Malloo Fashions

One-size-fits-all has been the fundamental tenet for fashions for all Kerala men.  For centuries, the Malloo men wrapped themselves in a Mundu, Randaam mundu (shawl), and the Kowpeenum (affectionately referred to as Konan).  Whether one weighs 100 pounds or 300 pounds, the same three pieces of clothing in the same size sufficed the normal outing needs of Malayale men.  Historians differ about the time period when mundu was first introduced into the southern part of India.  The earliest of the estimates puts it around the Maurya period, around 200 BC, when emperor Asoka embraced Buddhism and sent his minions to the south to spread his new-found ideology among the people including the Malayalees.  It is believed that these “monks”, in their eagerness to fulfill the poverty vow required of them, adopted “kavi” colored sheets wrapped around their waist as the sole piece of clothing.  Lazy and lacking innovation the Malayale men adopted that style of clothing with a slight change in color from kavi to white. They kept modifying the style of wearing it through centuries. This continued until the introduction of the “double veshty”, with a thinner version of the mundu but two layers of it to mask inner parts of the anatomy, and of course, kept the additional support mechanism for any hanging parts underneath.  Regardless, these three components in the Malloo fashion survived through centuries, almost into the 1900s.

Prior to the development of the cloth based mundu and konan, men depended on vegetation to provide cover and support.  Archeologists excavating in central Travencore unearthed skeletal remains of men with what appears to be “pala” (the part that attaches the leaf to an areca tree, “Adaka Maram”) between their legs, leading to the conclusion that for Malloos, until the Konan was developed, pala met the dual purpose of support to the appendages and soil free outer garment, in this case suitable vegitation.  The place where these pala-clad skeletal remains were found was named Pala even though the residents of Pala vigorously disagree (even get into skirmishes) and argue that the name was derived from the reference that theirs is a “land of milk and honey”.  Because of this stigma and to get away from ridicule, during the middle ages some residents of Pala had even taken such drastic steps as migrating to places like Kanjirappilly, Chenganacherry, and other nearby towns.

Over the years, Konan had undergone a number of fashion changes even though the basic construct remained the same; versions with pouch in the front, for the safe keep of money, was prevalent during early parts of the twelfth century a drastic improvement from the practice of storing valuables under the appendage.  There were alternating periods when short and long tail became stylish.  Similarly, the adolescent took it one step further by having the tail stretch all the way to the ankles, just like the modern-day fashionistas having their outer garment lowered to below the cleavage.  Among the more affluent, it was customary that they have the long-tailed ones richly embroidered and depending on the social hierarchy, often gold studs and precious stones like diamonds weaved into the embroidery.  Of course, they maintained separate Konan sets for working in the yard, running other chores and going to the church.  In the 1800s, it was fashionable for men to wear Konan with diamond and gold studs on the tail with the tail reaching well below the knee.  Rituals related to marital engagement usually found these men in elaborate strutting dances, to impress the parents of the prospective brides, with the Mundu folded half way and the tail dangling behind.

The war of 1880, which pitted the Trichur Nasranies (the Christian fighters) against the formidable Thulu warriors, marked the decline of the Konan era.  The warriors of Thulunadu, with their incredible mastery of the “Urumy sword and paricha”, a belt-like weapon used in a dual and the shield that goes with it, was more than a match for the Nasranies.  They put up a valiant effort but in the end were on the losing end of the battle. In the ensuing confusion and extreme urgency to flee the battlefield, some of the Nasranies lost their Mundu to the delight of the Thulu warriors. After losing Mundu, the tail was fluttering behind the fleeing Nasranies.  Of course, the Thulu warriors literally yanked them by their “tail” making them airborne thereby imparting excruciating discomfort around the appendages and the lower abdominal area. 

After the war was over, the ensuing “Loya Jurga” (Council of elders) met in Trichur to discuss the abysmal performance of the Nasrani men, a standing army they counted on to protect the homeland.  Many recommendations were made, the chief among them was the redesign of the fighting attire.  Based on recommendations, a design team went back to the drawing board.  Many related organizations in and around Trichur were also doing research into combat clothing. A consensus developed in both Trichur and neighboring Travencore. established a standard for war-time undergarments which paved the way for the development of the now famous Langooti, a similar contraption like Konan but with the tail end tucked away securely.  Historians found it hard to believe that the clothing appearance remained intact through that development.  It is rumored that the general style of Konan was retained to appease the influential textile baron from Trichur, Konathil Lona Anthony, who refused to accept any changes that will result in the retooling of his factories or retraining of his workers.

World War I marked the demise of Konan and Langooti era, when a lightweight version of knickers prevalent among the Caucasians of the western world was introduced to the Malayali men.  Of course, they initially started using it with misgivings and trepidation.  The main complaint was that the new piece of clothing provided no real support to the appendages and was ineffective in controlling the erratic behavior of that part of the anatomy.  In spite of these reservations, it was still widely adopted due to the beneficial role it played in masking the contours of the appendage especially when worn underneath the transparent mundu.  With the knickers having a partition in the middle, men were forced to keep their “extra fittings” to either the left or the right side of the partition.  Time and again one would see men shifting and twisting involuntarily to adjust the appendage to one side or the other depending how one felt.  Who knows, the term “leftists” and “rightists” may have had their origin based on which side of the partition the Malayali men kept their fortune!