Snapshots of Kerala- Part 1

by butterfliesonmymindblog, posted in Travels- near and far

Revisiting Kerala one snapshot at a time!

At the outset, YESSS, I know that it is now Keralam (far be it for me to be politically incorrect) but I have yet to get used to this name, so until that happens; Kerala is how I will refer to it.

These are some memories of my recent 4-day visit to God’s Own Country. It was also my first visit to GOC, although it had been on my to-do list for quite a few years.

When I did begin travelling around my own country in 2016, Kerala was way down on that list- mainly due to complete ignorance about the state; apart from random, generic facts like complete literacy, communism, coconuts, pepper etc.

Then along came Covid and my perception underwent a drastic change. Kerala made the news for several reasons: it was one state that seemed to be handling the pandemic and lockdowns quite well, their health system and their (lady) Health Minister were doing an efficient job of disaster management, they were taking good care of all the immigrant workers who were stranded in their state without work or money to buy food…it was an impressive résumé.

Another major reason for my newly awakened interest during the pandemic and lockdown was- Malayalam movies! None of the streaming platforms were coming up with anything worth watching and alternate sources of entertainment or distraction were severely limited. Malayalam movies slipped easily and comfortably into this space. The movie that started it all for me was ‘Sara’s’ – a feel-good romantic comedy with an offbeat theme that was dealt with sensitively but with humour.

From there on I sampled and relished a variety of Malayalam movies. The more I watched, the more I began to appreciate and enjoy them. The stories were different, the settings were varied, the music, the language, the clothes and the cast- it was all so very different from the usual Hindi films that had begun to bore me. Another thing that struck me was the sheer diversity of names among the cast and the credits. It was like a smorgasbord of different faiths and communities on one screen and they were all part of the story or creating the story. This is something one hardly ever gets to see in Hindi films and it appealed to me in a way that I can’t quite explain.

And then of course there was the setting. The lush, green landscape of Kerala was as much a part of the film as the cast and the direction. The films were so beautifully shot that I wanted to leap out of my chair and be on the next flight to God’s Own Country.

Kerala would be in the news for other not-so-happy reasons as well, such as the massive landslide that struck Wayanad in 2024. Politically too, it was a state that was highly unpopular with the current dispensation and remains so even today! I began to look for news and articles related to Kerala to get a better understanding of the place and its history and culture. The food and drink of Kerala was also a topic of interest and curiosity. Its Onam ‘sadhya’ was just as well-known as the ‘beef-parotta’.

All these and many more reasons are why a visit to Kerala moved higher and higher up on my bucket list till it made the Top 5. So, when I got the opportunity to join a group on a four day tour of Kerala, I jumped at the chance. We would be visiting Kochi, Alappuza and also watch the snake-boat race. Not a very long list but I considered this to be an appetizer for future visits!

And I must say that Kerala did not disappoint. I am much too old and jaded to be starry-eyed about people or places and wise enough to understand that each region has its own peculiarities and problems. But there is much that I loved about what little I saw of Kerala.

We did all the touristy things there- watched a performance of Kalaripayttu and of Kathakali, wandered the lanes of Fort Kochi, spent a day on a houseboat that cruised along the serene backwaters of Alappuza, whooped and cheered at the snake-boat race and binged on local delicacies at a ‘sadhya’.

But there was so much else to look at and experience- as tourists we often miss the less obvious, sometimes hidden aspects of the places we visit. The main course is the star of the meal but it is the side dishes, dips and salads that add depth and flavour to the entire feast. This post is a collection of snapshots that were among the side dishes and the dips! And since the article is not a five-course meal, the side -dishes too appear in no particular order.

One of the things I try to do wherever I go is to check out a local bookstore. This was the one I browsed through, in Fort Kochi. A little musty, a little cluttered, with nooks and corners where shelves stacked with books awaited. Local bookstores usually have books about local history and Idiom did not disappoint. I’m fairly sure that the owner too was not disappointed with the amount I spent there!
Once upon a time there was an ancient port city on the Malabar Coast located near the mouth of the mighty Periyar river. The locals called it Muciri or Muchiri. Because of its importance on the Spice Route and trade with the Middle East and the Mediterranean regions; the Greeks and Romans referred to it as Muziris. A few hundred years ago, the river flooded and Muziris was engulfed by its waters. But that event created a new harbour town and backwaters that led to the sea. And this is how Kochi came into existence.
When we landed in Kochi, the Kochi-Muziris Biannale was over but we did see some of its remnants. We had missed the biggest art festival in Asia, “A non-competitive, non-judgemental, fearless space for creative collaboration.” I have marked my calendar for the next one in 2027-28.
Art in public spaces!
Yes, you read that right- Vasco da Gama stayed here. Now it’s a popular selfie point. How have the mighty fallen!
One of the oldest and now the smallest Jewish communities in India (only 13 of them remain in Kochi), they trace their roots back 2000 years. This is the oldest, active synagogue in the Commonwealth.
A city many faiths, remember? This is St. Francis Church which at one time also housed the tomb of Vasco da Gama.
The Santa Cruz Basilica and its beautiful interior.
Heavy metal steam boilers from 1956. Now serving as relics on display.
And a safe space for a sleeping dog!

This was intended to be a single post but as I went through my collection of photographs, I realised that there are many others that deserve to be included as well. So they will feature in the next post and the next…

But for this one; in the words of Miranda Priestly, “That’s all.”

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