Conversation so far:
what language do the malayali speak?
Malayalam is the language spoken by the Malayalis.
Do they speak any other languages?
Malayalam is derived from old Tamil and Sanskrit in the 6th century.
any literary items of interest?
Malayalam literature is ancient in origin.
The oldest literature works in Malayalam, distinct from the Tamil tradition.
How old is their literature?
The oldest literature works in Malayalam, distinct from the Tamil tradition, is dated between the 9th century and 11th century.
Malayalam literature includes the 14th century Niranam poets .
were any of the poets listed by name?
Madhava Panikkar, Sankara Panikkar and Rama Panikkar), whose works mark the dawn of both modern Malayalam language and indigenous Keralite poetry.

Question: anything else of interest?
Self-contained rewrite: Aside from Malayalam being derived from old Tamil and Sanskrit in the 6th century, anything else of interest?