Generations of internet users have ridiculed at one of the finest mallu inventions of all time besides kerala parotta…The Mundu…Joke and forwards lampooning the humble mundu and its mallu affiliations are legendary…And many among you might have already read stupid jokes like..
“Why is industrial productivity so low in Kerala?
Because 86% of the shift time is spent on lifting, folding and re-tying the Mundu “
‘ha ha ha’
uhhh!!!! What a preposterous joke!!
I mean, how someone could get it wrong when everyone knows it is 76%!!
Its high time creases are folded ,some dust is kicked, scores are settled and the rest of the world understand some of the finer points about what the French might describe as, joie de vivre …
The mundu is not a mere piece of clothing…it’s a statement...It’s a way of living…and in post life heaven, when the recycled ones arrive at the pearly gates you would hear them thumping their chests and say…
“Proud to die a Munduian!”
The Romans knew about the Mundu but they did not know how to wear it and as patience ran out they finally pinned it behind their shoulders like the dude Commodus in popular gladiator movies … But we malayalees actually have a good laugh watching what they have done with our Mundu!! In our ‘costly’ opinion anyone could pull off in a mundu and look smart….except Shaquille O’Neal!
And ofcoz not many realize that Mundu is something which can express itself emotionally…Do you know a piece of clothing which can give ‘the signals’ based on how its worn? An excerpt from Sigmundu Freud in his famous psycho-analytical journal gives rare insights…
‘The slightly above-the-knee folded state indicates ferociousness, anger and combativeness...And a full bloom mundu indicates tranquility, friendliness and peace…Needless to say a state without the Mundu would mean someone is pretty drunk!!!’
Amazing isn’t it…eh…
Remarkably Mundu is the only piece of clothing which you could wear and clear airport security check without a whimper of a beep…And even if they want to strip and frisk, you could probably do it faster than an average Las Vegas striptease act!!…That’s why Airport Security and frisking staff have declared Malayalee men as the most preferred travelers across the world...
Mundu has been the subject of several unnatural phenomena’s too…There are times in the morning I have practically seen my mundu lying several meters away making me wonder if it is haunted…and occasionally due to my sober state I have walked into the living room sporting floral printed bed sheets to the chagrin of unassuming guests or relations. Collateral damage I would say….and a small price to pay for uninterrupted air supply….
The practical use of Mundu though sarcastically ridiculed is indeed serious research material. Many sport enthusiasts swear by the practical use of Mundu in adventure sports like rock climbing and Para-gliding. Consider a scenario where your parachute opens and is found torn during the descent…For the love of good lord the only thing you would wish handy is the humble mundu rather than a levi strauss jeans...make knots at the fours end and glide down effortlessly to safety…And technically walking down the street on a sufficiently windy day, the Mundu can generate enough drag to allow me claim that I have a high-flying career….you never thought you could claim that until now...isn’t?
Mundu hoisting used to be an ancient custom in gothic Kerala which over the years have evolved to modern ways like flag hoisting ceremony across the world…The cultural impact of Mundu has not been realised to its full impact unfortunately.
And probably the detractors may not be aware of the fact that several nations around the world look unto the mundu with deep respect as in the case of Germany where they have even a city named Dortmundu in honor.
Hmm…I am getting emotional here and I might ‘start’ exaggerating things….before that let me warn you next time I see someone who doesn’t respect our national dress….be prepared for this
Enjoy the long weekend......... and this beautiful song..
P.S. Do check the tale of this letter boy..;-D
15 years ago
39 comments:
That quote by Sigmundu Freud was rofl material!! :))
But I heard he plagiarized it from a certain Matthäus Cherhans. :|
haha..
that was really good.
one more thing, it can be used for instant peace declaration. ;-)
@ Silverine: And I thought Matthäus plagiarized from Mundu annan! :P
"
Mundu hoisting used to be an ancient custom in gothic Kerala which over the years have evolved to modern ways like flag hoisting ceremony across the world…The cultural impact of Mundu has not been realised to its full impact unfortunately."
=))
I for a moment even thought U flicked the freud quote..and I claim to be a psychology student..:P
Mundu ki jai ho!!
Perhaps there is a double honour the Germans give the mallus in 'thorthu-mundu' :|
ROFL@Romans knew about the mundu but did not know how to wear it :))
@Anju
hehe..you have germanised me very well..;-D
@Amal
LOL!! true true..see we hold peace over our waist..;-D
@Hari
hahaha..the brotherhood of Mundu lovers will chase you!!;-D
@Jina
LOL!! paavam sigmund must be itching to comment against me now..;-)
@Karthik
hahaha..too good..that was a clever twist..;-P
Totally hilarious! One good thing I like is the kind of people who can take a simple topic in their hand and turn it into absolutely ROFL stuff. Munduians rock! :))
Epitome of humour! Superbly written.. :) back to your imaginative best Sparkie..
Mohanlal has demonstrated how the mundu could be used instead of the other hyped-up martial arts weapons. Remember Sphadikam??
Remember the Rajmohan Unnithan 'munduriyal' episode by Muralitharan and gang? How would it ever have happened if it was some other stuff? Mundu ki jai!!
lol, the Freud thing, diagnosis of the 'fully fit' by the position of the mundu and the Vegas striptease act! Great!
not to forget the 'early morning search' for the humble cloth to hide humbleness...how very true! :chuckle:
@scorpio: Ha! How can we ever forget aadu thoma's munduriyal.
You missed that one Mathew.
@aadu thomma/scorpiogenius
;-D
thanks...yeah the brotherhood of Munduian will rule the world one day..
pinee ofcoz how can i forget that...thats the video that i have linked at end of the post as a veiled warning..;-P
haha nice one. :)
it has also given mallu movies innumerable comic moments, its a style statement and a lot more :D:D long live mundu
On a serious note, there is no dress more comfortable than the mundu/lungi, atleast in the tropical climate. Totally hilarious post mathew :)
LOL LOL!This was hilariuos! Spadikam fight scene--bhale bhesh!
Song is lovely too!
Have a great long weekend too...call sometime :)
Cheers
preeti
Lovely post! You're absolutely right when it comes to the Air supply provided by the mundu, its far too superior to any dress known to mankind. Its just too good to be forgotten, especially in the summer time :)
Can't stop laughing after reading your post and watching Mohan lal in action..need to show my hubby this video so that he can understand the essence of our mundu.
Btw you forgot to mention about the great debate about the origin of the Sarong?? It's said that the person who invented the sarong happen to walk into the employee area of a ship and saw this mallu guy sweeping the floor in his mundu. That stumped the hell out of the person and thought...if he can sweep like Michael Jackson's moon walk then what wonders will it do if tied around beautiful babes prancing the beaches??? Well the person was well aware of our fondness for the mundu so got scared that a mallu might sue the hell out of him so with a little color and flowers the now famous sarong hit the beaches.....well all bcoz of a mundu u see...
so much for considering it mund(u)-ane!
ROTFL.
Loved the Freud twist.
No mundu story is complete without paying homage to Sphadikam. I was wondering why you left it and then I click the youtube link. :)
Freudian quote was awesome ... amazing post ... And look at me cant even get myself to do a tag .. athrekkum traffic bloxk in my mindspace :(
absolutely hilarious! each line just kept getting funnier! who would have thought the seemingly mundane mundu would get such a dedication!
@Jackfruit
yes..nice observation..cant imagine mallu movies without the mundu...!!
@sandeep
oh yeah..so agree..its the worlds best cooling device..;-D
@Preeti
hehe..thanks..glad to know you enjoyed..will call sometime.:-)
@Abhi
what about summer..i wear it even in winter..there is nothing like a multiple purpose use of mundu as a pothappu too..;-D
@Sakshi
hehe..sure its a must see video..
Sarong was inspired by one Jamaican who came to Vizhinjam harbour..thats what research material says..;-D
@Saphire
hehe..true..
@Nona
haha..yeah the story is not complete without that..and thanks for mentioning it your blog..:-)
@Deepti
thank you..:-)
take your time to do the tag...
@Karuna
thanks buddy..glad to see you here...and btw enjoyed reading many of your posts which i had to catch up...cheers.
"and a small price to pay for uninterrupted air supply…" Couldn't be truer. LOL and ROTFL and all that. Brilliant tribute to the mundu.
Well deserved and long overdue tribute to our beloved mundu... instant classic!!!
Very funny to read ! The first time I wore a mundu I was a bit worried but now after years of enjoying the multiple benefits of the mundu I have to say there is nothing close to it ever ! Three cheers to the mundu and all its fans !
Haha!!
Mundu Munduuuu :)!
rofl :)))
some mundu blowing, indeed!! :D
That post of urs was really several notches above the "mund"ane. Well u did forget to mention Edmundu Hillary the Newzealander who climbed the Everest in a mundu and Desmundu Tutu who won the Nobel prize for popularizing the peace symbol of full bloom mundu which u had mentioned in ur post.
With soooo many uses of a mundu I wonder if you have considered wearing one to office :)......
Hilarious post ....
ROFL.. Didn't know our humble mundu has so much impact n uses like the flag hoisting n parachute :P
@Philip
can see another serial offender.:-D
thanks...
@procrastinated emancipation
thank you...and thanks for droppin by.
@Sushil
hehe..high fives..
glad to come across your site..i actually am in need of a consultant who knows well about cars!;-D
@Life Mysterious
:-)
@usha
hehe..yeah..not a pretty sight at our beaches though..;-D
@flaashgordon
LOL!! nice ones...damn I should have thought...;-D
nice to see you still active..atleast in the comment boxes!
@nimmi
ahem ahem..not here atleast..let a german first wear leiderhosen to the office!!;-D
@Dhanya
thats just tip of the ice-berg..it can be used in countless applications..;-P
Hahaha.. lovely post, totally hilarious, loved frm beginning to end..
I still remember sme of my frnd who made it a prestigious thing to wear mundu on Nov 1st in college, though they really didnt knew how to tie it properly, so they used to wear it along with Big belts as if they r going for boxing or wearing with pants inside like a Reverend..
Only you could write so much about Mundu Mathew !
Good to be back here.
thoroughly enjoyed this! :)
Or lungi? :P
@Devil Incarnate
hahaha..actually most guys start off like that..esp the city bred ones..;-D
@journalost
thanks..and nice to see in your new avatar too..;-)
@Pooja
thanks buddy..:)
@Shrutz
sshhhhh!!! dont say that here. ;-D
:D Hillarious! I have always thought of a mundu as a wrap around skirt. Hey if the scots can pull off a skirt so can we (no pun intended! :D)
oh that was funny-uproariously.laughed my guts out.great piece.try sending it to some newspaper.
listen, i think mundu is the most sensible dress ever designed by man - most user friendly for a particular place.can u think of a better dress for a hot and humid day? For the monsoons,nothing like the madaki kuthiya mundu.i always wonder y people wear those double barrelled monstrosities during edavapathi and tulavarsham, getting them wet up to the knees.
can you think of a more dignified sight than an achayan in a starched ironed-like-a-vadi mundu with a fiji silk or starched white jubba?
u mallu guys shud do something about making this down to earth sensiuble dress the official male dress of kerala. dockers and parks and huesens etc ec will go bankrupt.that could be kerala's answer to globalisation:-)
ROFLMAO!! Dortmundu: Thorthum mundum :P
The insight from Sigmundu's journal is rightly said Mathew :-). And to mention that you might get emotional and start eaggerating, as if you were not already doing it. Hehe!!!!
Good post.
Nobody mentioned a very important use of mundu. When mallu gets angry or about to lose his point in an altercation, he raises the front part of his mundu and show to the other party. This happened in Kerala assembly also. Pants wearing college boys used to do it to the KSRTC conductors by raising the mundu of his fellow travellers. Don't know the psychology behind !! When I visited one of my friends early morning, he came out wearing the mundu of his servant, mundus got exchanged at night.Mallu athlettes should particpate in Olympics wearing mundu only.
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