Soft and gentle breeze on the face, occasional twittering of passing by birds, Sun engaged in hide and seek game behind the clouds, wind playing with the leaves of tall trees and the rhythm of splashing oars in the blue waters. Shut your eyes and those of you lucky ones who have had a ride in a Shikara of Kashmir, are surely going to experience a surge of nostalgia. But here we are talking about the experience in the Kettuvalloms (houseboats) of Kerala.

 

The modern houseboats are crafted out of traditional Kettuvalloms, which are in fact country boats used in the past for transportation of people and goods. In Malyalam "Kettu" means knot and "vallom" means boat. The boat is made by tying together wooden planks with coir. A large kettuvallom has a capacity equivalent to that of seven trucks.

Kettuvalloms loaded with rice and coconut were used to traverse long distances between remote villages and large towns till the 1950s. Palm studded banks of backwaters and canals reverberated sonorous humming songs of oarsmen during calm dark nights. But all these now exist in the memories of the older generation. With the advent of highways and trucks and also with the change in the life-styles of the people, this eco-friendly boat traffic has slipped into oblivion.

The recent tourism boom in Kerala has once again brought back the golden days of the Kettuvallom. The old style Kettuvalloms have been remodeled to attract and cater to the tourists. Using local materials like bamboo poles, bamboo mats, carpets fully furnished and cozy houseboats with single bedroom and two bedrooms are constructed. All of them have sundeck, kitchen and toilets. Traditional lanterns are used as lights and the experienced cooks serve a traditional Kerala menu along with the local specialties – including hot and spicy fish and prawn preparations and even the catch of the day.

Culinary delights apart, a glide through the vast expanses of the backwaters of Kerala is thrilling. Here one can live in total communion with nature, the senses and mind tuned to the gentle whistling of breeze and breaking of waves. It also provides an opportunity to learn about the wonder s of nature that is a wetland ecosystem – rick and self-sustaining but fragile.

Backwaters, or kaayals as they are called in Malayalam, is a unique geographical phenomenon. There are about 30 large and small backwaters in coastal Kerala. Vembanad kaayal, with the towns of Allappuzha in the south, Kottayam in the east and Kodungaloor (Ernakulam) in the north, is the largest. Astamudi kaayal, literally backwater with eight arms, is the second largest and the ancient town of Kollam (Quilon) stands on its banks.

The coastal backwater system comprises of an entire network of lakes, lagoons and estuaries inter-connected by a chain of canals. Most of the west flowing rivers of Kerala drain into these backwaters which are connected to the sea. The backwaters are very rich in aquatic life. Marine fishes and other organisms use the comparatively calm and safe waters of the lagoons for the breeding and as nurseries for their young ones.

With fewer carnivorous mammals, water fowls form a dominant and most visible part of the faunal life of wetlands. The Purple Heron, the Black Bittern, four species of Egrets, the Pond Heron, the Night Heron, three species of Carmorants and the Darter are the commonest birds sighted during the cruise through the Vembanad lake. Till a couple of years ago, lakhs of migrating Ducks and Teals used the lake as their main roosting place in Kerala. The Garganey Teal, the Lesser Whistling Teal and the Pin-Tail Duck etc. were regular visitors to Paathiramanal are in Vembanad lake during winter. But, due to some recent ecological disturbances, these birds seem to have deserted their habitat altogether. About 10 species of water fowls including the Purple Heron, the Night Heron and the Darter nest on the mangrove trees in Kumarakom in a fairly large colony.

A leisurely journey in a kettuvallom from Kollam to Kochi (Cochin) via Alappuzha and Kuttanad unfolds before your eyes varying scenarios of Kerala’s rural life. Thatched houses and concrete buildings, temples, mosques and churches, the old and the new exist side by side. The rhythmic hitting sound produced by rural women making coir by thrashing coconut husk can be heard from shady coconut grooves on the banks. Life around the backwaters is simple and rustic. In Kuttanad area, rows of houses are built on narrow bunds raised with mud on the borders of vast emerald green paddy fields. The main occupations of the locals are paddy cultivation, fish farming, fishing and coir industry and their main crops are rice and coconut. The seasoned farmers of the Kuttanad on the upper reaches of Vembanad have developed ingenious methods to reclaim the backwaters temporarily for growing paddy below sea level by creating a network of mud bunds and using traditional water pumping system and thereby made Kuttanad the granary of Kerala.

Naturally, the main sport of the people living in and around the backwaters is boat race. Otherwise uneventful, the backwaters of Alappuzha come alive around Onam, the most important festival of Keralites, when numerous electrifying races by carved wooden boats called snake boats set the waters on fire. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is the most exciting of all such races. It started in 1962 on the occasions of India’s first Prime Minister, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit to Alappuzha, and now has acquired the status of an important event. The race which is held on the second Saturday of August every year, features the gigantic snake-boats of Kerala, the chundans, the battle ships of the Malayalee kinds of yore.

Population explosion and urbanisation is posing serious threats to the kaayals. It is estimated that the total area of these backwaters has shrunk from 440 sq. kms. in 1968 to 350 sq. km. today. The vast Vembanad lake has shrunk from 230 sq. kms. to 179 sq. kms. during this period. Today the backwaters area is only one-third of its size in the beginning of the 20th century

A system of natural channels and man made canals connect the backwaters forming a "West Coast Canal"(WCC) from Thiruvanthapuram in the South to Badagara in the north, with only one major break in Trissur. Once an important artery of Kerala, it is now blocked in many pleaces by disuse, misuse and negligence. The only contiguous stretch now used for Kettuvallom cruises is Kollam-Kottappady (near Kodungallur) section of WCC. Cruise in house boats is offered to tourists at Kollam, Allappuzha, Kumarakam (near Kottayam) and Kochi.

The newfound importance to tourism has inspired planners to think about the neglected inland navigation route. Two yeas ago, the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) made a techno-economic feasibility study for extending the National Waterway-III, at present covering only the stretch between Kollam and Kottapuram, to cover the entire coastal belt of Kerala. The NATPAC has now prepared a plan for the development Kollam-Thiruvanthapuram section of the WCC for house boat operation in view of the potential for water-based tourism in Kerala.

LAST CHANCE FOR CRIME CRACKING CAMERAS

Around #85 million for CCTV schemes is up for grabs by local Crime
and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, Home Office Minister Charles
Clarke said.

The latest 'winner' of Government money is Daventry, Northamptonshirewhich will receive #487,000 towards funding 30 cameras and 20 help points, shop radio links and a Pub Watch scheme. It is the first winner from Round Two of the CCTV Initiative, and many more are in the pipeline.

The cash is part of the #153 million CCTV money announced last year
of which #60 million has already been allocated to 350 projects
across the country.Speaking today at a national conference on CCTV in crime reduction Mr Clarke said:

"CCTV can help tackle vandalism, vehicle crime, burglary, and
violence around our homes, car parks and shopping areas. All of these
places can be more secure and, importantly, local people can feel
more secure with the help of CCTV.

"Independent research has shown that CCTV can work. Our own research and police experience tells us that properly managed schemes as part of a wide local crime reduction strategy get the best results. This is why the Government has made the biggest investment in CCTV this country has ever seen.

"There are only two weeks left for local crime and disorder reduction
partnerships to submit their bids, or at least their intention to bid
for cash for innovative CCTV projects. I know that lots of bids are
being prepared and I look forward to announcing the successful
schemes next year."

Commenting on the successful Round Two CCTV Initiative bid from
Daventry Mr Clarke said:"This first winning bid is good news for the people of Daventry. Around 18% of all crime in the District area are committed in the town centre. The CCTV scheme will cover car parks, supermarkets, homes, a bus station and subways. It will help combat theft violence,criminal damage, burglary and vehicle crime."

Daventry District Council Leader Chris Mullin said:"We're particularly pleased that our bid for funding has been so successful because there's overwhelming support for the scheme, and it is a system that we will be able to expand as the town grows."The closing date for organisations to submit their bid or intention to bid for Round Two is Friday 22nd December.

In order that CCTV is used fairly and lawfully, with due regard
for civil and personal liberties, all successful bids will be
regulated by codes of practice that require them to adhere to the principals of the Data Protection Act 1998.In this second bidding round schemes to cover rural areas, transport-related schemes and local shopping parades have been given more encouragement to bid. Schemes for town and city centres, car parks and residential areas continue to be a priority.

Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships were set up under the
Crime and Disorder Act which places a joint responsibility on the
local authority and police to formulate and implement crime and
disorder reduction strategies in each district, borough or unitary
authority in England and Wales. There are 376 of these local
partnerships. The must work in co-operation with a range of local
organisations and in consultation with the local community.