Gold’s own country

by Nikhil

Welcome back!

If there is something that you can’t miss during a journey through Malluland,they are the hoardings with pretty models wearing jewelry,so much of it that you feel that the weight of gold would pull the hoarding down!!!

Yes, it is not the presence of political/pseudo political parties and their flags that comes to my mind when I think of Kerala, but these hoardings. Gold is everywhere. Not only as ornaments and jewelry but also on the media. Barring HUL,and some Silk Saree showrooms, jewelry brands take up almost the full of the ad slots on Mallu channels.(Fact is that atleast two of the jewelry giants are into Silk as well)

Kerala is obsessed with the yellow metal, and almost a third of the close to 900 tonnes of annual gold India purchases move into bank lockers in Kerala. (Source Commodity Online)

Weddings to anniversaries, auspicious days to investments, not a big reason is needed to head to a Gold showroom. No wonder Kerala is home to some of Asia’s largest retail chains in gold and jewelry business.

All the brands that have a firm foot hold in the Kerala market are local brands be it an Alukkas,Alappat,Chemmanur,Josco, Bhima, Giripai,Kalyan or the latest Malabar Gold.
Entry of Kirtilal Kalidas (2003) or a chic and sleek Tanishq has not much affected the jewellry market which still has a strong appetite for traditional designs. A Tanishq would hardly end up being the place for a wedding purchase not only for the cost but for the style and design.

Malayalee’s love for gold can be traced back to the kings who amassed jewelry and then the socialist Malayalee’s capitalistic pursuits to the middle east brought in more money and more gold. The market thrived. No wonder all the Kerala jewellers have a massive presence in the middle east to cater to the gold thirsty Mallu.

No wonder, 916 and Hallmark, these would be the words that every Malayalee will continue to have at the tip of their tongues.

As long as Malayalees live on this planet, as long as Malayalees get married, as long as expat money flows in…gold will rule Kerala.

* The title has been used elsewhere before and is NOT original

Images-Sourced from Flickr and Alukkas website respectively. All image rights with the respective owners.

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9 comments

1 parul { 02.16.08 at 7:14 am }: Well these days you a see the diamond craze on a high. Everyone from Joy Allukkas to Josco have a different diamond section.

Very soon we may see diamond ruling the backwaters!

PS: insights from a non-mallu who spent three months in kerala trying to find what actually gives malayalees a kick:)
2 Neha { 02.18.08 at 11:30 am }: Guess the only other thing which could compete for billboard space with gold ads are the Movie hoardings….. heavyset mustachioed movie actors also seem to occupy the fancy of mallus.
Its just an observation, correct me if i am worng
3 vinni { 02.18.08 at 6:39 pm }: that is a very pretty mallu chick!
4 Ren { 02.20.08 at 3:13 pm }: True da . I am sick of some walking jewelries !
5 | Balu | { 02.29.08 at 2:05 pm }: Let me be the devil’s advocate here…. But isn’t it easier to steal a diamond ring than a pathu pawan gold chain? So from the security point of view isnt it safer to invest in gold (land value will last only till land does.. there is a hypothesis that whole earth will be under water in twenty years.. what will we do with land then?)
6 Brad { 02.29.08 at 6:17 pm }: Very cool site.
7 Dhanya { 03.12.08 at 5:30 pm }: hmm it’s so true.. I guess mallu’s r the only ones who use so much jewelery.. But prob is the bulk is used only for one day n then it’ll be in the dark rooms of some locker!!
Btw I tried subscribing to ur blog but couldn’t find any RSS feeds
8 Nikhil Narayanan { 03.13.08 at 5:28 am }: @Parul
Good forecast
@neha
Mohanlal rules! With or without moustache!!!

@Vinni
IF only I knew her,I would have been happier

@Ren
Atheda
@Balu
Ithrayum Veno?

@Brad
Thanks

@Dhanya
Thanks. rss feed should be working.
I use feed burner
9 Training8m { 02.21.09 at 3:06 pm }: Kerala is Gold Rich State in India