One of the very few downsides to being a Malayali is that people often expect you to explain some aspect of social, political and economic life in Kerala with deep, insider knowledge. “So Sidin," someone will suddenly say when you are standing in line for a coffee or trying to mind your business near the ragda pattice counter at some Diwali party, “this Kerala Model thing is real or fake or what? You tell honestly, you don’t look like a Communist type."