Samudra Beach: Paradise Lost

Samudra November 21st 2013

Fishermen

The idyllic element of Kerala, Gods Own Country, as Malayalis call it is somewhat undermined by God's overlooking provision of gainful employment. As this log has noted before, the best education in India isn't matched by the employment opportunities. When I waited for this catch (see above) to come in, and it took about an hour while I was timing, no more than two buckets of fish were caught. Looking at the man hours used, there are a similar number of men pulling on the right side of the net too and further workers guiding the net in the water itself.

State off licence and the queues.

Consumption of alcoholic beverages has become fashionable in Kerala. But only for the young. This is only for the young. Underemployed men have been drinking for years and queues like this one an be seen wherever there is a 'beer shop'.

Ganapurthy 'Coconut' Temple

Perhaps as a way of deflecting guilt devotees and respecters of the faith attend this temple in the centre of Trivandrum or Thiruvananthapuram as its official name is written. The man in the white is preparing to dash his coconuts in a ebony marble bath with a specified smashing or breaking surface. I have done this. Of course one receives a blessing which is always nice but the eddies of coconut water serve to make me thirsty and although this is winter, it's 85 degrees. So one runs to a store buys a bottle of water and is then faced with a problem. Where do you put the empty? But luck was in. Eureka! On the Mahatma Gandi Road (should double up as a drag racing stretch) I made a discovery and this after four trips to the subcontinent. I had found my first litter bin! My heart leapt at the thought, swelled with happiness at India's slow but inexorable progression. I had been carrying the bottle for 3km and my hand was sweating away precious fluids.
It was an odd bin with a sapling growing up from its base. but such was my joy that I tossed the bottle in - only for it to roll out at my feet. This was no bin but a wire mesh sapling guard. The poor young tree wore a necklace of rubbish around its ankles. Guess it's more roadside fires then for a bit longer.

The picture here is quite pretty but technology here limits the size of its reproduction. Essentially it is the most handsome jungle only 300 metres behind one of the beaches here.

A combination of poor ventilation here and the onset of some illness based on too much swimming and walking mean I will suspend this post making it rather shorter than I'd hoped for.

Namaste.










Find me, Robert Karl Harding on Twitter: @socratesl