Kerala Kerala, Quite Contrary

God's Own Country or Devil's Own People? Left or right? Tourism brochure or environmental quicksand? Poised for a global role or rambling rhetoric? Will the real Kerala please stand up? The Malayali society, along with its political hierarchies and cultural cliches, is still grappling with continuous change; as its headlines show, everyday is a new day. Exploring the new emerging Kerala, with a clear clairvoyance on this southern Indian state, leading thinkers and writers chronicle their views – by turns satirical, insightful, passionate and playful – in KERALA KERALA, QUITE CONTRARY.


Flinging away stereotypes, first-time author Shinie Antony has listed uterine woes with a dark and biting humour. She won a Commonwealth Broadcasting Association story writing prize in 2001 for the surreal Somewhere in Gujarat, a translated version of which appeared in the Malayala Manorama on Oct 18, 2001, and is in the present collection as Munnu. This is her first book of short stories. She worked in Kochi, Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai with The Indian Skeptic, Mid-Day, The Economic Times and The Financial Express.