How to write a Kerala case study

A case study is written after research has been undertaken. It is never a work in progress. It is factual and complete in itself.

If you have to write a Kerala case study, you must devote time to your research so that your facts and figures are up-to-date. You need to pinpoint Kerala’s geographical location and state what makes Kerala special. After all, there must be a reason why you are writing about Kerala and not another state in India, such as Tamil Nadu, a neighbouring Indian state.

Here are suggested headings to complete a case study of Kerala.

• Where is Kerala?
• What is the climate like?
• What language(s) is/ are spoken there?
• What is the population of Kerala?
• What is the literacy rate in Kerala?
• What is the average life expectancy of Kerala residents?
• What religions are practised in the state?
• What natural resources are there in the state?
• What is its history?
• Why is Kerala important?
• What makes it different to other Indian states?

The answers to the above questions, in the order in which they are posed, are the following: -

• Kerala is one of the southern states in India, on its Malabar Coast. It is bordered by the Lakshadweep Sea and the Western Ghats, or the Sahyadri mountain range.
• There are two types of climate in Kerala, one is wet and the other is tropical. It routinely has between 120 and 140 rainy days per annum. The months of December, January, February and March have the least rainfall.
• The main language spoken in Kerala is Malayalam, which is the official language in the state. It is classed as a South Dravidian language.
• Now, in 2018, it is estimated that Kerala’s population is 35 million.
• Kerala has the highest rate of literacy in India, currently standing at 93.91% of its population.
• When a baby is born in Kerala it can expect to live until it is 75 years old. The average life expectancy in India is 64.
• The main religion in Kerala is Hinduism (54.73 per cent of the population in 2011 were Hindus), but Christianity and Islam are also practised.
• Kerala has minerals such as gold, zircon, bauxite and iron ore, while it also produces coconuts, rubber, coffee, tea, tapioca and the spices, green cardamom, ginger, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, among others. The areca nut of betel nut is also grown there.
• Kerala has a long history, stretching back to well before 200 BC. You will need to research this for yourself and pick out the most interesting facts and dates.
• Kerala is important mainly because of its high literacy rate and the fact that it educates girls. The education of girls lifts countries above others that fail to educate them.
• It is different to other Indian states because it stresses the importance of educating its females.

When a girl is educated, she can not only contribute to the country’s development and economic prosperity. When you educate girls, they pass on their knowledge to their children. They understand the value of education and this in turn, ensures that future generations of children will be educated.

Women can contribute to the family’s wealth and well-being when they have an education. The higher the level of education, the more money the family will have. Girls discover that they can become economically independent of men, which could be very beneficial to them if they find themselves in an abusive marriage later in life.

When girls understand that birth control is useful for preventing unwanted pregnancies, and they think back to the many children that their mothers and grandmothers had, some of them dying in childbirth, they see the advantages of having far fewer children than their ancestors had.

When girls are educated they better understand the importance of health (their own and that of their families) and matters of hygiene. They have the skills to care for their children in the modern world.

Girls can now enter the professions and can become doctors, lawyers and so on, which were typically considered jobs only for men in the past. Educated women can help take their country forward and contribute a great deal to their societies.