American Malayalee

THE last time I wrote about our ethnic identity is going to be Malayalee, not Keralite. When Malayalees used to go outside of Kerala and settle in other parts of India, they were known as Marunadan Malayalee. 

Of late, when Malayalees started migrating to other countries looking for jobs, they were called Videshi Malayalee and Pravasi Malayalee. Pravasi Malayalee means, after Pravasam they return to Kerala and settle. A lot of Malayalees who migrated to Malaysia and Singapore in the early 1900s returned to Kerala and settled. Some stayed back and became Malaysian and Singapore citizens. Those who went to gulf countries return and settle in India, since they are not allowed to stay there after they finish their employment.

Now there is a new group of Malayalees, who migrated to other countries where they could become citizens after five or more years of living there as permanent residents and their children and grandchildren born in those countries and growing up in those countries as citizens. 

Those Malayalees who do not have a birthright in India are not real Malayalees, but their ethnic identity can be Malayalee. So there are American Malayalee, Canadian Malayalee, German Malayalee, South African Malayalee, etc. Every Malayalee community growing up as Citizens of different countries started with the first group of Malayalees migrating to those countries mostly looking for jobs and few for higher studies. 

Each of these communities has a history going back to their migration from Kerala/India. I want to write about American Malayalee, those growing up in United States of America.

The story of the American Malayalee goes back to the 1960s and in case of some individuals who migrated before that. Malayalees have come to USA on student Visa during the late 1940s and 1950s. Then, the USA started exchange visas for professionals and late in early 1970s immigrant visas. 

After the 1970s and 1980s immigration of Malayalees started increasing under the family unification clause of US immigration law, able to bring brothers, sisters and parents. Now it is estimated that about 700,000 Malayalees, original immigrants, their children and grandchildren and in some cases great-grandchildren. 
Among these 700,000 Malayalees majority are Christians. Malayalee community all over the USA have been creating Malayalee Associations, Kerala Samjams, Cultural Forums and Literary Forums as Malayalees do everywhere they go, the first Kerala Association was formed in Singapore, they claim. 

There are hundreds of such organizations in USA, then there is the first umbrella organization FOKANA (Federation of Kerala Associations North America, which late split to another one names FOMA (Federation of Malayalee Associations). World Malayalee Council also was formed in New Jersey, USA on July 3, 1995 on the last day of first World Malayalee Convention.

The biggest impact on Malayalees was by the religious organizations based in Kerala. All Malayalee Christian Church Denominations, NSS, SNDP and Muslim Organizations have now branches in USA. 

There are Malayalee Hindu Temples also. Christians Churched started forming their congregations and churches in the early 1970s and later grew into large organizations with 100 or more churches for each denomination. Orthodox church has two Dieses headed by separate bishops, Jacobite Church, Mar Thoma Church, Malankara Catholic Church, Knanaya Church and Syro Malabar Catholic Church all have Diocese and Bishops here. There are Malayalee CSI Churches, Seventh Day Adventists, Pentecostal and other Evangelical churches s in Kerala. All these church members still follow the Kerala traditions and work under the Kerala leadership. 

All Kerala-based churches have become global churches due to Malayalee migration all over the World. Their growth is tremendous in the USA. With only 700,000 Malayalees here, out of which probably only 60% migrated from India and others born here, the growth of these Malayalee churches is amazing and their financial support to the base in Kerala is huge.

Malayalees in USA have tremendously contributed to the economy of Kerala. During the 1970s and 1980s, they gave a big foreign exchange boost to the Indian economy. The original immigrants were sending huge amounts of money to their parents and family members to help them have a better life. Then they sponsored their family members under the Family Unification law of USA. 

They came and continued to help their family sending huge amounts of money and helping their quality of life along with the economy of Kerala. In the nineties the migration of computer professionals initially did not bring a lot of Malayalees, but later by 2000 lot of Malayalee computer professionals started coming. At the same time, the shortage of nurses brought more migrant nurses.

Malayalee Doctors, Nurses, Engineers, Computer Professionals and Academicians have been very successful in their professions and many have reached high management positions. Recently many were elected to various positions in government, there is one congresswoman Pamela Jaypal, born in Chennai, several small city Mayors and Councilpersons near in State of Texas, In New Jersey and New York States there is one State Senator elected to the State Legislation. 

There are judges, college presidents, CEOs of corporations, Commissioners and Directors in State and Local governments, staff in the White House, high positions in Bank and Financial institutions and many successful contractors and other business owners like manufacturing, and health care and hospitality services.

Most of the first-generation Malayalees who migrated in 1970s and 1980s have retired and some passed away. Those who live in retirement have enough income to live comfortably between their Social Security Income from the Federal Government based on their contributions while working (monthly income varies from 2000 to 4000 per person), payment from retirement and other investments. 

The second-generation Malayalees are most successful in leading a better life than their parents, and the third generation is growing up with good financial support leading a good quality life.

This is the story of American Malayalee. I am sure the stories of Canadian Malayalee, UK Malayalee, Ireland Malayalee, German Malayalee, Switzerland Malayalee, Austrian Malayalee, Australian Malayalee etc. are similar. Gulf Malayalees may have a different story in different countries. Let us explore them too. Together we are global Malayalees and let us hope that we can hold our Malayalee identity for generations to come.

WISH YOU A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS 2024