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Published: March 10th 2006
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Yesterday, at the Kerala Tourist Info place, I'd booked a half-day backwater cruise for today that would give me a much closer look at backwater life - a small boat propelled by a man with a punting pole would be able to get down some of the narrow channels that the kettu vallam had been unable to get down in Allepey. So 8:30AM saw me clambering into a minibus for the journey out to the backwaters.
40 minutes later, we were at a plantation, where the guide showed us pineapples, wild pineapples, black pepper, tamarind, jackfruit, coconuts, etc being cultivated. There was also a demonstration of mat making using wild pineapple leaves, and one of coconut fibre manufacture from coconut husks.
Then the tour proper began. The boat was a large, covered, motor-powered affair, which concerned me, and when I subsequently asked when we would transfer to a smaller boat, I was told that we wouldn't. The guide didn't seem to be too au fait with what the details of the cruise were supposed to be, so it became apparent that this would be something I'd have to take up with the guys back at the Tourist Info place.
The tour was pleasant enough, but didn't involve anything I hadn't already seen when I was in Allepey. We did see some more Chinese fishing nets, but they were hardly a novelty as I'd already seen some yesterday.
Back at the Tourist Info place, I was directed to the manager and voiced my complaint. He immediately said it was the boat owner's fault - when he finally managed to get hold of the owner on the phone, the owner denied that there hadn't been a narrow boat, which was ludicrous as I had pictures to prove it. The manager accepted my version of events and offered to put me on the next available narrow boat cruise, which unfortunately wasn't an option due to my impending departure tomorrow, so I accepted a partial refund. Not that the money was a big deal, it was more that I didn't get to see the backwaters, and it's highly unlikely the opportunity will ever present itself again.
Another of Kerala's famous attractions is Kathakali, a form of ritualized theatre. Though "real" Kathakali performances are nightlong affairs held during temple festivals, there are a number of places in Kochi that show hourlong
performances specifically catering to the tourist market. I chose Dr Devan's Kathakali, based on a recommendation from one of my fellow half-day cruisers this morning. It also has the advantage that it's in Ernakulam.
Watching the performers put on their make-up is part of the spectacle, so I turned up early enough to guarantee a front-row seat. The theatre was small, with maybe 50 seats in the main body then a couple of rows perpendicular to these on raised platforms at the side. An old chap was already on the stage, plastering green, red, and black paint on his face. A second performer, much younger, turned up later but had significantly less complicated make-up - just a pale base with black lines. As the inimitable Dr Devan explained, the purpose of the make-up and the costumes is to accentuate the human face and body, to make them appear larger than life. To aid this, the old fellow also had some paper sections glued to his cheeks to widen his face.
Dr Devan also gave some background to Kathakali, as well as the significance of the movements. It appears that a Kathakali actor has a "vocabulary" of about 800
words, using specific hand gestures, eye movements, and feet movements to "speak" a word, so has some resemblance to kabuki. With the exaggerated gestures and facial expressions, it also reminded me a bit of the haka.
For the performance itself, a bare-chested drummer came on stage too, and Dr Devan himself chimed in with some hand cymbals and singing, as well as operating the rudimentary lighting rig. Both actors wore fancy costumes, with the old man's including a mane of long hair, as well as some sort of bustle, and the younger one's giving him a feminine appearance (which was fine as he was playing a woman).
For whatever reason, the performance was only 35 minutes instead of the 75 advertised, but it still gave a good insight into Kathakali. And, squeezed up as I was next to a rather large European gentleman, I appreciated the brevity all the more.
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Faiser
Faiser
No such lack, from what I can ascertain
That "large European man" certainly does not sound like your day was devoid of small things.