4 Cricket matches, 3 Birthday parties, 2 Weddings and a Funeral

Last 2 weeks in April and beginning of May this year happened to be long holiday weekend(s) for most people in the UK. Last week it was Good Friday with Easter bank holiday Monday and this week it was 'Royal wedding' (on Friday the 29th) with Mayday bank holiday Monday. Three days of annual leave would guarantee an easy 11 day holiday (seven days annual leave would give a 17 day break!). This happens very rarely in UK (other than during the Christmas/New year time). It was also the hottest April month in last 100 years!

I watched IPL, which has been a mixed bag for the team from Kerala- the Kochi Tuskers. They had lost the last 3 games in dramatic fashion and today was the fourth match, which they had to win to be in contention for the play-off's. It was the most bizzare game that was played with Delhi dare-devils due to various reasons; but the one thing which stays in mind is that how many runs can you give off a single delivery? This was the fifth ball of Umesh Yadav's first over. First he bowled a wide delivery - a high bouncer (an extra run), then his beamer flew for a six (that was above waist high for Brendon McCullum whose stylish reflexes made the ball fly over fine leg for a maximum- now 1+1+6) before he finally managed to bowl a legal delivery that McCullum crash-pulled over the midwicket boundary i.e. 1+1+6+6=14 runs! Anyway the match was won by the Tuskers.

The Royal Wedding was fantastic. We watched the whole programme live on tele and it felt really nice. Kate and William appeared to be a couple in love. I wish their married life is happy and successful. The wedding was truly royal- the systematic arrival of guests, the elegant arrival of Kate (now the Duchess of Cambridge), the church service, the journey of the newly weds back to the palace, the drive in Aston Martin and the finale was the Balcony kiss. The whole world (some 2 billion) watched the whole show directed from London displaying the pomp and lavishness that Britain does so well. It was like a fairy tale come true to many people sealed with a kiss. I would say it was like 'love in time of cholera!'

We went to Durham for the seventh annual day celebrations of 'Sruthi' on Sunday (30th) It was an authentic malayali cultural evening (as always). The highlight was the tribute of UK malayalees to ONV Kurup, who was recently awarded the 'jnanapitam', the highest literary honour given in India. It was a fantastic evening of 'ONVmayam' that included "Kavyadrishyangal"- a unique portrayal of woman and nature as depicted in many ONV poems, " Aatmaavil Muttivilichathu Pole- An informal discussion and poetry session with ONV, "Varika Gandharvagayaka Veendum"- A short musical focussing on contemporary life and incorporating many nostalgic ONV songs and finally "Maanikyaveena Ganamela" led by Aparna Rajeev featuring many melodious, memorable and everlasting ONV lyrics that have mesmerised generations. It was also good to see Mr K Natarajan's (affectionately called 'Rajettan') first book being launched by Sri ONV Kurup. The book is titled 'Guruvum Laghuvum' a collection of simple yet elegant poems written in malayalam. It was a rejuvenating and nostalgic evening. I did not feel tired driving to Durham and back at a stretch (6hours)!

Manikutty had her birthday in between. We had a small cake cutting on her birthday, followed by a barbecue party on Sunday. Both went very well. It was good weather, family, friends, great food and a delicious cake:). She is planning a third party for her school friends this weekend- A' canoeing party' at Leicester Outdoor pursuits centre!

There was also the wedding of Malayalam film actor Prithviraj to his love in Kerala. I cannot understand the 'hoo haa' raised by this, especially among some of the fairer sex who are not 'fully happy or satisfied' by this wedding. My feeling is that if the couple who got married, their families and friends do not have any major issues, then why are some annoyed about this?

The holiday culminated with the news of a 'sea funeral' that my brother broke early on Monday morning. i.e. the death of OBL in a dramatic action by 'US navy seals' in the 'heart' of Pakistan...

I came I saw I conquered....

The Kannur I Saw

For a person born and brought up in Trivandrum, as a kid, Cannanore (anglicised version of Kannur) was always a place very very far away.

My childhood memories of Kannur are filled with communist movements and comrades. I remember achan saying about AKG (the legendary communist leader, who is one of his favourite idols and mine too), EK Nayanar etc. Later it was all the comrades or their families who comes for various reasons to Trivandrum (ie visiting secretatriat or PSC or Medical college hospital/RCC/ Sreechitra MC). They would come to our house, usually stay at our place, mummy cooks food for them, especially if anyone is undergoing specialist treatment at the hospital.

Though Kannur has a lot of history and is the land of Theyyams, in recent times it is infamous for all the wrong reasons like political killings, bombs, police firings, 'the kannur lobby' of party etc...

In 2007 we met Chinthu and Manoj and through them many other friends in Kannur. I visited Kannur in 2008 for the first time and stayed for a day with Chinthu's parents.

The people of Kannur, I felt generally were open and simple. The landscape is very green with many rivers, mountains, temples, virgin-beaches etc. I felt it was a mixture of laid back village folks, the colourful Theyyams, traditional temples, red-forts of communism with a bit of modernism in and around Kannur city. No wonder Kannur is said to be one of best ten cities in India to reside! Kannur international airport is coming up at mattanur,once operational Kannur international airport will be the largest airport in Kerala. Kannur is also the place of the only muslim royal family in Kerala (Arackkal)

Chinthu's home is situated near thrichambaram temple. It stands on the top of a small hill with good views of greenery around. It was the peak of south-west monsoon. The rain, calm atmosphere, lush green trees, serene surroundings creates a nostalgic aura.....sort of a romantic nature or indeed the nature felt to be romantic....An ideal place for a writer for some innovative creation.

According to one of my close friends "the homes around 'thrichambaram temple' appear brighter and had some sort of divine blessing; however, houses in the vicinity of 'rajarajeshwara temple' always felt a bit dull and dark"!

So my temple journey during this visit to Kerala started here. The first was Madayyilppara and then by next 14 days I had done a 'spiritual marathon' of 53 temples!! (http://adhvaitha.blogspot.com/2008/12/53-temples-in-2-weeks.html)

1. Madayilppara Bhagavathi temple
Madayilppara is a hilly area (infact there are lots of hills around Kannur including Ezhimala where the Naval academy is situated) located at Pazhayanangadi. The government has a project plan to transform the area into a cultural village.

This temple is supposed to be the most popular Bhagavathi temple of North Malabar (the main Diety is Shiva- East facing): On the Southern side of Shiva's 'srikovil' is Bhadrakali (West facing), the diety with most importance and prominence. The priests are 'Piradanmar' who does Shaktheya puja. Devi is supposed to be in fearsome and fiery mood here who is present in the state after killing demon Darikan. It seems one of the main offerings here is cooked meat.

2. Vadakunnu Shiva temple

The next stop was the famous Vadukunnu Shiva temple on hillock of the Madayippara. This is an old structure and is currently under renovation. There is a beautiful lake nearby. Mythology says that Devi, after killing the demon Darikan, took a dip in this lake. It is said that this lake, situated on the top of a hill, never dries; even in the hottest summer.

3. Cheruthazhom Raghavapuram Hanuman temple:

Though the main diety is Sriraman here, the temple is known for Hanuman swamy. There is a large pond in front of the temple. It was 'ramayana month' (Karkidakam) and so could hear ramayanam being recited..nostalgic....The prasadam ('aval') from here was arranged by uncle previously...

4. Parasshinikadavu Muthappan temple: Arguably the most famous and prominent temple in Kannur. This temple is revered by most religious people of Kannur and Kasarkode. A temple where alcohol is an offering and is not banned in the temple premises!

We parked our car here and walked to the temple. On the way saw a toddy shop and further down a Communist party office...It may be a coincidence (or may be not) that a communist party office, toddy shop and a temple are all in a short distance which was like a snap-shot of Kannur!

Theyyam: I should write a few words on THEYYAM. This is an art form that has religious, cultural and social dimensions. It is a highly ritualistic folk-dance, well preserved with its rare and gorgeous make-up and costume, lively foot work with lot of verbal and non-verbal expressions. Theyyam is unique to Kannur and Kasargode ('Kolathunadu') and I think represents the glorious past and culture of Kannur.

Though I have seen Theyyam in Tele, this was the first time I was watching it. The belief is, that gods and goddesses come in to our midst through the medium of the possessed dancers and converse with us. The performers usually belong to Vannan, Malayan and Velan communities.
We went to Parashinnnikadavu temple the next morning to catch a glimpse of it. 'Lord Muthappan' probably represents the dual divinity of Shiva and Vishnu. Therefore there are two Theyyams- 'Thiruvappana' and 'Vellatom' (Shiva- cresent shaped crown and Vishnu- fish shaped crown). They come as a long procession with lots of music, singing and performance. The songs were very traditional with folk rhythms.

Thiruvappana theyyam looked and felt more powerful. Aunty said that we could go and speak to the theyyam and even ask questions. After the initial rituals and performance that went for about 30 minutes I slowly headed towards them. The Vellatom theyyam held my hands....looked into my eyes and said that I was coming from very long distance...and also that everything is and will be fine in the future :-). It was really powerful.....
I think if some one wish to learn about the ancient past of North malabar, they should learn about Theyyams. It is so rich in art, culture, heritage, language, rituals and music. Later we went and had prasadam- ie Tea, boiled gram (peas) with coconut slices.

Some distinct features ot temple

1. Dogs are allowed and found inside temple premises

2. Alcohol/ dry fish/ meat are offerings

3. Free food given in temple

Behind the temple is Valappattanam river. It was monsoon at its best and appeared really beautiful

Also went to the famous snake park established by none other than Comrade MVR..Never realised that the park had such a rich variety of reptiles and other animals. Will write on this separately.

That evening went to the famous trinity temples of Kanjirangad, Rajarajeshwara and Thrichambaram.

On the way to Kanjirangad...

5. Kanjirangad Vaidyanatha temple: This ancient temple is situated in Pariyaram Panchayat (6km fom Taliparambu and it seems Kooveri is only about 5 km from this place. Should try to visit there this year) ...The main diety is Shiva (believed to be svayambu or self-originated) in 'physician' form. According to Manoj's dad Shiva here is 'doctor's doctor'. Main festival is on Sivarathri but Thiruvathira in the malayalam month of Dhanu is also very important.

If 6th day of the Malayalam month is Sunday then the devotees will call it 'Six Sunday' ('aarum njayyar')and is considered important. It is believed the same day was the temple installed. Another legend is that as brahmin ladies were prohibited from entering Rajarajeshwara temple(see below) the Kolathiri raja (Shathasoman) constructed this temple.

6. Rajarajeshwara temple:
This was the second temple we visited that evening. Felt very strong vibes at this temple.. Taliparamba is regarded as one of the ancient Shakti Peethams. Legend has it that the head of Sati fell here after Shiva's tandavam following Sati's self-immolation. The main festival celebrations are Shivarathri and Vishu. In olden days there were 64days festival during the interval between Shivarathri and Vishu.

The temple is considered as one of the 108 ancient Shiva temples of Kerala by most experts. It has a prominent place amongst the numerous Shiva temples in south India. If any problem is encountered in temples of South India, the final solution is said to be sorted here by 'prashnamvaippu'

Some unique characteristics:

1.The temple has no kodi maram as opposed to most other temples in Kerala
2.Men are allowed to enter the shrine at any time, but women are allowed only after 8 PM (the belief is that shiva would have gone to Cherukuunu Annapoorneshwari temple by then)
3.It may be that the main diety could be in Shankaranarayanan form or rajaguru Brihaspathy as Rajarajeshwara sankalpam (acceptable to both Shaivites and Vaishnavites). However, it is generally and widely accepted that Shiva is the main diety, though 'Koovalam' flowers that are dearest to Shiva are not used here for pujas
4. Only 'Neyyvilakku' (ghee) is allowed inside the 'chuttamblam' and oil is not permitted
5."Moonnedhathu thozheekuka"- A custom whereby pregant women (except brahmins) visit and pray at three prominent temples in Taliparamba. Apart from Rajarajeshwara temple, the other two temples are Sri Krishna temple at Trichambaram and Vaidyanatha (Shiva) at Kanjiragad. It is believed that Shiva at Rajarajeshwara temple assures the child a high status, Sri Krishna of Trichambaram bestows it with good nature and mental qualities and Shiva at Kanjiragad temple gives the child long life. (Brahmin ladies, instead of this temple goes to Thrichambaram, Mazhoor and Kanjirangad)
6.This temple is also considered as most sacred for performing Koodiyattam and Chakyar Koothu Whenever a new Koodiyattam is being directed, it is first performed at this temple. The title "Vidūshakaratnam" and "Veerashringhala", a Golden Bracelet are given from this temple for acheivements in these performing arts
7.It is also believed that Sri Raman during his victorious return from Lanka, stopped here to offer worship to Lord Shiva. In honor of his presence, devotees are not allowed into the 'namaskara mandapam' even today

History:

The Shiva linga here is believed to be thousands of years old. Legend has it that Siva gave three sacred Siva lingas to Parvati for worship.

1. A sage called Maandhata prayed Shiva and it seems lord Shiva gave one of the Siva lingas to him and said to install only at a place where there was no cremation ground. The sage, after searching all over, found Taliparamba the most sacred spot where he installed the Shivalinga. After his death, the linga however disappeared into the earth.
2. Maandhats's son Muchukunda offered similar prayers to Siva and got a second linga, which too disappeared in course of time.
3. After many centuries the third Shivalinga was handed down to King Shathasoman. He then installed it in the present temple built by him

7. Thrichambaram Sreekrishna temple
This temple is considered the 'grama-temple' of Thaliparambu. The temple is believed to have got the name from Thiru Shambara or the holy shambara in reverence to Maharishi Shambara. Trichambaram Temple has three ponds attached to it, with the temple for Durga(Jaladurga). There is also a belief that as Srikrishna is in 'roudra bhavam' (Fiery mood) praying here early in the morning may not be 'utthamam'

The annual temple festival is for a fortnight-from Kumbham 22 (usually March 6) every year to Meenam 6 (which generally falls on March 20). Elephants are not permitted for the festival celebrations.

On Kumbham 22 'Balaraman' comes from Mazhoor temple . Till meenam 2nd there is 'thitambu-nritham' at pookottunada. On Meenam third there is no major ritual. On the 4th there is 'nadu valamvaikkal'. On the 5th it is 'Chirayil aarrattu'. On the 6th its brothers parting (Koodipiriyyal). This is said to be very emotional.

It was raining heavily when we were doing the pradashinam. It was pitch dark when we came to sree-ayyappan's kovil. But somehow lights came on when we started praying. It was amazing! The lights went off as soon as we left!! The puja for Jala-durga was also amazing. A lot of strong vibes in the vicinity.....

8. Perillasherry Sri Subrahmanya temple
This temple is located at Perillasherry near koothuparambu. I was excited to hear that this is AKG's place; but the journey along the Kannur – Koothuparambu road was Horrible with abundant holes, bumps and 'small rainwater pools'. Literally the roads to Perillasherry were in Perils.

According to Manoj's dad, the temple is said to be consecrated by Sriraman. As Hanuman was late bringing the idol, Sriraman took his bangle ('peruvala') and made the idol...so it is called 'peru-vala-cherri' that later became perillasherry.

There is a huge pool in front of the temple. It had well laiden bricks and steps... After Perillashery went to see Parameshwaran Namboodiri and then it was good bye to Kannur.

On my way to Thrissur now......a short but sweet visit . A kind of Déjà vu......May be I should be saying I came I saw and I got conquered by the beauty and fragrance of north malabar.....

Red faced

Indians have again done themselves proud by 'mature voting' and giving a clear mandate in the recently concluded Elections, the biggest democratic process in the world. In todays unpredictive world specifically in South Asia where she is surrounded by volatile neighbours, India has shown the world the true meaning of 'by the people, for the people and of the people'.

In this 'election cyclone' along with the caste and communal politics, the communists also fell. They were routed in the red fortresses of Kerala, and its own Bastion in Bengal. What has happened since late Harkishan singh Surjeet handed over Party's mantle to the so called young 'Karats' and 'Yachuris'? How come from a tally of about 59 seats in 2004 they came down to a mere 24 in 2009?

A lot of questions to be answered by the official leadership of all left parties, though it is generally felt that the attitude of the so called 'young brigades' that were much more theoritical and inflexible led to this huge defeat. The National left front leaders forgot the key lesson in politics ie to have your house in order before you attack the UPA with matters like Nuclear pact; the left specifically CPM totally turned blind eye to the deepening crises in both Kerala and Bengal. The 'new breed of young' CPM leaders rather than being pragmatic and dynamic went for the rigid communist policies. They lost touch with common man and were more involved and infatuated with the outdated anti- imperialism.

Interestingly a lot of policies that paid rich dividends to the UPA govt are 'left' policies. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the National Old Age Pension Scheme, National Maternity Benefit Scheme, Mid-Day Meal and Integrated Children Development Scheme, the Targeted Public Distribution Scheme, National Family Benefit Scheme, Right to Information, Forest Rights Act, farm loan waiver etc. The left never made any attempt to high light this in their campaign and instead went after the blind propaganda of an 'unreal' third front based on an anti- left, anti BJP platform. The common people soon understood the stand taken by the third/ fourth front that they were trying to get as many seats as possible to be in a good bargaining post-poll position; but alas all their dreams were shattered by the convincing outcome of 2009 elections!


In Kerala it was clear that people were fed up with the infighting between the two major factions in the ruling CPM. The present leadership in Kerala were totally egoistic, autocratic, arrogant and aggressive against anyone who they felt were not supporting them. It is sad to note that the party which was once led by the legendary leaders like AKG and EMS are now in hands of a bunch of 'pseudo-comrades'. One person who came out relatively unharmed in this whole debacle is the Kerala Cheif minister Mr VS Achuthanandan.


The common man who supports the communist party is not unhappy with this defeat. In fact one of the Kannur comrades told me it was a 'good shock treatment' given by the people of kerala to a party which is a part of their life. May be this statement reflects the general feeling of the party supporters in the state.


There will be a lot of 'post-mortem' meetings and analysis of this whole result scenario. Though it is clear that the 'SNC lavlin case', the marriage of conveneince with PDP, the aggressive stance take by the CPM against the smaller parties in LDF, alienation of general public and anti-media stance were the main resons in the party's failing, the leadership may take some other 'vague' explaination line and get away this time. But its better to accept the mistakes, make necessary changes and attitude by a clear introspection...the sooner the party realise and correct this the better it is for Kerala....

Oldest Mosque

I had the opportunity to visit the oldest Mosque in the Indian subcontinent. Its not in North-India or Pakistan/Afghanistan/Bangladesh, but is in Kerala State; 'Gods own country'. This is the Cheraman Perumal Juma Masjid at Kodungallur. I reached here on my way from Peruvarum to Thrissur in November 2007. Its beside the National Highway(NH17) equidistant from both Kochi and Thrissur(about 35km north of Kochi and also south of Thrissur)

Kodungallur is a place of great historical importance and used to be known as 'Muziris'. This is the place where the other two Abrahamic traditions also, first reached India ie Christianity (Christ's apostle, St Thomas is said to have landed in Kodungallur in 52 AD, St.Thomas Church established by him houses ancient relics and is believed to the first Christian church in India) and Judaism(AD 378, possibly before that). I will write on the St Thomas Church and Kodungallur in detail later.



Cheraman Perumal Mosque is said to have been established in 629 AD, during Prophet Muhammad's lifetime by his disciple, Malik-Ibn-Dinar. It is the the second oldest Mosque in the world to offer Jumu'ah prayers (for the last 1,380 years). The first mosque ever built in the world is in Saudi-Arabia; the Quba Mosque (Quba' Masjid or Masjid al-Quba) just outside Medina and so is considered to be the oldest.

Uniqueness

I reached here around 17:00 hours and you can just see the sun setting behind the mosque in this photograph. ie this Mosque faces east and is probably the only Mosque in Kerala that face east unlike other mosques which usually face west. Another peculiarity is that the mosque has an ancient oil lamp which always burns and is believed to be more than a thousand years old. People of all religions bring oil for the lamp as offering. This is one of the few mosques in Kerala which allow entry for people of other religions. Another unique feature is that 'Vidyarambham' a traditional Hindu ritual initiation ritual marking the start of a child's learning is held here every year

Architecture and Traditions

The mosque is built in the traditional Kerala architectural style, similar to Hindu temples. Similar to Hindu tradition, the mosque uses brass oil lamps. The Rosewood-pulpit, from where the priest recites the prayers, is covered with carvings similar to the ones seen in Hindu architecture. A block of white marble in the mosque is believed to have been brought from Mecca.

The Mosque had many renovations and reconstructions (11th and 18th centuries and recently in 1974,1994 and 2001). The ground floor of the shrine is left untouched and is still preserved. The front portion of the first floor has been replaced with minarets, while the posterior side of the first floor is still intact(see below)


Legend

The popular legend is that a Chera king, Cheramanperumal of Kodungallor left for Mecca, embraced Islam, and accepted the name Thajudeen. He married the sister of then King of Jeddah. On his return trip, accompanied by many Islamic religious leaders, led by Malik-ibn-Dinar, he fell sick and passed away. But he had given letters for the team to proceed to Kodungallur. The visitors came to Kerala and handed over the letter from Cheraman Perumal to the reigning king, who gave all the facilities and support to establish their faith in the land. The king also helped to build the first Mosque at Kodungallur, by converting Arathali temple into a Juma-Masjid. However, 'Kerala Vyasan Kunjukuttan Thampuran' is of the opinion that an old Buddha temple was handed over to the Muslims to establish a mosque here.

History

'Keralolpathi' portrays Cheraman Perumal as a generic figurehead of the Chera Dynasty, along with a Chola Perumal and Pandi Perumal. Cheraman Perumal Bhaskara Ravi Varma was a king of the ancient Tamil-speaking Chera dynasty in the eighth Century AD. Kodungallur may have been his ancient capital. It is possible that the kings in those days were all called 'Cheraman Perumal'. ('Cheranad' for Kerala and 'Raja Perumal' means 'godly king')

All the records are folk tales and stories, and it gives a somewhat blurred historical picture about the origins of the ruling dynasty. The surviving manuscripts, such as Keralolpathi, Keralamahatmyam, and Perumpadapu Grandavari, are collections of myths and legends. Some historians doubt the reliability of these manuscripts due to the many discrepancies in it.

'Keralolpathi' says that the last and the famous Perumal king Cheraman Perumal ruled Kerala for 36 years. He left for Mecca by ship with Muslims who arrived at Kodungalloor (Cranganore) port. Before leaving for Mecca, he divided his kingdom between his nephews and sons. But it goes on emphatically to deny that Cheraman Perumal converted to Islam (sometimes conflated with Buddhism) and died while on pilgrimage, asserting that this was all done by a later king, one Banu Perumal.

The 'Perumpadapu Grandavari' says the last Thavazhi of Perumpadapu Swaroopam came into existence on the Kaliyuga day shodashangamsurajyam. Cheraman Perumal divided the land in half, 17 amsha north of Neeleshwaram & 17 amsha south, totaling 34 amsha, and gave his powers to nephews and sons. Thirty-four rajyas between Kanyakumari (Cape Comerin, now in Tamilnadu state) and Gokarna (now in Karnataka state) were given to the 'Thampuran' who was the daughter of the last niece of Cheraman Perumal.

There are two tombs, that of Habib-Ibn-Malik, son of Malik-Ibn-Dinar, and his wife/ sister Khumarriah inside the mosque, where Muslim priests light incense sticks, an Indian/Hindu tradition.

This Shrine stands as a testament of the religious tolerance and cultural harmony that exists in Kerala, similar to many other places of worship in this part of the world.

Hollywood in Trivandrum

There used to be only one cinema theatre in our student days that showed Hollywood movies in Trivandrum. The Sreekumar-Sreevishakh (SKSV) Complex at Thampanoor! I think anyone brought up in Trivandrum will have some wonderful memories of this place. Unlike now a days, before Y2k, English movies used to take sometime, before it is likely to be released in Kerala.

The theatre is located on the left side of the main road as we go from 'Overbridge' towards central railway station. If we continue a bit further we reach New theatre which also used to screen English movies. New Theatre is the largest in the state with a seating capacity of 1200.

All these 3 theatres along with Sree Padmanabha and the erstwhile Sree-Karthikeya at Pettah belonged to veteran director-producer Merryland P. Subramaniam. I remember vaguely going to Sreekumar to watch Bruce-Lee's 'Enter the dragon' with family, probably one of the first English movies I have seen.

Sreekumar is the bigger of the two cinemas. There is always a problem with parking at this complex as the space is limited. Students usually come to watch the movies in bikes or use the auto-rickshaw's or buses. The favourite timings for us are the 13:15 show and 15:30 show. As English movies are shorter in duration ( about 90-100 minutes, compared to Indian movies which are at least 2-3hours long) it is very convenient to 'adjust' this slot into our 'college schedule'. Various factors affect these adjustments: the main being which movie is shown, then comes the timings of our classes at college/university, how exciting or boring are the classes, the teacher who takes these classes, how strict they are, pocket money, 'who all' are coming to watch it etc etc.

I especially likes the snacks at the interval. The food is great here; you have a range to select from bickies, 'cool drinks', tea, coffee, samosa, peanuts, crisps, 'faluda'/ falooda, ice-creams, popcorns etc. Faludas used to be my favourite. 'Faludas' are in different colours usually made with rose syrup and vermicelli, tutti-frutti, sugar, ice cream along with either milk or water.

Sometimes when its interval in Sree-Vishakh we can have a peep into Sreekumar and watch bits and parts of the movie being shown there. I know that some of our friends take a ticket to watch the 13:15 English movie at Sreevishakh and after about 90 minutes(towards the end of the movie), somehow manage to slip into Sreekumar theatre and watch the second movie too! Two for the price of one..

I also remember a Kathakali statue on the wall at the staircase corridor and always liked to touch its prominent nose when ever I pass by...At the New-theatre there used to be a magnificent statue of an Elephant (Not sure whether its still there)

Other cinemas in Trivandrum also evoke fond and nostalgic memories. In fact Trivandrum city holds the maximum number of theatres in Kerala. It is said that there are 16 A-Class theatres within a radius of 3 km which makes the city an ideal place to hold Film Festivals.

The other theatre complexes are 'Dhanya-Ramya' (used to be called Srikanth and Kasthuri), 'Kairali-Sree' ( Kerala state government owned, the other being Kalabhavan at Vazhuthacaud), and SL- theatre complex (Athulya, Athira, Anjali and Aswathy). I remember very clearly, going with my family to watch Navodaya Appachan's Padayottam (inspired by 'The Mount of Monte Cristo' by Alexander Dumas), the first ingenious 70mm movie in India and also Richard Attenborough's Academy award winning movie 'Gandhi'.

There are a few theatres that changed names and were renovated under new management like MP theatre that became Sreebala and Shakthi theatre that became Kripa. The other major cinemas are Ajantha, Central and Parthas (relatively new one). There are a couple of old ones which I remember, but has never gone there, namely Chitra theatre and Shiva theatre that used to screen mainly Tamil movies....

The list is not complete without mentioning 2 theatres in our area ie SIMI theatre in Kumarapuram and Kalpana at Pattom. Both were my favourite due to the proximity to our home and also they both had some sort of nostalgic aura associated with it. Its sad that both are now closed......

ഇന്ത്യന്‍ കോഫി ഹൌസ്

Thampanoor ICH


Indian Coffee House or popularly known as ICH is one of my favourite coffee shops in Kerala. I remember dad taking all of us to the coffee house at medical college junction. There used to be two Coffee-houses at that time(one opposite the Casualty and the other near the petrol station/taxi stand. The second one is closed now and the one near Casualty is the only one that exists here.

My favourite food here is mutton cutlet and my favourite drink is rose milk (as a child). Masala dosa is also a popular item and the uniqueness of this is that they put beetroot also in the masala and whole stuff looks reddish rather than the usual yellow masala colour. Some people like that very much, though I am not a great fan of ICH masala-dosa; but I like the plain dosa here very much.


















The Shangumukham beach ICH( we went here in June 2007 as our flight to London via Colombo was delayed)

Steamed hot Coffee is the trade mark of this shop; having a cup of ICH-coffee is something one cannot experience any where in the world. Its not just the coffee but the whole atmosphere makes it a unique experience-the rich aroma, the strong flavour, the white cups and saucers, the classical uniform of the waiters and royal service gives us an unforgettable feeling.


ICH has strong presence across India in almost every city. The one in Calcutta (near Presidency college; a coffee-house, I very much want to visit someday) is quite famous historically because it used to be a popular hangout for the 'Bengali intelligentsia'

There are over 400 branches in India and the maximum number ( more than 50 are in Kerala). The Coffee Houses were started by the Coffee Board in early 1940s, during British rule. In the mid 1950s the Board closed down the Coffee Houses, due to a policy change. The thrown-out workers then took over the branches, under the leadership of A.K.G( Comrade: A.K Gopalan) and renamed the network as Indian Coffee House. The Coffee-house movement/society is wholly owned and managed by the employees. The movement marked its golden jubilee in the year 2007. The only published book on its history is written in Malayalam by Nadaakkal Parameswaran Pillai called 'Coffee Housinte Katha' or History of Coffee House

There is more to ICH than coffee and snacks. Its the meeting place of a number of people. A number of political and cultural movements have started from small meetings at the ICH. Its a rendezvous for Politicians, Students, Intellectuals, Writers, Artists, Lovers, Businessmen, Executives etc. I still remember that a lot of our student meetings at Medical College (social, political and cultural) used to take place at the ICH opposite Medical College Hospital casualty. "will meet you at 4:00at ICH" was a common phrase during our student days....



















ICH branch at east nada, Guruvayoor temple (note the name is written as India Coffee House rather than Indian Coffee House)

I got the following list of ICH branches in Kerala from the net. It was a bit odd to note that there are no branches for ICH, north of Thrissur especially in AKG's own place, Kannur!

Trivandrum

Kachery Junction, Attingal

Jyothi Building, Ulloor
Corporation Office Building, Tvm
M.L.A Hostel, Tvm
M.G.Road, Tvm
Secretariat,Tvm
Maveli Cafe,Thampanoor
Pazhavangadi, Tvm
Transport Bhavan, East Fort, Tvm
I.R.C Sanghumugham, Tvm
St.Jude medical Center,Karamana
Assembly Complex(Under ICH,MLA Hostel)
KOLLAM
Chinnakkada, Kollam
Pulamon Junction, Kottarakkara
PATHANAMTHITTA
M.C.Road, Thiruvalla
Municipal Junction, Pathanamthitta
ALAPPUZHA
Near K.S.R.T.C, Cherthala
Mullackal, Alappuzha
Palace Road, Alappuzha
N.T.P.C, Kayamkulam
Beach, Alappuzha
M.C.Road, Chengannur
Muttom Bazaar,Cherthala
Medical College,Vandanam,Alappuzha
Canteen,Alappuzha Beach(Under ICH,Mullakkal Branch)
KOTTAYAM
West Nada, Vaikom
Main Road, Pala
Paranani Arcade, Erattupetta
Mohana Shopping Complex K.K Road, Ponkunnam
Medical College Campus, Kottayam
T.B. Road, Kottayam
M.L.Road, Kottayam
M.C.Road,Near K.S.R.T.C ,Changanassery
Salim Complex, Perunna, Changanassery
ERNAKULAM
Kalady Junction, Perumbavoor
A.M Road, Kothamangalam
Cochin University Campus, Thrikkakkara
C.S Road, Ernakulam
Sudheendra Hospital, Ernakulam
D.H.Road, Ernakulam
Indiragandhi Co-op.Hospital, Kadavanthra
East Fort Gate, Thripunithura
High Court,Ernakulam
THRISSUR
Road South, Thrissur
P.O.Road, Thrissur
C.D.B North Bus Stand, Thrissur
East Nada, Guruvayoor
Herbret Road, Kunnamkulam
M.G.Kavu M.C.H, Thrissur1st
M.G.Kavu M.C.H, Thrissur2nd
J.M.H.Ist, Thrissur
J.M.H.IInd, Thrissur
By Pass Junction, Mannutthy
Kerala Agri University, Mannuthy
Muthuvanchira Towers N.H Road, Pattikkad
Nada Near Bus Stand, Irinjalakkuda
Municipal Office Compound ,Chalakkudy
Canteen,Patturaikkal.

Kolorful Kerala

This time when I visited Kerala, I noticed something peculiar and distinct. Most of the houses were painted in bright florescent colours. This is quite a marked difference from the Kerala I know. Usually homes in Kerala have white/light colour with the background provided by the natural beauty of coconut palms and lush green paddy fields and trees. In fact the term we use for painting a house used to be white-wash or വെള്ള or കുമ്മായം അടി .

I noted these florescent coloured homes through out the whole length of Kerala from Kannur to Trivandrum (yes, on my spiritual marathon!). This included almost all the buildings including average sized homes, big mansions, hotels and even some official buildings.

When I asked Karunakaran Uncle the reason for this he said that there was a popular advertisement recently in television (Idiot-box) which 'clicked' and that most people just started following this....

A phenomenal change from 'Gods own country' to 'Box own country'....

53 temples in 2 weeks

Continuing with my title 'Lack of planning'...I went to Kerala this time in August for 2 weeks. The main reason to bring back Manikutty who has been there for the last 8 weeks and also to attend the 'Aryans of Kerala' meeting (School reunion) which we had arranged. Manikutty (though on holiday) was admitted to Sanathana School (as she loves going to school!) and its amazing how much the kids are taught at this age. 3 languages( Malayalam, Hindi, English), science, maths etc etc...

I also planned to visit a few temples (But never 50!). I went to Kannur to visit Chinthu's parents. Karunakaran uncle took me to 7 temples in Kannur..then it was a journey through the whole length of Kerala from north to south..Literally from Gokarnum (almost) to Kanyakumari. By the time I was at Kanyakumari district visiting the Shivalaya temples, I realised the count was in to the forties....by the time I flew back to UK it was 53 to be precise...:-)

These are the temples I covered; will write on each temple in detail later.....

1. Madayilpara Shiva
   
2. Devi temple
3. Hanuman temple
4. Parasshinikadavu
5. Thrichambaram
6. Raja Rajeshwara
   
7. Vaidyanatha
8. Perillasherry..then to Thrissur
9. Vadakumnathan
10. Paramekkavu
11. Thiruvambady
12. Navagraha temple (Chinmaya)
13. Mahavishnu temple
14. Guruvayoor
15. Mammiyoor..then to Ernakulam
16. Peruvaarum Naalambalam ie Shiva temple
17. Rama and Hanuman temple
    
18. Sreekrishna temple
19. Vettakkoru makan
20. Dakshina Mookambika
21. Ganapathy temple
22. Kodungalloor Devi temple...then to Trivandrum
23. Gowreeshapattom Shiva temple
24. Padmanabhaswamy temple
25. Mahaganapathy temple( MC)
26. Kumarapuram Ganapathy temple
27. Pampa temples
28. Shabarimala
29. Malikapuratthamma
30. Bhagavathy Kavu temple(MC)
31. Attukal Devi temple
32. Thozhuvancode Devi temple
33. Althara Bhagavathy
34. Hanuman temple(PMG)
35. Pazhavangadi Ganapathy temple
36. Gandhariamman Kovil
37. Thampanoor Ganapathy temple
38. Ulloor Sree Balasubramanya temple
39. Cheruvakkal Sreekrishnaswamy temple
40. Ambalamukku SreeKrishna swamy temple...to Kanyakumari
41. Thirumalai
42. Thikkurissi
43. Thrupparappu
44. Thirunandikkara
45. Ponmanai
46. Pannipakam
47. Padhmanabhapuram (Kalkulam)
48. Melangodu
49. Thriuvidaikkodu
50. Thiruvithankkodu
51. Thriupannikkodu
52. Thirunattalam and
    
53. Kumarakovil

So hows that? Not bad to accommodate 53 temples in a 2 week holiday......

Palayam- yet another 'kerala model'

Palayam in Trivandrum extends from the cantonment house in the north up to the present A.K.G. Centre in the south, including areas now occupied by the University Stadium and Chandrasekharan Nair stadium. It was the camping area of the former Travancore state army and cavalry. That place, therefore, came to be known as Palayam/Cantonment – meaning military area.......

A church, a mosque and a temple were consecrated side by side, with their compound walls touching each other near the Palayam junction for the personnel of the State Forces and their family members to perform their religious duties. The peaceful co-existence of these three centres of worship of different religions is a shining example of the religious tolerance, secularism and harmony in the state.

Palayam Shakthi Vinayaka Temple. Note that part of the
Mosque is visible on the right side and both share the same
compound wall .....

Palayam St Josephs Church

Palayam Mosque (Juma Masjid)...P K Ahmed Kutty Moulavi,
imam of the Palayam mosque, opened the doors of the
mosque for women for the first time in south Kerala.
More than 250 women attend the prayers at the Palayam Mosque
on ordinary days, whereas on Fridays their numbers increase
to around 1,000. The imam is of the opinion that there is nothing
unIslamic in women offering prayers in mosques.

The western media always finds it difficult to understand and 'digest' how India can survive as a nation and usually try to portray India as a place where communities and religions fight each other. These media should come and report from Kerala, where about half of the population is either a christian or a muslim,living peacefully and fully integrated for many centuries along with the hindu population.....

Kerala Art and Literary Association

Yesterday went to the KALA (Kerala Art and Literary Association) annual get-together. It always feels nice to be at KALA. The main reason being its different from the usual malayali get-together.

This association is the Brain child of Dr Sukumaran Nair, started in 1996. As its website says KALA is an ever growing network of like-minded friends and families based across the length and breadth of United Kingdom committed to promoting Kerala's rich and varied artistic, literary and cultural heritage among international community, particularly younger British Malayalees.

The annual day celebrations have been held for the last few years at Parmiters school hall in Watford, usually on a Saturday evening in October. I still remember the first time I went to the KALA garden party in 1999 with Balumaman and Susha aunty. It was like a 'small kerala' recreated in this part of the world. Since then I have tried to attend the annual celebrations every year, but have not been successful a few years due to various commitments. I think Balumaman has been to almost every KALA function since 1999.

Every year there will be a couple of invited chief guests who are eminent malayalees from the socio-cultural-literary world. Over the last decade the chief guests have included Sri Madhusudhanan Nair, Sri ONV Kurup, Sri Nedumudi Venu, Singer Sri Venugopal, Sri Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri etc. 'KALA evenings' reminds me to some extend of the 'Surya' cultural society celebrations or other cultural evenings at Kanakakunnu palace, Trivandrum.

The performances at KALA are usually a class of its own ; but probably the the best part of this evening is catching up with our old friends, meeting new ones and sometimes surprise meeting with a person whom you have not met for many years (how just a casual comment by Unnikrishnan snowballed into a big circle of new friends for me is a long story...will write on that later....)

The dinner is in traditional kerala style..but I like the 'vada' and snacks more, that are served at the start of the meeting. This year I was particularly impressed with the performance of KALA Youth; the skit was excellent. Another unique feature of KALA is the in-house magazine PALMLEAF that has a rich mix of articles written by the malayali talents in UK. All in all it was a superb evening with wonderful performances, great crowd, delicious food and colourful atmosphere. ....like a real 'malabar dream' come true.....

The poly-tricks in Kerala

Kerala has a lot of firsts to its credit. First Indian State to achieve total literacy/ State first to implement land reforms/ State with highest life expectancy/ State with lowest birth rate/ State with lowest infant mortality/ Only state with hospital facility in every village/ State in which the communication infrastructure is the highest.

Every political party in power, will high-light these 'firsts' as their own achievement...But there is also another side...ie its the state with the highest suicide rate, highest alcohol consumption rate, highest morbidity, highest unemployment rate and probably the home of caste, communal and coalition politics......

In Modern Kerala the usual trend especially in the last 25 years is to vote in either of the two 'democratic' coalitions (Interestingly in the dictionary coalition describes a temporary group or union of organisations usually formed for a particular advantage!). The two fronts are the LDF or the Left Democratic Front headed by CPI(M) or Communist Party of India( Marxist) and the UDF or United Democratic Front lead by the Indian National Congress or simply the Congress party.

The first coalition was in 1967 when the Communist party under the late EMS (Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad) led a seven-party coalition including the Muslim League (now called by the Communist party as a communal party) to form the government. Before that in 1957 he had led the Communists to victory in the first election for the state government, making him the first communist leader anywhere to head a popularly elected democratic government. It is said that that government was probably one of the better ones that Kerala had as each and every minister with a couple of exceptions were experts and specialists in their own field like Prof Joseph Mundassery for Education, Dr AR Menon for Health, Mr VR Krishna Iyer for Law etc. This government soon introduced the land Reform Ordinance and Education Bill and subsequently was dismissed in 1959 by the Central Government, which invoked the controversial Article 356 of the Indian Constitution following what became later known as the 'Liberation Struggle' or വിമോചന സമരം ...

Over the years coalition governments with and without the Communists or Congress and with the help of so called 'communal parties' (overtly or covertly) came to power in Kerala. The most popular and deep rooted political party in Kerala is the Marxist party or CPI(M), (though the CPI or UDF wouldn't agree to that)... Their policies have a big influence in the daily life of Kerala. The other parties tends to follow or react to what Marxist party does. However, the CPI(M) tend to exhibit their basic instinct of study and struggle (as the "kutti" comrades of their student faction) even when they are in power. The CPI(M) since the demise of EMS have been searching for a theoretician who can lead them and this remains as one of their main problems. When I recently visited Kannur, Karunakaran Uncle told me that EMS was good in Tharkashasthram ie creating a debate out of context and from no-where, winning the debate and reaping the benefits. The vacuum left by EMS is yet to be filled.
At the other end what the congress party (and UDF) does, is to wait for every alternate 5 years to get into power. The UDF and their supporters love to be in power as it's the 'harvest time'. They become cold as soon as they are in opposition and take a break or holiday for 5 years before coming back into power on an anti-incumbency wave. There is nothing much to say about this party which has been slowly degenerating over the years. There were two major factions the Antony and the Karunakaran group. But now it's all the Antony group, which is being led by Mr Oomen Chandy who is probably one of the better Congress leaders. It's good for kerala and specifically Congress party, that Karunakaran group has lost it's stranglehold in the party.

The 100% literate Keralites are very happy to vote either the LDF or the UDF alternately every 5 years, who are not much different from each other. So Keralites literally and figuratively follow the words of de Tocqueville, who said “in a democracy, the people get the government they deserve.”

Attukal

Attukal devi temple is one of my favourite temples in Trivandrum. My parents used to take us all to the temple on Fridays during our school days. The divine feeling you get when you enter the temple is difficult to describe in words. The prasadam especially the chandanam is very special. This year visited the temple after dropping Mash and teacher at the Railway station.

Pongala

"Attukal Pongala" is the main festival of this temple. Millions of women gather every year in February (Malayalam month Kumbham) around this temple and prepare "Pongala" (Rice cooked with the ingredients: Jaggery, coconut, ghee etc) in the open in small pots to please the Goddess Kannaki. At the time of festival nearly five kilometers around the temple becomes covered with smoke from the temporary 'aduppu's (temporary hearths made of 3 to 9 bricks). A holiday is declared in the city on that day. Tourists from other countries also join in "Attukal Pongala". The temple is also called "Women's Sabarimala" . It was reported in the media that in 2008, more than 2 million women offered pongala.

Legend:

Goddess kannaki is the Main Diety. Events related to Goddess Kannaki have high influence in the culture,traditions and belief in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is belived that after setting fire to Madurai city in retaliation of punishing her innocent Husband, Kannaki left for Kodungaloor in Kerala. On the way to Kodungaloor, Devi took rest for a while at Attukal and gave 'Darsan' (appeared) to the natives there. Finally Bhagavathy settled at Kodungaloor sree Bhagavathi temple. Attukal Temple is more popularly known as the Sabarimala of the Women. The reason is that most of the devotees are women in this temple. The Pongala Mahotsavam is the most important festival of temple. Pongala festival has found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest attendance of women.

Guinness record:

The temple over the years has acquired international importance as it was listed by the Guinness Book of world Records as "the largest gathering of women in the world". The record was based on the number of pilgrims on 23 February 1997, when 1.5 million assembled to offer 'pongala'

'

Who is a Mallu?

I first went to North-India in the mid 1990's;
When people asked me, where I am from, I reply 'Kerala'....the usual response is oh, from 'Madras' or 'Madrasi' hae?...after a few unsuccessful attempts to explain the geography of India to an 'Ignorant' fellow country man, I stopped clarifying and just smiled. A friend once told me that the reply should be that Keralites are the beef eating people from the south!

A person from Kerala is usually known as a malayali or a keralite (most poular and most commonly used term world-wide to describe such a person) or sometimes Malabari (usually in the middle east). One of my English friend uses the term 'Keralan' to describe malayalees, which I think is sort of nice....

"Mallu" is a relatively new term that probably came into existence about a decade ago. The term is usually used to describe a person of malayali origin often settled outside kerala, either in India or overseas. Generally this term is now used for the recent malayali immigrants to the major cities in India or in the Middle East, US or Europe. This term has been made popular by chat-forums, web-pages, Blogs etc. There are also other terms like 'mallu jokes'(similar to sardarji jokes; the main characters being Kuttappan and Rajappan),'mallu cuisines', 'mallu weddings' and 'mallu sayings' or proverbs.

In which ever part of the world they are, a mallu will definitely be a part of an Onam celebration or Christmas/New year celebration. If the other communities (ie from other states of India) have one celebration for an occasion in an area, a malayali will have many associations and samajams in one little town. Its like our kerala congress party.... വളരുന്തോറും പിളരുകയ്യും, പിളരുന്തോറും വളരുകയും പോലെ ; This can be based on religion, caste, sub-sect, faith, class, profession, native place in kerala, institutions etc etc. Interestingly one will try to work പാര for another and vice-versa.. But they are all smiles and കെട്ടിപിടുതം when they see each other.

Mallus are present in every nook and corner of the world. Every one knows that they are omnipresent....including Neil Armstrong! The lyrics in the old malayalam song should be changed to " തൂണിലും തുരിമ്ബില്ലും മല്ലു ഇരിക്കുന്നു ". Also it seems that a typical mallu eat beef with most of their dishes along with fish, chicken and/or mutton.

I think the best place to see a typical mallu is the waiting lounge at one of the Gulf airports to catch the connection flight to Kerala (many would have travelled 8-16 hours from Europe or US)......Some will be wearing half the jewelery shop, some with ray-ban glasses but most will have a duty free shopping bag with a big packet of Marlboro cigarette sticking outside or sometimes with loads of 'Johnnie walkers' stuffed in their duty free bags.

In-flight entertainment is usually provided by our typical mallu by their behavior. What they do to get more attention and 'respect' from the cabin-crew, the number of helpings for scotch. Before the flight is just about to land, they would be throwing the seat belt away and rushing towards the exit....

Conclusion - "All mallus are malyali's, but all malayali's are not Mallus"......

So what do I like to be called?....Personally I don't like the term Mallu...I very much prefer a malayali or a keralite...

20 Must Dos in Kerala

I received this mail from Praveen and thought everyone intending to visit Kerala should be trying at least some of the following, if not all.....

1. Savour a sadya

A sadya is a typically vegetarian meal, which consists of boiled rice and 10-12 dishes, followed with 2-3 desserts, mostly served at weddings, festivals or special occasions.
Must try -- Payasam (Dessert).

2. Attend a Boat Race

Boat races are normally held during the Onam festival time (August/September). Long boats approximately 100 feet long and manned by over 100 rowers take part in the race cheered by thousands of spectators. The thrill is contagious. You could hop on to one of them and row beyond the finishing line

3. Stay in a Boat house

Boathouses are giant country crafts luxuriously decorated and furnished. It usually consists of 1 or 2 bath-attached bedrooms, an open lounge, deck kitchenette and a crew consisting of oarsmen, a cook and a guide. Boathouses float on the backwaters and give an opportunity to enjoy the scenic beauty along the banks. A night out on the placid waters under the wide and starry skies has few parallels in the whole world

4. Attend Kathakali

Kathakali is a dance form in which actors do not speak but enact dialogues, sung by singers in the background. The emphasis is on facial expressions. Mudras or hand signs too have significance. Kathakali actors excel in the presentation of the most beautiful and most violent scenes with equal skill. The whole face of the artist is painted and it appears as though he is wearing a mask. Performed in front of lighted oil lamps in traditional theatres this sophisticated art form takes you to the hoary past of the epics.

5. Wear a Mundu / KasavuNeriyadu

Mundu is a traditional Kerala dress, which is worn on festivals, for marriages and to temples. It is made from an off-white fabric with an elegant gold border. Men should try wearing the Mundu and women the Kasavu Neriyadu. The deceptively simple tuck is really worth a try. It surprises all those who cannot imagine a dress without belt, buckle or button. Enjoy the freedom, comfort and aesthetics of this simple attire.

6. Watch Kalaripayattu

Kalaripayattu is believed by most historians and scholars to be one of the oldest and most scientific systems of martial training existing in the world. Many of the traditional art forms of Kerala have drawn elements from Kalaripayattu at the evolution stage. Watching Kalaripayattu will definitely be an interesting experience. Vigour and elegance seldom combine in such perfect manner.

7. Get an Ayurvedic massage

The term Ayurveda denotes 'the science of life'. Ayurveda is a system of teaching to achieve perfect health-both physical and mental and to attain the bliss of real life. Must try-an Ayurvedic massage to soothe your aching muscles and feel rejuvenated. The secrets of an ancient science are yours for the asking.

8. Watch the sunset

Relax and watch the sunset at the beach along side the Chinese fishing nets in Cochin . Similar views are possible from the backwaters or any other beach side in Kerala-a truly picturesque and memorable experience. Watch the birds flying to their distant homes. Catch a glimpse of the sun setting behind the palm leaves. Listen to the ceaseless sighs of the breeze and the sobs of the waves. Behold the pageantry of the protean clouds. Discover the poet in you.

9. Shop at a local market

It would be an interesting experience to see the wide variety of vegetables, fruits, fish, flowers snacks and knick-knacks that are sold by eager vendors. Observe how people bargain while shopping. Share the simple joys of the give and take of life in an unfamiliar yet charming setting.

10. Stay in a tree house

A tree house is a cozy little house on top of a tree with picturesque views. Relish the chance to enjoy the sparkling air and the unique flora and fauna from a vantage point. From the secure perch savour the night sounds of a tropical forest.

11. Take an Elephant ride

This is possible at the Periyar wildlife sanctuary where you can take a tour through the jungle on elephant back. A mahout will guide you through. Feel how Maharajahs felt high and mighty riding into the midst of their admiring subjects.

12. Walk through a paddy field

Take a walk along the narrow dyke through lolling, green paddy fields, a chance to take in the fresh, clean air-an unforgettable experience. Do not forget to feel the slender shoots. Their softness lingers long in your fingertips just as the fragrance and the hues of the field flowers fill your mind forever. A trip in the early morning mist through the paddy fields can give you a feel of the bliss of the dawn of creation.

13. Taste Toddy and Karimeen fry

Make sure you try kallu (sweet toddy extracted from coconut palm) and taste Karimeen (carp) fry and a spicy chutney or pickle. The brew is as inebriating as the fish is delicious.

14. Shop for spices and an Aranmula mirror

Make sure you shop for fresh spices and an Aranmula Kannadi (mirror)-this is a special mirror made from four metals copper, silver, lead and bronze. In the past only the royal family owned this mirror. These are very rare mirrors and only 2 master craftsman and their families still make them.

15. Wake up to the smell of delicious breakfast

Make sure to try as many different items as you can from the wide spread. Must try Puttu kadala, Idiappam stew, Appam and chicken curry or vegetable stew.

16. Watch the fishermen go out to the sea

It is interesting to watch the fishermen go out to the sea with their fishing nets in their small boats and to see them return with their catch. Do watch how they transact business by the seashore. See how man harnesses the bounties of nature.

17. Have tea at a Thattukada

Thattukada is a small roadside teashop, which serves tea and snacks. The most interesting thing to watch is how the tea is made and poured into the glasses

18. Taste the different varities of bananas

Try the red, green and yellow varieties - Also try the milkshakes and snacks made from each of the different types of banana. While in Kerala you could become an addict of banana chips.

19. Collect Antiques

The Jew Street in Fort Kochi is famous for its display of antiques. Elaborately carved pens, ornamental brass latches and antique jewelry are some of the things you could pick up.

20. Take a boat ride through the backwaters

This is a relaxing experience as the boat takes you along the narrow canals and beautiful villages. You get an opportunity to see local people engaged in fishing, duck rearing and shell collection. You may also see the traditional toddy makers at work on the coconut palms.