jaalakam january-february 2004

The National Geographic, recently, published a list of 50 must - see sightings for tourists of the world. Two of them are in India; the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world and Kerala, God's own country. Kerala is perhaps the green gateway to India, a splendorous mosaic. It evokes the Garden of Eden lost to man. It harbours a host of hidden treasures for tourists, who are weary in body and mind, as well as to the lovers of nature and beauty. Extensive beaches with the roar of the Arabian Sea in the background, rain forests of the Western Ghats sending love notes in rippling rivers that tumble down to the sea and the sea responding in backwaters that ebb and flow as if displaying its emotion, its very special flora and fauna are some of its charming features. A tiny strip of a lush green land blessed by two monsoons towards the South Western tip of the subcontinent is Kerala.

Legend says that Parasuram, a sage of prehistoric times, threw his weapon, an axe, into the sea and the sea gave a piece of land for his people to live in. It must have been the poetic rendering of an upheaval in the depth of the sea that gave birth to the long stretches of mountains and valleys that merge into the coastal lowlands. The Western Ghats is the home of rich bio-diversity, of tropical plants, insects, birds and animals. Cut off from the mainland by the Ghats and more open to the sea, the climate, language, history and culture of this comparatively new geographical units is different from that of the main land.

Kerala cannot boast of ancient monuments as the other states of India except, perhaps, some signs of tribal lives. There are no modern industries that have made the world affluent. Yet the life style of the people here is almost on par with Europeans. When India is bursting with population explosion, Kerala has registered zero growth. It is the first state in the world that voted the Communists to power. Apart from the hiccups of political backlashes in some pockets, Kerala is a beautiful place of beautiful people who claim a hundred percent literacy. The intelligentsia generally leave their home in search of pastures and have made their mark all over the world in different fields. The Gulf boom attracted the young and money flowed from the oil-rich countries. These expatriates have contributed to the wealth and well being of its people.

Maritime activities of olden times must shaped the openness of the people here: a people open to life, to outsiders, and unto themselves. And they are a curious blend of many forces. Fostered by matriarchy, feudal houses, and foreign relationships, Christianity and Islam penetrated through love and marriage. The very air of the waterlogged hinterland was vibrant with chants, music, and dance round the year. Exposed to a ritualistic life and a loud music where percussion instruments dominate, performed at nearby shrines, the people of Kerala found the rhythm of their lives. Folk arts, colourful festivals, classical theatrical forms lent colour to their imagination. From these roots the arts, literature and culture of kerala have sprung, grown and blossomed.

Those who come to Kerala, whether from abroad or from other parts of India, are students, patients and people interested in eco-tourism. Persons interested in the study of folk arts, classical music and theatre live and learn for years. There are many Europeans who have been living in an institute known as Kerala Kalamandalam in Shornur to study a theatre form referred to as Kathakali or to learn other dance forms like Mohiniyattam. People reach Kerala by three international airports and can move by road or rail. Those who comes, as students, should attend the Malabar Mahaotsav, a cultural extravaganza catering to all tastes. Held every year in March, in Kozhikode, for promoting the rich and varied tourism options of Malabar, this event showcases a blend of the traditional and the modern with a variety of music, dance, drama and literary items. At dusk for five days, the city reverberates with music concerts, dance recitals, folk art forms, theatre events, and literary sessions - performances held against the backdrop of the Arabian Sea. From here the students get their starting point to select and go in search of the centres of folk arts that lie scattered in the heart of Malabar.

I remember reading about a nine-day festival, co-sponsored by Wisconsin University, U.S.A, for the benefit of a batch of collegians from America as part of a study programme based on a curriculum that focuses on the culture and stage arts of the state.

Kalarippayatt is a traditional marital art with spiritual connotation and mathematical precision. It is body language as its best. It demonstrates the flexibility of human body in a series of steps, gestures and postures. Classical dance forms have incorporated many of its rhythmic, ethereal patterns. The elegant patterns: leaping, hopping, floating etc. remain etched in memory. On a deeper level the movements signify a search for the sublime, a communion between the physical and the spiritual, the common and the cosmic. There are centres that teach Kalarippayatt. Recently I met two women who came to take Kalari lessons guided by www.kalarippayat.com. Some of them try to learn Marma Chikilsa, a treatment system that developed along with Kalarippayat. It involves applying pressure on 107 nodal points in the humanbody to correct muscular and neurological problems without medication.

The world-renowned Thrissur Pooram- an exotic festival noted for the spectacle of elephant pageant is unique to Kerala. A hundred majestic tuskers are lined upon temple premises in their entire caparisoned splendour. With mahouts atop them holding high tinseled silk parasols, swaying silken white tufts and peacock feather fans, the elephant take part in the festival. The gentle giants move their ears to the rhythm of the temple orchestra, the Panchavadya- the traditional five instrument musical ensemble. Kerala is famous for elephants just as Rajasthan is famous for its camels. They are there almost every where- on the road marching to keep a date, in the woods slogging with labourers, enjoying a mud bath in open spaces near temple grounds, having a massage in ponds, playing with children who bring them bananas, partaking in temple ceremonies, welcoming VIPs. Many foreigners brave the heat of March to watch such festivals associated with the temples of Kerala where elephants are the main attraction.

Patients tired of Allopathic medicine come to Kerala for an alternative therapy, the Ayurvedic treatment. Ayurveda is an ancient healing system based on herbal medicine and massaging that has evolved from using tropical plants in the rain forests. The uniqueness of Ayurveda is its holistic approach aimed at nurturing the body and mind that ensures total cure and healthcare. Booking in advance is necessary by contacting the approved centres through mail or e-mail. The numbers of people who arrive in search of Ayurvedic cure have picked up over the years. Although all forms of indigenous therapies are available in tourist destinations within the country, cool and clean monsoon, the ideal humidity, and professionally trained staff attract foreigners to Kerala. Rejuvenation package is getting popularity now. To those who are fed-up with the fast pace and pressures of modern life, this package offers a relaxed routine and retreat into a slower mode of life that helps contemplation. There are Yoga centres too that teach an ancient art of controlling body and mind that people can practice for the rest of their lives. The state has emerged as a high- class health destination in the world of tourism circuit.

The charming aspect of Kerala is its eco-tourism. A Kerala companion, available at Kerala Tourism Reception Centres, gives comprehensive information about places to visit, accessibility, transportation, food and accommodation, tariff, banking and communication services. Tourists alight at Nedumbasseri International Airport, Kochi, or they reach Ernakulam by train or bus. At Kochi is the oldest Jewish synagogue in the Commonwealth, which still keeps great scrolls of the Old Testament and ancient scripts in copper plates although all the Jews have left for their homeland. The Hill Palace Museum at Thripunithura houses the essence of Kerala- its traditional architecture, its etho-archaeological museum, its heritage museum, its murals and sculptures. From here, many choose the waterway. Tourists can opt for boat cruises. Back-packers move by regular boat services that take them through district after district. Some make use of country boats to go back to a past, lost to modern city dweller, when life flowed like the waters of these rivers, where men lived in tune with its music and rhythm.

From Ernakulam you can hire a boat and row to the very end of the subcontinent. On the way, lies Alappuzha, the Venice of the East, and enchanting water world ! This is not the kind of virtual reality of a Disney world but the very lap of Mother Nature - vast stretches waters with panoramic views fading in distances. And your soul is lulled to peace... Back packers, who fall in love with the waters, ferry to different points so that they can spend a lot of time savouring a sensation unknown and unfelt, so much refreshing to the very spirit! A particular place known as Thannirmukkam bund is worth seeing. Here, salt water entering from the sea is controlled. This part of Kerala is called as the "Rice bowl of Kerala". You can float around small islets of farmlands and see an indigenous technology put into practice. This is the backwater tourist centre famous for its boat races, houseboat holidaying, and beaches. Some prefer home stays for interaction with people. To people from far off lands, it is altogether an alien ambience here- a different climate, costume, cuisine and culture. It offers them a way of life unknown in other parts of the world, a life in the water world- fish and vegetables cooked in coconut milk, different kinds of rice preparations typical of Kerala, Ayurvedic massage centres and boat cruises. Kottayam has a vast network of rivers and canals that empty into a huge lake, the Vembanad Lake. This lake, an enchanting picnic spot and a fast developing backwater tourism destination, provides boating, fishing and sight seeing experiences. Travellers relax on lagoons, float along palm-fringed watery expanse, and cruise around the bird sanctuary called ornithologist's paradise. Some stay for a couple of days in houseboats. This lake resort is known as Kumarakam. From here Kollam is not far away and from Kollam many get into a train to reach Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala.

Or, from Kollam you can take a diversion by road and reach Thenmalai, the hill of flowing honey, the nerve centre of 10 satellite eco-tourism destinations scattered across the hill ranges of rain forests, home to diverse flora and fauna. And here is a mix of close encounter with nature and adventure. An elevated walkway built among the trees is an excellent lookout post to watch the winged wonders that throng the hills. A spectacular view of waterfalls and gurgling rivulets amidst greenery is a sylvan scene that unwinds you giving rest and solitude to your inner being. Trekking, rock climbing, river crossing await you; or you can use mountain bikes. You can spend a whole day here. Thekkadi is another sanctuary, which provides night stay among the silence and sound of nature.

On the way to Thiruvananthapuram you have a beach, Kovalam, which is the haunt of Westerners. In late May or early June people flock on the seashore to see the marriage of the land and the sky, the onset of the Southwest Monsoon, unique to this place. Waves of dragonflies that fill the land are the barbingers of monsoon and the sunset leaves a fiery-red afterglow. Dark clouds, as huge as mountains, rise from the sea and clash with the waves the horizon disappearing behind the inky mass of congregated vapour. Lightening flashes zapping into the ocean. Peals of thunder roar ascending and descending in towering ships of clouds. The winds go mad. Then, as if the sky were flying downward, comes a luminous cerulean blue riding, riding, riding landward in a chariot of clouds. The people on the shore stagger under its might. They feel the power of the torrent, the torrid sexuality of the land, the passion of a nuptial-bed consummating love and marriage. Those who love the rains are in celebration. When other parts of India reel under drought and famine and people die of sunstroke, pure green is born here, sending the message of life-giving force, evoking visions of the beautiful blue god, Krishna.

Thiruvananthapuram is the capital city of Kerala. It has an international airport convenient for foreigners. Yes, but wait a bit; the city still houses the Maharaja and the traditions of the royal family. Here is a temple, which is still under royal patronage. Unfortunately, only Hindus are allowed to go inside the temple. The sculptures and the concert hall with its wonderful pillars that produce music are memories that people carry in their hearts. The Sree Chithra art gallery displays select paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, exquisite works from the Rajaput, Mughal and Tanjore schools of art in India besides paintings from China, Japan, Tibet and Bail. Tour operators conduct or arrange short tours to hill resorts and to a wildlife sanctuary near by.

From the city, it is a matter of some miles to the tip of the subcontinent where you see three seas washing the feet of India. The Greek navigators knew Kanyakumari as the extremity, perhaps, the farthest point known to them in those days. If you can reach here on a cloudless full moon night during winter solstice, you can witness a breathtaking phenomenon: sunsets and moonrise almost a simultaneous process. The whole western sky is ablaze in orange and red streaked with blue and white. You gaze and gaze; the rim of the sun slowly dissolves into a wine-red sea. You close your eyes to savour the glow and treasure it in your heart... and as you turn, you almost stumble into another world - a wonderland of silver ! The full moon is rising from the sea in the east. The sky is, now, deep lavender blue. And the sea is rising in silvery waves. What a heart - stopping magnificence ! In this mystical moment you understand in a flash the heart of everything- that silence is the nucleus of sound, like the dark spot in the heart of a candle flame ; that harmony is the play of opposites. Here the day and the night, the sun and the moon, the masculine and the feminine linger hand in hand. And for you the seas sing a song, for you the waves bring a message, for you the tides have a meaning. Tonight you dream in sleep and sleep in dream !