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How Kerala got rich

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Re: How Kerala got rich

#251

Post by aprilthird2021 »

YouAreRONGS wrote: post #233
paulluuk wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that in almost all western countries, a life spent entirely on hoarding wealth for the sake of wealth, is considered a sad life. Especially if you don't even have any loved ones to share your wealth with. I think the same it true for most of Latin america, where many of my friends and colleagues are from. And when I was in Nepal they thought that, if anything, western people are way too much focused on gather…

It's also commonplace in traditional Buddhist and Hindu cultures, especially a lot of the older upper class in India are obsessed with following Gandhi-like living too. You still find it in many Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka and South East Asia too.

The world would be a great place if the older upper classes learned from and tried to emulate Gandhi

Re: How Kerala got rich

#252

Post by aprilthird2021 »

mc32 wrote: post #211
anon291 wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's because America is fundamentally a Christian country. I know no one wants to hear this. But this zeitgeist is unmistakenly Christian. Interestingly enough the same forces are at work in kerala, which is one of the most Christian states in India (and the ruling communists are associated with them)

Can you expound on this idea? What does anti-wealth have to do with Christianity and how does Communism enter the frame in India? Prior to the mid 60s seeking betterment and wealth was one of the main reasons people migrated to the US replacing religious persecution back home as the main reason to come.

Christianity (esp. Catholicism) and socialism have a long connection, especially in South America, which did not have the economic miracle Kerala did.

Kerala did not become wealthy from socialism, it became literate and land reform lifted many out of poverty. The actual wealth started accumulating when Keralites took advantage of opportunities to work abroad and send remittances home. That has been a major economic driver for the state and India as a whole, but they did it long before others did, largely because land reform gave people a safety net to fall back on so they could risk going abroad to earn more

Re: How Kerala got rich

#253

Post by YouAreRONGS »

aprilthird2021 wrote: post #251
YouAreRONGS wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also commonplace in traditional Buddhist and Hindu cultures, especially a lot of the older upper class in India are obsessed with following Gandhi-like living too. You still find it in many Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka and South East Asia too.

The world would be a great place if the older upper classes learned from and tried to emulate Gandhi

A lot of the older upper class Hindus in India do actually act like that. And it's also quite common in Sri Lanka and South East Asia for the upper class to do that.

Re: How Kerala got rich

#254

Post by __rito__ »

goku12 wrote: post #200
__rito__ wrote: post #64

Kerala is a very empty place. People emigrate parmanently or stay outside for decades. Elderlies live on their own. Schools and home remain empty. It is just intuitively sad. One should read this interesting piece- "Kerala: A ghost town in the world's most populated country" [0]. Many laborers from my state- West Bengal travel to ameliorate the labor shortage of Kerala. Because their laborers are in the Gulf. The uns…

I wasn't planning to respond to this topic, since I'm a Keralite living and earning in Kerala. But this seems a little odd: > Kerala is a very empty place. People emigrate parmanently or stay outside for decades. Elderlies live on their own. Schools and home remain empty. It is just intuitively sad. One should read this interesting piece... I'm writing this from my home here in Kerala. Empty is not how I would descri…

Many Keralian small towns and villages seemed empty to me. That's what I meant.

I am sure what you are saying is true.

Re: How Kerala got rich

#255

Post by YouAreRONGS »

hammock wrote: post #182
fakedang wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bangalore today is a shadow compared to the Garden City it once was. For outsiders not in the know, Bangalore was famous for its beautiful lakes and the lush greenery around them. It was absolutely something else, finding these beautiful water bodies smack in the middle of what is supposed to be a major city. The weather was cool, almost like a warm European summer (which is extremely cool by Indian standards). Then…

I had no idea and thank you for sharing. Why did it fall apart?

If you want an alternative view, the state government has to largely spend money on infrastructure and welfare for non-Bengaluru voters who comprise the majority of the population and the vast majority of the land area, so often all the money that flows into Bengaluru doesn't get spent in Bengaluru itself but instead the wider state.

I also think that there's a strong overcurrent of people wanting to emulate US living standards in a city that's simply designed for a different way of living, more similar to other dense cities in East Asia or maybe even Europe. You need to have skyscrapers and not large low rise estates for example.

Re: How Kerala got rich

#256

Post by _thisdot »

YouAreRONGS wrote: post #219

The main reason is probably because it is a small state with a majority Christian/Muslim population who work in the Middle East. It allows the state to get to a higher lower income level quickly. But there's very little in terms of actual enterprise in the same way you get in Tamil Nadu or other parts of India. As to why the article is on the front page on HN? Probably because the state has a large diaspora in the Mi…

It's a misconception that Kerala has majority Christian/Muslim population. Kerala has ~55% Hindus and ~25% Muslims and ~20% Christians.

Re: How Kerala got rich

#257

Post by saagarjha »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #189
sowhat25 wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Joy?

Well, anyone that says "all India states are very beautifull places" must be on something. Not denying India has some beautiful places, but it also has some of the most post-apocalyptic places I've ever seen. Gurugram reminded me exactly of the city in Blade Runner.

India has plenty of beautiful places, in all its states. It’s a big country. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t also have dystopian nightmares too.

Re: How Kerala got rich

#258

Post by _thisdot »

j0e1 wrote: post #248

One thing I find amusing as a Malayali (aka Keralite) myself is how we tend to get excited seeing other Malayalis. One of the first questions usually is "Where are you from in Kerala?" (or in Romanized Malayalam: naatil evideya?)

The camaraderie is amusing! When they banned beef in Bangalore, the entirety of Malayalis there continued to collectively call beef something else and that system worked wonderfully!

Re: How Kerala got rich

#259

Post by Gud »

blululu wrote: post #227
nick__m wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Islam specifically rejects hoarding wealth, so I think that pretty much takes out most of the middle east I don't know much about religions but I don't believe it is that clearly delineated. How would you explain Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, from my limited vantage point they seem pretty much all in on their religion. Are they practicing a perverse form of Islam like the Christian who practi…

Islam is probably the most economically savvy major religion (Mohammed was a merchant after all). Unlike other religions which issue blanket prohibitions on things like charging interest or having wealth Islam is more pragmatic. Hoarding wealth is considered sinful when it means that others are going without but it is not a sin to make money, have money or be rich. The gulf states could all broadly be described as so…

Sorry but they cannot be described as socialist because workers rights are non existent. Just because there is some protection for the native Arabs doesn't mean it can be "broadly described as socialist". There is no protection for the Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Indians, etc, who are doing the work. Protecting the working class is pretty much the point of socialism. This is a ludicrous statement.

Re: How Kerala got rich

#260

Post by your_challenger »

YouAreRONGS wrote: post #244
your_challenger wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, we know who this guy is. Something good is said about Kerala and he has to jump in to bring it down.

I question why it's on the front page as well even though I'm Tamil. Kerala is by no-means unique in India. It's controversial because the state is communist and majority Christian/Muslim, on top of being one of the thorns for the BJP (albeit a small one at least). It reeks more of left-wing propaganda being promoted by left-wing narratives in the western world that end up supporting corrupt and divisve left-wing pol…

Why is it "controversial" to have a left leaning government and a significant population of Christians or Muslims? Yes, Kerala had early "true" communism (land reforms, nokku kooli) but since then it has just been a left leaning, liberal government. Also answer why you find it controversial for it to have other religions than Hinduism.
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