Part of a global culture

[Russell51]

There was a rise of new middle-class in Kerala with the advent of newer approaches towards science and technology as was seen in other parts of the world. This category became aware of the advantages of the new sciences and was keen to imitate the life-style of their European counterparts in dress, food and other forms of entertainment. Living in an Apartment in Kochi is a fad for this class of people. Instead of living in traditional homes, they now prefer the high rise apartment complexes.

Kerala’s rural society started slowly imbibing the ethos that emerged in presidency towns, provincial capitals and district headquarters. Improvement in communication (through the new postal system, telegraphy, and the modern Electronic Mail), transportation (first the steamships and then the railways and now the jet aircrafts) facilitated strengthening of the linkages between the towns and the countryside.

The needs of the then colonial administration and the economic situation which required the opening up of the rural markets for goods manufactured in the industries of Manchester and Liverpool and other industrial centers in England also gave a fillip to this trend and laid a foundation for the modern urban lifestyles in Kerala. What the British has initiated is still continuing in many parts of Kochi.

The Kochi people got a taste of the apartment culture several decades back. The apartment culture was first introduced in Kochi and then it spread to other parts of Kerala. With each passing year, scores of apartment complexes are now sprouting up like mushrooms all over Kochi mainly due to the increase in demand from all parts of the globe. In the near future, the skyline of Kochi is likely to witness significant changes unseen elsewhere. The present demand-supply mismatch is such that, none of the prominent builders dominating Kochi city will be able to meet this continuing demand.