THE IMMIGRANT LABOURERS: WORK AND LIFE

Kerala has been leading other states in literacy. Educated Keralites were finding it difficult to get suitable job opportunities within the state because there were not many major industrial and commercial establishments in this small state. Density of population, non-availability of land and other factors make Kerala a not favourable destination for establishment of major industries. Agriculture was the major source of living in the older days. Agricultural lands were shrinking due to urbanisation and educated Keralites turn to other more remunerative jobs. While the educated and skilled Keralites migrated in large numbers to far off places like the Gulf countries, America and Europe, there was shortage of man power in Kerala. Thus the better living conditions and comparative higher wages attracted labour from other states including the far flung North East states to Kerala.

THE CITY OF SREEPADMANABHA

History says that Thiruvananthapuram was made the capital of Venad which later became Travancore hundreds of years back. The State of Travancore was ruled by the Royal family of Travancore. Before shifting to this city, the state was ruled by the Royal family from Padmanabhapuram presently in Tamilnadu. The states of Cochin and Travancore were merged together to form one single state of Thirukochi a few years before India became independent. Even then Thiruvananthapuram was the capital of the unified state. In the year 1956 when states in the Indian union were formed on linguistic basis, Malabar which till then was part of Madras province was also added to Thirukochi to form the state of Kerala. The new state came into existence on the first of November 1956 again with Thiruvananthapuram as the capital.