An article of faith for God's own country - Archival, in Kerala

From the archive record

Half a subcontinent away in Kerala at the temple of Saraswati, the goddess of learning. I met this young woman intently watching her son go through Vidyarambham, the right of initiation into learning. In her own way, she has also initiated many people to learn. But to tell her story I must tell you more about Kerala. Kerala emerged from the sea when the divine sage threw his mace into the ocean in order to expand the Indian landmass. No wonder they call it God's own country. Life expectancy in Kerala is the highest in India. The infant mortality rate is the lowest in the country and the rate of population growth is amongst the lowest in developing countries. I read somewhere that the key to this achievement is literacy, learning is more than a scale or a tool in Kerala, it's an article of