The people of Kerala, 'God's Own Country' are known to be the simplest and extremely down to earth, who lead a simple lifestyle. Most of them stick to their original and traditional way of living, which is away from the glitter of the stressful city life. Known as 'Keralites', the natives of Kerala like to stay close to their ancient traditions, rituals, practices and religion. It is no exaggeration if one says that they are extremely proud of their rich cultural heritage and these values have been preserved from generations. Keralites have a lifestyle that is not at all complicated and therefore, they are content and happy owing to their unfussy pleasures of life.
Malayalam is spoken by the people of Kerala and so sometimes, they are also referred to as 'Malayalees'. They give a lot of importance to education and as a result the literacy rate is quite high here. Not only modern education is importance for them, but the elders make it a point that they also offer religious and cultural teachings to their younger generations. Most of the Keralites are well-versed in English.
As far as hygiene is concerned, the natives of Kerala give a lot of importance to healthcare, cleanliness and excellent physical quality of life. They like to eat a balanced diet in their daily routine. The mainstay of Kerala's economy is Agriculture. Tourism and Export are also a significant role in the economy of this South Indian state.
The natives of Kerala dress in an ordinary manner. The women generally dress- up in their traditional attire, known as Set Mundu, which looks like a sari that is worn with a blouse. This attire involves careful draping of 2 pieces of long cloth on oneself. Keralite men generally wear white-colored Mundu (dhoti) along with a shirt or a cotton 'lungi'. Men, who live in city, wear pants and shirts and women wear saris. The younger generation has become quite fashionable and wears everything from jeans to Salwar- Kameez.
Keralites follow a cosmopolitan outlook that can be seen in their tolerance towards the several residing religions and communities. Matriarchal system, a unique social system is followed in Kerala. This clearly means that women in Kerala enjoy a better status than anywhere else in the country. Cases of evils like abortions, fatal daughter syndrome and female infanticide are very rare.
