Day 2: Exploring Kochi Contd.....

Next on the list was Vasco House, which is believed to be Vasco Da Gama’s residence. The architecture gives the impression of being very European. Kartik showed us the point where Vasco Da Gama was cremated and we were surprised to see that he was a very short man. Interestingly some years back, his remains were moved to Lisbon. Strange right, it seems foreigners want to take everything back, what is theirs and what is ours.

Other places that we saw were Koder House, Thakur House, Bastion Bungalow, Cochin Club, the Dutch and Jewish cemetery and some more. We were getting hungry by now so we decided to have lunch at the very old “Old Harbour Hotel” in Fort Kochi. Beautiful ambience and well-mannered staff, we liked the place already. We decided to try something different and ordered a Chicken Tangerine with coriander, Kerela style pumpkin with lentils with steamed rice along with cucumber-mint and carrot-gooseberry ‘green’ drinks. The food had a subtle taste with no over-powering flavors.

After the lunch, we decided to go to the “Maritime Museum” to check some old Navy stuff. It was not very impressive, but a funny incident made the trip worth going. I was mistaken as a foreigner as soon as we went, and I couldn’t stop laughing at the security guy’s honest mistake. Anyways, we had out tickets booked for the Kathakali show in the evening so we had to rush back. On our way Kartik showed us the biggest “Pukalam” meaning the flower arrangement that was made for Kerela New Year (Onam) some days back. The sight of it was just splendid. It was the biggest flower arrangement I have ever seen with beautiful colors. Kartik told us about a 600 year old ‘Vitthal’ temple nearby and before we could say yes or anything he asked us “Are you Hindus? I am just asking because only Hindus can enter the temple.” We were shocked and I just couldn’t imagine why people will do that? The whole area around the temple had only Hindu population closer to it. So, as I understood all the three communities Hindus, Muslims and Christians preferred to stay in close communities without bothering each other….. hopefully. The temple was no doubt beautiful but the man-made rules didn’t agree with me so I couldn’t enjoy it too much.

As the sun was ready to set we decided to go back to the home stay to catch a breath, so that we could go to the Kathakali Show. As soon as we reached Beena reminded us that the show started at 5 and we had almost missed the make-up part of the play. I was like Oh God, and we literally ran to the Kathakali centre. We got our tickets from the counter along with a 1-pager in English about the play. As soon as we entered, an artist was still not finished with the make-up. You should see the dedication and how meticulous he was in applying the color with a brush. The color strokes were perfect nothing less and nothing more. He used rice and water paste to stick a paper card over his jaw line to give that crispness to his character. It was over an hour and he was still not done with his make-up and I was wondering wow what patience! Finally when the artist was almost done with his make-up, the main lead (I forgot his name) of the Kathalkali came over to make some rangolis, light the lamps and decorate with flowers. So the stage was all set for the main act. The main lead came over to the stage and explained to everyone about the importance and the history behind this rare form of art. It was so surprising to see that the audiences except us were all Europeans. He told us about the origin of colors, and to my surprise they all use natural colors. The main colors used in Kathakali are red for evil, yellow for females and green symbolizes someone who is has a neutral character (both aspects of good and evil) and that is mostly used for the heroes in the play. When I saw all the colors in the beginning I was wondering what all dyes/ chemicals would have been used to synthesize the colors so wild and fresh. I was surprised to hear that all the colors are ‘organic’ as we call them and are hand-grated on a flat stone with some coconut oil. And then it made sense to me that that’s why the colors look fresh, natural and extremely lustrous. The performance started with the introduction of different mudras and expressions in Kathakali that were very well portrayed. There are like 24 main mudras and 9 major expressions like Sringaram (love), Hasayam (Humor), Bhayam (fear), Adbhudam (wonder), Karuna (pity), Shantam (peace) etc. I was surprised to know that Kerela has special courses in Kathakali for minimum 6 years. The training can go on for 8-10 years and even then it’s difficult to master all of it.

The act began with the drummers starting the percussion instruments know as ‘chenda’ and ‘maddalam’, I could feel the music in me as I was rocking with it. In addition to this the main lead sang some old verses from the Hindu sacred book using ‘chengila’ (gong made of bell metal). It was such a phenomenal and spiritual performance that my mind, body and soul were in a state of trance that I have never experienced. I could feel the power of that music within me. I feel so short of words to tell you exactly how I felt as it is very hard to put that spiritual experience in simple words.
Finally we reached the part what we came for, the main ‘Kathakali’ performance and I was just speculating sitting there what else they will have now. The recital began with two lead characters of the play on the stage and the magic began. We were as much as mesmerized by their performance as we were by the elegance/finesse of their enactment (mudras and expressions together). The whole experience has left a poignant impact on my mind and soul so I can keep on writing about it…… but the blog is already so long.

After this soulful performance, we were still in the state of trance as we walked back to the homestay. Our hosts were waiting for us with an awesome dinner: fish mackrel fry, traditional Kerela style pineapple cooked in coconut milk that tasted so yummy (I will be trying it out soon), along with some other vegetables like raw bananas, yam, cabbage, beans with some rose matta rice and fresh fruits to follow. I was so stuffed so decided to go out for a walk,, talk about the day and plan for tomorrow as we were heading to Allepy in the morning to see Christeena. We were super excited about going there and meeting here grandparents. 

Day 2: Exploring Kochi

Sleeping peacefully after a long time I realized what is it to sleep without alarms and honking traffic. As I got up I saw a bright welcoming sunshine just outside my window. Enjoying the whole scene, I was just wondering what an awesome day and what will be for breakfast? I rushed to Beena's kitchen to see what’s cooking? And to my surprise Beena's husband was waiting for me to make the traditional "puttu" for breakfast because I had requested that I want to see how it is done. I just got my camera ready to capture everything as I was so excited to see the whole process. A very old and traditional bamboo cylindrical mould was mounted on a vessel with boiling water, so that it steam could be used for cooking. It amazes me as to how traditionally simple techniques people use for cooking, no worries about temperature and steam control, no question of overcooking or burning it. To begin with, our raw materials -wheat flour and freshly grated coconut were ready to be used. The mould is removed from the vessel and the wheat flour mixed with salt water and coconut was added in layers to get the perfect texture, taste and size; in just a few minutes our puttu was ready. The interesting part was removing the puttu from the mould, all you have to do is just remove it from the vessel and insert a long slender tail like thing at the end with a gentle push and it is in your plate. Our breakfast table was laid well with puttu, Kerela style channa curry, fresh and juicy fruits like pineapple and papaya and of course banana. So we tried puttu with the authentic channa curry and then with banana along with some honey. We were so full but just didn’t feel like stopping. What a breakfast?

We thought of renting a bike and taking a tour of Fort Kochi, but with the uncalled rains we didn’t want to take a chance. Keeping the rains and the thought that we didn’t even know the way around Kochi, Beena arranged for an auto rickshaw. The driver “Kartik” was very delightful and spoke good English and we started our exploration. We first went to Santa Cruz Balastic Church that was just 5 mins. from the home stay. A huge church with an impressive look, and as you enter you just feels so divine. As you walk down the aisle towards the grand altar just feels as if God is welcoming you with open arms. Crossing the beautifully carved wooden pillars on both sides as you go ahead, just one look at the ceiling will leave you mesmerized. The ceiling was full of pictures from Christ’s life and skillfully carved flowers for decorations, which had more of a Portuguese influence. I guess churches are the only places where you can get the calm you are looking for; it was so quite that I just felt so connected with God at that point. I have never felt so pure, so divine and blessed as I was feeling at that very moment.

Next was the Chinese fishing nets on the Malabar coast that is hard to miss. There were people mostly locals all over the place with giant fishing nets. It works on the principle of balance simple technique yet a bit tricky. There were like 2-3 men trying to place the net, with long three-legged poles constructed out of teakwood and bamboo. 5-6 men trying to balance the poles by adding/removing the weight attached to very thick ropes. It just looked like some pulley arrangement to me, but I was wondering why are they using such an ancient technique to catch fish….why don’t they use some new methods? May be sticking to the old ways is why kerela is called “God’s own country”…as they love keeping their surrounding as God intended it to be.

For obvious reasons they have a very big and popular fish market close by the fishing nets, and to my surprise it didn’t smell at all. Everything was fresh and well laid out that we were very impressed. I looked at each and every type of fish they had from small fish like promfret, mackerel, kingfish to big fish like red snapper and the giant tiger fish. They even had all sizes of prawns and crabs that you could fathom. We also saw the cow ray fish that seemed very elegant. Other things that we checked out along the coast were a giant anchor, some old boilers used in the ships. I definitely shopped for some stone and shell necklaces as there were a hell lot of options and you can imagine how hard it was to shop. ;)

To be continued.....

Break-FREE!!!!!

Why do we carry so much baggage? personal as well as professional, more than we can handle....We like crazy rats just run and run to do all chores in life everyday. I was so tired of carrying this baggage for sometime now and was so looking forward for a break so that I could break free and let loose myself where I could be me. Even if our trip to Kochi was planned a long back, I was lucky that the timing of the trip was perfect, just when I needed a break desperately. We on our way to the airport, happy, optimistic and some concerned thoughts on our minds.....hoping for an awesome trip. Leaving all the maddening traffic and Mumbai life was exactly like the baggage that I so wanted to leave behind. All I wanted to do in this trip was Relax and ENJOY!!!

We landed 2 hrs prior to the take-off, just in case......because you just can't predict Mumbai traffic (some lessons i learnt that week after I missed my visa interview and Chris almost missed her flight). So it was more of a once burnt twice shy kind of a situation. With 2 pizzas down, we were waiting to board the flight. A relaxing flight.....and we were almost there. As soon as we landed in Kochi, we fell in love with the place. Our homestay had sent the cab and we were on our way to Fort Kochi. It is a lovely 2 hrs drive, and we loved the green grass carpets, tall coconut trees, some very old bridges, calm and a peaceful environment (minus the traffic jam). It was just phenomenal, I mean what else could you ask for?

As we were getting closer to the Beena's homestay, we were all excited to meet our hosts and all the experience it would add. I found it a bit strange as the homestay was in the middle of a residential area as opposed to the other homestays we had stayed in, they were in the middle of no where. But surprisingly this place was still quite, calm and peaceful. We recieved a warm welcome by our hosts and chatted as we sipped our hot southern coffee. The coffee along with the engrossing topics we talked made me forget that we just got there. Life is simple here as I see it and people are very friendly, humble and polite.

We already had plans for dinner with a cousin and her family so we said bye to our hosts and left for dinner. We went to a place called 'Malabar Junction' in Fort Kochi. An awesome place with an impressive ambiance and a great company to enjoy drinks and food. We enjoyed the grilled prawns, an succulent Kerela chicken curry with fragrant rice, and talked endlessly till we were back at the homestay, happy with the day and looking forward for the rest of the journey...... as tomorrow we had to explore Fort Kochi :)

Is Out of Sight Out of Mind?

How do the closest people in your life become strangers one day? They can your best of friends, pals, buddy, cousins, siblings or someone you just knew….. How do we get tied to our daily routine and life so much that we ideally stop caring? The bizarre thing is that the one with whom you could talk endlessly or discuss everything going on in your life suddenly before you even realize it, is gone. The whole feeling that someone is there for you always no matter what happens is gone for once and for all. It never goes back to normal ever again.

How is it that people that you love to talk to suddenly you don’t know what to say, you fall short of words? People with whom you could talk endlessly or maybe even fall asleep while talking to them …..and without whom you could not imagine not talking at least once a day suddenly become busy with their own lives. Why do we change? Is that we become selfish? Is it by choice? Weird right?

It’s uncanny as all the best cousins of my generation whom I was very close to, have become distant to me. And next generation of young cousins with their zeal and enthusiasm for life, just start to fill in. for a dream to do great in life or may be trying to become someone like you. Their unconditional love amazes me as they have never seen me nor do they know me in person. All they know is what they hear from everyone around.

It might be wrong to blame someone, and I am not complaining. It’s just that I feel sad about this transformation. I have seen relationships turning form good, bad to ugly. Who is responsible? Even if you want to blame some, what will change? Will you get your innocent days back? Even if we blame our work schedules and hectic life styles, will things change?

How is it that the best of friends just move on?

I just wrote this blog to remind you of all the lovely people with whom you have had some of the best moments of your life, shared your best fears and dreams. Give yourself a minute to relish and relive some of the moments when you can……………it’s just a call away :)

Happy Friendship’s Day!!!

Why is FaceBook losing its FaCEE ???

“FaceBook” – a revolution in the history of all social networking sites. It took everyone by surprise, and was popular among all generations. Everyone wanted to reunite with old friends, colleagues, and with anyone with whom they had lost touch. ‘Orkut’ accounts (a famous social networking site by google) died a slow death as everybody around was getting attracted and finally addicted to facebook (FB). You could see people spending a lot of time on facebook. I am not complaining, I joined it myself after a lot of tussle about not joining FB…and then one fine day I was like “what is all the hype about FB? Let me see.” I joined and then there was no looking back. FB was very well placed keeping the target market in view and the promotion of FB was more than just cheap publicity stunts. It was more of an experience sharing than just having an account. It is fun posting some silly status message and getting in an argument with friends. Sharing pictures and videos just became easy. It came with so many funny applications that you could spend a whole day on FB by just trying out these applications. It was becoming a vital part of our daily routine. There was always some good posting to begin your day, to update your friends and definitely a lot of fun. It definitely marked an era of “FaceBookers” :)

However, every coin has two sides and so does FB. Youngsters of today get bored with the same things. I mean we all love innovation, something new. First we use a new thing, explore it very well and then exploit it to the best of its and ours capacity and when we are done with it…we look for something new, something more challenging…. It makes me wonder how difficult it is to keep up with the market needs and keep the end-user satisfied. We want things to be simple to use but at the same time we want to feel that rush of excitement every time we use it.

Everyone was talking about how cool FB is and all. So there was a rush of parents joining FB with an added intention of keeping tabs on their kids. It was good to see parents trying to know their kids and what they have been up to these days or was it that they just wanted to make sure their kids are not in to any funny business? I am sure not many kids were happy with parent’s intrusion in their personal space. Was it only for parents, our generation would have survived. But all the relatives followed the trend. Everyone wanted to keep up with what’s happening with others be it cousin or a distant friend or may be a neighbor? All wanted to be well informed hence everyone joined in a race to add as many friends as they can. I guess everyone uses FB to be in touch with our friends, but when you look at your account you will see all kinds of categories like family, relatives, not-ever-met friends, and some people from the gym, then your colleagues from work or maybe your boss. And then, there will be your friend’s friend’s friend’s who will be very interested in you. Even if you try telling them a couple number of times that I don’t add many people as friends as it’s my personal space, some will get offended. And believe me I won’t be surprised if you tell me that your grocery store fellow also sent you a friend request. But why do we need him or any such people in our FB accounts. Is it networking? I don’t think I need to network with the grocery store or a vegetable vendor or even some random person I don’t know.

Now, moving on the applications provided in FB. There is a lot of variety from some random quizzes to online astrological predictions. Just 2-3 months back, all I could see in updates was Anita predictions, love predictions, some psychic reading and believe me it was so irritating…… isn’t it really silly how even if we know nothing will happen we still use it. I guess we all have used and abused it enough for now. May be we need a break or is it that FB is losing its charm………..

I intended to keep it a short one but I guess FB deserved more :P
Hope you guys enjoy it :)