Shopping in Kerala is less manic than in other places. India may be just one big bazaar, but the Malayalis don’t seem to be aware of that. In the ancient empires on these shores traders once spun fabulous wealth from spices, ivory and gold, but things are calmer in the modern state of Kerala. You can roam the shops unassailed by wild promises. Touts will not follow you and some shopkeepers have never heard of what you’re looking for. So shop at your own pace, with plenty of time for second opinions, second thoughts and double takes.
Groovy Threads
If you just got off your backwater kettuvallom, you are probably still basking in the glow of golden coir, sisal, jute and cane. Alappuzha and other places in Kuttanad specialise in wall mats, carpets, bags, and furniture made with natural fibres, set off with just a suggestion of colour. Haul it all home and you can relive those lazy, drifting after noons whenever you like. When buying, check for neatly finished edges and make sure there are no mildew spots on pieces that may have been stored through the rainy season. Grass and banana fibre are used to create more ornamental, delicate items: most handicraft emporia carry a wide range of pattu pai or silky grass mats and soft bags crocheted from banana fibre.
‘Old Things’
Serious collectors of Chinese ceramics and other antiques will find all sorts of goodies in Kochi’s famed Jew Street. Similar treasures can be found in many smaller towns as well, perhaps not in the antiques and handicrafts shops but in simple ‘old things’ shops a spitting distance from the raddiwala. In the neater places, people usually pick up brass-inlay caskets and urulis, as well as teapots, tin candlestands and twee little ceramic figurines from decades past, when “English” pottery was the sign of high living. In this teak-rich region, even common house hold items have lasted many lifetimes, and the best polish is often found on an elegantly turned buttermilk churner, a ladle holder with a braided design, or a sevai press rubbed to a sheen by skillful hands.
You may be tempted to buy one of the vintage painted clay idols found in these shops. They are notoriously fragile and the only sure way to keep a clay idol safe is to carry it in your arms like a baby all the way home.
In Jew Street and in many shops elsewhere, old items and newer reproductions are displayed together. Authentication and certification are unheard of in most places. Just don’t take home any thing with a trail of powder below it, it’s probably wormy. Every mirror is said to be “Belgian glass”, but check for a distorted reflection by standing far away and moving side to side. Look carefully at any thing with dark varnish on it. If a chair leg or some other part of the furniture has been mended, the joint is sometimes disguised with heavy varnish.
Shoppers at Jew Street need to be aware of prices beforehand. If you are looking only for souvenirs, you are better off at Kairali or the other government emporia. If you are buying wooden and brass items such as a casket, bell or a hanging lamp purely for orna mental purposes and are not interested in antique value as such, you will get a better and a more reasonably priced selection at the government shops. Other popular souvenirs at the government shops are model boats, such as the teak uru, snakeboats made of rosewood or sandalwood, and houseboats made of screwpine.
The government handicraft emp o ria are also a good stop for legal sandalwood, loofahs and vetiver brushes, fragrant bathing powders that promise you radiant skin and robust health, and dasangam, a particularly heady powdery incense. They have tasty preserves such as pineapple jam and jackfruit jam as well as genuine honey. And they hold a few surprises, such as koduvaals (machetes) with dark, polished handles. These are handy for breaking coconuts.
Bells and Lamps
Oil lamps are a Kerala classic and are still used in every home. Irinjalakuda and Thrissur are famous for them, but you can find them in most towns. If there is no handicraft or brass shop in sight, ask in shops selling pots and pans and you are sure to find the lamps you want. For safe and practical use, nothing beats the sturdy shape and deep bowl of the standard lamp with a ribbed stem. You can fill it, light it and forget it. More ornamental designs are also widely available, with elephant or peacock flourishes. If you buy them in bell metal, they stay shiny without polishing. Other popular items in brass and bell metal are para (rice measures, nowadays often used as planters), hanging lamps, uruli and jewellery boxes. Prices generally go by weight.
Keralite Jewwllery
Gold jewellery in Kerala consists of a fury of filigree, set off by heavy gold bands reminiscent of the ornamental plates behind which temple elephants hide. Some characteristic items are the pavithra modiram, or ring in the shape of a knot, and the ethnic earrings worn by Moplah women. Thrissur has a street devoted to gold, but most towns in the state are not far behind. However, you may not want to invest heavily in Kerala gold. It is said to have a higher copper content and turns reddish with use.
Traditional Mundus
Even if you never plan to wear yards of clothing, chances are someone has asked you to bring back a white mundu with a gold border. The classic mundu is a two-piece but you can also buy a sari woven of the same material. At the government’s handloom outlets, ask for a mundu with a high count (more threads per inch). Here the prices are likely to reflect accurately the quality of zari used on the border. Most private shops have mundus with more ornate borders and motifs.
Souvenir for a Rainy Day
As any watcher of Malayalam movies knows, life in Kerala is incomplete without an umbrella. It was once a rare asset in most households. Children often went to school through downpours holding a banana leaf over their heads. The umbrella in hand lent an air of adult respectability. It also had connotations of status. The Namboodiris of times past carried the unfolding palm leaf umbrella to shield themselves not only from rain and sun, but also the eyes of the hoi polloi.
Any sizeable town in Kerala has a shop devoted entirely to umbrellas. To survive the south west monsoon, you want the paatta koda or old man umbrella, a heavy, black cotton, full-size tent with a lethal point and a curved handle. Women and children carry an equally sturdy version with each panel in a different colour. Cyclists and paddy workers sport a hat umbrella. It doesn’t keep them dry, but it keeps the rain out of their eyes.