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The Spirit of the Churam

Long ago, when the dense forests of Wayanad were still largely unexplored by outsiders, a skilled tribal hunter named Karinthandan lived among the hills. He belonged to the indigenous communities that knew every stream, rock, and animal path in the mountains.

At that time, the British were eager to find a route connecting the fertile lands of Wayanad to the Malabar coast. Many attempts were made to cross the steep mountains, but the forests were thick, dangerous, and confusing.

One day, a British officer reportedly met Karinthandan and sought his help. The tribal hunter knew a hidden path through the mountains. With remarkable skill, he guided the officer through the forests, across valleys, and over cliffs, eventually discovering the route that would later become the famous Thamarassery Churam.

The British celebrated the discovery. However, according to the legend, they feared that Karinthandan's role in finding the route would become widely known. Greed and jealousy took hold.

The story says that Karinthandan was betrayed and murdered near the pass he had helped reveal.

But his spirit did not rest.

Travellers began reporting strange occurrences along the mountain road. Some heard mysterious sounds in the forest. Others claimed unseen forces disturbed their journeys. The locals believed Karinthandan's spirit wandered the churam, angry over the betrayal.

Frightened by these events, people sought the help of local spiritual leaders. They eventually performed rituals and symbolically chained Karinthandan's spirit to a large tree near the road.

Even today, visitors can see a tree associated with this legend, often called Karinthandan's Chain Tree, near the route to Wayanad. Many locals regard it as a reminder of the tribal guide whose knowledge opened the mountains to the outside world.

Whether every detail is historically true or not, Karinthandan remains a powerful symbol of indigenous knowledge, courage, and the often-forgotten contributions of tribal communities to Kerala's history.

The legend continues to be told around campfires, in tea shops, and by travellers climbing the winding roads of Thamarassery Churam, where the mist still drifts through the mountains as if carrying the memory of Karinthandan.

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Did the whole “Pinu not smiling” image actually matter after the 2026 election setback for the LDF? Obviously elections are decided by bigger things like alliances, anti-incumbency, community voting patterns, candidate strength and national politics, but it feels like a lot of ordinary people also started discussing perception and attitude. For many voters, the criticism was not literally about smiling, but about whether the leadership had become too distant, rigid or less emotionally connected with the public. At the same time, supporters argue that being serious and disciplined should not be confused with arrogance, and that Kerala politics unfairly overanalyzes personality. So do you think public image and body language genuinely affected voter perception, or is this being exaggerated after the defeat?

Do you think Thiruvananthapuram is entering a transformational phase because of the major projects initiated under the LDF government?

Projects like Vizhinjam Port, Kerala Space Park, Technocity expansion, Digital Science Park, Genome Valley/Genome City proposals, defense manufacturing, Outer Ring Road, and other infrastructure projects make it feel like TVM could become one of South India’s biggest growth hubs over the next 10–15 years.

If the UDF comes to power, do you think they will continue and aggressively push these projects forward, or could there be delays, rebranding, or changes in priorities?

Also historically, how much continuity exists in Kerala politics when it comes to mega projects started by previous governments? Curious to hear unbiased opinions from both LDF and UDF supporters.

Kerala in the 2030s may experience the biggest structural transformation in its modern history. For decades, Kerala’s economy was largely driven by Gulf remittances, consumption, government employment, small businesses, and social development indicators like literacy and healthcare. But the next decade could shift the state toward a far more urban, infrastructure-driven, globally connected economy centered around logistics, technology, finance, tourism, healthcare, and high-skill services. However, this transformation may also produce a Kerala that is much more unequal socially, economically, and geographically than the one people are used to today.

The biggest change may happen around Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. Thiruvananthapuram could evolve into a strategic economic hub combining deep-sea logistics, aerospace, defense manufacturing, AI, IT, and government-linked research ecosystems. The expansion of Vizhinjam International Seaport may completely alter the southern Kerala economy by attracting logistics parks, warehousing corridors, container transport systems, freight rail infrastructure, and export-oriented industries. Areas surrounding Vizhinjam, Balaramapuram, Neyyattinkara, and Technocity could urbanize rapidly, causing land prices to rise massively. Families owning land in these growth corridors may become extremely wealthy simply because of geography, while younger middle-class people without inherited assets may struggle to even buy apartments in the same regions. This could create a sharp asset divide between property owners and non-owners.

At the same time, Technopark, Technocity, Kerala Space Park, and the expanding research ecosystem could turn TVM into one of India’s largest high-skill employment zones. The future economy may heavily reward people working in AI, cybersecurity, aerospace electronics, data science, fintech, logistics management, healthcare technology, and advanced engineering. Salaries for these sectors may rise dramatically compared to traditional professions. This means that English-speaking, highly educated urban professionals may pull far ahead economically from ordinary workers, traditional small traders, or lower-skilled employees. Kerala historically had relatively compressed class differences compared to many Indian states, but the 2030s could create a visible “urban professional elite” with luxury apartments, international mobility, premium healthcare, elite schooling, and global employment opportunities.

Kochi may evolve differently but just as dramatically. Kochi could become Kerala’s true metropolitan economy — combining finance, shipping, tourism, startups, retail, petrochemicals, and corporate services. Areas like Kakkanad, Aluva, Angamaly, and Thrippunithura may urbanize heavily with high-rise apartments, IT campuses, business districts, and luxury housing projects. Kochi’s port economy, refinery ecosystem, startup ecosystem, metro expansion, and service sector growth may attract huge private investment. The city could increasingly resemble a smaller version of Hyderabad or Pune rather than a traditional Kerala urban center. But this growth may also create visible class stratification. Expensive gated communities and commercial districts may coexist beside struggling lower-middle-class populations facing rising rents and stagnant wages.

Meanwhile, the Kozhikode–Malappuram corridor could become one of the densest commercial and residential belts in South India. Fueled by Gulf capital, retail expansion, private healthcare, education, and SME businesses, this region may experience enormous population concentration and construction growth. Apartment culture, malls, hospitals, educational institutions, and private investment may expand rapidly. However, infrastructure stress, traffic congestion, water shortages, flooding risks, and environmental degradation may become severe challenges if urban planning fails to keep pace.

One of the most important long-term transformations may be demographic ageing. Kerala’s birth rates are already among the lowest in India, and by the 2030s the state may begin resembling ageing societies like Japan or South Korea more than other Indian states. A shrinking working-age population combined with a rapidly growing elderly population could fundamentally change the economy. Healthcare, home nursing, geriatric care, rehabilitation centers, assisted living facilities, and retirement housing may become massive industries. Entire sectors may emerge around elderly care and “silver economy” services. At the same time, labor shortages could increase dependence on migrant workers from states such as Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, and Odisha. Kerala could gradually develop a layered society consisting of a wealthy professional urban class, a large migrant labor base, and an ageing native population.

Socially, Kerala may become more urban and individualistic, especially in cities. The 2030s may see a sharp rise in apartment living, dual-income households, smaller families, delayed marriages, women entering high-skill professions, coworking culture, cafés, premium lifestyle services, and digital-first urban living. Younger urban populations may become less socially conservative in daily life, especially in major cities where globalization and professional culture become dominant. However, this may coexist with increasing online polarization, identity politics, and communal narratives amplified by social media ecosystems. Kerala could become more cosmopolitan physically while simultaneously becoming more polarized digitally.

Another major issue may be the growing divide between urban Kerala and rural Kerala. Some rural and interior areas could face ageing populations, declining economic activity, reduced youth populations, and falling local relevance as investment increasingly concentrates around major urban corridors. Smaller towns that fail to connect to new infrastructure and economic ecosystems may stagnate economically. In contrast, TVM, Kochi, and parts of Kozhikode may increasingly absorb talent, capital, migration, and opportunity. This could produce regional inequality far more visible than in previous decades.

Education inequality may also rise. Kerala has long benefited from relatively broad educational access, but future economic competition may increasingly favor families that can afford elite private education, AI-oriented learning, English fluency, international exposure, coding ecosystems, and professional networking. The difference between students emerging from elite urban educational ecosystems and ordinary institutions may widen sharply. Future economic success may become much more dependent on skill specialization than general literacy alone.

Climate change may further complicate this transformation. Kerala’s dense population and fragile geography make it highly vulnerable to coastal erosion, urban flooding, landslides, water stress, and heat waves. As urbanization accelerates, infrastructure planning and climate resilience may become critical survival issues for the state. Poorly planned development could worsen environmental vulnerability even as prosperity rises.

Despite all this, Kerala may still retain important protections against extreme inequality. Strong public healthcare, social welfare systems, political awareness, literacy, pensions, and social development traditions could prevent the kind of severe urban poverty visible in some rapidly growing regions elsewhere. Kerala may remain far more humane and socially stable than many high-growth regions in India. But the image of Kerala as a relatively socially equal society may weaken significantly. The 2030s may ultimately create a Kerala that is richer, more urban, more globally connected, more technologically advanced, and more infrastructure-oriented — but also more expensive, more class-divided, and more unequal than at any point in its modern history.

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As someone observing politics in North Kerala, especially Manjeshwaram and Kasaragod, I’ve always wondered why the region feels much more politically and communally polarised compared to most other parts of Kerala. The strong rise of both IUML among Muslims and BJP among Hindus seems very visible there, unlike central or southern Kerala where politics is more mixed. Is it because of border influences from Karnataka, demographic patterns, migration, historical factors, or local political strategies? Would love to hear perspectives from people actually living in Manjeshwaram and Kasaragod about why this divide became so strong over the years.

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