking he was some magician who would change their poverty all at once, Same as Rajiv now Rahul also started using his looks and not brain to canvas votes rather I would say his mother thought it would fetch votes. Sonia Gandhi refused to enter politics after her husband’s death but she did enter later when she realized it would give her an ultimatum for smuggling antiques. Starting from the Bofors scam in which her friendship with the Italian middleman involved Ottavio Quattrocchi to the Robert Vadra scams till date. She had always been looting away India’s wealth.

Rahul Gandhi’s ex-girlfriend Veronique is the daughter of the head of drug mafia in Colombo-The headquarters of drugs cultivation which cater to the world’s supply all alone (This is the main reason for Political unrest in SriLanka as the Italian mafia makes sure that nobody has an upper hand since it can affect the trade of narcotics). 80cr of the Indian population falls into the 20-35yrs category and they are the ones who are falling into the traps of drug addiction. Since this business in just five cities of India namely Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Goa and Chennai happens to have more demand than the whole of (quantity demanded in) America put together they encourage congress government to have power. I don’t know if Pappu himself is aware of this business happening under his feet while having the relationship with Veronique.

One of the famous write-ups on the internet- A letter to Rahul Gandhi from an IITian. A must read, Click Here

Lal Bahadur Shastri

I must say that I like Nehru’s writing and communication skills (wink) I like the book; His letters to Indira Priyadarshini while he was sentenced in jail. I do have a lot to speak about Gandhi too which I will do in another post but you know what guys in my opinion I wish if Sardar Patel had become our first PM and Subhash Chandra Bose the Father of the Nation.

 Do you people even remember Lal Bahadur Shastri? The Second Prime Minister of the republic of India. How can we forget the slogan "Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer" during the Indo-Pak war in 1965. He was also born on October 2^nd. Does someone ever mention anything about this great man on that day? Instead we celebrate Gandhi Jayanti. If only we knew what all he had done for India including his martyr which still remains a mystery. No doubt that Gandhi has done a lot of things for India he was a good leader but he was a poor administrator. He galvanized the whole country like anything and created a whole lot of pressure after 1942 quit India movement. You must read Nathuram Godse's final address to the court, Click Here. After hearing his testimony, one of The Judge G. D. Khosla, later wrote, “I have, however, no doubt that had the audience of that day been constituted into a jury and entrusted with the task of deciding Godse’s appeal, they would have brought a verdict of ‘not Guilty’ by an overwhelming majority”. 

Purely Gandhi and Nehru were not those men to get the whole credit and come in the front phase of Independence. There were people who did lot more; I literally mean hell-a-lot more than this two. They deserve to be respected and remembered!! Jai Hind!

58th Birth Anniversary of Kerala

Kerala better known as 'Gods own country' is located at the extreme tip of Indian subcontinent and has a vivid history of its own. It was born on Nov 1^st of 1956 as a result of State Reorganisation Act by the Government of India. It was a major reform of the boundaries of India's states and territories organizing them along linguistic lines. Till then it was three distinctive areas namely 'Malabar', 'Travancore' and 'Cochin'.

History of the state begins from The Chera dynasty which was the first powerful kingdom based in Kerala. During the Chera period, Kerala remained an international spice trading center. Later, in the 15th century, the lucrative spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala, and eventually paved the way for the European colonization of India.

The culture of the state traces its roots from 3rd century. It is a synthesis of Aryan and Dravidian cultures, developed over centuries under influences from other parts of India and abroad.

Three contradictory facts behind the name of ‘Kerala’ is that it was derived from ‘Kera’ (coconuts) so ‘Keralam’ means land of coconuts and then some people say Kerala got the name after its first ruler 'Keralian Thamboran' who ruled one of the independent provinces among Malabar, Cochin and Travancore, earlier in this millennium and there is this group of people who say ‘Kerala’ according to history was derived from the word ‘Cheral’ that refers to the Chera dynasty. (“Cheral” is a proto-Tamil-Malayalam word for ‘lake’)

Furthermore when we dig the past, Hindu mythology explains us that Kerala was formerly known as ‘Parashurama kshetram’ (Land of Parashurama) as he formed the land area from the sea to gift the Brahmin head-priests who performed the Yagya Kashyapa. The story happens between the Treta and Dwapara Yugas according to the first book of Mahabharata.

Parushurama- the unique sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu was angry on the kshatriyas as they didn’t keep their word after the Ashvamedha sacrifice and went around the world beheading every single male kshatriyas with his mighty axe ('mazhu') that he had got as a present from Lord Shiva (to liberate the Mother Earth from felons, ill-behaved people, extremists, demons and those blind with pride) for his extreme devotion & perpetual meditation who later on turned out to be his Guru in martial arts. He then flung his 'mazhu' from 'Goakaranam' (Gokarna) into the sea and the sea receded to form the land 'Keralam'.

CURRENT SCENARIO:

Kerala is a state in India which stands out when it comes to the variety of topography at a stretch of 38,863 km² and the language ‘Malayalam’ spoken in 12+ different slang among the fourteen districts. Kerala is the most searched Indian destination and ranks third in the foreign tourism list of most visited places in India because of its aesthetic beauty stretching from Arabian sea costs to the continuous mountain range of the western Ghats The state is a fine blend of the classic and the contemporary, offering a wonderful kaleidoscope of fascinating history, rich culture, unique architecture, interesting customs and more. Its intricately woven tapestry is made up of picturesque hill stations, meandering lagoons, jungle waterfalls, rejuvenating ayurvedic tourism, spicy sea food, exotic wildlife, vibrant art forms, dynamic boat races, sacred pilgrimage places and so on.

Venice of the East- Alleppey, Kerala

Queen of Arabian Sea- Cochin, Kerala

Kerala has the highest rates in India in terms of Literacy (98.9%), HDI (0.790), Life expectancy (77years), sex ratio (1084 women per 1000 men) and has the lowest rate in population growth (3.44%). Another two highlights of Kerala is that it is ranked as the least corrupt state in the country and it is a state in India with highest exposure to media with its newspapers published in nine different languages.

Highlights of Kerala:

·         Agriculture production mainly coconut, tea, coffee, cashew and spices with pepper and natural rubber contributing to a significant portion of the total national output.

*'Karimeen'- the state fish of Kerala.

·         Snake boat race, the “Chundan vallam”, the “Vallapaatu” and the “Vallasadhya”

·         The 'sadhya' (Banquet) which normally has 24-25 dishes (can go up to 64) served on a banana leaf.

·         Festivals like Onam and Vishu.

·         ‘Malayali manga’ (Typical Malayali girl)

A malayali style of dressing which means:

1. To wear either of the three 'mundum-neriyathum' (Kerala Saree), a 'dhavani'(lengthy skirt, short blouse and a long shawl) or a 'pattupavada' (Long skirt with a lengthy blouse which has thick kasavu border)

2. Tie your hair into 'pulipinnal' which is better known as Kerala hair style.(leaving half hair open).

3. A 'Chandana kuri' (a mark of sandal wood paste on your forehead).

4. Hands filled with 'kuppiwala' (glass bangles).

5. Eyes outlined with a thick layer of 'Kanmashi' (Kajal).

6. A Big red 'pottu' (Bindi) on forehead is the trade mark of a Keralite rather Indians actually.

7. Last but not the least 'mullapoovu' (Jasmine bead tied togather on a thread) on the hair.

·        

•     Temple festivals of Kerala are another unique experience, among which Guruvayur Ekadeshi at Guruvayur SreeKrishna Temple and ‘Trissur Pooram’ at the ‘Vadukunnathan Kshetram’ stands out as a highlight where people celebrate pooram without any hindrance of religion. It is celebrated in the Malayalam month of ‘medam’ when the moon rises with the Pooram star by 10 temples forming two groups say eastern and western lead by ‘Paramelkavu Temple’ and ‘Thiruvambady Temple’. The golden elephant caparison (Nettipattam), elephant accoutrements (Chamayam), ornamental fan made of peacock feathers (Aalavattom), royal fan (Venchamarom), sacred bells and decorative umbrellas are the main features of Trissur Pooram . Fire works of Trissur Pooram is very famous and I guess I need not mention more about it. 

Guruvayoor Ekadeshi 'Chuttuvilakku' 

Trissur Pooram

Crowd at Trissur Pooram, In this picture you can see the display of caparisons by both the lands.(groups)

Fun Facts about Kerala:

·         The ‘Gulf malayalis’ since recent census proved that every house in Kerala would have at least one member of the family in the ‘gulf’.

·         They say when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon he found a malayali selling tea, Again a funny fact that Keralites are spread all across the nook and corner of this world that wherever you go you would find at least one.

Kerala is also well known for its diverse forms of Performing arts. A list of art forms segregated according to the communities in Kerala are the following:

Hindu Arts

·         Kathakali

·         Chakyar Koothu

·         Nangiar Koothu

·         Mohiniyattam

·         Theyyam

·         Padayani

·         Theeyaattam (Thiyyattu)

·         Koodiyattam

·         Kerala Natanam

·         Panchavadyam

·         Thullal

·         Tholpavakoothu

·         Ottamthullal

·         Garudan Thookkam

·         Kolam Thullal

·         Poorakkali

·         Mudiyett

·         Kummattikali

·         Kuthiyottam

·         Thiriyuzhichil

·         Kalaripayattu

·         Mangalamkali

·         Marathukali

·         Malayikuthu

·         Mukkanchathan

·         Charadupinnikkali

·         Kothammuriyattam

·         Sopanam

·         Thacholikali

·         Sarpam Thullal 

·         Pulluvan Paattu

·         Poothan and Thira

·         Yakshagana in Kasaragod

·         Kanyar kali in northern Palakkad district

·         Purattu Nadakam in Palakkad district

·         Pavakoothu

·         kaalakali

Muslim Arts

·         Oppana

·         Mappila Paattu

·         Kolkali

·         Duff Muttu

·         Arabana muttu

Christian Arts

·         Margam Kali

·         Chavittu Nadakam
·         Parichamuttukali

Chakyar Koothu

Kathakali- Most famous art form of Kerala

Thiruvathirakali- One of the two famous dance forms in Kerala

Mohiniyattam- The main dance form of Kerala

Traditional Sadhya served on a banana leaf.

Theyyam- A Hindu Art form, performed at temples.

Snake Boat(Chundan vallam) during a race

Temple Architechture in Kerala.

Traditional Architecture- 'Naalukettu'

Traditional Kerala Architecture-'Arayum Nilayum'

Traditional Architecture of tile roof & 'Chaarupadi'

Traditional 'Thulasi Thara' which is placed in front of the house at the entrance.