-Time slumbers at Kumbanad, a tiny town in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. The streets here are quiet, the narrow lanes lined with coconut trees whose leaves rustle in the wind. There is a panchayat office, a couple of banks, and a few bakeries whose glass shelves hold the colourful delights of sweetness that contradicts the forlorn air of solitude. Walk further, a profound silence settles along with the dusk, over the place.
A two-storeyed house comes into view - its rusting gates chained and locked, shrouded in an air of abandonment. Nearby, are several grand homes and a few single-storeyed structures: these too stand marooned in a riot of unruly vegetation, showing signs of neglect, with weeds creeping up the walls and dust settling thick on the windowsills. Some display ‘For Sale’ boards. There is the occasional old age home that resonates with the loneliness of a forsaken generation as their young migrate abroad to greener pastures.
“Today, you go to any place in Kerala, you can see houses lying locked up for months, and after a point, you don’t even recognise whose home it is. Many first-generation NRIs, particularly those who migrated to the Gulf, envisioned retiring in the homes they built with their hard-earned money, expecting their children to use the space later,” says S Irudaya Rajan, chairperson of International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD.)
"However, as children chose to stay abroad, the houses became dead money after the parents pass,” He added. The major contributing factor is migration.
A 2018 study, Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) by Rajan and KC Zachariah has revealed that ‘‘one out of five households in Kerala has a migrant member’’.
As Malayalis leave for jobs abroad, especially in the Middle East, the state is now dotted with over 11 lakh vacant or ‘ghost’ houses. The abandoned properties aren’t left behind by migrating Keralites, but also include homes deserted due to owners impacted by natural calamities, like floods, and now lie overtaken by marshes and creepers.
In towns and villages like Kumbanad, it is as if the time when life was unhurried hasn’t moved on. Villagers pedal along on bicycles through the narrow twisting lanes. Locals gather at chaayakadas (tea stalls) sharing snippets of news and gossip, or talk politics - the hobby of all Indians.
In a clearing beside a village road, you come across a small maidan where stands a temple, the flickering tongues of flame on its kalvilakku (stone pillar lamp) indicating it is time for the evening prayer. As the clock strikes six, the faint sound of church bells can be heard from afar. The idyll is deceptive; all across the state, locked houses are a common sight narrating a poignant story of valediction, neglect and change.
For example, take a two-storeyed house in the above mentioned Kumbanad. Christmas stars still adorn the roof, but looks as if Christmas passed it by. Within its walls lives an elderly couple, 97-year-old Varghese CA, and 90-year-old Achamma. Leaning on a walking stick, Varghese’s steps are slow and deliberate, while Achamma moves carefully, her back bent by an old injury.
The couple seems wistful, yearning for the days when laughter and chatter filled the rooms that are now shrouded in dust and memories.
“I have four children, who now live in Muscat, Kuwait and Mumbai. They visit occasionally. When they call, we often invite them to come back and stay with us. I suppose it’s the same for them as it is for us. We’re attached to our hometown and are reluctant to leave. They’ve built their lives where they are now, and finding it hard to let go,” says Varghese.
If isolation of elderly relatives living in palatial houses is a pressing issue in Kerala, locked-up homes are abundant since most owners, unlike Varghese and Achamma, have either moved away or live overseas with their children.
“If the parents are healthy and willing, they are brought along. The ones who end up in paid care centres are usually bedridden or ailing,” regrets Gigi Mathew, a staff member at AMM old age centre.
The rise in the number of old age homes in the state is a significant consequence linked to the vacant houses. Kumbanad’s case is different from rural Kerala; it is home to around 25,000 people and boasts numerous sprawling mansions. Many of these grand homes are occupied by elderly parents, who often live alone or are cared for by hired nurses, paid handsomely by children who have migrated abroad.
At 95-year-old KM Samuel’s house, framed photos of his five children are neatly lined up in a showcase in the drawing room. The elderly couple is assisted by a caretaker, who says the father’s health has been deteriorating for a while.
Speaking about their progeny living overseas, he says, “All of them visit appachan then and now. They are also watching him on the CCTV installed here. Though he went to stay in the US for a while, he returned four years ago because of health issues,” says the caretaker.
Since migrant Keralites prefer to live overseas for the sake of a better lifestyle, after their parents pass, the houses are simply locked up.
“In Koipuram panchayat, especially in Kumbanad and Pullad regions, one person in every household is a migrant. Not every house remains vacant throughout though; they are visited once in a while at least,” says Sujatha P, president of the panchayat.
These palatial structures are maintained with fresh paint and occasional cleaning, when the owners’ visits are due. Locals describe their short visits as “mini-celebrations”, bringing brief activity to otherwise quiet neighbourhoods. Thomas Chacko is not such a frequent flier. He and his family have been in Dubai for the last 40 years. He visits his house in Kumbanad just once a year or during emergencies.
“Building a house in Kerala has always been a dream,” he says, adding, “Though we live in the UAE, we plan to return once I retire. Plus, the Gulf countries don’t offer citizenship.”
His brothers’ home in Pullad also remains empty, maintained by local help. In Kerala, such houses are termed ‘Bhargavinilayam’, named after a 1964 cult movie about a romance between a writer who comes to stay in a derelict mansion of that name haunted by the ghost of a beautiful, murdered woman. However, the ghost houses of Kerala are haunted only by memories.
Irony pervades the peculiar real estate phenomenon of luxurious mansions vis-a-vis absentee landlords and residents. Over the past 20 years, fuelled by substantial foreign remittances, Kerala has experienced a significant surge in housing development.
From 2001 to 2011, the number of residential buildings in the state increased by almost 20 per cent, reaching a total of 11.2 million. As Keralites venture abroad aspiring for better futures, the majority of these homes often stay empty, a silent testament to their global ambitions.
As per the 2011 Census, which is the latest data available, there are 11,89,144 vacant houses in Kerala. Of which, 5,85,998 houses are in rural areas, and 6,03,146 houses are in urban areas.
The migration phenomenon sprang to life as early as the 1950s, with Malayalis moving to GCC countries for sought-after jobs in nursing, engineering and medicine, as well as to Malaysia and Singapore. The trend only increased over time. In fact, Keralites moving abroad rose from 1.4 million in 1998 to 1.8 million in 2003, and 2.2 million in 2008, reaching its peak in 2013 with 2.4 million emigrants.
In addition, the total remittances from migration also reached a record Rs 2,16,893 crore in 2023 from `85,092 crore in 2018, marking a 154.9 per cent increase.
*(Data from KMS 2023). According to Rajan, the first-generation NRIs considered houses as symbols of status and prosperity.
“They built more houses than needed, driven by a desire for social status. This pursuit of social status didn’t bring anyone back - some elderly parents were taken abroad as babysitters and others moved with their children,” he says.
In central Kerala, the trend of migrating abroad is especially prevalent in Pathanamthitta, with notable activity in Thiruvalla, Kumbanad, Kozhencherry and Ranni. In the Kottayam district, areas like Kaipuzha, Neendoor, Kaduthuruthy, and Uzhavoor are lined with vacant, palatial homes.
These regions are predominantly inhabited by the Knanaya Catholic community.
Babu PA, president of the Catholic Congress, warns that if migration continues at this pace, maintaining a significant community presence in the state will be challenging.
"The young population, in particular, often moves abroad right after 12th grade,” he says. The 2023 KMS estimates 2.2 million emigrants from Kerala, partly due to a surge in student emigration.
The number of student emigrants has doubled from 1,29,763 in 2018 to about 2,50,000 in 2023. There’s also a shift in destination preferences, with students now favouring non-GCC countries, including the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and even Kyrgyzstan, Slovenia and Slovakia.
“The migration-prone age group is 15-24, and many in this group get permanent residency or citizenship, and their likelihood of returning to Kerala is minimal. This will only further accelerate the situation of vacant houses. Unlike the first-generation NRIs, they aren’t keen on building a house in their hometown, instead they prefer selling the property and purchasing a house abroad,” says Rajan.
For many Keralites, gold and land have traditionally been the primary investment options. Land, in particular, was once highly valued by the expatriate Keralite elderly population.
In the 2022-23 budget, Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal had proposed a 25 per cent increase in the property tax rate, effective from April 1, 2023, which has led experts to believe that high transaction costs are deterring potential buyers.
“Many so-called palatial houses are up for sale but attracting few buyers. The housing sector is in a slowdown, with demand primarily for city flats. NRIs are investing in flats only if they can ensure rental income,” says retired professor Dr Mary George, economist and former head of the state government’s public expenditure review committee.
A caretaker in Kumbanad notes that the owners of a locked house with a large front yard, initially priced at Rs 15 lakh, are now looking to sell for Rs 8-10 lakh. Demand for land and property is low.
In Koovapally, Kanjirapally, some were willing to sell for as little as Rs 6 lakh, often without negotiation, say locals. The data from the state’s economic and statistics department on the state’s construction sector in 2021-22 showed that Kerala had 3.95 lakh newly registered buildings - and around 2.90 lakh of them residential.
According to the report, Malappuram - a ‘Gulf’-returnee Muslim majority district led with 53,774 new constructions.
“The high rate of growth in population in the district could be partly attributed to this effect. In Malappuram, migration primarily targets GCC countries, as opposed to other regions. One key advantage of relocating to a Gulf country is that the remittances sent back home significantly impact the local economy," says George.
In contrast, migrants moving to destinations like the EU, the US, or Canada - typically from Central Kerala - often earn higher wages. However, due to the higher cost of living in these countries, their earnings are frequently invested in assets rather than circulating within the local economy,” he added.
KK Ramachandran, scientist at National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS) in Thiruvananthapuram, notes that abandoned houses in landslide-prone areas pose a risk.
“Vacant homes left in these areas can become part of the debris during a landslide, worsening the impact. To mitigate the risk, it’s better to reuse materials from these houses when constructing new ones,” he says.
An unwelcome part of the locked-house phenomenon is a sectarian change in Kerala’s demographics, especially in Christian areas and along parts of the coast. A stroll along the Marari shore, where the fishermen live in their small homes, will show many empty homes, in various states of decay. They are for sale. One of these, a tiny villa by the sea, built by a long-haired businessman who came from Muscat, is a homestay. He is keen to sell, but is quoting a price thrice the market value.
Since Kerala has no bustling nightlife, bars and restaurants, like Goa, beachfront homes are not an attractive option. Gulf money-rich Muslims, who have come back home have set up successful businesses in retail, F&B, exports and real estate. They buy many houses, fostered by a tighter sense of community. Now, with the BJP making inroads into Kerala politics, real estate could acquire a sensitive communal tinge.
“Muslims are encircling us and wish to dislodge us from our homes,” says Ouseph (name changed) in a Marari village, adding, “We are forced to sell out because they offer good prices.”
Real estate acquired sectarian colours when a builder started on ‘Shariah compliant’ apartments for rich Muslims from the Gulf countries.
Not just communal change, but climate change too has brought real danger to Kerala provoking demographic dislocation within the state. Since the 2018 floods that claimed 489 lives and caused an estimated loss of around USD 3.65 billion, according to the World Bank’s Joint Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment, living conditions in Kuttanad have become challenging.
Recurring floods, saline water intrusion, and persistent waterlogging have forced many residents to vacate their homes, often selling their properties at significantly reduced prices or abandoning them entirely.
Ashley Nair, secretary of Pulinkunnu panchayat, says, “I decided to sell my property and move to a safer area. At least now, I don’t have to keep repairing the house after each flood. Over 17 per cent of residents have already left the region."
"Areas like Kainakary and Pulinkunnu have seen significant demographic changes. Says Sanitha of Pulinkunnu: “In Idukki district, including Mukkulam and Kokkayar, residents are vacating properties for safer, low-lying areas.”
Remya Sinil moved from Mukkulam to Elankad and now rents a house with rainwater leakage while awaiting completion of a new place in Thenpuzha.
“Our property and farmland are vacant. We visit occasionally for maintenance. People with means have already moved to safer areas due to landslide fears and better schools,” she is wistful.
Studies advocate for better utilisation of existing vacant homes.
“Vacant homes are essentially dead assets. The state’s decision to levy taxes on houses lying vacant should have come into effect. The need to build more houses would reduce only when such decisions get executed. Introducing taxes on empty properties would encourage their use, increasing rental availability, also government offices and startups can make use of these structures. Additionally, if a house remains vacant for more than five years, it should be repurposed for climate refugees, who can contribute positively to the economy,” says Professor J Devika of the Centre for Development Studies.
The migration phenomenon that enriched Malayalis has come back to haunt the ghost houses of Kerala. Home is no longer where the heart is.
(With inputs from Ronnie Kuriakose)