A morning with the birds - Thattekadu - Part 3

The Periyar river faded out of our view as we drove down the forest and entered the Salim Ali bird Sanctuary. Shaji stopped the car and a thin ,petite woman with a very warm smile greeted us ." I am Girish's mother, " said Sudha in crisp English , welcoming us to her abode. "  It was one of those moments that make you warm up to a perfect stranger and I  realized that it was the first of the many impressions that Sudha made on me during the trip.

A simple house stood right inside the sanctuary . We got out of the car and stretched. Mittu, the stray and family pet sniffed us over as Sudha single handedly lifted our luggage amidst protests and deftly climbed the steps to the first floor. " I will show you to your room." A clean hygenic room with an attached bath and balcony awaited us. "You freshen up madam and I will take you to Girish . "

As we munched some biscuits over tea, Sudha uttered a volley of  Malayalam to Shaji. I smiled and murmured , " Malayalam koccha ariyum"  That broke the ice..I was one among them. Girish's grandmother and Sudha almost hugged me , while his wife smiled..Its amazing I thought, how a few words of the native tongue is enough to break the ice. I cannot speak the language, but could understand a bit of it, hailing from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Anyways, tea and biscuits were over and we were back in the car with Shaji and Sudha . Sudha was a livewire . " I am very busy madam - this is season time, many guests , " she said, adding as we passed a government school " This is my school, Ive now adjusted my time with another teacher."Some locals exchanged pleasantries as Sudha went on to say how she juggles a homestay, a school, work in the sanctuary and even catering. " I was just a housewife madam, till my husband passed away ," she said nonchalantly. She and her husband who had been living in the sanctuary had a tea shop and they used to ferry people across the Periyar .  " And I can be a bird guide too, " she added, pulling out a small binoculars and looking through the trees as we stopped in the middle of nowhere.

We followed Sudha through some wilderness which led to a rubber plantation in the middle of nowhere. The morning fog had just lifted and we could see the sap being tapped in the trees, while some rubber was left to dry. Suddenly Sudha said , " This is where the elephant chased me ," Even before Sharath and I could react to that line, Sudha was way ahead of us, nimble footed, climbing up a steep slope  and crossing a huge tree that has fallen on the ground. Her thin frame and high energy hid all of her 55 years as she looked at us in childish amusement.

I looked around and realized that I am in the middle of nowhere.  Even if an elephant charged at us at this moment , we would probably have no where to run.." Dont worry madam, no elephants now..I can smell them if they are close by, " . Her confidence and energy was a complete contrast to our nervousness and slow gait.

” Madam, come fast, “ whispered Sudha, unable to contain her excitement. She stood on a small hillock and looked upwards towards a tree, squinting through her small binoculars. We quickly joined her as she murmured with a grin ,” You are so lucky...there is a crested goshawk up in the branches. “

To  my uninitiated eye, I could  only see a  maze of branches, until one eye peeped down at me through them. The large bird of prey glared at me a bit with its bright eyes , the rufous streaks and bars visible on its chest . It looked at us with one eye first, the other hiding behind a tree.

I took a couple of photographs and boldly moved a bit forward. Birds can be very touchy and sensitive to movement and they often seem to hate being photographed.  The crested goshawk looked down at me, almost making faces when I tried another picture . Finally one more glare and I left it in peace as Sudha whispered it was time to head to the rock.

We walked a bit more and joined Girish and the Scots and I heard the bad news first. " You just missed the Asian Fairy blue birds. the pair gave us almost 15 minutes in this lantena bush, " I shrugged, happy that I saw the crested goshawk, a lifer for me. However we spent the next one hour glued to the rock and the birds were just flying above our heads. The forests broke into a dash of colour and music as the branches came alive.

The plum headed parakeet and the malabar parakeet arrived as well.We saw three varieties of orioles - eurasian golden, black naped and black hooded .

We spotted  the male and female scarlet minivets and the small minivet.

There was a pair of green imperial pigeon cozying up in the trees, racket tailed drongos creating a racket, golden fronted leaf bird adding a dash of colour, black headed cuckoo shrike amidst the leaves ,white bellied treepie and the rufous treepie calling out to their mates. The bulbuls were not so far away - we spotted the grey headed bulbul, ruby throated bulbul, yellow browed bulbul.

 I cannot recall every little bird that we spotted, but we did see more than 30 different species that morning. We set out a bit later from the rock and walked inside the forests until Girish signalled us to stop. We bent down from a clearing to see a dash of colour standing amidst the branches. There was the malabar trogon and before we could even count the colours, another flew right above our heads. We followed it until we spotted a pair flitting around in a tree..

They were a bit far for my camera lens to reach, but I was happy to get a wonderful sighting of the bird. We waited for a long time so that they would come a bit closer, but they just refused to oblige us. A malabar giant squirrel took our attention for a while, until we saw another pair of trogons again - this time a little bit closer, but just managed a few record shots.

 Sharath meanwhile got bitten by a leech while, I who was paranoid about them survived despite wearing only floaters. Time had just sped past us as hunger pangs reminded us that it was well past our breakfast hour. We hungrily returned to the homestay as Sudha immediately greeted us - " Madam- Trogon ? Oh ! you are so lucky !" With this refrain,she treated us all to some appam and some vegetable curry.

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by Jour ~ Saturday, January 15, 2011 0 comments

Getting to Thattekadu - Part 2

December 31, 2010 - Sometime after 4 : 15 am
Location - A compartment in a train

Lazy limbs were being stretched as groggy heads moved in mindless stupor. I opened an eye warily only to find the compartment virtually empty. The kid seated below me was wide awake, gazing at me, while her mother combed her hair and adjusted her dupatta . I moved my neck cautiously to sense any pain, but all I felt was the numbness .

As the train came to a grinding halt at the Ernakulam junction, it was the contrast of life on either side of the tracks that first hit me. The harsh lights of the platform pierced through the compartment , shaking us of the lethargy. Inside the train, life was just stirring , while in the station, life as we know it - the pursuit of money, hunger and ambition was already set in motion. Small tea stalls were up and running, coolies were jostling for space with each other and auto drivers were already bargaining with passengers to take them home . As luggages were being hauled and dragged out of the train, the platform was a scene of bustling energy.

Girish, our host and bird guide at Thattekadu had arranged for a pick up for us from the station as Kerala was still reeling under a taxi strike. Shaji and his brother Ravi greeted us warmly , adding that we should have got off at Aluva. It would have saved us an hour almost, including the journey to Thattekadu, they mentioned. We made a mental note of it and drove down the dark roads of Cochin towards the forests.

Cochin looked very touristy , replete in the Christmas spirit. There were stars everywhere and the churches stood out , lit in the darkness. The city was just waking up. Even the local flower shops around the temples were up and colourful with lamps around.

We left the city and stopped by at a small local tea stall in a village. I gulped the warm black tea and looked at the motley of men who had gathered around . Some were reading the newspaper, while others had just finished the second cup of tea and were waiting for their breakfast - " puttu " , a steamed rice and coconut preparation .

As dawn broke, we reached the Salim Ali bird sanctuary and stopped by at the Periyar river which was veiled in a white fabric of fog. Girish met us by the river side with a group of Scotsmen who were avid birders, gazing at the Ashy wood swallows , which were on the wire by the river side. It was my first sighting for the day, but technically a hurried sighting as I barely got out of the car . But there is more to come as the day began .

Realized its Skywatch time already and so I think the foggy skies from Thattekadu are my contribution..To see more dramatic skies, visit Skywatch 

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by Jour ~ Thursday, January 13, 2011 0 comments

Where would you like to be this Monday morning ?

And its Monday already and you must be getting ready for work..But given a chance, wouldn't you like to be elsewhere, like for instance these foggy forests of Thattekadu across the Periyar river in Kerala

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by Jour ~ Sunday, January 9, 2011 0 comments

Breaking the jinx - Thattekadu-Part 1

I promised myself that I will write long lengthy travelogues this year on my blog, especially when I am just done with my trips..so, here I am with the first leg of the Thattekadu journey. A short , concise article on the trip was published in The Hindu , Metro Plus today. Anyways, here is a little preamble before I actually get on to the travel bit

It all started with Murphy of the good ole laws fame. He had entrenched himself rather firmly into my life and knowing my penchant for travel planning or the lack of it, he decided to wield his powerful weapon - the laws. So when the last minuter in me turned into a methodical planner, Murphy could not deal with it. He came in disguised in many forms, including ill health and at the end of it all, five trips planned in December were all cancelled and loads of money filled up the railways coffers. Ironically Thattekadu was planned twice out of those five Murphied trips.

 And now for the drama - I was lying in bed all of Christmas with a painful neck that was diagnosed as the early stages of spondylitis ,with a ticket in hand for Goa . I refused to give in and fought till the last hour only to realize that Murphy had won yet again - But the drama queen in me surfaced. A mini tantrum and rant ensued and hubby and friend booked the last two tatkal tickets to Cochin on the 30th without an idea of what next. Frantic calls to Girish , an advocate bird guide, a gentle persuasion by fellow traveller Vamsee who was staying in his homestay  ensured that I had a roof over my head for a night. And then , came the news of the transport strike in Kerala and I almost gave up my plans as there were no cabs to pick us up at Cochin at 4 am and take us to Thattekadu. Just when I thought that the railways will make some more money through yet another cancellation, Girish arranged for a pick up and finally the jinx was broken. I still had other issues to resolve like the stay on the second night and my return ticket, but at least, I had jumped out of my bed with a bag in tow and got  into a train to Kerala .

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by Jour ~ Friday, January 7, 2011 0 comments

Waking up to a new day and a new year in Munnar

I was staying in a tree house in a beautiful property called Nature Zone in Munnar , Kerala on New Years Day and the day gave me some breathtaking views of the sky ..The morning mist gave way to bright blue skies only to be covered by mist again. Staying in a tree house at 6900 feet above sea level, I woke up to the chirping of birds in a dense coffee and cardamom plantation where strawberries and passion fruits grow in abundance...So here is my first Skywatch contribution for the year from the first destination of 2011

To see more brilliant skies visit Skywatch 

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by Jour ~ 0 comments

Where would you like to be this Monday morning ?

I would like to be where I was yesterday - tea gardens of Munnar in Kerala . I was staying at Nature Zone resort for a night at a tree house, watching the mist rob me of the views..Although the property is located inside a  cardamom and coffee plantations that give it a dense forest feel, you see some spectacular views of tea gardens as you go up the bumpy mud route towards the resort.

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by Jour ~ Monday, January 3, 2011 0 comments

Where would you like to be this Monday morning ?

The destination this Monday is Athirampally Falls in Kerala ..wouldnt you prefer to pack your bags just now and leave ?

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by Jour ~ Sunday, December 19, 2010 0 comments

Skywatch - Churches on the highway

As you drive down the highway in Kerala, one sees many monuments  and I was particularly fascinated by the different churches..

You find the architecture a bit different from the usual churches that we see in different cities and they also represent various sects - from Latin Catholics, Roman Catholics, Syrian Christians, Jacobites, Protestants and more..

For more exciting skies around the world , visit Skywatch

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by Jour ~ Friday, December 17, 2010 0 comments

Kumbalangi

As a travel writer , it is difficult to say everything that is on your mind , especially when you are writing a story or a column for a publication .While I rarely endorse a destination unless I really liked it, I tread the middle ground when I write . I focus largely about what interested me about a place and sometimes omit the not so good experiences, unless I believe otherwise..Sometimes, the omitted bits do not fit into the story, as it ends up being a ramble. And if the experience was not worth writing about, then I do not write about it at all.

Kumbalangi on the other hand was a mixed bag. If you read my earlier post, I mentioned the dilemma I was in while writing about Kumbalangi in my column. I did not get too excited with the concept of the " model tourism village ", at least the way it was implemented in Kumbalangi. As many mentioned , it was rather artificial . But I am all for sustainable rustic tourism and I would prefer experiencing a village and its way of life, rather than have activities arranged for me.

But I liked the place and the conversations I had with some of the locals - so I decided to go ahead and write about those aspects..Either ways, I had to stick to a word count of 500 words and so, I wrote what I thought was necessary..Nevertheless, I felt that I should actually pen down the entire experience here and leave it to you to take a call whether you would like to visit the place or not.

It started raining heavily just as I stepped into the car. My driver smiled when I told him that my destination was Kumbalangi, a small coastal village on the outskirts of Kochi.  “ I studied there, “ he said, and his grin became wider as he spoke about his childhood.  I asked him for more information and he gave me a brochure which called it “ an integrated model tourism village which promised authentic rural experience .”   I just hoped that it would not be another tourist trap as we drove down crossing by St Josephs School and church  and drove into an entire green country 

Kumbalangi lived up to its promise of being part of God’s own country. Ringed in by Chinese fishing nets, the backwaters painted a pretty picture. A lone cormorant basked in the sun, while a woodpecker chipped away at the bark of a coconut tree. A few houses were scattered around while a couple of old unused  coir units were lost amidst the farms.

There was no one in sight..Small lanes intersected with canals as we just roamed around aimlessly. My driver asked me what I wanted to " do." I mentioned I had no real agenda and wanted to meet a few locals and talk to them. He looked a bit puzzled, but drove towards the village. We met a fisherman who asked me  if I was interested in fishing.  As I walked with him to the jetty, we talked about Chinese fishing nets and karimeen fishing.” Sometimes we cover branches of small trees that are immersed in water by nets . After weeks, we find  a variety of fish caught in them”  he added.

As  I wandered aimlessly around the village, speaking to locals , I noticed that almost every house had orchids growing in them. I learnt that Kumbalangi is known for pokkali farming. “ It is an organic way of cultivation,” translated my driver , explaining that the farming is normally done in the water logged areas. The farmers alternate between rice and fish or prawns, based on the salinity of the water. I didnt understand much of this when they explained in bits and pieces in Malayalam, but a bit of googling helped later.

We went to a home stay and there we heard that everything is arranged only for tourists who stay with them..That explained the empty coir units as well.  I requested if I could visit their crab farm and the hostess said that I could just go over and see.  I followed my driver as he took me towards a couple of big ponds lying adjacent to each other.

We met Das there, who was happy to show us his collection of crabs and explain the process of “ njandu krishi” or crab farming . “In these ponds alone, they are close to 2 lakh crabs, “ he mentioned as he carefully caught  a crab only to throw it back in the pond .” It has only water as of now, not much of meat,”  he explained as another small crab crawled near his leg.He had a basket full of crabs and he even explained  little details about them.. Das added  that crabs are exported to Hong kong, US and to many other countries  and business was rather good. Das mentioned that he was Tamil Nadu and he was told not to speak to any tourist who is not staying here and he hoped we wouldnt mention it. Incidentally he did not ask for money.We left him to his crabs and moved on .

We spent a few more hours talking to many locals who were amused at the attention  given to them. Old Elizabeth was very happy when I took her picture and she mentioned that a couple of foreigners had done the same as well.  She cracked up as a couple of other women told her to pose and she mentioned about how pretty she looked in her youth. Her golden earrings, she mentioned were very characteristic of her community - The Latin Catholics and so was the dress she was wearing..When I thanked her, she said , " What only thanks..Nothing else ? I smiled and we got talking with another family . I asked them a bit about Kumbalangi and they said, there is nothing really here ..just walk around, relax - there is fishing and lots of foreigners come over.

But they all had just one lament.” You hardly find any village in Kerala now everything has changed, “ they muttered as I took their leave.  It was indeed true as the entire skyscape changed in a matter of minutes. ,

A part of the story was published in my column , Inside Story on Metro Plus yesterday . So, there you have my take on the model village..sometimes I think they could have created a carnival of sorts and put a price on each activity and mentioned that it was for the villagers rather than create a concept like this. 

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by Jour ~ Sunday, November 28, 2010 0 comments

Kerala - Gods own country marketed by man

Until five minutes ago, I was writing my column - Inside Story for the Metro Plus on Kumbalangi - a small hamlet on the outskirts of Cochin. I had just written about 100 words when I was faced with a dilemma. Do I paint my views on Kumbalangi the way I see it or do I just write about it objectively as a destination to be experienced ? The dilemma is rather complex because the question arises what or where is Kumbalangi

At one level, Kumbalangi is a beautiful village on the outskirts of Cochin. But on a different level,  it is a product packaged by the Incredible India-UNDP project  to promote it as an Model Tourism Village for tourists..now what does that mean ? Nothing ,according to me - its just marketing jargon. But then in kerala, everything seems to be a product like this one and we are all consumers - so even simplicity and rustic beauty is packaged and sold to you as an experience..they tell you to walk in the fields and experience village life ,  like you didnt know it before... You are also told that you can go fishing or watch a small scale coir unit or see crabs being caught in local pools..but they dont tell you that you have to pay a price for all of them. I do not have a problem with that, but I do get a bit worried when locals say they have a gag on their mouths as they cannot just share information about crabs or birds to any tourist who just comes visiting.

It is not really a model village where you can see these happenning around you..they are " arranged" for you if you stay in one of those homestays, but you need to give them adequate notice and then you get to " experience" Kerala's rustic beauty...Even the locals who are very pleasant will ask you for money if you want to take a photograph of them or the orchids in their garden...Nothing wrong with this, because " model tourism village "means the locals earn from tourists and you need to pay them for giving you this experience..

I am all for rustic tourism and I would like to go all out and promote sustainable rustic tourism . Its great to go fishing, learn about local culture and understand the nuances of farming and I am even willing to pay a small price for it,but I have a problem if it becomes a tourist trap. Having said all that, Kumbalangi lives up to the promise of Gods own country, and unlike rest of urban kerala which is spoiled by man, this lives up to its marketing promise as well. So now, you have me in this dilemma..what do you want me to say ?

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by Jour ~ Wednesday, November 24, 2010 0 comments

And my world today is spicy

From the display window of the spice village in Mattancheri , the Jew Town near Fort Kochi. If you are planning to buy spices here, believe me , its very expensive. My driver had a suggestion - he asked us to buy the spices from a whole sale market close by. We did buy a few samples there as gifts, but its no less cheap.

This is my world today ..If you would like to see more exciting worlds, participate in My World Tuesday 

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by Jour ~ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 0 comments

Fengshui on the highway - it happens only in Kerala

India never ceases to amaze you especially if you are on a road trip. There are surprises in almost every curve of the road. During my recent trip to Kerala, I was prepared for churches, mosques, temples, synagogues ..but this completely took me by surprise. 

A Laughing Buddha  was standing tall on the highway, in the middle of nowhere with a beautiful garden surrounding the statue. When we slowed down a bit, I found a board that announced that this was a nursery and a fengshui consultancy rolled into one. Now this is something that probably happens only in India 

To see more dramatic skies , do log on to Skywatch

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by Jour ~ Friday, November 19, 2010 0 comments

Kerala-Chellanam

I was in Chellanam , a village near Cochin last week talking to some locals who make vanji or the local country boats. I need to thank Gopinath from Blue Yonder who put me onto his colleague Prakash who told me about this place...I recorded about 5 mins of conversations, which are largely in Malayalam. Although I can follow a bit of the  language, its very difficult to translate every word of the dialogue..I am writing my column on Chellanam and this small scale industry for The Metro Plus , The Hindu and will share the same with you once its published

Do join me on Twitter for more conversations on travel

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by Jour ~ Thursday, November 11, 2010 0 comments

A lone boat in the clogged backwaters of Kerala

Just got back from a quick trip to Kerala...Updates soon..

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by Jour ~ Tuesday, November 9, 2010 0 comments

Happy Deepavali and Im off to Kochi

Its customary that we take a holiday in the first week of November and I was itching to go this year as well. Just that it coincided with the Deepavali holidays - As  a rule, I avoid travelling to any tourist places during festivals and holidays as I cannot stand crowds and them of course, one needs to deal with the gentle pressure of spending festivals at home - this time however we decided to please everybody and head for a short trip to Kerala. My tickets are still not confirmed , even on tatkal, but if all goes well, I should be on the train to Cochin..

Somebody asked me why Cochin and I realized since my 2nd standard, I havent really explored the city, even though Ive gone there many times on work.Its also well connected to many other destinations like Trichur or Munnar or Kumarakom or to the temples or to lesser known places. Although personally I prefer Trivandrum to Kochi (Its very loud and noisy now) , I hope to just chill and spend some time in Fort Kochi, go to the touristy and non touristy places and relax a bit. If I can, I will try and squeeze a couple of destinations or temples around Kochi..The idea is not to travel with a list of must see places , but to go with a  basic idea and see whatever I can see..Ive realized that i enjoy this type of travel these days , which helps me to meet people, reflect, relax and still explore..

So Happy and Safe  Deepavali folks and I wish Kerala shows some mercy to my ear drums and treats me to a noiseless Deepavali....

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by Jour ~ Wednesday, November 3, 2010 0 comments

Kollam - Once upon a time..

I will park down the road, madam…you can take as many pictures as you want..I will be waiting here,” smiles my taxi driver as he opens the door for me . He had just returned from the Gulf where he says his retail business had gone bust .A couple of busses whiz past and the Needakara bridge fans out in front of me. On either side of the bridge is a fabric of deep blues that merge with the horizon. A flock of kites fly into my path interrupting the seamless blue as they scoop down and then fill the sky. This is where the Ashtamudi lake joins the Arabian Sea . A small fishing hamlet, now a tourist spot with ferries and houseboats – it tells the story of Kerala tourism



The bridge vibrates as busses speed past on their way to Kollam, or Quilon , the erstwhile Designanadu. “You know , madam, there is a proverb in Malayalam which says “Once you have seen Kollam you would no more need your illam (Home)" There were so many palaces here ,it was a very rich town “ he says in a mix of English,Hindi,Malayalam as I get in . He sounds proud to be back, I thought as there was no remorse regarding his homecoming .



I look at my watch and realize that I have just an hour to go . I do not have the time to see the palaces , I tell him and he agrees to take me around the town with two halts - the Kollam beach and the old Thangasherry lighthouse. He continues,” Tourists go to Kochi, Azhapura, Kumarakom , Kovalam, but not many know that this is the original Travancore kingdom. We call it Kollavarsham –the beginning of our Malayalam calendar ..” And that’s where I get my little dose of history.



Kollam,located on the banks of the Ashtamudi lake was once a prosperous ancient sea port, carrying on trade with Chinese , the Romans . Phoenicians ,the Portuguese, Dutch and the British . You take a look at the Chinese nets on the Ashtamudi lake and realize they are reminiscent of the old Chinese settlement that used to be here. It is said that Marco Polo, the Venician traveller, who was in Chinese service under Kublahan in 13th century visited Kollam and other towns on the west coast, as a Chinese mandarin.



The 144 ft tall Light House of Thangasherry look down on me as I see the coastline .The bright afternoon sun does not allow me to linger further . I shut down my guide book and listen to my driver who regales me with more stories.

This story was published in my column, Inside Story on Metro Plus a couple of months ago. The pictures posted here were taken by my husband Sharath . Please do us a favour by clicking on the pictures you like and see the enlarged versions.To see more posts on Kollam and Ashtamudi, click here and here .

I also thought that I could submit this post as a part of Skywatch Fridays, a meme dedicated to the skies worldwide. To see more skies, click here.

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by Jour ~ Thursday, April 23, 2009 0 comments

Fishing Tales -Inside Story

“ Can you see that light, madam ? It has seven bulbs.” Balu points across the vast expanse of waters to a long horizontal contraption with outstretched rods. ”That’s a Cheena vala,” he says, referring to the Malayalam word for the Chinese fishing net believed to be brought into Kerala by the 14th century Chinese mariner, Zheng He.

I am at the Ashtamudi Lake , near Kollam sailing around the islands .Balu is from the local resort and is accompanying me on my morning cruise.He speaks fluent Tamil and Hindi and says he picked it up from the tourists .

The entire water scape is littered with these shore operated stationary nets. Long metallic and wooden rods jut out into the waters ,held in place by ropes. We sail a bit closer to take a look. The structures are more than 10 metres high .The rods stretch out as the birds perch on them and nets are outstretched on them.


Balu explains the process and says that fishing usually starts in the night. A net can be operated by a team of about five fishermen. They normally lower the net and submerge it at a certain depth. The lights suspended from these rods are placed on the surface of the waters and are used to attract the fish and crustaceans. The electric cable stretches out from the fishermen’s homes from the bank to the contraption .


“You can find more than 1000 of them ,” he says referring to the Chinese fishing nets . Popular in Kochi, , they are used by the local fishermen here to catch mainly prawns and crabs. Balu tells me that on a lucky night, the catch can be anything around 4-10 kgs.

We move on passing islands and islanders as Balu points out to “seacrows” .These cormorants were perched on the rods that were immersed in water. “This is Karimeen fishing,” he says referring to the pearl spot fish which is a delicacy in the backwaters.According to him the fishermen promote breeding and even cultivate “fish sanctuary.”He shows me the fish which is probably the size of the palm .


“The fishermen , even women catch by hand,” explains Balu , “We call it Vellavali.”I ask him about the rods and he explains that they are stems replanted on the waters . The fish he says feed on the leaves of plants that are littered below the surface .Stems are placed above the water and the nets are cast around them to catch them in the night. I listen fascinated as Balu tells me that lanterns are used by the fisher folk and karimeen auctions happen early in the morning .

It is Sunday and the backwaters are silent. It is a five day week for the fishing community. As we sail back, Balu sums up ,” There are different kinds of specialists for various varieties of fish and each technique is different from the other, even the nets ..” Its amazing, I thought how we take such simple things for granted.

The Inside Story is a fortnightly column published in the Metro Plus, The Hindu every Monday. Its not my story, but the story of the destination . I decided to reproduce some of my published columns and start a new series.

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by Jour ~ Wednesday, February 11, 2009 0 comments

Kollam beach

 

I went to Kollam (Quilon near Trivandrum, Kerala )beach in the afternoon-obviously not the right time to be there. However the endless stretch of sands caught my attention with the striking contrast of colours..difficult to pick my fav pic as I took quite a few with two different cameras. But I liked this for the sheer depth .

On a different note, its been 25 days since I left home and I finally came back to Bangalore to spend a week at least. I will be heading back to Madras soon and hopefully everything will be sorted by March..Funny how life takes you through a journey on its own ..

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by Jour ~ Tuesday, February 10, 2009 0 comments