Spice May issue ipad LR

TRAVEL
DESTINATION
Clockwise from above: fishing activities in full
swing; duck farming is big business in the
backwaters; and a vegetable and fruit vendor
plentiful are marine and
freshwater fish as well as
large varieties of shrimp,
prawn and the elusive pearl
spot (karimeen) which is a
local delicacy. Because the
terrain is fertile and
conducive to rice and coconut
cultivation, Sabu says he
makes a living as a paddy
farmer six
months of the
year. “The rest
of the year I’m a guide for
Kerala Tourism,” he adds
while waving to villagers
who reciprocate his
gesture. Some villagers are
on bicycles while others
trudge on foot.Mothers
ferry their kids to school,
schlepping satchels and
water bottles. Nobody
seems to be in a hurry in
Kumarakom; life seems to
exist in a time warp.
Suddenly, the air is
punctuated with the
`tring-tring’ of a bicycle
bell. It is the village lottery
seller. Apparently buying
lottery tickets is a very
popular activity in the
THE
RECLAIMED
LAND
According to legend,
Parasurama, one of
the 10 incarnations
of Lord Vishnu,
reclaimed the land of
Kerala by throwing
his axe into the sea.
In modern times,
folks in Kerala talk
of an Englishman,
Alfred George Baker,
son of a missionary.
He reclaimed
Kumarakom from
500 acres of
wetlands lying
north-east of Lake
Vembanad. He
is credited with
creating a vast,
fertile area from
marshy land.
backwaters.
A raft of ducks glides towards our
boat, seemingly out of nowhere, and
starts moving alongside. Sabu explains
that duck farming is very popular in
Kumarakom due to an exponential
demand for duck meat. Tree corpses too
make random appearances, their
mangled branches extending like
wizened limbs into the lake. Suddenly,
the flutter of wings rings in the air. We
spot a group of native kingfishers, ablaze
in psychedelic colours, landing on a palm
tree nearby.
Without roads, all
action in the backwaters is
concentrated on the canal
bank. Women can be seen
washing clothes and
utensils, or buying fish and
vegetables from the
itinerant boatmen. The
latter’s distinctive cries
echo over the waters as
they glide over its surface.
“The villages here are
quite self-contained. We
grow our own fruits and
vegetables and fish in the
lake. There’s 100 per cent
literacy here,” Sabu
explains with pride as we
negotiate a lagoon.
The guide adds that
Kerala government’s
`Responsible Tourism’
122
MAY 2017