Everybody is happy here,” said a coconut vendor I met when I was in Cochin. She told me about her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology as she cut the top off a coconut, stuck a straw in and handed it to me with a smile.
She was referring to Kerala, a state tucked away along the southwest coast of India, which ticks off political and social benchmarks that make a theoretical “ideal world” on paper: more than 90 percent literacy rate, long life expectancies and a narrow urban-rural gap. But it’s the charming people and varying landscapes, from beaches to cities to backwaters, that give it enough soul to jump off the page.
While many locals move to other Indian cities to pursue their ambitions, there are also those who, like the coconut vendor, stay because they love the simple life.
Upon arriving in Cochin, the commercial hub of the state, I was immediately consumed by the buzzing energy it exuded. The city, which was once a major gateway for the spice trade, is consequentially coloured with Jewish, Portuguese and Chinese influences. On one side of the city is the Paradesi Synagogue, or the Cochin Jewish Synagogue, with an Old Market snaking around it, with stalls selling spices, souvenirs and silks. On the other side, you’ll find large 10m tall Chinese fishing nets hanging along the harbour of the Portuguese-style Vasco da Gama Square.
The next day, I travelled a little farther south and hit Alleppey, the town Marco Polo once dubbed the "Venice of the East" because of its meandering canals, small houses and winding streets. It contrasts drastically with the highways, buildings and hodge-podge of monuments in Cochin.
Alleppey is located in the midst of a delta with a network of rivers that eventually open out to the Arabian Sea and is, therefore, made up of backwaters and lakes. The best way to experience the backwaters is by renting out a houseboat, or kettuvallam, which comes in all sizes and is equipped with bedrooms and bathrooms. As the houseboats lazily cruise the streams and waterways, passengers can take in all the picturesque views of the lakes bordered by lush green banks.
Whether it’s the urban or rural area, everywhere you look in Kerala, the words of the coconut vendor ring true. The bus driver, the postman or the business executive all go about their daily lives in this melting pot with smiles on their faces. They embrace the view that everyone is equal – men, women, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Chinese, African or British – perhaps due to the city’s complex past and low school drop-out rate. And, while your thoughts get lost within the labyrinth of Alleppey’s waterways and trees or Cochin’s cultural landmarks, it is hard not to conclude that this is as close to Utopia as you get.
GETTING THERE
Kerala is one of the states that make up South India. Others include Andra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. All states are well connected with the rest of Asia. Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com) and Cathay Pacific (www.cathaypacific.com) serve Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and Bangalore, Karnataka. From these hubs, it is easy to catch a domestic flight into Cochin. Jet Airways (www.jetairways.com) flies into Cochin direct from Doha and Abu Dhabi. From Cochin, it takes approximately an hour by road to get to Alleppey.
