North Malabar wanderings

I happened to wander through a bit of the north Malabar beaches and villages leisurely in the winter months of 2009-10. One of the most attractive aspects of the people of Malabar is the friendly nature, compared to not only the town dwellers, but also the southerners. As I experienced many a times in front of the ATMs in rest of the country, where people gaze blank at your face, no smile, no frawn, no expressions at all, the Malabar people smile at you warmly.
The women are appreciable in their relatively unreserved nature, while communicating to the menfolk also.
It makes you happy to see people smiling at you. Initially, as we are the "civilized ones", I was wondering why people smile. Gradually I realized the positiveness and innocence of their smile.

One day we went to see the "PerunkaLiyAttam" - theyyam festival in Eramam village, which is a few kilometers east of Payyannur, moving ahead of Mathamangalam. It was a great experience. Not only the Muchilot Bhagawathy theyyam, but also the great performance of musical wind instruments, the slow rhythmic movements and the multitude of village folks gathered there.

The abandoned channels of the moving "Nileshwaram River" has given rise to many a water bodies in which migratory birds flourish. Moor hens were aplenty, although egrets and cranes were more of a permanant presence. By the way, Nileshwaram means the place of Neela KaNTHan, the blue throated Shiva, whose temple is the "Thali Mahadeva kshethram".





to continue.....................