A drifter's life - An afternoon at R Block

Leaving behind another life, I am in Kerala. Here, now, all around, an all pervasive calm, in spite of the chatter of our motorboat. It really is very beautiful, far more than tourism hype can tell. Kerala in the time of the monsoon, green, green and wet, a season for solitude and contemplation.
We’ve been here a few days now exploring the Alleppey region. Today the backwaters beckon. We chug past paddies set below sea level now flooded with the monsoon deluge, palm lined bunds, through alluring canals that snake through the blanket of lucid green, past children diving into the water and splashing about with squeals of laughter and admonishing mothers busy with afternoon chores, to arrive at our destination this afternoon, a toddy shop euphemistically called R Block.
The toddy shops of Kerala are famous throughout the state with personal favorites among the people. The better ones are spaces for social interaction where families will gather over glasses of toddy and exquisitely spiced food. The toddy shops in the backwater region of Alleppey are special and located in stunningly beautiful surroundings.
Toddy or ‘Kallu’ hardly intoxicates when it is fresh off the palm tree and is said to possess nutritive properties. There are three kinds of toddy served; ‘madhurakalllu’, sweet toddy tapped early in the morning and leaves behind a pleasant glow, ‘andhikallu’, toddy tapped in the evening that is mildly intoxicating and ‘muttankallu’, tapped the previous day and fermented, that can deliver the kick of a mule.
 The culinary merits of the R Block are legendary through the realms of the Vembanad. Plastic chairs are laid out around a stone table overlooking a canal. The smiling proprietor, a portly, bald man, bare bodied, in a singlet, arrives with a bottle of sweet toddy and glass tumblers. The clouds overhead, part for a moment to reveal the sun. A skiff goes by, loaded with bananas, another draws up to the pier. The boatman leaps out with bunches of succulent shrimp and pearl spot fish. A motorboat with jabbering tourists, cameras voraciously taking in the scenery, passes with a hoot of its horn.
A couple of sips of toddy and I lick my lips in anticipation. Life is looking up. The food arrives. A boat empties a group of people who settle down in another table and place their orders. A gentle breeze blows in from the sea. I have decided that I am going to sample a little of everything in the menu. The meal is composed of Rose Matta rice accompanied by pumpkin in curd, a coconut based gravy, delicately spiced and flavored with turmeric, cabbage fried with spices, a chutney with raw onions in curd and diced raw mango pickle. And then the epicurean delights of the kitchen arrive in a procession devoid of ceremony. Sautéed beef, curried sardines, roasted prawns and turtle meat, fried crab, roasted duck and frog legs all served on squares of banana leaves.
The collective soul of a people is often to be found expressed in the food of the land. I am now a backwater gourmand and the meal a symphony for my senses: there is not a moment when the senses are still, titillation follows satiation. Textures follow succulence, spices leap at the palate, aromas play a subtle accompaniment, all lulled momentarily by sips of the sweet sap.
A drifter’s task is never done, the feet were meant to move, to search for the next horizon. I depart from R Block with my genial host waving goodbye. This has been an unforgettable experience, feasting on the delightful cuisine of the Kuttanad region amidst the spectacular beauty of the monsoon landscape. I carry another bottle of the sweet toddy for the hour long ride back to Alleppey. I am being slowly lulled into a gentle stupor, I promise myself, I shall return, someday. In the meanwhile, there are miles to go and more promises to keep.

Our meal set beside a backwater canal

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. - Buddha

An incredible Indian - we could all learn a few things from this story

A little over 30 years ago, a teenager named Jadav "Molai" Payeng began burying seeds along a barren sandbar near his birthplace in northern India's Assam region to grow a refuge for wildlife. Not long after, he decided to dedicate his life to this endeavor, so he moved to the site where he could work full-time creating a lush new forest ecosystem. Incredibly, the spot today hosts a sprawling 1,360 acre of jungle that Payeng planted single-handedly.
It all started way back in 1979 when floods washed a large number of snakes ashore on the sandbar. One day, after the waters had receded, Payeng , only 16 then, found the place dotted with the dead reptiles. That was the turning point of his life.

"The snakes died in the heat, without any tree cover. I sat down and wept over their lifeless forms. It was carnage. I alerted the forest department and asked them if they could grow trees there. They said nothing would grow there. Instead, they asked me to try growing bamboo. It was painful, but I did it. There was nobody to help me. Nobody was interested," says Payeng, now 47.
While it's taken years for Payeng's remarkable dedication to planting to receive some well-deserved recognition internationally, it didn't take long for wildlife in the region to benefit from the manufactured forest. Demonstrating a keen understanding of ecological balance, Payeng even transplanted ants to his burgeoning ecosystem to bolster its natural harmony. Soon the shadeless sandbar was transformed into a self-functioning environment where a menagerie of creatures could dwell. The forest, called the Molai woods, now serves as a safe haven for numerous birds, deers, rhinos, tigers, and elephants -- species increasingly at risk from habitat loss elsewhere.
Despite the conspicuousness of Payeng's project, Forestry officials in the region first learned of this new forest in 2008 -- and since then they've come to recognize his efforts as truly remarkable, but perhaps not enough. "We're amazed at Payeng," says Assistant Conservator of Forests, Gunin Saikia. "He has been at it for 30 years. Had he been in any other country, he would have been made a hero." - Courtesy Stephen Messenger

From our chef's cookbook:Cabbage and Egg Thoran

Ingredients: 
Cabbage - ½
Onions - 2
Green chillies - 4
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Eggs - 4
Coconut oil - 2 tablespoon
Shallots
Mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Directions:
Slice the cabbage into fine slices and wash. Slice the onions and chillies. Pour a little oil in a pan and heat it. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and 2 green chillies and saute till they become slightly brown in color. To this add the cabbage, turmeric powder and grated coconut and stir it well. Keep stirring until the cabbage is soft and residual water has evaporated completely. Add salt to taste. Remove it from the flame and keep aside.
To prepare the scrambled eggs first beat the eggs along with the diced shallots and chillies and salt to taste. Turmeric powder may be also added to give it some colour. Heat the oil and scramble the eggs. Add the egg to the cabbage thoran and mix well.  Your Cabbage and Egg Thoran is now ready. Excellent accompaniment to a plate of rice and curry.

"If morality had naturally no influence on human passions and actions, it were in vain to take such pains to inculcate it; and nothing would be more fruitless than that multitude of rules and precepts with which all moralists abound." - Hume

Picnic on Pathiramanal Island

The area around the Kayaloram Lake Heritage Resort abounds in many delightful and secluded spots that are ideal for family and group picnics. Pathiramanal, meaning’ sands of midnight’, is a picturesque 10 acre island on the Vembanad Lake that is one such spot, an hour’s boat ride away from the resort. A local myth recounts that a Brahmin once took a dip in the lake as he offered his evening prayers and with the power of his devotion the sands of the island rose from the waters of the Vembanad Lake.
The island is uninhabited and home to a fascinating array of migratory birds from different parts of the world. One can also get off the boat in the course of a house boat cruise and explore the island or go there in our motor boat and spend a few hours there on a picnic. Besides the possibility of spotting migratory birds such as Siberian storks in winters, Pathiramanal is also home to a wealth of indigenous birds such as common teal, parrots, night and purple herons, cormorants, Indian shag, gulls, large egrets, stork-billed kingfishers, whistling ducks, cotton pygmy geese and monarch flycatchers among others.  The best times to explore the island are June, July and August during the monsoon, and the ideal time to spot migratory birds is between November and February. Picnics are best undertaken between January and April and between October and January.

Set amidst the canopy of overhanging branches of tropical trees, shrub and grass are clearings that are ideal spots to set up a picnic.

Please speak with our resort manager if you would like to avail of our picnic package. He will be glad to assist you make arrangements for your picnic.

Will we choke the Vembanad Lake?

The consequences of tourism and rapacious 'development' on the fragile ecosystem of the backwaters of Kerala have long been known. Political expedience has overtaken the need to preserve the incredible riches of this ecosystem. Ham handed efforts to manage the dynamics of the situation have often resulted what might be termed comic governance if the consequences were not so tragic. The circus goes on. We quote this piece from today's The Hindu newspaper:


A study conducted by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), a Bangalore-based non-governmental organisation, in association with the Lake Protection Forum, an organisation of fishermen, over the first three months of this year on the Vembanad lake has shown that the level of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) has increased and the level of dissolved oxygen has decreased over these three months.

The total TDS which was just 200 to 1200 milligram per litre (mgl) in January rose to 1000 to 4700 in February and varied from 1000 to 4600 in March. The temperature of the lake has shown an increase over the three months. The temperature which was just 24 to 25 degree Celsius in January, increased to 28 to 29 in February and to 31 to 33 in March.

The forum workers had tested the water samples taken from eight points in the lake in the laboratory of the Socio Economic Unit Foundation in Alappuzha.

The water of the lake has turned alkaline with the ph value in March showing 8. K.M. Poovu, secretary of the forum at Muhamma says that if the shutters of the Thaneermukkom barrage were not opened immediately, the repeat of the 1983 incident when a large number of fish died in the lake will occur. The opening of the shutters will let saline water enter the Kuttanad area including its paddy fields.

The barrage was to be opened before March 15, as per the report of a committee prepared a decade ago. But the monitoring committee consisting farmers, fishermen and the district collectors of Kottayam and Alappuzha has not been convened so far. The committee decides when to open and close the shutters of the barrage, he said.

A honeymoon in Kerala?

Kerala is a veritable honeymooner’s paradise with exquisite geographical beauty, ancient traditions, vibrant cultural expressions, a sense of all pervasive serenity and people for whom hospitality is intrinsic to their nature. Honeymooners in Kerala can rejoice in their romantic inclinations by traveling to some of the most beautiful locations in the world. Kerala has it all, fabled backwaters, secluded beaches, tea and spice plantations, mountain ranges with exquisite biodiversity and places of great historical antiquity. LOOK OUT FOR KAYALORAM'S HONEYMOON PACKAGES.

The horizon is not the journey's end

Why do we travel? Is it so that we add to our vicarious hoard of memories, mine is bigger than yours? Do we digitize our journeys so that the imagery marks the outer boundaries of our lives? The kingdom of my imagination is larger than yours? Like airline tags on luggage that announce, yes, we have travelled. Or do we travel to truly understand the splendor of this planet of ours, to understand the diversity of the human experience? When we journey this way we truly become one with life itself in all its magnificence, crossing the limitations of prejudice, shedding the safety of the familiar and willingly accepting the unfamiliar. 

GUESTSPEAK - nice things that guests say about us

"We spent a fabulous couple of nights here at the end of a 5 week India trip with our kids. We wanted a relaxing resort with a nice room and swimming pool at an affordable price. Kayaloram was the perfect choice."

"The lake view cottages are gorgeous in old Keralan style - very tasteful with wonderful outdoor bathroom. The view was stunning, cool breezes off the lake and a hammock to lie in. Perfect.
It is truly magical here and if you are on a limited budget it is somewhere that is affordable with good facilities."

"This was a lovely resort..especially after our previous 5 days! A haven of well kept calm on the river. Rooms were clean but also quite low ceilings, I know several of the group kept banging their heads! We loved it."

"We stayed at this hotel on my wifes 50th birthday, as part of a fourteen day tour of the south of India. The managerment was nice enough to give us the room facing the water together with supplying us with a birthday cake."

"Loved the stay in this place. Lake view rooms are the best. The highlight is when you open the door of your room in the morning, you would be pleased with the gorgeous lake view. Highlights - clean room and well maintained facility, Awesome food though it is slightly expensive."

"Overall experience has been good. Staff has been friendly and you would be attended to all your needs. Ayurvedic massage is very relaxing. Like the roof free bathroom with view of the stars. Amazing."

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

A lone fisherman on the Vembanad Lake with Pathiramanal Island in the  background an hours boat ride from Kayaloram.

The seat of contemplation has moved

We call this our 'seat of contemplation'. Overlooking the Vembanad lake, the seat has been known to have sparked off many a poem, song and lent sustenance to many a romance, and some guests have found themselves lighter of the cares of the world that they brought with them. Situated in front of our lake view cottages, at dawn you can watch the sun come up over the horizon sipping your morning cuppa. Fishermen row their canoes, gathering their nets filled with the nights catch. Later in the day, motor launches, barges laden with produce and houseboats with tourists will pass by. Around noon birds will perch on the ends of stilts that stick out of the water, patiently scanning the water for signs of food. One can even string up a hammock between the trees, get yourself a cool drink and immerse yourself in a favorite book. Or just relax and soak in the peace and quite with only a gentle afternoon breeze for company. Come evening and after the sun has set, the lawns are ideal for a candlelight dinner. Our resort manager will be happy to set a table for you. On prior intimation barbecues, ethnic music and dance performances can be organized here.

We have this habit of moving this bench around, to kind of get another perspective on the world as it were. But for everyone who stays with us, this is one of the most beautiful views to wake up to.

From our chef's cookbook - Scrumptious Grilled Prawns

Ingredients:


1 lb shelled King Prawns (or Jumbo Shrimp)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 small minced onion
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation:


In a large bowl, mix olive oil, onions, and garlic. Add prawns, tossing them to coat. Leave these to marinade at least three hours in refrigerator.

Grill prawns for about five minutes, turning once. Arrange neatly on a serving platter. Prawns cook very quickly, so be sure to watch them.

The remaining ingredients will be used as a dipping sauce for the grilled prawns. In a small bowl, whisk the peanut butter, lemon juice, black pepper, and kosher salt and transfer to a serving bowl. Place in the center of your prawn platter served with boiled Veg as well as Butter Rice.

Theyyam is performed between mid-October /mid-November) and May/mid-June. This is the period between the completion of the year’s harvest and preparations for the next. This period for Theyyam is also the time for prayers for a good harvest, prosperity and general social amiability.

Malabar's dazzling folk art - Theyyam

Theyyam is a vibrant and hugely popular Hindu ritual form of worship, rich in customs that date several thousand years and is mostly prevalent in the northern district of Malabar. Its rituals and stage craft also make it one of the most fascinating theatrical arts of India.
It is estimated that are 450 Theyyam forms, where a male performer dons the guise of a deity and propitiates the gods through possessed dancing. Theyyam rituals are vibrant expressions of the ‘Bhagvati’ or ‘Mother Goddess’ cult of worship and contain elements of spirit-worship, the worship of ancestors, animism and dendrolatry, serpent-worship and the worship of village deities.

Performances are a combination of folk musical instruments, vocal recitations, dance, symbolic facial make up and vibrant costumes. This primordial ritualistic art demands long hours of preparation before the actual performance. The staging area of Theyyam is usually amidst a temple grove known as ‘kaavu’.  Theyyam is also performed in homes and in paddy fields by erecting a temporary staging area.

Typically a dancer accompanied by drummers and other folk instruments as a prelude to a performance will recite the lyrics of a ritual song narrating myths and legends of the deity of the shrine or the folk deity to be propitiated.  The dancer will then don his colorful facial make up and costumes and return to the performing area.

The performance begins with the dancer holding a mock sword and shield in his hands, circumambulating the shrine and then running into the courtyard and dance to the accompaniment of folk instruments. There are different patterns of face-painting, mostly composed of intricate symbols in primary and secondary colours to emphasize stylization in the dances.

The hood, headdress, breastplate, bracelets, garlands and fabric of attire of each Theyyam character are distinctive and meticulously crafted. Colorful costumes made out of cutting and painting coconut sheaths in black, white and red patterns, fresh coconut fronds to form skirts, fashioning breasts for female characters out of dry coconut shells and a sash of red cloth around the waist completes the ensemble.

Theyyam artistes are exclusively male. It is not a profession or calling that can be adopted. Specific social castes hold the exclusive right to perform the role of certain deities. An artist's shrine rights are always inherited from the mother's family and when he marries, he also acquires the shrine rights of his wife's family.
All artistes share a common training and tradition in which the process of becoming the deity is achieved after intense mental, physical and spiritual preparation. They are required to intimately study the rituals and character of every deity, know how make the headdresses and costumes of all the deities, learn all the symbols that constitute facial and body makeup and techniques of application, sing, play the drums, and know the stories. Every deity's physical appearance conforms to an image envisaged centuries ago in the dream or vision of a respected guru and handed down.

        "GOD IS ABSENCE. GOD IS THE SOLITUDE OF MAN." 
                                                                                                                          - Jean Paul Sartre

 

Kayaloram - lakeside serenity

View of an open shower

View of a toilet

Interior of a cottage

View of the pool, the pool view cottages and the lake view cottages

Paved path leading to the pool and the cottages

A small wooden bridge at the entrance

Lake view cottages

From our chef's cookbook

Sweet mixed vegetable pickle

Ingredients:
2 1/2 kgs cauliflower, carrots and turnips
200 grams sugar
100 grams salt
30 grams ground spices
20 grams red chili pepper
60 grams mustard powder
30 grams ginger
15 grams garlic
100 grams salt

1 teaspoon glacial acetic acid (6 grams)
1/2 litre Mustard oil

Method:
Wash, peel and cut the vegetables (carrots into long slices, cauliflower into medium pieces, round medium slices of turnip).
Blanch the vegetables in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes: drain.
Grind ginger and garlic to a fine paste and fry in 1 cup of hot oil till golden brown.
Remove from the fire, add all the spices and mix well.
Prepare the sugar syrup of (in half or less than that amount of water than the sugar) one to two-thread consistency.
Mix glacial acetic acid and syrup into fried garlic and ginger mixed with spices.
Cook for 5 minutes.
Add all the vegetables, cook till it leaves its oil.
Cool, put in a jar and keep it for 10 days before using.

Skin care from leftovers

There’s more than enough of the stuff that we consume that ends up being dumped on this hapless planet of ours. How about making gainful use of our leftovers for a change and in the process being kind to our bodies? It’s a win win situation for everyone concerned.

Pumpkin Enzyme Masque
Pumpkin helps fight dry skin with Vitamins A and C, as well as zinc and beneficial alpha-hydroxy acids. It is essential that you use homemade pumpkin purée so that essential enzymes are not lost.
Ingredients:
¼ cup pumpkin purée
1 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 tsp honey
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Method:
Combine all the ingredients together in a blender or with a wooden spoon. Apply a thick layer all over your face, being careful to avoid the eyes and mouth. Keep it on your face for about 10 minutes and then gently remove with a wash cloth and warm soapy water.


Homemade Cranberry Lip Gloss
Ingredients:
1 tbsp almond oil
1 tsp plain yogurt
1 tsp honey
1 tsp petroleum jelly
10 fresh cranberries

Method:
1. Heat in a water bath until the mixture begins to boil.
2. Stir gently to mash berries and let sit for five minutes.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve.


Pomegranate Body Scrub
Rough Pomegranate seeds are a potent dose of antioxidants and good for exfoliating dry skin and bringing smooth, younger looking skin to the surface. Start with an oil base, add raw sugar, and honey. Add fragrance with orange peel and of course, a good dose of pomegranate seeds.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp avocado oil
2 tbsp raw sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp orange peel
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds

Method:
Combine mixture completely. Apply to your skin with a wash cloth or luffa. Gently scrub your face and then rinse with warm water.



Cinnamon and Nutmeg Acne Masque
Nutmeg has anti-inflammatory qualities so it helps to calm flare-ups as well as reduce redness of acne scars. Cinnamon is a natural exfoliant as well and known for its antiseptic qualities. Combined with moisturizing honey, it serves as a balm to tender skin.
Ingredients:
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp honey

Method:
Combine into a thick paste. Apply to your face for half an hour and then rinse off with warm water. Moisturize as per usual afterwards.

"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." - Jack Kerouac