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A
hundread per cent literate society
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World-class
health care systems
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India’s
lowest infant mortality and highest life
expectancy rates
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The
highest physical quality of life in India
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India’s
cleanest and most peaceful state.
”Kerala is a bizarre anomaly among developing nations, a place
that offers real hope for the future of the Third World.
Consider: This small state in India, though not much larger than
Maryland, has a population as big as California’s and per
capita annual income of less than $300. But its infant mortality
rate is low, its literacy rate among the highest on Earth, and
birth rate below America’s and falling faster. Kerala’s
citizens live nearly as long as Americans or Europeans. Though
mostly a land of paddy-covered plains, statistically Kerala
stands out as the Mount Everest of social development……”
Bill Mckibben National
geographic Traveler, October 1999
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Kettuvallam:
The
houseboat of Kerala
Showcasing a unique
heritage
The
kettuvallams(houseboats) of Kerala are giant country
crafts, measuring up to 80 feet in length, retrieved from being lost
to the State altogether. Once, they ruled backwaters, poled along by
one or two men, heavily loaded with rice, coconut and other
commodities. But in recent times the Kettuvallams have been
replaced by modern modes of transport, relegating them to neglect
and decay. It takes great skill and meticulousness to construct
these giants tying huge planks of jack wood together. Curiously
enough, not a single nail is used in their making. There used to be
an entire clan of artisans who were involved in Kettuvallam
construction. Today, an innovative holiday idea has restored these
majestic representatives of a unique culture, and with them their
makers.
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