Patriarchy in Kerala Architecture

There is a systematic algorithm in which a house plan is rendered by a designer to the client. The client, and the designer may not give respect to the surrounding members including the other members of the patriarchal family. Although this practice is quite less as of now, the people who came back from the Arabian gulf will definitely know how to define the activities in a kitchen.

This post speak through the eyes of the system of architecture followed in Kerala. 

Vernacular architecture of Kerala. | Source: https://architecturesstyle.com

Kerala had witnessed a lot of different feudal chiefs who hailed themselves to be superior and powerful. Untouchability was a practice amongst the different race of people, which is found even today. But back then, there was a time when women were not allowed to come into a group of men, sometimes women were forced not to show themselves before the men as well. Thinking about the architecture back then, the design will certainly have had a significant negative impact.

Considering the spaces inside a home back then, the living room used to be a posh area which is cool and occasionally ornamental. Decorations varies from house to house depending on the economic stability of the family or the patron. There will be a lot of chair, sofas, bed etc for seating facility for outcomes. The walls would be decorated with artworks which would spell out the social status of the family. 

Then there are guests in which a group of men, women, children come and visit them. There is a strange rule that all the women amongst the guest should go away from the living room and they can be in groups again inside the house, maybe near the 'nadumittaom' ( central courtyard open to sky ) or mainly inside the kitchen.

A 'nadumittom' | Source: https://architecturesstyle.com

The kitchen, being supposedly an important and hygienic space amongst the whole house is never designed and built with respect. Sadly, almost every kitchen inside a chauvinist patron run house are so pathetic that the user has to go through a lot to maintain that space. 

There are no proper air ventilation inside, and the stove used to be fueled by dry timber and cow dung back then. While the flooring in the living room is of imported tiles and beautified, the flooring in kitchen might be  mostly a layer of lime mortar or cow dung. The walls never have had better days at all. All the unplastered walls would be faded with the dark smoke. There is no proper furnishing or even a small place to relax for atleast five minutes!

a pathetic old kitchen | source:https://i.pinimg.com

I should really thank the present generation of people who work hard to spread the fact that even the female members of a family should get some leisure time in their life. Why is it always they have to cook the meal for the family?  A husbands are least bothered about their wives' physical and mental health being inside the home for days and not going out. It is never good to be home always.