Archive · 19 Sep 2026
Book Warns Kerala’s Past Success May Threaten Its Future
Ajith Nayar’s book says Kerala has been very successful in education, health and social development.
But the book warns that old successes may not solve new problems.
Kerala’s population is changing, and fewer children are being born.
Its schools and institutions may need to change too.
The book says Kerala should focus more on advanced education, research and professional training.
It also says the state could have used its migrants and foreign remittances more effectively.
Reviewer Faizal Khan agrees that Kerala faces serious challenges.
However, he says the book does not use enough local numbers and relies too much on comparisons with distant countries.
The review compares the book’s approach to wanting walking spaces without building public parks.
Ajith Nayar’s book argues that Kerala’s social and economic achievements are beginning to erode.
The book identifies demographic change, declining fertility, migration and institutional stagnation as major concerns.
Nayar says Kerala’s education system needs a second leap toward research and globally competitive institutions.
The author argues that migration and remittances were not sufficiently converted into long-term advantages for the state.
Reviewer Faizal Khan agrees with the diagnosis but criticizes the book’s limited data and distant comparisons.
- Who
- Ajith Nayar, author of Endangered: Kerala’s Demography, Drift and Destiny, and reviewer Faizal Khan.
- What
- A review of Nayar’s argument that Kerala’s earlier development model is facing demographic, institutional and economic erosion.
- When
- The review discusses Nayar’s recently published book; no specific publication date is provided.
- Where
- Kerala, India, with comparisons to Japan, South Korea and Lebanon.
- Why
- Nayar argues that Kerala’s institutions and policies have not adapted to demographic change, economic shifts and the limits of earlier achievements.
The Book’s Diagnosis
The Review’s Critique
Kerala’s future outlook
The Book’s Diagnosis
Ajith Nayar argues that Kerala is experiencing gradual erosion rather than sudden collapse, driven by demographic shifts, declining fertility, economic decoupling and institutional inertia.
The Review’s Critique
Faizal Khan agrees that the book makes valid points about Kerala’s possible decline but says its argument is weakened by poor narrative design and insufficient supporting arithmetic.
Evidence and comparisons
The Book’s Diagnosis
Nayar compares Kerala’s situation with countries including Japan, South Korea and Lebanon to show that successful societies must respond when earlier conditions change.
The Review’s Critique
Khan says these comparisons are too far removed from Kerala’s reality and that the book does not provide enough local data, even in its chapter on numbers and statistics.
Development priorities
The Book’s Diagnosis
Nayar says Kerala needs a second educational leap toward research, advanced professional training and globally competitive institutions, while making better use of migration and remittances.
The Review’s Critique
Khan portrays the book as relying too heavily on management clichés and self-help formulas, arguing that its proposed direction is not sufficiently grounded in practical design.
- Book
- Endangered: Kerala’s Demography, Drift and Destiny
- Author
- Ajith Nayar
- Publisher
- Rupa Publications
- Length
- 272 pages
- Price
- Rs 595
- Central argument
- Kerala’s past success may be followed by gradual erosion unless institutions and policies are redesigned.
- Reviewer
- Faizal Khan