Neil Armstrong met Malayali person on Moon? Here’s what the classic joke means

Neil Armstrong met Malayali person on Moon? Here’s what the classic joke means

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Aug 23, 2023: Over 50 years have passed since American astronaut Neil Armstrong landed on the moon’s surface in July 1969. Back then, Kerala floated a joke that is prominent to this day, suggesting Armstrong met a Malayali person on the moon.

 

But what does this joke mean?

The joke stems from the age-old saying ’you will find a Malayali wherever you go’, a remark on the state’s migration, especially to the Gulf countries.

Here’s how Keralites recall what happened on the Moon: As Armstrong reached the moon, he heard a 60’s Malayalam song playing. When he walked closer, he found a tea shop with a board that read ’Matham parayaruth’ (Don’t talk religion here).

A Chettan (big brother) in a lungi was making hot tea. The joke says Chettan offered tea and Armstrong loved it. Cartoons and caricatures have been published on various platforms over the years depicting this imagination, keeping it alive for generations.

But, where did the tea shop particularly come from? Tea shops run by Keralites were popular during those times, especially in the neighbouring southern states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Madras, now Chennai, was the focal point of southern cinema. Many Keralites with the dream of making it to the big screen went to Chennai.

When they did not succeed, they started tea shops there. Tamil movies have consistently portrayed such tea shops.

Santosh George Kulangara, a traveller and TV Producer who has travelled to more than 130 countries, feels a Keralite has not yet landed on the Moon as there are no vehicles available.

"It’s the ambitious nature of Keralites that makes them travel to places. They are also concerned about returning home without making it big, so they sustain. It’s not a new habit they picked up. Keralites in the past have served in higher government positions in foreign countries decades ago", he said.

Kulangara says he has found Malayalis in some of the most unexpected corners of the world. "I remember travelling to a desert which is in the interior of Mongolia. There are shops on the roadside that serve camel’s milk and an authentic cuisine. I was pretty surprised when I found a Malayali enjoying the delicacy on that roadside in Mongolia".

Migration remains prevalent in Kerala. With the youth migrating to European countries looking for jobs, and villages turning into old-age homes, the future stands blurred.

Kerala has topped the list for the number of passports issued in the last decade among the states.

In 2018, there were reports that a Malayali based in the UAE owns 10 acres of land on the Moon gifted to him by a friend. But unlike anybody, if a Keralite is the owner of a piece of land on the Moon, there is an obvious question - when are you starting a tea shop on the Moon?

Courtesy: India Today