Palakkad Iyers
Ranganathan A.R.
On Palakkad iyers. A forward part of which may be a repeat. With no malice to anyone.
* Palakkadan parties!*
"Which part of India are you from... "Kerala?"
"But you said that your mother tongue is Tamil, so shouldn’t you be from Tamil Nadu? "
"Wait a sec…your Tamil has such a strong Malayalam slang..how come? "
These are some common questions that come my way at any Indian social gathering.
Then, a light bulb goes on in my acquaintance's face!! "Ohhhh!! Are you a Palakkad Iyer???"
I nod in the affirmative, and then get teased about the quirky ways (language, food etc) of Palakkad Iyers. I often wonder, “What is Palakkad Iyer culture?” "What defines us?"
I posed this question in an online forum and was thrilled to hear from so many Palakkad Iyers who shared my thoughts. Here is a modest compilation. Please note that some terms are in typical Palakkadan and I have attempted to translate when possible.
PALAKKAD IYER Culture is inherited, experienced, assimilated and passed on in unique ways depending on each PALAKKAD IYER's family background, childhood experiences in cultural immersion and strong presence of patriarchs or matriarchs in the tharavadu/madom (ancestral household) or agraharam (village). PALAKKAD IYER culture is the collective characteristics of PALAKKAD IYERs or Kerala Iyers, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.
Language: The charming 'avial' bhashai (medley language) of Talayaalam.......morumchaam, sheevishul, chaana-choranai, kottathalam, chella petti, kollai, machumel etc are neither used in pure Tamizh nor in pure MalayaLam, but unique to PALAKKAD IYER Talayalam (Medley of Tamil and Malayalam)
Religious practices: Invoking and seeking Ishwara's/Kula Deivam's blessings for any endeavor; Saligrama pujai, Shiva Pujai, Bhagavati Sevai, Maa Velakku, Saastha-preeti and a discipline to perform nithya karmas.
Cuisine: Unique PALAKKAD IYER dishes include Palada Prathaman, Ammini kozhakkatai, veppalakatti, chithu-murukku, puliyakuthi, arachu kalakki, verumarishi adai, (green) pepper corn oorugai, chakka varatti, thamara kizhangu vathal, chakka pappadam, thair molagai; all home-made and gifted to friends and relatives with love.
Social aspects: Most PALAKKAD IYERs were land lords and owned a lot of agricultural land. Most of that changed owing to the Land Reform Acts. However, there still seems to be a lingering feudal attitude among some high placed PALAKKAD IYERs; a sense of entitlement and superiority because, "we were all that great then".
Although purohitam (priest-hood) was the chief profession in the early days, many illustrious PALAKKAD IYERs have excelled in a wide range of professions: industrialists, lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers, entrepreneurs, artists, you name it, PALAKKAD IYERs have made a mark.
Owing to the predominantly vegetarian and saathwic lifestyle, PALAKKAD IYERs practice Ahimsa; don't have much trouble with the law and attach high value to education and industriousness.
PALAKKAD IYERs (as per my observation) contribute to social causes in their own private way. Most do not participate in institutionalised giving. I have noticed a lot of petty politics in various Brahmana sabhas, although individually, each member is quite harmless. PALAKKAD IYERs just don't buy into "herd mentality" and are highly individualistic.
Music and arts: PALAKKAD IYERs are great connoisseurs of music and other forms of art. Music is intricately woven into our cultural fabric; We burst into song during ponnu paakkal, kalyaana oonjal, nalangu, valakaapu, thottil podal, navarAtri etc.. As T. N. Seshan aptly stated about PALAKKAD IYERs are "cooks, crooks, carnatic musicians or civil servants".
Over the last 6 decades, PALAKKAD IYERs have migrated to several other states within India or have ventured abroad in search of a 'better life'. Their innate ability to adapt as has helped them excel in any chosen field anywhere. Most PALAKKAD IYERs have a relatively simple, often times, frugal lifestyle; this need for contentment puts a glass ceiling for most of their career growth, as they lack aggression when compared to their counterparts at work.
No matter where they go
or what they become, they will always be in the warmth of the PALAKKAD IYER cultural blanket.
knramesh
Growing up in the most TamBrahm part of Mumbai --- by Sweta
Except for speaking Hindi without a Tamilian accent, any TamBrahm from Mumbai is as Tamilian as their Chennai counterpart if they grew up in Matunga, Chembur-Chedda Nagar and Goregaon-Bangur Nagar!
And if by any chance you went to Vivek Vidyalaya in Goregaon or SIES in Matunga, then you will know how to read and write Tamil or Malayalam (depends on whether you are Tamil Nadu TamBrahm or Kerala Iyer, I am the latter) En kooda konjam neram peshinaale MMKR Kameshwaran odu ormai vandhudum.
These second generation TamBrahm Mumbaikars while taking a walk in their neighbourhood will have to reluctantly say hello to their parents’ friends (we’ve all been there and done that) by saying “Namaste uncle” and some 100 yards further will say “Krishnan Maama, eppidi irukkel?” The only difference being that Marwari uncle will say hello back and leave but Krishnan Mama will ask about Appa, Amma, 10 std marks, IIT coaching and also about your cousin Anju’s wedding next month. Vambu you see, too much vambu!
Mama’ve ippidi na Mami kekkave vendaam. Maami will look at the boy or girl walking with you. Screen them from top to bottom to see if anything is going on between the two of you. Mamis have special powers. With one look they can determine if a boy and girl are just friends of if there is any hanky panky going on. And if they detect something, before you reach home, the news of “oru Gujrati paiyyan kooda chuttindu irundaal ponnu” will reach your Amma via landline! Ippo laam WhatsApp pannaraal na theiryalai but naan college la padikarthe laam landline la thaan phone varum.
Millenials in Chennai might think we have it easy because we won’t have to go attend poojas or archanais but when one is from the places I mentioned in the opening sentence, there will be Bhagawati Sevai, Shasta Preeti, Kumbhabhishekam, Laksharchanai almost every month in some temple, some where. And it will of course be on a weekend and Amma will say vandhutu chaaptutu poidu, onakku vendi matram chamakya mudiyaadhu. Not that the thought of having sadhya chaapadu doesn’t excite us but the sheer thought of getting dressed in salwar suit or sari and meeting so many of our parents friends and answering their questions is so taxing that one might just settle with eating Maggi noodles at home while watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai for the 20th time!
And if somehow your parents do convince you to come, there will be one Mami with one story about how Indian Bank Mani Mama’odu ponnu met a Sindhi fellow in college and ran away (not eloped, ran away because odi poita) with him because Mani Mama did not agree to the match. After that your parents will tell you “love laam pannadhe. Pannanum naalum nammalavala irukkanum” And when you say that you know very few nammalava boys to be friends with they will convince you to attend more functions at the nearby temple. I was told one boy is very religious, goes to temple every Saturday and is apparently going to IIM Ahmedabad. Mind voice – adhukku naan enna pannardhu?!
These Mumbaikars are a good mix of TamBrahm-ness and Bombaiyya because they will pottu ittufy and poo vechufy for weddings and poonals but also do the Ganpati Visarjan dance with no inhibitions! They will burst crackers at 4am on Diwali day with Appa and cousins and also burst crackers at night with their Northie friends. (I know we should say no to crackers but chumma oru perspective’ku chonnen)
Besides the lack of a Saravana Bhavan every three kilometres, these parts of Mumbai are very much like Chennai. Infact Matunga is called Mini Madras and Bangur Nagar is called Mini Matunga. You will see malli poo vendors, vegetable vendors with velirikkai, chenai, drumstick, Giri Trading Agency with the latest CD of Unnikrishnan (but still only MSS’s Suprabhaatam will play in the morning, enna Bombaai aanalum TamBrahm engeyum MSS fan dhaan), XYZ Sweets and Snacks (which will have sambar podi, paruppu podi, molaga podi, Mysore Concerns kaapi podi, Diwali palahaaram for poor souls like me who can’t make them), Dosa batter and chutney for sale to pick up after work every evening (Grinder laam vechukka aathula edam illai)
Oh and not to forget if one is a Kerala Iyer like myself there will most definitely be a sticker of “Sree Guruvayoorappan Ee Vidinde Aishwaryam” on the door