Alleppey Diaries - Part II

Amidst the ride, I was keen as mustard to update my experiences. In this E world, smilies do help a lot, no? As I was sharing the smilies, I didn’t know the sun was watching and copying what I did. It showed its grinning face where its beam instilled heat waves right into the skin thereby subtly telling that technology is provoking nature’s fury. Let the realization hard hit later, let me continue the ride. As the boat slithered through the glimmering lake, I saw people on the banks carrying vessels – No – Not the demonitisation effect. Some were washing the vessels, some washing clothes, and few were just wandering – a rustic village life.  

One of the wanderers was doing something which is termed as recreational fishing - Fishing done for pleasure. He didn’t have a rod and reel, appropriate bait or lures or a pair of needle nose pliers, like the fishing you see in the movies. This man (photo posted below) with few strands of hair, with a light blue shirt, half buttoned, swarthy and round face had just a stick with a thread tied to it and I was at lost what was the bait he used as the thread was submerged in water. Recreational fishing – the term – and the activity seemed addictive. Juxtaposing fish and woman, both are hard to hook. This man found more intricate to hook the former, I, the latter- always.

The Moniker “rice bowl of Kerala” is due to the vast paddy cultivation in Kuttanadu. Jesudas etta often used to slow down to enhance the right flow of the boat’s engine and on one such pause I just hopped to see what was opposite to us. To my wonder, I viewed lush green foliage. I was in photographer’s heaven. I decided to extend the pause, hop on the riverbank and went close to the Paddy field. “A walk through the paddy field is a walk through the God’s Garden” – read somewhere. I had kittens seeing the first three alphabets of farmers which kept them ‘far’ from the Government benefits. A bevy of swans stood sentinel at the edge of the verdant green field, it flew the breadth and width of the paddy field. How would you drool seeing a vegetable sandwich? My 1200D Canon body and the 55-250mm lens drooled excessively that we could water the field for half an hour.

Drooling triggered my hunger, and I was keen set to swallow the freshly cooked fish. My thoughts were all lumbered up with a lemon squeezed on the freshly fried fish. My stomach echoed weird sounds. On time, we slowed down near a village. The boat was anchored. And I waded, no, ran to the restaurant. I was made to select a fish. Hunger knows no mastication; it allows only gustation and deglutition. Imagine how I would have swallowed the food. I had a shortage of palms and fingers. If you ask me to describe the taste of the food, I will strive to put all the adjectives in place still I ll fall shortage of adjectives. If Shakespeare was alive, he would have added more words if he had visited Kerala.

I ll let you digest the food… To be continued…