KOCHI CLASS GOD’S OWN COUNTRY. REALLY
Meet the city that’s beautiful even on an ordinary day
BURGHER STREET IS A GEM. THE PAVED, NARROW LANE IS SO PRETTY THAT THERE’S ACTUALLY A BANNER WARNING PEOPLE AGAINST TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS AND DISTURBING RESIDENTS!
Afew days after Diwali, I venture on a morning walk in Kochi, something I dare not in Delhi! The sun is yet to disturb the quietude of this early morning. A pale blue hue – remnant of a starry night – blends the sky with the shimmering backwaters of the Arabian Sea near the horizon where the outlines of sleeping ships are as hazy as childhood memories.
Two men and a few regrets patiently wait to catch fish when a steamer carrying the first passengers appears through the mist near the jetty in Fort Kochi.
To be sure, no one is wearing an anti-dust mask or grumbling about the weather.
People have gathered around the tea stalls at the River Road. Since I am not the biggest fan of idli for breakfast, I happily steer towards Princess Street, the more colourful part of Kochi. Behind me, the overhyped Chinese fishing nets that swing like the Sensex throughout the day, are basking under the first rays of the sun.
Brightly-coloured quaint houses replace the leafy face of the city and look like a big Malayalam movie set. Many street sign-boards proudly proclaim, quite unnecessarily, that this is “God’s own country.”
In this gold-standard of cityscape, Burgher Street is a gem. The paved, narrow lane is so pretty that there’s actually a banner warning people against taking photographs and disturbing residents.
The sheer beauty of this narrow
THE MATTANCHERRY AREA HAS THE FAMOUS JEWISH SYNAGOGUE A VIBRANT MASALA MARKET AND SOME TRENDY ART CAFÉS
lane must have attracted so many curious intruders (not the CAA ones) to click selfies that irritated locals had to take this rare step.
Rare, because one of the reasons to travel to Kerala is to enjoy the welcoming nature of Malayalis. At least the Malayalis I know are helpful, humorous and hospitable. Thomas Dominic makes a good Fort Kochi plan for two days before connecting me to his brother, who in turn puts me in touch with Xavier Raju. Raju is a local journalist but also passionately helps people who wants to visit this idyllic part of the bustling city.
Raju, with his relatives packed in a brand-new SUV, picks me up for a quick tour of the city. The first stop is St. Francis Church, famous for the first resting place of Vasco da Gama after his death. The Portuguese authorities eventually shifted the grave of their global ambassador to Lisbon. Those keen to say hello to him can visit his tomb at the Jeronimos Monastery in the Belem neighbourhood of Lisbon.
Raju and co. drop me near the jetty after a whirlwind tour of a few churches, a former Danish tavern and a cemetery. That’s enough to fall in love with Kochi. The whiff of fresh air, the lush green landscape, a bright day and the salted raw mango strips are added bonuses.
SCORE ONE FOR MARADONA
My hungry stomach reminds me that lunch is due. Since I don’t want to take any chances with food, I enquire with a few bystanders about the availability of any good home-style fish and rice nearby.
“Come, sir. I will show you,” says a young lad on a motorbike, “You get both fried fish and meen curry.”
After five minutes, he stops in front of Hotel Lucky Star. It looks like an eatery in Buenos Aires. For not only is it painted in blue-andwhite stripes, it also has half a dozen pictures of Diego Maradona strategically pasted on the wall above the delivery counter. Some of its waiters are even wearing blue t-shirts (to keep their boss happy, I presume).
Finally a senior waiter wearing an Argentina jersey arrives. He even turns around like a model on a ramp to proudly show the number 10 written on the back while taking my order of fish, chicken and rice.
If you’re inspired to eat here, I must add that the entire focus was on the decor and posters and not on the food.
I hire an autorickshaw to go to an area called Mattancherry. It has the famous Jewish synagogue, a vibrant masala market and some trendy art cafés. The driver studied at a Kendriya Vidyalaya and speaks fluent Hindi.
He requests me to stop at a sari