Kerala backwaters beyond houseboat tours
You whizzed past it on the long train journeys on family trips during the school holidays. Stared wide-eyed as the windows of the Indian Railways sleeper coach revealed a world of straw huts and thatched roofs. Invariably, a jackfruit tree in the front yard. Even waved to someone your age, sitting in the canoe “parked” in the stream next to their home.
That journey had your imagination run loose. Wondering the hows and whats of the life of the girl/boy who had returned your wave with a smile.
You reminisce in the still but cool morning air of coastal India’s touch-and-go “winter”, letting the mirrored coconut trees be your constant companions. The only sound you’re hearing is the slicing of the smooth water as you move ahead through the Kerala backwaters.
Kerala backwaters, a throwback to simple times Suddenly, a shrill sound, very unbecoming of the prevailing quiet calmness cuts through your thoughts. You realise it is a signal for the boat driver to make a stop and announce your arrival to those waiting. “Those waiting” are lungi clad men, and children dressed for school.
You’re startled – standing before you are the little boys and girls you’ve been waving at through the train windows! (Well…not exactly, those boys and girls must now be parents to these school going children who have just boarded your boat!).
The boat is now buzzing with activity. The kids scurry to seat themselves right next to their friends. The conductor squeezes through the crowd, handing out thermally printed tickets to each one of them. The boat makes a few more stops, picking up more lungi clad men and students from different schools – all along the Alleppey (Alappuzha) backwaters you are travelling through.
They get busy chattering or playing games on their mobile phones. The last-minuters use this commute time to finish off their homework. The variety in their school uniforms takes you by surprise. Thatched roofs and canoes don’t necessarily mean a lack of good education – you tell yourself chidingly.
The schools here in the Alleppey backwaters, though, resemble the schools of a bygone era – your school years! No fancy air-conditioned classrooms or canteens with international cuisines. These are simple whitewashed buildings, with walls full of paintings of the “father of the nation”, “India’s national bird”, “the national animal” (to those wondering – Gandhi, peacock, tiger!).
The channel has now broadened. These are the Alleppey backwaters section of the big network of Kerala backwaters, surrounding the villages around Alleppey (Alappuzha). There are a few bridges across the backwaters. But the village folks prefer crossing over using their canoes – it’s faster. A group of older men gets off the canoe at the “boat stop” and gets onto your boat. Backwater rush hour is underway.
Exploring the charming Kerala backwaters The sun is now up. The golden carpets behind the coconut tree barriers catch your attention. The swaying rice fields mesmerise you. Farmers are rowing their canoes to get to the fields. The backwaters, coconut trees and rice fields – the views match the image of Kerala you have in your mind.