There is one part of the story that any reader should be well aware of, when consuming any content about Kerala - especially public comments on fora like HN. Kerala is deeply against extreme right wing politics. The big RW national coalition has struggled over the decades to grab power in Kerala. The RW has in turn spreads falsehoods, derogatory statements and outright propaganda against Kerala - very often based on misleading, outdated or simply fake data. It often comes in the form of jibes at Kerala's economy, emigration, foreign remittances, businesses, employment, literacy, extremism, etc. You can see a lot of them in this discussion thread - debunking one at a time is a waste of time. So be a bit skeptical about such claims - especially the ones that seem indignant towards Kerala. Some comments display a complete absence of first-hand experience.

So here is the other side for the sake of completeness. I'm a Keralite currently living and earning in Kerala. I have lived and worked in North America for several years and I have done the same in many other states within India, but for shorter periods. It's not like everything is fine and dandy here - there are still a lot of unresolved issues. Employment situation has to improve. There isn't enough space for big industries. People are generally clean, but large scale waste management needs a lot more effort. There are labor union issues as well. Definitely not at European or NA levels of infrastructure or organization. Roads are often very dilapidated. And the culture is slightly towards the conservative side.

But when discussed online, some of these problems look like exaggerated interpretation of true data. Job situation is not extremely bad - it's similar to the rest of the world, in line with a depressed global economy. But the business sector has seen some growth in the last few years, driven by an a startup boom. I hear fewer complaints about labor unions these days, though I don't know what changed. It's true that a lot of students are moving abroad. One good reason is that they are educated and adaptive. (I didn't find it too hard to adapt to a foreign culture). This is to be expected when you have a reasonably educated and mobile youth population in a developing economy. But not everyone is leaving. We also have young workers with us. Some places are becoming very rich and crowded - like the suburb where I live. People are also exhibiting more civic sense in the past few years (personal observation based on driving and littering).

While Kerala is not comparable to western nations, some things are strictly better here. There are small affordable shops everywhere. The cost of living is quite tolerable, compared to the wages. Public transportation is shabby - but it can get you anywhere. And it's improving. Car culture is not necessary. Education is cheap. Public school education is free if you prefer. Primary education at some level is unimaginably competitive. Almost everyone here reads newspapers in the morning, including in Malayalam and English (I missed it sorely when I was abroad). I took my 4 year engineering (electronics) graduation with a grand total of 300 USD (we had government sponsored seats) - all of which was covered by another scholarship. Professional textbooks have cheap Indian editions - but most cities also have thriving second-hand book markets that will probably cover all your needs. My first monthly salary alone was more than my entire course fee - that too as a launch vehicle avionics engineering in my own home town. All of these are why we find it easy to emigrate abroad. Health sector is reasonably good too. It's free at public hospitals if you can't pay. During the start of the covid pandemic, public health officials were screening patients directly from airports and railway stations and admitting them for quarantine and free treatment. If you're middle class by American standards, you can get treatment at private hospitals with dedicated staff to guide you around. Now the police - if I have to deal with them, I would rather it be the Kerala Police. They are less jumpy and deadly. They're also renowned for solving tough cases when not interfered with. Another surprising factor is how the people coordinate themselves in the face of natural disasters - they are like a force of their own.

The point here is, I wont sell you Kerala as some sort of paradise (though, that is exactly how Kerala is sold as a tourist destination). It isn't. It's a small piece of land with a unique flavor. It's entirely up to you to judge. But I suggest you have a look before judging. Please don't believe the majority narratives. If you want an opinion, at least ask someone who has witnessed the ground reality.