Confessions of an oblivious mallu

Inspite of being a "Mallu" by birth, I never really got myself interested in the art and culture of Kerala. I was totally ignorant about the history of the various dance forms, the famous "Poorams" , or the numerous prolific writers and poets that this peninsular state was known for. This could be partly due to my upbringing in another part of the country coupled to the fact that my parents themselves never displayed any keen interest in showing us the wonders of the place. Our trips to Kerala always had dad frantically running around for train tickets, boarding up the windows to avoid robbery, and sewing up cash in his pant pockets (don't ask me how !). While mom would be frantically running around making idlis, puris, curd rice for the journey and instructing the neighbours to look out for suspicious activity and taps that might be left open. When we reached kerala there could not be any other detours from home, because my mom wanted to spend as much time as possible with her mom. The poorams were too crowded and 'rowdy' for girls. By the end I could'nt wait to go back to Pune and hang out with my friends. My parents would have been really proud if I could atleast learn to read and write my mother tongue, which was an annual summer vacation boot camp my younger brother and I underwent. He learnt it eventually. While I am thankful for a husband who is literate and can take care of the occasional letters from home.
My uncle who stayed in kerala was a big fan of the kathakali dance form. On our trips back home, in the late evenings, during the 'power cuts' (that were so regular and precise, we could set our watches) I used to hear him hum on the porch...the only memory I can conjure up when I think of Kathakali...how sad it that ??? I think I am going to get some reading done on that ...why the sudden brainwave ...you ask ???
I came across this show about Theyyam and it piqued my curiosity ( its official now...it does'nt take a lot to pique my curiosity :-). So I read some more about it !!! I have a lot of catching up to do ....