Nightlife in Kerala and the return of the Hanuman Padaram

Nightlife in Kerala borders around being nil. Those star-studded skies
reflecting against the crashing waves, the sight of a distant Nishagandhi
blooming, the dance of a hundred fireflies to the music of the foxes, the
multi-colored brilliance of the disco lights shooting across the pub floor –
the visualization is entirely lost on the native Malayalee who has quit being a
witness to the magic of Kerala’s nightlife long ago, thanks to the rising crime
rates in the state.

The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that the new-age Malayalee is
reduced to describing Kerala’s dusk-to-dawn hours from what he has learned
through the narrator on National Geographic. Because, come seven o’clock and
the Mallu bolts his gates and double-checks his doors, and tucks his children to
bed early – just in case the “Hanuman Pandaram” of the night (native version
of the bogeyman) decides to pay them a visit.

And that is just what they have become –Kerala’s nocturnal rackets– the
modern day network of bogeymen, now reigning the nightmares of the average
Malayalee adult. The fears firmly rooted in the incidents one reads or sees in
the news, nightlife in Kerala –except in cities like Kochi- is presently limited to
men, that too preferably in a group.

As remarkable as it is, burgeoning IT industries and the consequent Tech parks
in the state have not managed to change the off-work attitude of the Mallu.
Whereas metros like Mumbai have their jacks and jills hopping pubs after
a ‘neck-breaking’ nine-hour work regime, the coders and testers of Kerala head
straight home to the promises of the television set. Better safe than sorry. No,
it is not the lack of night clubs or getaways, but organized crime that is curbing
the Malayalee’s enthusiasm.

Kerala has the second highest crime rate in the country, a good share of the
crimes targeting womenfolk. The massive socio-economic advancements
the state has hitherto made pale when placed against its glaring crime rates.
Kerala’s achievements on the literacy front, its developments in the technology
front and its hot seat as a preferred tourist destination – all stand wasted
under the rule of the bogeymen lurking in the shadows of the still night.