By Joshua Berida
It has been a few weeks since my friend and I began our journey through India. From the holy Ganga River to the Taj Mahal and to the deserts of Rajasthan, the vastness of the country was overwhelming, its contradictions beautiful. The terrain was not the only thing that changed when we moved from the northern states to the south, the familiar tropical weather of home replaced the chilly days and nights.
It was night when we arrived at Kochi and I could only see vestiges of a metropolis, the ascending and descending buildings of concrete and wood, the fading lights of local fast-food chains and shopping centers, while we moved through traffic. The city was asleep; I could not wait to explore the city in the morning.
Fort Kochi
Something felt familiar as I walked around Fort Kochi; the hot and humid air was not the only thing that reminded me of home. The presence of Catholic churches, the Saint Francis Church and Santa Cruz Basilica, was a refreshing sight, after seeing several Buddhist and Hindu temples in all our stops in India.
The Rajah of Kochi granted the territory to the Portuguese in 1503, after Alfonso de Albuquerque’s forces helped him fend off the attacks of Saamoothiri of Kozhikode. The conquistadors stayed for 160 years before the Dutch captured the area in 1683 until 1795, destroying relics and institutions built by the Portuguese. The region changed hands for a third time when the British ousted the Dutch and stayed until the end of foreign control in 1947, after the declaration of Indian independence.
The foreign influence in Kochi was not only Western. The vestiges of trade with China lined the beach, their towering fishnets a reminder of a vibrant history and culture.
The more I explored, the more I thought of the Philippines. The portside town, the brown-sand beach, the tropical weather, Catholic churches, and the Chinese and Western influences were all fragments of home.
Kochi is a city, like several of the Indian cities we’ve been to, on the cusp of development. I took a ferry to another island that contrasted with the rustic Fort Kochi. The boat passed by towering cranes, large cruise ships and vessels for trade waiting for departure. As the ferry docked, skyscrapers and shopping centers were all around us. The semblance of its former trade with several countries in Asia and the West was just as it was on the other side. I felt like I was moving through two worlds simultaneously.
Backwaters of Kerala
Right in between modern and old Kochi is the Backwaters of Kerala, an interconnected network of lakes, inlets, canals and rivers. The winding and labyrinthine system of waterways that connect a number of cities and towns are often the beginning and end of cruises offered as tours.
My friend and I took the day trip, instead of spending the night in a houseboat. Saying that the cruise was slow is an understatement; the languid movement of our boat mimicked the surroundings, the unhurried dance of the trees and the whisper of the wind. It did not help that the air was humid. However, I later realized that the languorous beat of the boat allowed me to enjoy nature and its beauty, without the hurried gaze of a distracted, fast-paced lifestyle.
The towering trees and verdant surroundings snaked through wide and narrow canals. We passed through waterways with only nature around us, the beeping of cars and buzz of people far away. We passed by friendly locals eager to get a glimpse of tourists pointing their cameras, while others balked at the idea of strangers capturing them in photos. They went about their business in their fishing boats, their lives in tune to the slow, yet perfectly timed harmony of nature.
At the end of the trip, I said goodbye to our friendly boatman and boarded the van back to the city, returning to the frenetic pace of the world.
Experiencing Kochi
Kochi has a rich and vibrant performing-arts history that dates back centuries ago; Kathakali and Kalaripayattu.
Kathakali is a classical Indian dance and drama noteworthy because of the makeup of characters, detailed costumes, and well-defined body movements and gestures synch with the music. I was mesmerized as the performers told a story using their hands, rhythmic dancing, and displayed various emotions with their eyes. Tracing its roots to almost 1,500 years ago, it combines several ritual folk dances.
Kalaripayattu is an ancient martial art that dates back to the 1300s AD, and is one of the oldest fighting systems in the world. The dance-like, fluid movements displayed the strength and flexibility of the athletes onstage. The offensive and defensive stances were on display as the performers used bare hands, swords and shields to demonstrate precision and power.
I only managed to scratch the surface during my trip to Kochi. However, the fragments that I saw gave me a glimpse of a region prepared for the future, but firmly planted on its vibrant history and culture.