Scotland and Keralam: Splintered, yet kindred

Travel opens up the mind, we are told—that is true even for a rather hardwired military veteran like me. A recent weeklong trip to Scotland had me noticing the differences, and surprisingly, some unexpected similarities, that the beautiful region has with my home state of Keralam.

The differences were easy enough to grasp. The climate, for one—Scotland, located at higher latitudes in Northern Europe, has a cold climate, unlike Keralam’s hot and wet weather. Even though it was only mid-September, we were already wearing jackets in the evenings. Scotland’s land area is twice in size, while having to carry less than one-sixth of Keralam’s population – the per capita incomes match this ratio, with Scots earning around twelve times more. Appearance-wise, the people could not be more different and, at first sight, the cultures too seem to have almost nothing in common.

But scratch the surface, interact with the local people, and a different pattern starts to emerge. Scottish folks are as strong-willed, independent-minded, and opinionated as the average Malayali, particularly where politics and identity are concerned.

The topography looks similar too—a combination of hills, plains and the sea—the landscape looks a bit similar to the high ranges, plains and beaches that Keralam showcases. There was soothing greenery all around, at least during the late summertime when we visited.

Tourism is a common field of endeavour—Scottish tourism runs on a well-oiled system, is very reliable and offers excellent points of interface, making even a first-time traveller quite comfortable. Keralam too can be justifiably proud of the significant progress it has made, and its enviable position as a popular global tourist destination.
Scotland is justly famous for its lakes or lochs, mostly fortified with a resident monster that no one gets to see. Keralam’s lagoons and lakes are the lifeblood of tourism, and infested by nothing more dangerous than the common otters, as far as I know. The highly regarded houseboats of Alappuzha are exceedingly well-subscribed, and could possibly beat the Strait of Hormuz in traffic density!

The national animal of Scotland is the legendary Unicorn, which has been revered over centuries. It is said that the Unicorn is an enemy of the lion, the English national animal; and that Scottish kings came to be associated with the majesty, power and strength that the Unicorn represents.

On our side, Keralites have an abiding adoration for magnificent elephants, which serve as cultural symbols and figure prominently in the state’s official emblem. My childhood memories revolve around a famed male elephant called ‘Kochu Komban’ (Little Tusker) who carried the deity on his imposing forehead during festivals in our village temple in Thiruvarppu in Kottayam district—and I can assure you that he was anything but ‘kochu’! More recently, the outpouring of grief evoked by the accidental death of a well-loved 65-year-old elephant named ‘Pallattu Brahmadattan’ may be difficult for most people outside Keralam to grasp. Many may not know that the Malayalam language even has an honorific—a respectful verb, ‘cherinju’—used exclusively to denote an elephant’s death, perhaps to differentiate the passing of such a colossus from that of mere animals, man included.

Scotland is quite famous not just for its haunting beauty, but also for stories of haunted castles and supernatural tales, with a fair share of ghosts and witches. We saw black-painted double-decker buses in Edinburgh—Necrobuses operated by Ghost Bus Tours—ready to take tourists on evening outings. Keralam’s unique folklore has an abundance of such stories in many a grandmother’s tale—with starring roles featuring yakshis (beautiful and enchanting mythical women in spotless white sarees, who appear in the middle of the night in lonely places and lure gullible young men to their gory deaths) and bhoothams or ghosts. Some such sagas have been immortalised in blockbuster Malayalam movies like ‘Manichitrathazhu’, which was later remade as the popular ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ in Hindi.

Scotland was ruled by numerous dynasties and fought fierce battles with the English for independence, till the Scottish King James VI inherited the English throne in 1603. The countryside then would have been dotted with castles, and a few of the magnificent ones are still there today—well preserved and tourist-friendly. It does remind one of the kingdoms of Travancore, Kochi and Malabar, and the royal dynasties that ruled Keralam of yore.  

The story of Sir William Wallace, the famous Scottish knight, was made into a hit Hollywood film, ‘Braveheart ’, starring Mel Gibson. Wallace was a legendary figure during the First War of Scottish Independence, and won a notable victory against the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. The sorrow at his capture and eventual cruel end in London in 1305, where he was hanged, drawn and quartered, appeared to be something that is still felt deeply. It is rather fascinating that exactly five centuries later, in Wayanad in Keralam, a king named Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja is also renowned for his long-running guerrilla-style battles against the British East India Company. He is celebrated for electing to meet a heroic end in 1805 by swallowing his diamond ring rather than face the humiliation of capture. A well-acclaimed movie was made about him in 2009, starring Mammootty.

The capital of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a stunning city nestled amongst the hills. It is known for a resplendent castle and deep ties with the erstwhile royalty. Keralam’s capital, the beautiful temple town of Thiruvananthapuram, has a number of grand palaces and was the seat of the illustrious kingdom of Travancore. Its most famous king, Marthanda Varma, handed the Dutch East India Company an unmatched defeat in the Battle of Colachel in 1741, which effectively ended their colonial aspirations in India.

The sea is a constant presence as you travel around Scotland, much as it is in Keralam. Glasgow is the commercial capital and had significant shipbuilding capabilities in the past, which is similar to Kochi of today. Shipyards in Glasgow had built steamers like ‘RMS Viceroy of India’ and ‘SS Travancore’ in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rather mischievously, I checked up on ‘RMS Titanic’, only to find it had been built far away in Belfast, Ireland.

The presence of women in public life is a common virtue. In Scotland, living in a modern Western milieu, the presence of women in all walks of life is common. Keralam too has a stellar history of women in the public arena and sees their wide participation in all walks of life.

A fascinating aside is of the ancient Picts who ruled Scotland in the 6th to 9th century AD. According to an 8th-century book, the ‘Ecclesiastical History of the English People’ by an English monk named Bede, the Picts were said to have adhered mostly to the matrilineal line of succession. Needless to say, it is similar to the unique ‘marumakkathayam’ system of matrilineal inheritance that was followed in large swathes of Keralam till the last century.

It is also remarkable that Scotland made serious money through tobacco trade, just as Keralam did through the spice trade in olden times. In the 18th century, tobacco was the driving engine of the Scottish economy, and Glasgow’s ‘Tobacco Lords’ amassed fortunes.

Today, the scenario is different – with the Scots intent on producing single malt Whiskies with an ardent passion, and the southern tip of India being committed to imbibing those spirits with equal ardour! After visiting a distillery there, it made ample sense when the tourist guide said, ‘today’s rain is tomorrow’s whisky’.

The norm of naming everything could also be a common affliction. Keralites are well-known for naming houses, boats, buses and even elephants. Thus, when introduced to ‘Squiggly’ and ‘Squinty’ bridges (Tradeston pedestrian bridge and Clyde Arc respectively) over the River Clyde in Glasgow, my wife and I shared a knowing smile.
Who knows—maybe there was some sort of a primordial link between the two territories going back many aeons—with some strange cultural diffusion happening many millions of years ago, perhaps when the Scottish landmass floated by Keralam on its way northwards from south of the equator to finally reach its current location at 54.6 to 60.8 degrees North latitude!

What is known for sure is that, having made a connection between the two regions and a pattern worth writing about, my mind now hankers after more travel. But a major obstacle has materialised in the form of the dwindling value of the Indian Rupee – one does feel a bit poor when asked to pay the equivalent of a royal sum of five hundred rupees for a cup of coffee, or when a short ride in a public bus or the tube also costs thereabouts. That niggle notwithstanding, the ancient Roman philosopher, Seneca, did make a valid point when he said: “Travel and change of place impart new vigour to the mind”.

Happy travelling! Bon Voyage!

(The author is a proud veteran with four decades of service in the Indian Air Force, and is a recent convert to the joys of leisure travel.)