Sometimes you may think - What else in Kovalam to see other than Beach? I also felt it many times by seeing the bored and ugly beach. But last year I went their in search for new initiatives. I met one guy Mr. Anil who is associated with Kerala Tourism as part of a project called 'Responsible Tourism'. I wondered about this project called Responsible Tourism which envisaged to benefit community through tourism. He explained me about the newly designed Village tours and he promised that he will take you to to the hinterlands of Kovalam village and give you an outstanding experience.
The trip was started from the Tourist Information Centre, Kovalam at 9 am, with a briefing about the trip and it was in a local vehicle auto rikshaw.Our journey through Kovalam coastal village were started from Sri Krishna temple, where the idol was believed to be erected and consecrated by a women ascetic Bharathi Amma. There is a myth connected to the establishment of the temple here, which goes like this. The inhabitants of this area were experiencing insecurity as the land along the sea line was experiencing serious soil erosion and other problems. It is believed that the consecration of Lord Krishna's idol has resulted in bringing back the peace and prosperity. And today, the villagers begin their daily chores after a visit to the temple.
Just a few steps ahead, we entered in to a flower shop and such shops are quite a common feature in the vicinity of temples in Kerala. And what attract us here are the variety of flowers and other materials used for making different garlands and the exquisite skills of garland making will also be on display. Such garlands are offered at the temple as a sign of devotion. Amongst many flowers used for garland making the most popular ones are Arali (Nerium), Mulla (Jasmine), Pichhi (a kind of Jasmine) and they are delicately woven with Thulsi (the holy basil- Ocimum Sanctum) leaves. You can lend your hands in garland making with the help of the workers in the flower shop.
Then we moved to Gomathi's house and her house resembles a typical Kerala house made out of clayey bricks with thatched coconut leaves. It was very interesting to observe the art of weaving the coconut leaves. Our host Gomathi finds her living out of such neatly woven coconut leaves. Her house and immediate surrounding might evoke interest in us as it ensembles the much discussed 'Kerala home gardens'. In around 7 cents of land available, Gomathi and her family rears a wide variety of plants and trees like teak, asoka, kanikonna, mahagony and fruit bearing trees like jackfruit, mango and alongside she rears plants like anthurium, hibiscus, jasmine, thulasi, aloe vera, etc. Really the home gardens of Kerala are a vanishing heritage with significant cultural values and were considered to be a symbol sustainable living.
Another stop over was really interesting and enjoying. That was an industrial unit meant for women, specializing in manufacturing of coir and coir products. And what we got to see there is not only the diverse and detailed process involved in coir manufacturing but the social association which binds the women folk for their livelihood needs. An elaborate exercise; coir and coir product making involves several steps starting from the beating up of the coconut husks, which act as the raw material. Such beaten husks are then allowed to decay in water for some period (6 months) before the fibers are extracted. Using the indigenously designed machines these fibers are woven together to make coir and largely women folk are involved in this activity. This coir making society is in existence from last 12 years with working hours spread between 9 am to 5 pm every day and Sunday being a holiday. Depending on the availability, husks may cost between 50 ps to Re 1. This unit manufactures different handicrafts and value added products like mats, etc out of coir. obviously very interesting ................
The 'Thanal zero waste centre' at Kovalam is an initiative intended for tackling the issue of waste generation and aims at a Kovalam with less/no wastes. Zero waste projects try to address the issue of waste management through a series of activities including recycling the wastes by converting them as useful and attractive objects. Working in different departments, the centre converts different wastes, be it cloth, paper or hard substances, into products of daily use or with incredible showcase value. This centre has another remarkable distinction of a unit fully managed by women. Understanding the abundance of coconut in the region, the centre has got a dedicated section for making products from coconut shells, fibers and other parts. This ethical, economical, and efficient way of recycling the wastes helps in waste management and also as a source of income generation also. Mr. Jayakumar explained...........
The project in the beginning had 13 members and in the due course has grown to a bigger organistion. The centre in its growth has established a strong market linkage and some of the recognized hotels and tour establishments started giving direct orders for various items. In its large range of products, items like paper bags, files, table tops, cloth covers, etc occupies a special place and custom made souvenir items are made and distributed to many reputed hotels in and Trivandrum like The Leela Kovalam, Hotel Mascot International, Hotel Samudra etc. At the display cum sale centre attached to the centre we can see the varieties of products offered by the centre and we have the option to buy things of our choice as well. The team also offered a gift pack consists of paper bag, paper pen and paper hat. I was really wondered about this concept of creating money from waste. a great idea.
After the visit of Anganvadi and local market we moved to a forge in the village. Aala (Forge), where of different metal items are manufactured. This aala represents a bygone era where almost all the tools and implements were made through traditional methods. In the orthodox metalsmithing technique charcoal is used as the fuel to light hearth for heating the metal and tongs are used to hold the work piece, anvil and hammer to beat and shape the tools. Establishments like 'aalas' have played a crucial role in mankind's stride for progress and it's to be considered as a cultural symbol of our bygone era.
'Ralkoodu Raju'
He is the super star in this tour. A man with a long mo stash. He makes a traditional Fish traps (Raalkkoodu)which is used for lobster catching. What makes Raju so special is the fact that he belongs to the few who had mastered the art of making raalkoodu. Raju demonstrated the art of raalkoodu making with all the details from the raw materials to the making. Lobsters are one of the most expensive fish found mostly in the deep sea. It involves spectacular skill and hardship to catch them and raalkoodu acts as the special trap used for this purpose. There are 3 types of lobsters: Pulikannan- the heaviest of all (2.5 kg), Columbus (1kg) and the Chemraal(1kg), the taste and the price may vary between each variety. The raalkodu mode of capturing lobsters is practiced only in Kerala. The traps were placed near the side of rocks under the sea by expert swimmers. The trap can be adjusted in such a way that only big fishes are trapped and small fishes can escape. This is why it is considered as a ecofriendly model. This method is used in the season from August to May as the lobsters are in plenty in these periods. The lobster normally costs upto Rs 800 per kg. Working of a raal koodu is mentioned by Mr. Raju. There are 3 parts in a raal koodu, the top, bottom and a gate. The same trap can be made out of iron, but it rusts in due to saline sea water and is expensive. The natural fibre raal koodu can be used for one month and it is less expensive. It takes only one hour to build one and five of such kind can be built in a day. The indigenously designed traps for catching the fish are a thing of immense interest.
After this nice experience we were served with a sumptuous lunch which includes fish curry, fish fry, aveel, sambar, pappadam, paayasam etc. Really tasteful and elaborate. Took a small rest. Next we walked into the world of Kalarippayattu, the most ancient martial art of God\'s own land. It is the martial tradition of self defence practiced in Kerala and it has its roots deep in the Vedic culture of India. The Kalarippayattu is possibly one of the oldest fighting systems in existence and it includes strikes, kicks, grappling, preset forms, weaponry and healing methods. YDM kalari was formed in 1980. Urumipayattu, vaalpayattu, karuvadipayattu, kalaripayattu, neduvadi payattu etc are the different types of kalari.The commonly used arms are sword, knife, etc. In the Handicraft unit, we had a close look on the handicrafts by Women groups in this area. The main item of their production is Kathakali Mask. The waste paper from the press is recycled and used for the preparation of Kathakali mask. The paper is dipped in water for about one month and powdered. The paper pulp, chalk pieces and gum from tapioca is mixed and dried. Then flour is added and dried. It is polished using sand paper, put colours and then add tags on its back side and thus the mask production is completed. We have purchased some interesting models.
After this we moved to a Handlooms unit. It was really fascinating to see the handloom weaving of the cloths using silk and fine threads of gold and silver. The clothes are made out according to the needs of the customers. The embroidery designs are really marvelous and mostly golden borders are used for clothes. Wearing these clothes on marriage and other functions gives the feel of traditional-royal style. The price of the handloom clothes ranges from 1500/- to about one and half lacs, depending on the designs and quality. The handlooms were supplied to the major show rooms and textile shops in the city. No women are working in this field. One month is needed to weave a saree and one saree is weaved by a single person. People who have recieved Padmashree award from President A.P.J Abdul Kalam are also working here.
We also explored the life beyond the Kovalam Beach marks an end with demonstration of traditional fishing at Vellayani Lake. The banks of the lake offers perfect ambience to sit and relax for some time. This place covers 70 hectares of land filled with greenery. The lake is rich in a variety of fishes and migratory birds. White crane, kingfisher, eagle, wood pecker etc reside here. Different varieties of lillies and lotus can also seen here. Before one decade the water from the lake was used for irrigation. The Vellayani Lake is indeed a great advantage to the farmers. We really amazed my the village beauty of Kovalm. I think no one imagine such beauty ever. Thanks to Anil. Thanks to Kerala Toursim
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