Notes on Kerala

After a few days in Cochin, Ernakulam, and Kovalam, a few points on the State of Kerala.

-While less developed than Mumbai, Bangalore, or Mysore, the population is clearly better educated. This translates to more and better conversations with locals, more intense negotiations over goods and services, and a persistent sense of being evaluated carefully by people. People immediately ask perceptive questions which build on each other.

-Common questions include: where are you from? what do you do for a living? What's your religion (in Cochin)? Are you married? What's the economy like in the United States? When will it get better? I've rarely had such consistent in-depth conversations with working-class people in other developing countries.

-the educational level is way beyond economic growth. I suspect that's an oppurtunity for foreign direct investment in outsourcing and other knowledge sectors, though the problem may be that wages are too high compared to other parts of India. There must be some compromise, using higher-skilled labor.

-The relgiousity of the place is staggering. Cochin appears to be full of highly observant muslims, christans (catholic, pentacostals, syrian orthodox), and hindus. What's remarkable/wonderful is that "ordinary people" of one religion seem interested and even knowledgable ofn the beliefs and practices of other religions.

-The region seems to be experiencing a boom in tourism. "More and more, each year."