Was it not Kochi [or Coccym, as it was then called by the ancient travelers] that traded with Phoenicians 4000 years ago?  Was it not Kochi that bartered away sandalwood, spices and gold for the trinkets the white sailors brought in?  King Solomon's palace was built with the wood, ivory and gold that Kochi had exported.  It is no wonder that Queen Sheba was bowled over by his wooing and his display of wealth.  Kochi was the principal city of commerce even in the years before Christ.  Ancient travelers said Kochi was a city to make money in, but to spend it, one had to visit Goa, squandering money in debauchery was non-existent in Kochi. The Greeks, Arabs, Chinese and Portuguese came to trade in what was then known as Malabar.  Long afterwards, the British took over the trade houses and the godowns, monopolizing trade with disastrous political consequences.  In fact, reliable sources say that for the purposes of trade, the Phoenicians from Carthage taught the Indian traders their own script, which in time evolved into the ‘Vattezhuthu’ that eventually transformed itself into Malayalam.

Historical references and geographical history can be an integral, if not interesting, part of nostalgia.  In the 50’s, Kochi sported modest looks. Her reputation as the Queen of the Arabian Sea was on account of her grand natural port and backwaters.

Canoes cruised along the present Mahatma Gandhi Road and beyond, through Banerji Road and Cremation canal.  During monsoon, shoals of fish swam through the entire stretch [had the canals been properly preserved and developed, the city would have excelled even Amsterdam in its beauty]. The nights were charming.  The rows of lights on the artificially created island, Willington, and those on its eastern banks, with their reflection on still waters, had a celestial charm. Kochi was then, more known as a centre of culture more than a haven of treasures.

Ernakulam was the capital of the then Cochin State, and Thripunithura was its ‘Buckingham Palace'.  Strolling along the breezy fringes of the backwaters, one comes across the Ram Mohan Palace which now the houses the grandest High Court in India.  The High Court premises offered benign shade to its visitors, some solace to those who lost their cases.  The floral fountain before its entry gate was the contribution of Mr. Malimath, former Chief Justice of Kerala.  The High Court of Kochi had a unique feature of ensuring social justice that was, under the Government of Cochin Act, one among the three judges would be a Christian.  In the Courts, white turbans fitted the learned heads well.  The venerable race is now extinct.

The Azad Maidan, which has heard powerful political rhetoric, is now occupied by police barracks.  An archbishopric was located in the neighborhood.  The Rajendra Maidan has witnessed brutal police repression and blood spills over the built up platform and surrounding turf. An imaginative Minister of a responsible Government should be remembered for his achievement: the Mahatma Gandhi Road {M.G.Road]. The Maharaja had reduced its width by one third, for the sake of his subjects.  By then, Bristow had built the port, Willington Island, the harbour terminus of the railways, its connecting bridge and Airport were wonders for the simple residents of the area.  Kochi is unimaginable without its surroundings pearly islands.  In 1946, the estimate and plan for the Vypeen bridge was ready thanks to Sahodaran Ayyappan.  Unfortunately, though half a century has passed by, that dream is yet to be realized.  

Broadway was the hub of all commercial activities.  ‘Broad‘ only in name, it was the pedestrian’s nightmare.  The young ladies of the nearby college, St.Teresa’s, frequented the shopping centers on this street..  The Jews, with their inherited cleverness in commerce, had a street almost exclusively for them.

Education, costly but subsidized in deserving cases, offered enlightenment .The Ernakulam Public Library was a proud landmark of this enlightened area . On it’s shelves are many books with the imprint MSM, initials of M.S.Menon, the guiding spirit of the institution. Kochi’s proudest possessions have been its educational institutions – the centenarian Maharaja’s, the evergreen St.Teresa's and boisterous Law College and among others: Thrikkakara, the ancient shrine associated with King Mahabali, boasted of a temple of learning and The Cochin University which began modestly in 1963 with three departments [Physics, Law, and Hindi] was affiliated to The Kerala University.  The first vice –chancellor of the University was the eminent Malayalam critic, Joseph Mundassery.

 Parasurama’s art in reclaiming land from water has found it’s modern version and multi-storied buildings now dot the skyline. And the city has been eating up the rural areas, rendering small–scale land owners flush with money. Any Kochi resident might wonder, "How green was my town".  Urban development has destroyed the greenery in the land.  Ms. Janaki Amma, former Judge of The High Court, had nurtured the greenery along with main avenues with maternal care.

Yet, looking out from the windows of Taj Malabar is a heady experience, although the  visible from there would seem muddy and cluttered occasionally with driftwood, a sense of history grips your innards and you are stunned by the realization that Kochi still exists, it’s tradition still exists and growing still.

Achu Ninan Kurian