MALAYALEE MEMORY

I wrote this in 2008!  On my recent visit in March 2015, it was as true as it was before:

The Malayalee Memory or is it everywhere they are

In the course of one day in Cochin, I was greeted by a similar refrain: I remember your face, you have been here before. Perfect strangers!

I can understand the people at the hotel recognizing a guest who has come to the same hotel more than once, but perfect strangers.

Now in Cochin, I use the same adage I use in Cuba, I am not interested in getting to know people who want to know me in the street.

But with a difference! In Cuba, the people who want to know you want to get a dollar out of you, whereas in Cochin, they may be interested in you, for more than just a monetary gain

A banana seller, the pharmacists, the chai maker at the vegetarian restaurant, I can understand, there have been some contact in the past with them, perhaps even more than casually. Bur perfect strangers?

An auto rickshaw driver in front of the hotel: you have stayed at this hotel before; I have seen you in the street?

My usual patent answer, no you have mistaken me for someone else. This is my first time.

Then a waiter at one of the newly constructed “café” near the vypeen ferry comes rushing out: I remember your face, I never forget any faces. As usual my pat answer, you can’t remember me, I have never been here before.

 I greet two or three shopkeepers along the road to the synagogue. I greet them since their greeting is genuine, since they are friends with the cobbler and the tailor (Versace of Cochin). In fact the cobbler will duplicate my shoes!

I went to see a friend of mine, and one of the clerks accompanied me: once again, I have seen you, even though it was two years ago that I had gone to the same office.

Booksellers recognized me, that I take it to be an honour. Bought: Amitav Ghosh’s latest book; Naipaul’s authorized biography; the French translation of Kamala Das My story and another French translation of a Kottayam writer, C Radhakrishnan…

Without asking, he gives me a 10 per cent discount. (IDIOM bookstore)

The “antique’ dealer on the left as you go towards the synagogue, his shop girl, says hello and when I asked for the price of a Mezuzah on sale (these items are becoming a rarity, and very soon un obtainable), he called for the owner, who came over and greeted me like an old friend, and offered a price, 30 per cent cheaper than the one he had given me, one year and half ago. You are a regular customer, so I give you my best price; I agree with him, the price was very good...

HANUKKIA FOR SALE IN COCHIN 2008

THEY ARE NOW IN THE HOUSE AMONG THE UMONHON INDIANS OF NEBRASKA ALONG WITH NATS FROM BURMA (NATS ARE MUCH LIKE BHUTAS OF THE TULA PEOPLE)

The place is crawling with tourists, I can’t say I have a distinct face, but it has something to do with their memory, or is it the fact that I have been here before, or is it the survival acumen that makes their memory sharper?

I had written the above five years ago... and on this visit made me realize that Malayalees are the friendliest INDIANS of India... especially the Malayalees of Fort Cochin...

I also recognized their identity as a Linguistic identity, not a religious one (In South Dakota they would say: I am a Lutheran Christian). It is the language and many times the only one they speak well, and it is theirs, not imposed upon them, ancestrally theirs.

NX JACOB IN 2004. HE DIED A YEAR AGO AGED 91

THE POST CARD SELLER IN 2008

Along the Jew Street, I was once again greeted by the Shoemaker and the postcard seller. It is amazing that in this very busy tourist town, they remember my face, but then again, I may be one of the very few tourists who had traveled to Cochin, around 15 times in 15 years!

I like this familiarity and it endears Fort Cochin to me...

NX SHOP NOW RUN BY HIS SON 

THE FRIENDLY COBBLER OF JEW TOWN

MALA SYNAGOGUE, AN ENCHANTING EXAMPLE OF KERALA JEWISH SYNAGOGUE ARCHITECTURE

Nowhere in the world, can one witness the harmony between the religions and cultures as one sees in this part of Kerala. This is not a politically correct behavior imposed upon the people but one which has prevailed for centuries among all the inhabitants of the land here, of varying persuasion. The magnanimity of a civilization is expressed in its tolerance of its difference and protection of that difference, the great Jewish Historian of Islam and Arab speaking people had commented (Bernard Lewis) Desecration of this trust puts a dark light upon all the population, not just the majority or minority cultures.

In case of Mala in Kerala, the cultures currently represented are unique in that while the three religions, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism are proportionately represented, the cultural identity is a strong Linguistic Identity, that of the Malayalam speaking people.

When one enters the Mala synagogue, a wonderful sensation greets the visiting Jew. Here in the interior of this abundant land, a branch of the Jews from Kodangallur, also known as Craganore or Shingly,  had transplanted themselves, built a community which could sustain such a large and magnificent edifice to recite the prayers. In the area around the Mala synagogue there were shops and godowns (warehouses) of the local Jewry. Even after the sudden disappearance of the Mala Jews, by emigration, in 1955, we see the spirit of cooperation and harmony, when a glad Christian shopkeeper, named Jose,  proudly showed us his shop which until recently was Jewish owned.

A HAPPY CHRISTIAN MERCHANT WHO PROUDLY SHOWED US THE ERSTWHILE JEWISH SHOPS OF MALA

A short walk away from the synagogue one sees the waterway that led them to Kodangallur and return, the continued connections to other parts of the Jewish world of Kerala were maintained through these trade and passenger routes

Possibility of any Jewish presence in the future in Mala, is very remote; the children of the Jews who left are so well integrated into the life of Israel.

The preservation of the history of an important community, one of the colours of the fabric of life of people in these parts of the world, is in the hands of people who live here, the history of Jews is part of the history of all peoples of Kerala.

While the synagogue retains the possibility of returning to its former glory, through efforts of such erudite scholars such as Prof Karmachandran of Trichur, the same cannot be said of the desecrated and abandoned cemetery where over the millennia, thousands of souls were buried. Only three tombs stand, all of them in very poor shape.

I couldn’t keep thinking of the desecrated and abandoned Jewish cemeteries of Europe or the vandalism of Palestinians of ancient tombstones in Jerusalem before 1967, and the willful destruction of Jewish tombs in all Arab countries which once had a million Jewish souls. Unlike those countries, there is a genuine interest in Kerala to keep this heritage alive as has happened to the synagogues at Paroor and Chengamangalam.

Mala synagogue and its cemetery deserve greater attention. Globalization and commercialization can never erase the millennial history of the Jewish presence in this special land of Kerala, blessed with such harmony of relationships with outsiders or Paradesis as they were called in the centuries past and the local population. Architecturally the synagogue is a gem, a good example of Kerala Synagogue architecture.

Tomorrow we begin remembering the history of the slavery and redemption from Egypt of the Jewish people, 3400 years ago. In keeping up with the fine spirit of remembering, may the defenders of harmony and history such as Prof. Karmachandran from Trichur and Biju Thomas and many others from Fort Cochin, succeed. Let the future generations be given a chance to learn firsthand the glorious history of Kerala and its contribution to this day of harmony among people who are lucky to live within its natural boundaries.

The tolerance continues to this day, enhanced by the intellectuals of Fort Cochin. I was in the company of a Hindu and a Christian on my visit to the Synagogue at Mala, a Muslim friend met us at Paroor Synagogue, my visit to Fort Cochin was made easier by a good friend of mine, a Christian merchant who gave me a copy of the book about the architecture of Mosques of Fort Cochin . (researched and written by an American Jew, supported by the American Ford Foundation). 

This sense of amity and tolerance has millenial roots. There is a manuscript of Quran in Hebrew script written in COCHIN in the 1700s, translated from French by  a dutch Jewish convert, scribed by a German Jew residing in Cochin at that time!

Train Journeys: Cochin to Bangalore..an Observation

The train is called SuperFast which is a relative term here, instead of taking 12 hours to cover 560 km, today they would do it in ten hours and a bit not taking into account the unforeseeable delays.

The coach is air conditioned and there is a general silence of acceptance of the passengers who are mainly people returning home or college students going to school. I imagined a more festive atmosphere of a holiday weekend but , everyone, including me is mindful of the train, as it chugs along, from village to village.

Parti Comunista flags fluttering in the morning breeze in Cochin

It is hard to leave Kerala. No one has to inform you that you have left Kerala, you can just look outside and see that you have left Kerala. Gone are the luscious scenery, waterways, the look of impending rain and the graceful movements of people

As soon as we entered Tamil Nadu, the trees became skeletal, without the green top so often seen in Kerala. The population had become gaunt, the gracefulness taken away from them, they move about as if they are inn mourning for something or other.

Dont expect much to happen on a hot morning until a few minutes before the train leaves

The train is cutting through the still of the hot days of southern India.

Every few minutes vendors from the pantry train pass through, shouting their wares, as you can imagine what quality they are offering. I decided not to eat anything but wait till I get to Bangalore for a proper meal.

When we crossed into Karnataka, the scenery had a resemblance, albeit a poorer one, to Kerala, few more coconut trees appeared, not like the stark talipot palms of Tamil Nadu. The earth is still dry, even the hills are barren proudly showing their rocky formations. I am amazed that not too many people are about, neither at stations we stopped by or in the villages we are passing through. You get the feeling that once you leave cochin, you leave diversity behind, the houses are built as if it was some after thought of someone, architecturally nothing is attractive to look at as we pass through, after all the only houses we would be seeing would be the villages near the railroad tracks and perhaps they arose out of necessity during the colonial times when the tracks were laid.

I felt a great sense of nostalgia. There was some sense of belonging in Fort Cochin, all of a sudden it is as if your identity is in question, you are liminal once again, waiting for the familiar welcome of the Qatar Airways staff from various countries. Those middle eastern airlines are a good metaphor for this statelessness.. Apart from the name, every one of the employees is also temporarily stateless.

I have a flight from Doha to Chicago but I would love to fly directly to Miami from Doha… it is a longer flight but at least I will be getting off the sound of Cuban Spanish and cortaditos waiting for me at the familiar cafes.. And a sister who would prepare the best Lebanese food…the generic genetic food of Jews from that region.

I met a lot of nice and nicer people in Fort Cochin on this visit..

A very busy time but very fulfilling, something that would keep my soul warm during the coming days of travel and change of sceneries.. From India, covered and transported in the middle eastern veil of internationality to Miami and then on to the Indians… they will bring back my balance, very quickly..

In each of these places, when I am there, it is as fi the other places do not exist. My ten days in Fort Cochin, I was not thinking of my other lives very much, even though I was longing for some individuals, because of special bonds.

So when I am with American Indians, the non-Indian world does not exist; same in Cuba, I very seldom think of the world outside Cuba, except when writing post cards to friends in faraway countries.

It is the liminal period, when you are neither there nor here, transporting yourself from one familiar place to another, through unfamiliar scenery and feelings.

I enjoy this anonymity of liminal periods but the solitude enhances the longings. Right now I was thinking of Bruxelles and what time is it there? What is happening to people, to whom I am more than a post card or a trinket with different noise or a fragrance? And in La Habana, where affections wait for me like an unending bakery of delights..

In moments of liminality such as this, it is better not to think to make decisions, but be mindful of the feelings..

The sweet faces of people I met in Fort Cochin, some so sweet that your feelings vibrate with innocence. People who go out of their way to complete circles of conversation, and most importantly I felt that in Fort Cochin, from Inn Keepers to Historians to waitresses at elegant restaurants, they had no hidden agenda.. They were going about their lives, but adding a little bit of glitter to yours, by sharing some innocent human emotion.

Love, affections, hugs and kisses await.. But I shall wait for the monsoon to pass, as well as the hurricanes in Cuba to simmer down, and once again I will call up Qatar Airways..

I wonder whether you can accommodate me on a flight to Cochin connecting in Doha?

The answer, I am sure, would be YES.. leave Miami connect in Doha and a short flight to Cochin, arriving  as the sun dusts off the chill of the night on the heads of coconut trees..

a plaque on a long abandoned synagogue in Jew Town, Cochin

SWEETNESS COCHIN STYLE

Perhaps I have been living in the west too long or that I have been away too long from countries of my lovers and friends, I am overcome by the sweetness of the Malayalee people that I meet (a Malayalee may be a Christian, a Moslem, a Hindou or a Jew, who has ancestral connections to this land called Kerala)
Just today I met Mr B and Ms D, who came to design a visiting card for me, with traditional motif. After our long conversation in which I got to know them, I could only admire them, for their sweetness, their dreams written all over their faces. I enjoyed having Lunch with them.
they are part of the DARK PROJECTS, a design team, www.darkprojects.in

I hope to run into them, somewhere or other and  may my good friend MC in KL run into them in KL, inshallah!

GASPAR DA GAMA...FIRST OF THE MANY FOREIGN JEWS ON COCHIN COAST

 I had only one purpose looking through the graves at the Grave Island off the coast of Zanzibar.
Would I be able to identify any Jewish names amidst the medieval miscellany of the tombs.  Alas, I failed. Back at the StoneTown in Zanzibar (Zinj il Barr  the land of the Blacks, the Arab traders had called it), I engaged anyone who would give me a history lesson, but 1498 was too far into the oblivion.
My aim was to find out whether or not Jews from the Malabar Coast had assisted Vasco da Gama in his journey from East Africa to Calicut on the Malabar Coast. The Jewish trading presence was already well known on the spice coast for centuries. Abraham ben Yiju, a tunisian jew was already well established in Mangalore in the 12th century and his trusted assistant travelled to and fro Mangalore to Aden.
The news I could glean in Zanzibar was that a malabari moslem by the name of Mohammed or Ahmed had shown Vasco da Gama the way!
But in the back of my mind, there must have been some Jews who might have helped Da Gama.. after all he was interested in Spice Trade..
The answer arrived as I was perusing through a volume called India and Portugese. As I was reading through the chapter on Cochin, a name suddenly appears, Gaspar da Gama! He pretended to be a Moslem, calling himself Mahomet in the employ of Sultan of Bijaupur..then he confesses to be a christian, hobnobbing with the newly arrived Portugese..
Vasco da Gama, knowing that there was something exotic about him, but not wanting to behead him but use him for his linguistic abilities, Gaspar spoke both Arabic and Hebrew as well as could make himself understood in Spanish, thus communicating with the Portugese.

Truth comes out, Gaspar, his original name is lost to antiquity was a POLISH JEW, born in Poznan in Poland, forced to flee Poland because of royal decree of expulsion of the Jews. He became very useful to the Vasco da Gama as well as the Portugese empire. Historians credit him to be the first european to set foot on Brasil and the South American continent, with Pedro Cabral who later arrived in Cochin.
Despite his multiple conversions, Vasco da Gama was his godfather when he converted to Catholicism, Gaspar married a Jewess from Cochin with whom he had children.
For many other Jews, anthropologists, writers and professors of religion, including this professor from Cuba, Gaspar must be made our Patron Saint.. one of the many improbable Jewish souls of the Malabar Coast!

I am unashamedly Lusophilic..Cabo Verde, Cochin, Malacca, Syriam, Brasil are constantly on my mind. While the Jewish-Portugese relationships over the centuries had been stormy, individual stories like the one above warms my heart.
and of course, I have had close relationships with the Portugese Jews of Jamaica...

Would you like one or two eggs and how would you like them cooked, asked the first Prime Minister of Barabados, Mr Erroll Barrow. at his home in Barbados.
When he knew I was Jewish, he revealed a little known secret, he was a descendant of Baruch Lozada families who had fled the Dutch Brasil in the 17th Century!
here are some information:the marriage of Gracia Baruh Lousada to David Raphael de Mercado may evidence a family link formed earlier via Recife/Livorno trade before the Portuguese reconquest of Dutch Brazil. The Mercados, having left Recife (in Dutch Brazil) in 1654 or thereabouts, promptly used the access that David Abravenel and Simon de Caceres had with Cromwell to secure a pass to Barbados in 1655 and it would seem that they came to Barbados from London soon thereafter . Their remarkably prompt relocation to Barbados from Dutch Brazil shows that they probably knew of the potential for sugar in Barbados - the early history of Barbados  shows that the Barbados sugar pioneer James Drax visited Recife to take advice on sugar from the Jewish planters there. Because Gracia's brothers Aaron, Abraham and David Baruh Lousada seem to have got to Barbados somewhat later than the Mercados - our earliest indication from ref 5 is 1659 - perhaps the marriage was a key factor in drawing them to Barbados

44 hours of Journey from North American Indians to Indians of India

It took me forty four hours of travel

By car from the Indian Reservation to the airport in Omaha, Nebraska and then a short flight to Chicago. Waited for the long flight on Etihad from Chicago to Abu Dhabi. a very short wait before we were off again to Cochin. Effortless Immigration and Customs check and very quickly to Cochin Club..

Not only there were changes in time zones, I was at a different geographical location, different circumstances, different food, new friends.. new ways of thinking

I have had a tremendous time in Cochin, thanks mostly due to the hospitality of Mr RN, an erudite gentleman of another time and ways of thinking.

It is time to leave

I am flying Qatar to Doha and then on to Chicago and connect to a flight to Miami. I look forward to that..

Miami and Friends 

Cuba and colleagues and Lovers and friends

American Indians

Quiet sweet days in Belgium

that is what I have to look forward to..

Plan to be back in Cochin after the Monsoons with my good friends from Miami..

VISITING WITH A PURPOSE OR JUST PASSING THROUGH

I can recognize two types of Tourists: one group that is passing through, they didn’t come here because they have any special interest, they are going from place to place, looking at what is presented to them, with no great or deep interest in the culture of the place they are in,

A typical stay in a tourist area of India, a country with such a deep culture, would be no more two or three days, during which they would like to include a trek, an Ayurveda massage and a visit to the Backwaters or look at a Kathakali performance.

I am mentioning these things because I am in Cochin in South India at the moment.

This type of travel is usually due to some PUSH in the lives of the tourist, usually a backpacker. They are not in Cochin because of the unique nature of this heritage city but because they are on a trip through India and Cochin happens to be a popular spot.

This superficial brush with India gives them no time to understand the great philosophy behind the various culture, they trivialize YOGA into a stretching exercise; Ayurveda into Massage therapy. Thus a quick rush through India or a similar country will have not given them the greatest gifts of understanding and harmony and peace this country can bestow, instead they go home with the same depth of intolerance and arrogance they came in with.

One example of this myopic view of the world is the question I am asked: it does not matter it is India, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia or Myanmar. By these tourists, which part of that particular country I am from?

If mood suits me, I would make up a country and say I am from that country, but their pride prevents them from asking the location of this magical kingdom I am from!

outdoor exhibit at the cochin muziris biennale 

The other group, while still being a tourist, takes an interest in the place where they are. They stay in places, where they are accorded respect. Who is shown more respect in London? Someone who stays at 50 pounds a night hotel or hostel or someone who stays at a hotel which costs 150 pounds? Who is served better? The Chinatown café in London where you dine for 10 pounds or the restaurant in Knightsbridge where it would cost you 30 pounds?

These norms apply in Cochin as well.

 I have enjoyed my visit to Cochin tremendously; I am sure this is my fifteenth or so visit in as many years. The caliber of people I have met have been nothing short of superb, the knowledge they have imparted have been full of value... they are diamonds in this dune of sands… as is the case everywhere else in this world.

The second group of tourists to Cochin is on the increase. In two days I met, while not looking to meet them, an official of the Belgian government based in Hong Kong and a senator from the Thai assembly ( of course the current political turmoil there  has left him with time to travel!) These people have a genuine interest in learning about the history and culture of Cochin and they would cherish the knowledge they gain and would encourage others to come and visit. They are also not budget restrained like the backpackers.

My writings about the culture of Cochin and the history that I have gleaned are for this second group of Tourists, which I would put as tips on travel in the www.virtualtourist.com/m/26dab pages or Trip Advisor pages. This is my contribution to the welfare of the City of Fort Cochin.