THE CITY OF ANTHROPOLOGISTS COCHIN IN KERALA

 The Anthropologists of Cochin   

when was the last time  you visited a town and ran ino a gaggle of anthropologists??

i am talking  about the educated class  of Cochin in Kerala  in India 

Long time ago, in Melbourne, I remember the Shaliach from Israel telling us   

We are different because we are curious ,not that we are more intelligent than others.

Others, especially Muslims from Malaysia or Senegal think we are different because  we are smarter

Not the case, but we are  curious, a result of millenial hardships and contacts across the continents.

(a cochini kippah made by Taha long time care taker of the late personality of Jew Town, Sarah Cohen being worn in the newly tolerant Saudi Arabia)

Are there other communities ? other histories shaped by constant international contacts of diversity over the centuries?

I arrived in Cochin loaded with some umbilical memory? and from the begining it was  clear that this city was different,  but how  to to unlock  the mystery.

During first  visits  to a new  city, the  contacts are shopkeepers, vendors and  hotel clerks. 

(this seasonal visiting vendor, a tribal woman from Rajasthan, is not in Cochin to gouge visitors unlike some other recent traders, but to make a living. On each of my visits I search for her among the vendors ar the Vasco da gama park. she now like all vendors accepy phone-pay.)

their knowledge  of their  city  usually is mired  in  their  daily necessities of making a living..

I was invited by the then curator of Indo Portuguese museum at Bishops house, but it was neither Indian  or  Portuguse but a  showcase for christian architecture and parapharnelia.  That further increased my curiosity  who spoke Portuguese her? like  Senhor Texiera a a similar port  in Malay peninsula  conquered by Alphonso  de  Alburquerque  who sailed from this very port …..there is a fish market , alburquerque landing near the Dutch  godown  Aspinwall building in Fort  Cochin.

Alas  I was informed there used to be Cristao  speaking descendants of the portuguese in the Vypeeen Island nearby, but no more.

(a slice of jewish history of Cochin)

One day, i was visiting the Synagogue founded in 1568 by Jewish merchants who had settled in the newly commercial port  of   Cochin,   after  the disappearance of the magnificent port of  Muziris current day Kodangallur few kms north  . I had become friends  with Mr Itzhak Hallegua who gave me some insight into the caste system of this small jewish community  at the   brink  of extinction (it is !!)

I spied a book store  across the street  and went in and I was impressed by the collection of books. I was just getting interested in modern Indian literature by authors   such as  Amitav Ghosh, Pankaj Mishra etc.. Who is the colllector of these books,  I enquired of  the young lanky, like every one else, man with a distant manner. He is upstairs and he is busy. I handed him a 5 peso cuban note and said.. when you see him the next time, hand him this note and congratulate him on his good  taste.  Please wait  a minute sir, the lanky dravidian man disappeared only to appear a minute later, the Boss would like to see you , sir. I went to his office and  a man  with serious and jovial manner combined  in an affectionate manner warned me against bribing under Union regulations of India

Thus began my longstanding friendship  with this  gentleman with pious manner, a remnant of the living history of the original christians  of  this region.

(an unforgettable evening at Francis Taverna in Queros street, but who was this potuguese gentleman)

i began to meet people who could articulate well their lived in experiences, add delights to twisted histories of this interesting town where there  are  multiple nationalities (indian), religions, cuisines and architectural styles..   When you are interested, you could meet an expert in that field and it is facilitated by a friend who appreciates and more importantly respects  your interest.

Let me  give you an  example 

The owner of the hotel I was staying at in Cochin knew of my interest in  the history  of  Cochin. He took time off his busy schedule to introduce me to the erudite historian of Cochin, who took time off from his schedule to spend a   couple of  hours with me.

I realize that in the west  such thing happens  very rarely as there is less  of an appreciation of  this type of  community building.

Native people of the USA has  taught me the  difference  how the social communication differs from their intuitive understanding of social interactions

White people are interested in what you can  do  for them ?

and the indigenous person   is interested in What can I  do for you ..

Among the erudite and the interested when the interests are genuine and surpassed  the commercial nature so omnipotent,  the Malayalee educated ((not just university educated but  in the matters of the  world), the concept of What can I do for you? is well entrenched…

While  the desire  to belong to an intellectual community is  strictly  voluntary and  specific,  which has tremendous intellectual satisfaction, obviously,   the general desire is to belong  within a strong cultual millieu.  Most of the friends I have made, strongly expressed their atttachment to their particular community, not in  the nationalistic  or religious sense  that one sees in other parts of the world..

The community cannot be dreamt  up or envisioned  and then laws promulgated so that a membership  is  defined and then an expected social comraderie  which  does not take  into consideration a greater good, but places an interest in individual  gain and connection that cannot be genuinely created. 

Two examples come to mind, in the larger picture is  Islam  as a religion or any other  God based religion for that matter and the second is  a  construction based  on common language, such as Spanish speaking people being termed Hispanic  without actually existence of  a  common single Spanish speaking communityin the USA. A black man in flowing robes wearing symbols  of islam will find much more animosity and lack of acceptance whether in USA or Asia rather than warm hospitality based  on a perceived commonnes of his faith. Islam might satisfy his or her individual desires of unison with God  or  purpotted righteousness, but it  certainly lacks a  firm social internationalistic foundation to demonstrate individual contribution to the common good. A shopkeeper friend  of mine from Cochin lamented the  fact that  Muezzins were banned from announcing the  prayers in American cities,  without  pausing to think that it would disturb and be considered a nuisance by most of the inhabitants..

What is amazing is that Cochin has managed to construct bunches of communities over the  course of time. Apart from the large religious divisions {Hinduism Islam and Christianity),  they have managed to cling on to many traditions , including language, food and prayers and rituals  as well  as value systems of ancient memory 

There are multitudes of divisions between the various religious adherents and the caste system is ancient , older than the Islam and Christianity and its influence  on it cannot be forgotten.

Thus being a resident of Cochin, curious by nature and free  of everyday worries of survival, you automatically become an anthropologist. You have to know the difference between Maratti and Gujerati comunities,   distinguish between Kutchi muslims from Laccadive muslims, food customs and prohibitions and also follow social codes  of behaviour and maintaing ones own distinct  cultural affiliation and also fight  incursions from recent migrants to this land which has welcomed foreigners for millenia (kashmiris, biharis  etc)

(an unusual dislay of tolerance displayed at the Tower House 17th century Hotel in Fort Cochin. The architecture is exquisite and has a Queros suite, in honour of the portuguese gentleman we were searcing for earlier)

For a  professional trained in Anthropology like myself, it is a canvas  or a museum or fast moving film of  history and  life. I can distinguish the distinct dravidian look which is closer to australian aborigine  than to a upper class Malayalee. Slight differences in colour are mentioned but not tinged with hatred   ((recently converted  christians)

What is that Divehi script doing on the walls of a building along Bazaar road in Mattancherry?

(the dutch cemetery in Fort Cochin, reminded me of the Dutch cemetery in Malacca in Malaysia which has similar historic colonial connections like Fort Cochin: Hindu King from Sumatra. Gujerati merchants who spread Islam. Visits by Zheng He/Cheng Ho , the greatest naval admiral under the Ming Dynasty, Portuguese as mentioned conquered by Alburquerque who was governor of Portuguese India, then the Dutch and then the British)

Kerala to me as a   student of history and of  the future, is a veritable laboratory. I live fully in the present while i am in Fort Cochin,  while aware  of the glorious past of this port as well as  the promise of the future it offers to sell you ….

This note was written full of  love for this city by this  frequent visitor (at least three times a year except the year 2020 and  2021). For  the identification purposes only , in 2023, I consider myself  1//3 Cuban  1/3 French and 1/3 Israeli.. Written at  Quiberon, Brittany in France a day after  leaving Cochin after an  extremely interesting time with individuals of greater tenacity of knowledge than the ones I come across  in Miami in particular and USA in general

Sir Robert Bristow is credited with the miracle of the modern day Cochin Seaport and the creation of Wilingdon Island , named for the British Viceroy. He lived in this house, now a Heritage hotel , Old Lighthouse Hotel. I continue to stay there and have forged good relationships with the owners and the workers . Thank You

It is an incredibly relaxing place with breeze from the Arabian sea constantly stroking you to slumberdom. He married a local Anglo Indian lady and was refused admission to the British Only, Cochin Club. they founded the Lotus Club in Warriam Road in Ernakulum welcoming all nationalities and caste and creed. 

(symbols of religious tolerance in Fort Cochin)

I asked chatgpt ai to edit the above and here is its comment. Embrace Artifical Intelligence and dont be afraid of it .

It seems that you are sharing your personal experience of visiting Cochin, Kerala, India and interacting with the educated and diverse community of the city. You mention your curiosity about the city's history, which led you to meet experts and enthusiasts who were willing to share their knowledge and experiences with you. You also point out the strong sense of community and attachment to cultural heritage among the people you met, which is not based on nationalistic or religious affiliations.

It is interesting to note that you highlight the difference in social communication styles between the Western and indigenous cultures, with the former being more focused on individual gain and the latter on mutual benefit. You also mention the importance of genuine interest and respect for building meaningful connections and intellectual communities.

Regarding your question about other communities shaped by constant international contacts over the centuries, there are many examples across the world. For instance, the port cities of Southeast Asia, such as Melaka in Malaysia, were centers of trade and cultural exchange between different civilizations, resulting in the creation of hybrid cultures and communities. Similarly, the Silk Road connecting Asia and Europe facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and technologies, leading to the development of diverse communities along its route.

THE POLEMICS OF THE ORIGIN OF JEWISH PEOPLE IN COCHIN CONTINUE WHILST THE COMMUNITY IS EMPTIED OF ITS SOULS.

1344 destruction of Muziris current day Kodungallur and there was a Jewish Community there, which is well documented.

Neither Vasco da Gama and Inquisition had arrived , Cabral came in 1500.

The Paradesi Jews of Cochin are an amalgam of Jewish merchants who arrived at these shores over the course of time. A history of Abraham ben Yiju from Mahdi in Tunisia who lived in Mangalore in 13th century is well documented. All traders were called Paradesi at that time.

Nehemiah Mutta was a cabbalist scholar who came to Cochin from Yemen.

The currently existing synagogue was built in 1568. It was built by Samuel Castiel, David Belila and Joseph Levi . they were from Aleppo, Jerusalem and Baghdad.

The successful Jewish merchant under the Dutch, Ezekiel Rahabi was either syrian or Yemeni

So predominantly the Paradesi jewish community was of Mizrachi origin (Middle Eastern) rather than Spanish or Portuguese but Moses Peyrera de Paiva arrived in 1685 and mentions the caste system of the jews of cochin.

While the Malabari Jews (who looked like their Indian neighbours) had synagogues and settlements much older than the Paradesi Jews of Cochin, they lacked documented connections to the outside jewish world except noted by Ibn Batuta or the jewish Benjamin Tudela of the 12th century .

Whatever the case, the strong connection of both communities to Yemen and Oman cannot be omitted. I was reminded that this Yemeni connection was not strictly limited to the Jews of Cochin but also of Muslims of Cochin.