Kochi: By writing 'machan,' a word commonly used in and around Kochi, Mayor M Anilkumar on Wednesday flagged off the Manorama Hortus ‘padayatra', an initiative celebrating locally used words and expressions from across Kerala.

The padayatra, which translates to a march of words, seeks to compile unique colloquial words and expressions from college campuses throughout the state. The initiative is part of the Manorama Hortus Festival, running in Kochi at Subash Park from November 27 to 30.

A specially designed Hortus vehicle, housing a large collection of books, will journey across campuses, inviting students and teachers to pen down words and expressions used locally, along with their meanings. In doing so, it aims to create a map of Kerala’s linguistic identity.

Addressing the event, Hortus Festival Director N S Madhavan drew parallels with Bernard Shaw’s statement that the English language changes every 20 miles, noting that Malayalam too varies every 10 kilometres.

Malayala Manorama Editor Philip Mathew, Lulu India Media Coordinator N B Swaraj, Manorama Editorial Director Jose Panachippuram, and Marketing Vice President Varghese Chandy, were also present.