Malayalam
Malayalam is the language spoken predominantly in the state of Kerala, in south India. It is one of the 23 official languages of the Asian nation of India. It is spoken by around 36 million people. A native speaker of Malayalam is called a "Malayali". Malayalam is spoken in the Union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry.
The earliest written record of Malayalam is the Vazhappalli inscription (ca. 830 AD). The early literature of Malayalam comprised three types of composition:
Classical
songs known as Pattu of the Tamil tradition
Manipravalam/ of the Sanskrit
tradition, which permitted a generous interspersing of Sanskrit with Malayalam
The folk song rich in native elements
Malayalam poetry to the late twentieth
century betrays varying degrees of the fusion of the three different strands.
The oldest examples of /Pattu/ and Manipravalam respectively are /ramacharitam/
and /vaishikatantram/, both of the twelfth century.
The earliest extant prose work in the language is a commentary in simple Malayalam, Bhashakautaliyam (12th century) on Chanakya's Arthasastra. Adhyathmaramayanam by Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan is one of the most important works in Malayalam Literature. Malayalam prose of different periods exhibit various levels of influence from different languages such as Tamil, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali, Hebrew, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Syriac, Portuguese, Dutch, French and English. Modern literature is rich in poetry, fiction, drama, biography, and literary criticism.
Kerala's music also has ancient roots. Carnatic music dominates Keralite traditional music; this was the result of Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma's popularisation of the genre in the 19th century. Raga based renditions known as sopanam accompany kathakali performances. Melam is a more percussive style of music; it is performed at Kshetram-centered festivals using the chenda. Melam ensembles comprise up to 150 musicians, and performances may last up to four hours. Panchavadyam is a different form of percussion ensemble, in which up to 100 artists use five types of percussion instrument. Kerala has various styles of folk and tribal music. The popular music of Kerala — as in the rest of India — is dominated by the film music of Indian cinema. Kerala's visual arts range from traditional murals to the works of Raja Ravi Varma, the state's most renowned painter.
Keralite elephants at
the Thrissur Pooram. Kerala has its own Malayalam calendar, which is used to plan
agricultural and religious activities. Kerala's cuisine is typically served as
a sadhya on green banana leaves; such dishes as idli, payasam, pulisherry, puttucuddla,
puzhukku, rasam, and sambar are typical. Keralites — both men and women alike
— traditionally don flowing and unstitched garments. These include the mundu,
a loose piece of cloth wrapped around men's waists. Women typically wear the sari,
a long and elaborately wrapped banner of cloth, wearable in various styles.
About Kerala:
A state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. To its east and northeast, Kerala borders Tamil Nadu and Karnataka; to its west and south lie the Indian Ocean islands of Lakshadweep and the Maldives, respectively. Kerala envelops Mahé, a coastal exclave of Pondicherry. Kerala is one of four states that comprise the linguistic-cultural region known as South India.
First settled in the 10th century BCE by speakers of Proto-South Dravidian, Kerala was influenced by the Mauryan Empire. Later, the Cheran kingdom and feudal Namboothiri Brahminical city-states became major powers in the region. Early contact with overseas lands culminated in struggles between colonial and native powers. Finally, the States Reorganisation Act of November 1, 1956 elevated Kerala to statehood. Social reforms enacted in the late 19th century by Cochin and Travancore were expanded upon by post-Independence governments, making Kerala among the Third World's longest-lived, healthiest, most gender-equitable, and most literate regions. However, Kerala's rates of suicide, unemployment, and violent crime rank among India's highest.
The etymology of the name "Kerala" is disputed. A prevailing theory states it is an imperfect portmanteau that fuses kera and alam. Natives of Kerala — "Keralites" — thus refer to their land as Keralam. Other theories have the name originating from the phrase chera alam.
The media industry is rich
Keralites maintain high rates of newspaper & magazine subscriptions 50%, spend an average of about seven hours a week reading novels and other books.
Newspaper industry
Madhyamam
Thejas
Malayala Manorama (malayalamanorama)- Malayala Manorama
is a popular Malayalam newspaper in Kerala, India. The newspaper was once the
largest circulated regional newspaper. The Manorama group, manages the newspaper,
also runs the Manorama Yearbook. Malayala Manorama, which first appeared on 14th
March 1890, as a weekly, has a readership of over 9 million, with a circulation
base of over 1.4 million copies.Manorama is Kerala's largest selling and most
widely read news paper.
Mathrubhumi
Deepika
Desabhimani
Kerala
Kaumudi : Kerala Kaumudi is a popular Malayalam news paper founded in 1911
by C.V.Kunhuraman with K.Sukumaran.B.A.. Published from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam,
Alappuzha, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kannur in Kerala and Bangalore, Kerala Kaumudi is
the third most circulated malayalam daily. The paper has online editions in malayalam
and english updated twice daily. It releases an electronic form of the Thiruvananthapuram,
print edition in pdf format. There are overseas online editions published from
London, New York and Singapore.
Varthamanam
Chandrika
Janmabhumi
Sirajdaily
grihasree
List of Malayalam language television
channels (Kerala TV stations)
Asianet
Asianet News
Asianet
plus
ACV
Amrita TV
Surya TV
Kairali TV
Kairali People News
channel
DD Malayalam
Indiavision
Jeevan TV
Kiran TV
Manorama
News
Bharath TV
JaiHind TV
http://www.malayalasangeetham.info
malayalam devotional songs
http://www.lonympics.co.uk/new/oi1aaaaaaaaaazaaaaa11z1aaaa1a1a1a1a1a1a.htm
An Index of web pages on Geography
Malayalam language and the people of Kerala http://www.lonympics.co.uk/new/100A9aaaCvvvavC.htm.htm
http://www.lonympics.co.uk/new/100A9aaaCvvvavCC.htm About Kerala
Index of web pages on the subject of shares, stocks, FOREX and Finance.