Finding everland

Stepping out of the Mangalore airport, we embark upon a three-hour-long journey on NH17 to reach Oyster Opera in Padanna village on Thekkekadu Island in North Kerala. The very first sight of the charming island-resort eliminates the travel fatigue in minutes.

Spread over six acres of expansive land on the edge of pristine backwaters, Oyster Opera resembles a silent fishing village. Amidst the lush green precincts with tall coconut trees all around, one sights the graceful egret, a ready-to-fly darter, and a colourful kingfisher. Sitting still on the edge of the bund skirting the softly swishing waters, you get to see the crawling crabs and lines of oyster shells. Plop! And there goes a battalion of flying fish, jumping in unison and vanishing in a flash.

Time passes by ever slowly on this island, allowing the visitors to soak in the rustic charm of unending waterscapes. The air is pure and as the sun settles down, small lights spring to life on pathways around the cottages which resemble traditional rural huts.
Built mainly of locally available material, and named with local relish — Mussel, Oyster, Clam, Shrimp, Crab, Pearl Oyster, Lobster, Snail, etc — the cottages offer clean and comfortable living spaces. If one is looking for something special, there is the Floating Cottage — a pint-sized water bungalow — swaying on the edge. Open the door of any cottage, and you look directly at the unrestrained views of silently flowing water.

Gul Mohammed, a smiling gentleman in mid-60s, is the brain behind Oyster Opera. Speechful and self-deprecating — “I was good-for-nothing for much of my life” — he credits the glorious uncertainties of life as his guiding spirit. Hunger, joblessness and familial disdain — he has seen them all. He even remembers fleeing to Bengaluru once, and barely surviving in Gandhinagar. After many failures, financial success finally came his way when Dubai beckoned. But after staying there for a decade, “I realised that it was not the place where I wanted to spend the rest of my life.” Returning to Kerala, he set out to become the very first green mussel farmer of Padanna.

People laughed when Gul introduced an innovative method of breeding mussels by using locally available material like coir. Persisting with his effort for long, he finally convinced other villagers to join. Today, his work has resulted in steady income and sustainable livelihood for hundreds of villagers. The national award (Agriculture Ministry’s Karshaka Shiromani Samman) is one among the many public rewards and recognitions he has received.

Oyster Opera took shape more as a by-product when a German tourist persuaded Gul to look at eco-tourism seriously. Set up in 2007, it attracts both foreign and inland tourists in ample measure throughout the year. It gets a rousing ‘thumbs up’ from TripAdvisor and is ranked No. 2 among nine speciality lodging in Kasaragod district.

“I am principally a green mussel and oyster farmer, and not a resort owner,” says Gul with typical modesty. “Oyster Opera is a co-operative effort and a community-run enterprise.” He credits the resort’s success to local villagers (a majority of them being women) whom he has trained in all aspects of hospitality — from cooking/serving the delightful veg/non-veg dishes, to keeping the large premises in perfect shape. Gul’s dream is to further empower local villagers.

He is persuading them to take up eco-tourism by opening their own huts as home-stay for visitors at affordable cost.Visitors to Oyster Opera will not forget in a hurry the many boat rides and visits to nearby beaches, uninhabited islands, estuaries, and mangrove islets. Besides, there are a host of fun activities such as canoeing, coracle boat riding, swimming and fishing one gets to indulge in.

The highlight of our three-night stay was the memorable 13-km boat ride through some astonishingly surreal and magnificent waterscapes. Another highpoint was the visit to the nearby Valiyaparamba island with its 24-km-long beach and watching the setting sun there.‘Tu hi re...’

While staying at the resort, a day trip to the nearby Bekal Fort and beach is not to be missed. The beauty of Bekal was exploited to the hilt by Tamil-Hindi film director, Mani Ratnam, in Bombay (1995). Who can ever forget the burqa-clad Manisha Koirala running along the fort to unite with her lover (Arvind Swamy), her heaving bosom and nimble footsteps perfectly in tune with A R Rahman’s soulful Tu Hi Re...

Back to the present, even on a red-hot April afternoon, the 300-year-old fort is teeming with visitors. Several versions of the fort’s origins make the rounds, but the most popular one credits Shivappa Naik of Ikkeri dynasty for building it in the mid-17th century. Unmindful of its past, for the hundreds of (sometimes boisterous) visitors to Kerala’s largest fort (entry fee, a measly Rs 5), it is time to picnic and snap pictures (camera fee: Rs 25).

Trekking from one vantage point to another, and climbing watchtowers, walls and clobbered steps, they capture for eternity the awesome views of the fort and the Arabian Sea. It takes a good 2-3 hours to move around the vast and well-maintained spaces, before almost everyone religiously reach the Mani Ratnam point. The more adventurous ones go further down, taking the rocky steps, and get to other viewpoints.

By late afternoon, the famed Bekal beach at the foot of the fort becomes a sea of humanity. Men, women and children of all ages walk along the spotless sandy stretch, welcoming the smooth and silky waves to kiss their feet. As the sun sets, their silhouetted figures stand like pygmies against the backdrop of the majestic Bekal Fort.

Hidden gems

When one is in this part of ‘God’s Own Country’, why not check out on a few places of worship? For starters, one should try the Ananthapura Temple not far from Kasaragod town.
Set in the middle of a small rectangular lake, it supposedly has a history of about 3,000 years! The priests of the temple vouch that the idols of the main deity (Anantha Padbhanabha seated on the divine serpent) and his consorts are not made of stone or wood but with a unique concoction of ayurvedic herbs. They also speak respectfully of the temple’s unusual ‘protector’ — a live crocodile (nicknamed ‘Babiya’). Only the truly blessed ones get to glimpse the friendly 70-year-old animal that swims and wanders around in gay abandon but harms none, they say.

My next stop is Maipady Aramane, which boasts of a history of about 200 years. A notice at the entrance informs of the palace’s link to the Hanagallu branch of Kadamba dynasty. A few steps inside, one comes face-to-face with the presiding deity of the palace, Sri Rajarajeshwari. There is not a soul (or crocodile!) in sight, and that only helps spending some quality time in this palace. In tune with my (pseudo) secular spirit, I also visit Our Lady of Dolours (Sorrows) Shrine, popularly known as Bela Church; built in 1880, it said to be the oldest parish in Kasaragod district. My final stop is Malik Deenar Juma Masjid, whose history goes back to 642 AD!­

Reluctantly bidding goodbye to gods and their own country, it is time to drive back to Mangalore airport. Quite incredibly, the North Kerala visit covering some awesome natural landscapes and historic sites has taken no more than four days flat.