The colour of a Monday Morning Blue - Birding in Ashtamudi

Did your Monday Morning Blue look like this ? I was cruising down the Ashtamudi Lake when I saw these birds on the Chinese nets

Fishing Tales -Inside Story

“ Can you see that light, madam ? It has seven bulbs.” Balu points across the vast expanse of waters to a long horizontal contraption with outstretched rods. ”That’s a Cheena vala,” he says, referring to the Malayalam word for the Chinese fishing net believed to be brought into Kerala by the 14th century Chinese mariner, Zheng He.

I am at the Ashtamudi Lake , near Kollam sailing around the islands .Balu is from the local resort and is accompanying me on my morning cruise.He speaks fluent Tamil and Hindi and says he picked it up from the tourists .

The entire water scape is littered with these shore operated stationary nets. Long metallic and wooden rods jut out into the waters ,held in place by ropes. We sail a bit closer to take a look. The structures are more than 10 metres high .The rods stretch out as the birds perch on them and nets are outstretched on them.


Balu explains the process and says that fishing usually starts in the night. A net can be operated by a team of about five fishermen. They normally lower the net and submerge it at a certain depth. The lights suspended from these rods are placed on the surface of the waters and are used to attract the fish and crustaceans. The electric cable stretches out from the fishermen’s homes from the bank to the contraption .


“You can find more than 1000 of them ,” he says referring to the Chinese fishing nets . Popular in Kochi, , they are used by the local fishermen here to catch mainly prawns and crabs. Balu tells me that on a lucky night, the catch can be anything around 4-10 kgs.

We move on passing islands and islanders as Balu points out to “seacrows” .These cormorants were perched on the rods that were immersed in water. “This is Karimeen fishing,” he says referring to the pearl spot fish which is a delicacy in the backwaters.According to him the fishermen promote breeding and even cultivate “fish sanctuary.”He shows me the fish which is probably the size of the palm .


“The fishermen , even women catch by hand,” explains Balu , “We call it Vellavali.”I ask him about the rods and he explains that they are stems replanted on the waters . The fish he says feed on the leaves of plants that are littered below the surface .Stems are placed above the water and the nets are cast around them to catch them in the night. I listen fascinated as Balu tells me that lanterns are used by the fisher folk and karimeen auctions happen early in the morning .

It is Sunday and the backwaters are silent. It is a five day week for the fishing community. As we sail back, Balu sums up ,” There are different kinds of specialists for various varieties of fish and each technique is different from the other, even the nets ..” Its amazing, I thought how we take such simple things for granted.

The Inside Story is a fortnightly column published in the Metro Plus, The Hindu every Monday. Its not my story, but the story of the destination . I decided to reproduce some of my published columns and start a new series.

Ayurveda@Ashtamudi

The breeze had just set in clearing the overcast clouds .The coconut trees gently swayed ,touching the backwaters which lashed against them. I stand at the edge of this wide shore and take in the scene , as Dr. Ratheesh joins me , exclaimining.“ This could not have been done by a human.. ..” I look up to see him holding a book on Ayurveda.

“Can you imagine 4000 years ago..getting all the herbs from various parts of the country and mixing them in the right proportion ? I mean there was no documentation at all ,” adds the doctor about this science of life.

I am in God’s own country , getting a taste of God’s own medicine at Svaastha, an ayurvedic spa in Ashtamudi. The doctor goes on to explain that Brahma, the creator of this science has passed on the formula to Dhanavantri, the divine doctor . “It is part of Atharvana veda, created by Gods and preserved by man .” he says.



A lone boat comes into the horizon. The Ashtamudi Lake stretches out in front of my eyes with the coconut trees interrupting the seamless flow.Several small islands are home to locals who live in these backwaters. “It is called Ashtamudi for you can almost see eight branches of waters joining the Arabian Sea like an octopus’ arms ,” describes the doctor

The second largest lake after Vembanad and yet , tourism is a recent phenomena here .Shades of blue emerge from the waters as I was lost gazing at the colours.It is one of the best kept secrets of kerala.. It seems to be the perfect setting - not just to discuss Ayurveda, but to pamper the self with an Ayurvedic massage. I am spoilt by choices - from a traditional massage to various spa treatments, Svaastha promises a balance between body, mind and spirit. But before that, a complete diagnosis follows as the oils are chosen accordingly.

“Yours is a pitha-vatha combination.” Says Dr Ratheesh . He refers to the bio energies in the human body - vatha,pitha and kafa .”Vatha is air and ether, pitha is fire and kafa is water and earth. “ he explains as ayurveda is based on these five elements called Panchamahabudhas .”


My eyes close as a heady fragrance lulls me to sleep. The distant flicker of the lamp goes slowly out of focus. A lilting melody floats out of nowhere. “It is the jasmine flavour,” she says softly by way of introduction. The kohl brimmed eyes smile at me coyly. “This is the Shrishruka thailam .It treats sinus,”she adds. I open my eyes as she pours the oil from a miniature bronze jar onto her palms. Sandhya, my therapist is a demure young woman whose delicate fingers work magic on my scalp .

I try not to think. After all massages are about shutting your mind and pampering your body. The fingers soothe every ache and coax the rigid muscles as they move from the head to the neck .I feel the essence of ayurveda inside me - a harmony of mind, body and spirit . I float into semiconsciousness . The wooden bed is soaked with the oil –Pinda thailayam as Sandhya deftly strokes my body, caressing and fondling it . She suddenly pounds it and awakens every dormant muscle. Her fingers go deep,the strokes get faster and then she gently lets go .I become limp and let my senses take over .The herbal steam lets my skin glisten as the warmth seeps into my body.


I step out ,rejuvenated and the beauty is mesmerising. The calm lake add to the serenity. Small clusters of clouds float in the sky. The Chinese nets lay scattered on the waters as the fishermen are waiting for the night to dawn. I ask Dr Ratheesh as to why he chose to become an ayurvedic doctor . He laughs, amused .”As children, we used to go only to ayurvedic doctors even for a cold or fever like the way you go to a doctor..its quite common in Kerala .There are universities teaching ayurveda here like allopathy ,” he adds, saying that he graduated from Trivandrum after a five year course.

I wonder how an ancient science like ayurveda has become an exotic treatment, restricted largely to resorts and a few centres.”Thats because tourism thrives on wellness , but ayurveda can even be used for surgery ,” explains the doctor adding that there are nine branches of ayurveda which includes general medicine, surgery,ENT, pediatrics,toxicology, gynecology ,psychiatry,infertility and antiaging Reading my mind, the doctor continues,”.The basic principle of surgery as we know today was earlier created by Susruta,but after the advent of Jainism and Buddhism , dissection as we understand today was not encouraged..then of course, western medicine took over..”


I sip cool coconut water and walk around the small herbs garden.My initiation into ayurveda continues.”There is hardly any documentation. Families have preserved the various formulae on palm leaf and hand written manuscrips and they have been handed down every generation.Thats how this science has actually survived across centuries.”

I watch as cormorants dip their beaks into water and look for their morning catch. There is complete silence but for the breeze . The landscape is devoid of people , but for us. I look at the vast expanse of water, the sun’s rays stroking it, the birds and the islands..Its little wonder why Kerala is called Gods own country. The doctor’s words come back “Svaastha or Ayurveda is a balance of body,mind and spirit.”Standing on the fringes of the Ashtamudi lake, I feel the balance restored inside me.

Getting there
Kollam or Quilon is the closest town to Ashtamudi as its on the banks of the lake. The lake connects to the Arabian Sea forming an estuary and it can be viewed from the Needakara bridge enroute to the Kollam town. The beach at Kollam and the old lighthouse at Thangasherry are some of the common sightseeing options for tourists.


PS - Some of you have read this story in CLAY, however I wanted to post it on my blog as well. It has been published in The Hindu-Metro Plus segment in Chennai, Bangalore and Kochi .Click here .I want to acknowledge that most of the pics of the lake were taken by my husband, Sharath

Much water has indeed flowed...

"Have you put it on the blog ?" My dad asked me last week when he was shifted to the ward after spending almost six days in the CCU at Apollo Hospitals .I smiled in relief, telling him that I had no time for the blog, but had send twitter updates from my mobile phone .I had no net access either. My sense also was that he didnt want me to blog about it.But now that he has come home,Ive finally found some time to blog. Thanks everybody who enquired after my health and that of dad ..I will probably be another week in Madras and although my laptop has crashed now, I will definitely be back in touch in a week's time and catch up with all your posts.

Ayurveda@Ashtamudi

Im sniffing here in Chennai with a bad cold and throat infection-missed the buzz at Chennai Sangamam and the only way to feel good is to remember the wonderful massage I had at Svaastha -the branded ayurvedic spa at Club Mahindra resort in Ashtamudi.I could do with one more just now...it was so rejuvenating ..I will soon post a detailed travelogue,until then..

The Ashtamudi resort bathed in moonlight

Here is another picture of Club Mahindra's Ashtamudi resort bathed in moonlight. I love this photograph and it was shot by my husband , Sharath . The place is magical , indeed.

Ive been tied up again as I have to go back to Chennai for personal reasons and it will take me a while to visit all your blogs. Wish you all a Happy Pongal/Sankranti and enjoy your holidays.

Ashtamudi - my first discovery in 2009

 

Its raining adjectives in this post. A wonderful place and an amazing weekend and it is all courtesy Club Mahindra. I was in Ashtamudi in Kerala over the weekend and the highlight of the trip was a rejuvenating ayurvedic massage at Svaastha -the harmony spa at the property. Incidentally this picture is the view from my room . More on Ashtamudi and ayurveda in some time .