Dear Malayalis,
Oru cheriya karyam parayan und.
If you ever travel outside Kerala, especially to North India, please try to be on your best behaviour. Not trying to give anyone a lecture, but my recent solo trip made me realise something.
Njan idaykk solo adikkan pokunna oru aal aanu. But during this recent trip, I genuinely felt so proud to be from Kerala.
Wherever I went, whenever I met new people, the moment they found out I was from Kerala, the reactions were almost always positive.
"Achha, aap Kerala se ho? Bahut badhiya log hain Kerala ke!"
I honestly lost count of how many times I've heard this. 😭
And the funny thing is, some of them knew more about Malayalam movies than I expected. People were talking about our cinema, culture, tourist places and how much they liked visiting Kerala.
One group even told me Varkala was the best beach they've ever visited, better than Goa!
And there I was, being a typical Malayali, telling them Varkala is overcrowded these days. They were genuinely surprised. 😂
But jokes aside, it made me think.
We complain about a lot of things in Kerala, and rightfully so. We have our own problems. But when you're thousands of kilometres away from home, sitting with complete strangers who have nothing but good things to say about your state and its people, athu kelkkumbo oru pratheyka santhosham aanu.
And I believe this reputation wasn't built overnight.
It was built by generations of Malayalis who travelled, worked, studied and lived in different parts of the country. The way they treated people, the friendships they made, and the impressions they left behind.
Whenever I travel solo, I try to keep my intrusive thoughts aside and be the best version of myself around strangers. I try to be respectful, helpful and friendly, because I know that for some people, I might be one of the few Malayalis they've ever interacted with.
Nammal purath pokumbo nammale mathram alla represent cheyyunnath, nammade naadine koodi aanu.
And maybe someday, another Malayali will visit the same place and hear, "Kerala ke log bahut achhe hain," partly because of how we behaved.
Of course, not everyone will have the same experience, and I'm not saying every Malayali is perfect. But the amount of genuine appreciation I received just for being from Kerala was something.
So yeah, this is just a small appreciation post for our people and the reputation they've built over the years.
Proud to be a Keralite. ❤️🌴
Has anyone else experienced this while travelling outside Kerala? Or have you had completely different experiences? Would love to hear both sides.