D.Dhanuraj
One of the early lessons that I learnt in my geographical classes is the description of Malabar in different contexts; north of Shornur to erstwhile Madras Presidency. I always believed that from Shornur onwards to north of Kerala, the region has a rich culture, tradition and uniqueness. I wonder why Wayanad is still not discussed in a Malayali life unlike many other places of Kerala. Manathwady, Sultan Bathery, Vythiri, Kalpatta – it looks like a question how many cities we know in China? I could smell and stand up to clean water, air and environment in the last few days. Awesome we say !! I can’t even forget Malabar cuisines. What worries me is that this region is still backward in terms of accessibility and infrastructure. No wonder if any one criticises me for anti environmental writings; no it is not my intention but to say, there are opportunities to be explored in this part of the country. We don’t mention any of the towns mostly in our future Kerala discussion but at the same time, this region was the most connected one in renaissance period and produced many tall figures in the history of this country. It is like Kolkata has been ignored in our discussions related to future of India.
This region has a gold mine for history students. Last time when I visited, thanks to our friend, I had the opportunity to visit many mosques on the west cost of Malabar. When we went there, it was a very enriching experience of visiting the grit of yesteryears folklores and warriors. I visited many tombs of many local warriors who fought against the imperial tendencies. They are old and Persian script is seen on the top of the Khabar. Nearby I could see century old temples. It is the reflection of secular culture rooted in Malabar. Yesterday I visited a temple of a few hundred years. The serene surroundings around it takes you to the lineages of the civilization.
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