38
Over the last eight decades as Malayalees came to Mumbai for employment and business, or in
transit, there has been a growing alienation from traditional Malayalee ethos, manifest in
succeeding generations. As many Malayalees settled down in Mumbai and other parts of India,
they found their children and grandchildren unable to read or write Malayalam, having been educated
locally. The curriculum for schools and colleges, based on the three language formula, provided no
scope for mastering the mother tongue.
