Showing posts with label Nairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nairs. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Why are the Nairs and Thiyyas of North Kerala so fairer than the Nair and Ezhavas of South Kerala?

 Generally speaking, writing or referring about skin colour or skin tone is not good habit in civilized society. So just for the sake of pointing out certain scientific factors, I would answer this question.

Kerala is diveded as North Kerala, Middle Kerala and South Kerala. It is respectively referred in old time as Malabar, Kochi and Travencore.Nevertheless at ancient times whole Kerala was called Malabar, with which Arabian and Chinese traders had trade relationships. Along with the ships of these traders different types of people like Arabs, Phoenicians, Moore, Armenians, Jews, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Burmese, and European Colonialists ( Portuguese, Dutch, France and British) came to Malabar.

In North Malabar or rather North Kerala there were many mixing of different nationalities. Few settlements of Jews, Arabs, Kanay Christains and Chinese were also formed. They were permitted to build their worshipping centers like Synagogue, Mosque and Churches in the lands alloted by local Hindu Kings. These diplomacy was shown for good commerce and trade relations in spices. Some Kings encouraged people to embrace Islam or Christanity. Such people got very close to Arabian and Chinese traders, serving as translators, trade negotiators, stockists etc. Then marriages happened between the locals and fair skinned foreign traders. Many children of such marriages became fair skinned as per Indian standards. This is a general picture of that time when Kerala was very rich with spices exports.

It is a common belief that Nair and Thiya of North Kerala are fairer when compared to others. But there is no scientific evidence. It is also believed that beautiful Thiya girls were liked by British Colonialists and they had sexual relationship with them. Their children were fair skiined due to such partnership. But these girls were either slave types or had no voice in the family. Family head dictated everything .

Regarding Nair community the reason for their fairness have to be still studied. But not all Thiya or Nair people are fair. Where as lot of Muslims in Malabar and Christains in middle Kerala are fair. There are some ancient Christain families from middle east who settled in Kerala in 2 AD and they are very fair. Another Hindu community Ezhava has lot of people, who are fair skinned.

Where as majority of South Keralites are less fair skinned. It may be due to the less ancient trade activities and less interactions between different nationalities. Besides, South Kerala had no Thiya community and Nair community was diverse with respect to skin tone.

So we can not conclusively deduct that only Northern Nair and Thiya people are fair. There are Muslims and Ezavas very fair in North and Middle Kerala, and Christains in Middle Kerala.

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Who are some of the famous Nairs in Kerala?

 There are plenty of famous Nairs in Kerala. I will share a couple of them I know

Mohanlal

One of the most popular actors in Malayalam cinema, born into a Travancore Illam Nair family in Elanthoor, Pathanamthitta, to Viswanathan Nair and Santhakumari. His roots are from Pathanamthitta and Trivandrum districts.

Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair

Evergreen Malayali actor born into a Nair Pillai family in Kollam in 1922 to Padinjattinkara Korattiyode Narayana Pillai and Ummini Amma. Sreedharan Nair won two Kerala state film awards, the best actor award in 1970 and the second-best actor award in 1969.

Jayabharathi

Jayabharathi is one of the most successful Malayalam film actresses of all time. She was born into a Nair Pillai family based in Kollam to Shivasankaran Pillai and Sharada.

Sandeep Unnikrishnan

An Indian Army officer born into a Kiriyathil Nair family in Kozhikode to K. Unnikrishnan and Dhanalakshmi Unnikrishnan. He served in the 51 Special Action Group of the National Security Guards and was killed in action during the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. He was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, on 26 January 2009.

SugathaKumari Amma

Sugathakumari was an Indian poet and activist born into a Nair Pillai family in Aranmula(Pathanamthitta) to Keshava Pillai, known as Bodheswaran, a famous Gandhian thinker and writer involved in the country's freedom struggle. Her mother was V. K. Karthiyayini Amma.

Suresh Gopi

Suresh Gopi, a popular Malayalam actor and politician, was born into a Nair Pillai family in Kollam district to K. Gopinathan Pillai and V. Gnanalekshmi Amma.

Parvathy

Evergreen Malayalam actress Parvathy, aka Ashwathy Kurup, born into a Travancore Nair Kurup family to Ramachandra Kurup and Padma Bai in Thiruvalla. Her father is from Champakulam, Alappuzha, and her mother is from Kaviyoor, Thiruvalla.

MG Ramachandran

Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran, popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian actor, politician, and philanthropist who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987. Born in a Menon/Mannadiar Nair family, his roots are from the Palakkad district of Kerala.

Madhu/Madhavan Nair

A Veteran Indian Actor. Madhavan Nair born into a Nair Pillai family in trivandrum to R. Parameswaran Pillai and Thankamma Pillai.

M.N. Nambiar

M.N. Nambiar was an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Tamil cinema, known mostly for his villain roles in an eight-decade-long career. Manjeri Narayanan Nambiar was born into a Nair Nambiar family in Kannur to Kelu Nambiar and Manjeri Kalyani Amma.

Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor is an Indian former international civil servant, diplomat, bureaucrat, politician, and noted writer. He has been serving as a Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 2009. Shashi Tharoor was born on 9 March 1956, in London, United Kingdom, to a Nair/Menon family of Chandran Tharoor and Sulekha Menon, a Malayali couple from Palakkad district of Kerala.

Vallathol Narayana Menon

Vallathol Narayana Menon was a Malayalam poet and one of the triumvirates of modern Malayalam poetry. He was born into a Nair Menon family, the son of Kadungotte Mallisseri Damodaran and Kuttipparu Amma, in Malappuram.

Pattom A. Thanu Pillai:

2nd Chief Minister of Kerala. Pattom Thanu Pillai was born into a Nair Pillai family in Thiruvananthapuram. He was the son of Varadayyan and his wife, Eswari Amma.

Chelat Achutha Menon

4th Chief Minister of Kerala. Achutha Menon was born into a Nair Menon family in Thrissur to Madathiveettil Achutha Menon and Lekshmykutty Amma.

Padayatt Kesavapillai Vasudevan Nair

7th Chief Minister of Kerala. Nair was born into a Nair Pillai family in Kidangoor village in Kottayam, Kerala, to Kesava Pillai and Nanikutty Amma.

Erambala Krishnan Nayanar

9th Chief Minister of Kerala. Erambala Krishnan Nayanar was born into a Nayanar/Nambiar family in Kalliasseri, Kannur as the second son of Govindan Nambiar and Narayani Amma.

M. T. Vasudevan Nair

Popularly known as M.T., he is an Indian author, screenplay writer, and film director. Born into a Kiriyathil Nair family from Palakkad district to T. Narayanan Nair and Ammalu Amma.

Padmarajan

Padmarajan was known for his detailed screenwriting and expressive direction style and made some of the landmark motion pictures in Malayalam cinema. Born into a Nair Pillai family in Alappuzha to Thundathil Anantha Padmanabha Pillai and Njavarakkal Devaki Amma.

C. Sankaran Nair

A lawyer who also served as the President of the Indian National Congress in 1897 at the meeting held at Amravati. He wrote "Gandhi and Anarchy." Born into a Kiriyathil Nair family to the son of Mammayil Ramunni Panicker and Parvathy Amma Chettur in Mankara, Palakkad district.

Mayankodu Kelath Narayanan

A former Indian Police Service officer and National Security Adviser of India from 2005 to 2010. Subsequently, he served as the 19th Governor of West Bengal from 2010 to 2014. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honor of Padma Shri in 1992. Born into a Kiriyathil Nair family in Palakkad district.

Shobhana Chandrakumar Pillai, Vineeth, Onv Kurup, Anoop Menon, Swetha Menon, Adoor bhasi, Priyadarshan, chithra, lekshmi sangal and many more - the list goes on