People who consider all the South Indians as “madrasi,” needs to know that there’s a land by the west cost of India, where the Arabian sea meets “God’s own country.” Yes, I’m talking about Kerala over here. It’s not just a place where everything’s about coconuts, chettans and chechis, or uncles sending goodies from  the Gulf, but it’s a lot more than that. Let’s know more about Kerala and Malayalis.

Almost all of us have at least one Malayali friend and that’s probably because they are everywhere! Malayalis surely have their own style and swag and here are 20 cool things about Malayalis.

They are qualified enough to be everywhere

The chances of finding a Malayali who cannot read and write is much lesser than the chances of you winning a lottery. All of us have at least a few Malayali friends because wherever we are, be it within India or outside India, Malayalis are everywhere. There are some people who crib about the fact that their office is filled with Keralites. But the reality is that Keralites are qualified enough to be everywhere.

100% literacy rate

Kerala is the first state in India to achieve 100% primary education. Even though the 2011 census data showed a literacy rate of 93.91%, by 2016 Kerala attained 100% literacy. Thanks to their government who implemented various programs to identify people who haven’t completed their primary education, and train them to pass equivalent exams.

They make the best out of coconuts

Keralites drink, eat, apply externally, and make useful things out of coconuts. The name Kerala is derived from “Keram“, which means coconut. Kerala is the one state that’s the most popular for coconut trees.

Not all Malayalis have greasy gross hair. However, they will always have a coconuty smell because they apply coconut oil on their skin as well as hair. Probably that’s why Malayali girls have long thick hair and beautiful glowing skin. You won’t really find many dishes in the Kerala menu that does not contain coconuts or coconut oil.

Coir industry of Kerala is very popular since they make awesome mats, ropes, and handicrafts out of the fiber (coir) that’s made from beaten coconut husks.

They own the best kind of bakeries

It’s said that, if a Malayali gets to go to the moon, he will probably open a tea shop or a bakery there. Thalassery, a small town in North Kerala owns the history of the first cake in India. Mambilly Bapputti from Thalassery went to Burma in the 1870s to learn about biscuit making and when he returned, he opened his own biscuit factory in Thalassery. He made 40 different kinds of biscuits, breads, and rusks which were mostly bought by the British.

In 1883, a British planter Mr. Brown asked Bapputti to make a Christmas cake and shared the recipe with him and that’s when the first cake in India was born. It’s said that there are more than 50,000 bakeries in Kerala today. Also, you’ll find at least a few bakeries in your town run by a Malayali, no matter where you live in India.

They bring valuable foreign exchange to the country

According to 2011 census, 2,280,000 Keralites live outside India. With the highest number of them working in the UAE, which is a mammoth 883,313, they get valuable foreign exchange for the country. In simple terms, this means that Keralites bring a lot of money to the country.

Malayali food is just yummmm!

Well, it’s not always a bad thing that keralites use coconuts in food. You might think it is, only till you taste the fish curries, kappa, briyani, and beef fry made by Malayalis. Not just the non veg and sea food items are mouth watering, but Malayalis have a long list of yummy vegetarian dishes as well. Ever heard of avial, olan, koottucurry, and pulisherry? If not, you have no idea what you’re missing on.

Try to compete with them in drinking

If you have Malayali buddies you know how it’s impossible to defeat them in drinking alcohol. While the rest of your friends will be out like lights, your Malayali friend will still be pouring another drink. They just happen to have amazing capacities!

Malayalam movie industry makes India proud

Even though the Malayalam movie industry is not as huge as Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil movie industries, it has always caught attention of movie lovers across the world. Malayalam movies, actors and directors have won several awards at national and international levels. A lot of Malayalam movies like Manichithrathazhu and Drishyam has been remade into more than 4 other languages. Never talk ill about Mohanlal or Mammooty to your Malayali friend. They might just kill you. Lol!

Malayalam movie industry has pioneered in many aspects of film making in the Indian film industry. Padayottam was India’s first ingeniously produced 70mm film, My dear kuttichathan was India’s first 3D film, and O’ Faby was the first movie in which animation was combined with live action. Amma Ariyan was India’s first crowd funded film which was made in 1986. In 2010, feature film Jalachchayam was shot entirely on a cellphone camera which was world’s first among its kind. The movie Villian, which was released in October 2017, was the first Indian movie to be shot entirely in 8k resolution. Now, isn’t that something?

They get you lots and lots of banana chips!

If you have Malayali friends in college or at work, you would know that they get a lot of yummy snacks from home, every time they go to their native. And if you’re living in Kerala, you would know the king of Malayali snacks is Banana chips. There are no family functions without these golden colored, mouth watering chips in Kerala.

India’s first baby friendly as well as child friendly state

Kerala was declared as India’s first baby friendly state in 2002 and India’s first child friendly state in 2016 by UNICEF. The government along with NGOs and UNICEF keeps up the living standards of babies and children in the state and concentrates on the development of child health care centers.

Lowest infant mortality rate

The Infant Mortality Rate of Kerala is as low as USA which is 6 infant deaths per 1000 births. This data was released in March, 2017 and it makes Kerala the state with lowest Infant Mortality Rate in India.

Ideal sex ratio

According to the census taken in 2011, there were more number of women than men in all the districts of Kerala. But don’t worry, because the difference in the ratio is not very wide. While most of the other states in India is suffering from an imbalance in the sex ratio, Kerala sets targets for an ideal state in this matter.

Highest life expectancy rate

Kerala has the highest life expectancy rate in India which is 81 years. We can say that Malayalis put a lot of effort in education, health, and improving their life style and that’s why they can live longer lives.

Best ayurveda shalas

Kottakkal Ayurveda Shala is one among the most popular ayurvedic set ups in Kerala and people who believe in ayurveda would definitely have heard of this name. Ayurvedic outlets and massage places are one of the major attractions in Kerala for domestic tourists as well as foreigners. The next time you have sore muscles, consider going to Kerala for a relaxing ayurvedic massage.

There’s a Malayali nurse in every corner of the world

According to state survey, 59% of the total population of Malayali women who are working abroad, 58,559 are nurses. You go to any hospital in India, you will find at least one or two Malayali nurses, and that’s the minimum number. Malayalis give a lot of importance to medical and engineering fields when it comes to higher education and have quite a good number of medical colleges and hospitals.

Kerala has the only drive-in beach in India

Kerala has the only drive- in beach in India which is located in Muzhappilangadu. Muzhappilangadu is a place in the northern district Kannur which has many popular beaches.

Girl child is loved and protected

The total number of women is higher than men in all districts of Kerala. According to census data and reports, Kerala is one of the states in India with lowest rate of female infanticide and least gap in the ratio between male children and female children (Under the age of 6).

According to 2011 census, the gap between female literacy rate and male literacy rate is lesser than 6%. With the achievement of 100% literacy rate, we can assume that this gap is much thinner now.

Kerala’s Human Development Index and population growth rate makes India proud

The Human Development Index of Kerala is the highest in the country and it’s population growth rate is the second lowest (The first prize goes to Nagaland).

Onam celebration is mandatory anywhere where there are Malayalis

Onam is the most important festival of Kerala and wherever you are, if there are Malayalis around you, you will get to celebrate onam with them. Onam is the harvest festival of India and people dress up in traditional Kerala Saree and Mundu. Flower carpets and Ona Sadya (Meal on the banana leaf) are the best things about onam. You can eat more than 25 varieties of dishes in an Ona Sadya including different types of payasams! (sweet drinks)

Kerala’s greenery and backwaters attract a lot of tourists

Kerala gets a major proportion of its income from tourism. It’s indeed God’s own country because it’s really beautiful. The greenery and lagoons will make you fall in love with Kerala instantly. Snake boat racing, back water house boats, water falls, tea plantations, hill sides, and so much more is there to explore in Kerala.

Malayalis are soooo attractive

I don’t need to explain much over here because we all know that Malayalis are very attractive. Malayali girls and guys are one of the most attractive people around and not just by looks because they can talk about a lot of things that are artistic as well as intellectual. Of course there are exceptions to this thought.

Malayalis love Chendamelam

Listening to chendamelam and having fun is an awesome feeling and it’s not just restricted to temple festivals. Chenda is an instrument which works more like a drum and is made with animal skin and wood. Chendas are also used in places like Mangalore and Tamil Nadu.

Beef is one the best things here

Beef is a controversial subject in many states and Kerala chooses to be on the side that loves it. It’s one of the places where you get the best kind of beef dishes.

Communisim runs in the veins of Kerala

Communist party and Congress Party are the strongest parties in Kerala and BJP never really got to affirm their party in this land. The history of communism in Kerala dates back to the time of British rule. In 1939, the communist party in Kerala was born in Pinarayi, a small village in the district Kannur. Legendary communist leaders like EMS Namboodiripad, E K Nayanar, and V S Achuthanandan are Malayalis. Kerala State Government is currently formed by the Communist party with Pinarayi Vijayan as the Chief Minister.

Kerala’s culture is filled with beautiful art forms

Theyyam, Thira, Padayani, Kathakali, Kalaripayattu, Mohiniyattam, and a lot more of art forms are Kerala’s pride. Most of these are performed during temple festivals but nowadays they are also performed for tourists and on other occasions. Malayalam literature in one among India’s richest and authors like Arundathi Roy and Madhavi Kutti are Malayalis.

Kerala saree is love

Kerala saree and Kaithari (hand woven) clothes are loved by women all across the country. The pretty white sarees with golden color border is famous among everyone and are seen worn by women from other states as well. They are beautiful as well as classy.

Also read: Best Honeymoon Destinations Under Budget In India

The post Not Just Coconut Lovers: 25 Cool Things To Know About Malayalis appeared first on Trickideas.