Calicut

Looking under the overlooked

-Aastha Mehta
I had the chance of visiting Calicut in the winters of 2018 on a college trip and i must say that it was an unforgettable experience. Here's my story of how i explored the city and found things which i can never find anywhere else.

A picture i took at the varakkal beach.

While packing my bags i made sure to check the weather because in my experience the weather of kerala can change any second. It was funny how i was walking under a bright sun and after 5 minutes it started raining! I got to know the weather was pretty warm so i packed all my summer clothes in December. What an irony!

Our bus journey began from bangalore and i slept peacefully through the night, waking up in between to see the landscape outside. We were living just 500 meters from the beach is what i heard. I was pretty excited to know what the city was about. 

We got a brief about Calicut from a man named Vinod, who was madly in love with the city. He had a sense of pride on his face when he started talking about Calicut and with utmost enthusiasm he said "Calicut or Kozhikode was an important port on the coast of kerala and had a lot of trade going on. It was known as the 'city of spices' for being an important trading point for spices like pepper (which the Europeans used to preserve meat).  Vasco da gama was the first to enter this place through the sea, opening a sea route for trade. It was one of the earliest cosmopolitan centres of the world..." he went on about the rich history of the city. 

An old workshop indusrty

The following day we went on a small walk, exploring the streets of Calicut. We walked down the Silk road, looking at the ancient locks and learning how the doors would open in houses. This really fascinated me, especially the architecture of the houses. The lane was filled with sloping roofed houses, as Kozhikode receives a lot of rainfall, but something was different about the place. I felt that there had been a Portuguese, French and European presence here. Of course I had read about it in history but I could feel their influence in the houses, in the way streets were laid out, it seemed as if there was a story behind every window and door. One such story told to us by a researcher, Sumesh, was that back in the day the French colony was separate and the police could not enter the area as it was exclusive. So the mischief makers or thieves when chased by the police would simply cross the wall and be safe as the police couldn’t enter the area!

Walking down the famous S.M street, (S.M for sweet meat which was sold there), I noticed

S.M street

how the people were eager to sell their goods. The city is famous for its halwa and the cotton fabric Calico which must have derived its name from Calicut. The street was full of colorful garments and colorful people, trying on new kurtis and sarees in shops or bargaining for cloth. While i was walking, i noticed several people making a 'chhu chhu' sound so as to grab my attention. It was a funny way of inviting someone into their shop and as i entered while giggling at what they were doing, they were equally happy to get a customer. I looked at a few kurtis, trying to explain the shop owners the kind i wanted. I thought of trying some and they directed me to a small fitting room. I had a heavy backpack on my back and i didn't know where to keep it. The shop lady assured me that i can keep it outside the fitting room and nothing would happen. I went inside with a little doubt, being in a new city where people barely know the language i speak. But when i came out my bag was just as i left it and i smiled. 'The people of Calicut are very trustworthy', the phrase was actually true. I realised how the people here are always eager to help, sometimes it works like a reflex mechanism, as soon as they see someone is confused or looking for something, they come to help. Most of it is genuine, rather than for a profit motive.

Kuttichira at night

I further went into the alleys and the basement shops in which they sold garments. I walked into a shop and was going through the garments. The shopkeeper was showing me the varieties of palazzos he had. He asked me where I’m from, probably because I was speaking in hindi. He asked me if I had seen Calicut, I said I had seen Kuttichira. There was an instant smile on his face and he exclaimed ‘that’s where I am from’! He started telling me about the famous miskhal mosque and other mosques which are famous. I told him that I went there and after that ate dinner at a restaurant by the kuttichira lake which had an amazing chilly beef dish along with fish fry. He immediately recognised the restaurant and told me if I like to eat non vegetarian, I should go eat at the Rahmat hotel.

Calicut is very famous for its food culture. There is beef available on every corner, in any small restaurant. The last place I saw beef being this popular was at Mcdonalds in Paris. Even in new delhi, you only get beef in high end restaurants or fancy hotels. But the reason why Calicut has a lot of non veg is due to the Islamised food culture. Islam in kerala assimilated with the local traditions and Calicut thus developed a hybrid culture.

I got to know a lot of restaurants in the city. Most people eat non vegetarian, biryani, fish, or rice with some sort of curry are popular. Now a few Arabian restaurants have popped up near the beach, with authentic food. I relished the kerala parotha at almost every meal, experimenting it with kerala style duck or lamb chops or chicken stew. Whatever dish I ordered for 8 days in Calicut, was equally delicious. I don’t think that this was by luck, the food here never tastes bad! There is a tradition of always taking tea when one visits a house in Calicut. Apart from this I took a walk along the beach in the evening one day, and saw little stalls giving fried veg pakodas and some sort of fried clams which had two shells with the edible part in between. Other stalls have preserved mangoes, radishes etc. in vinegar in large mason jars along with watermelons. One can find these on various corners in the city.

Miskhal Mosque

I tried the mango from a stall in Kuttichira, a muslim populated area in Kozhikode. The famous Miskhal mosque, constructed by an Arab merchant, Nakhuda Miskhal is located there. The top floors of the mosque were constructed entirely in wood. One of the most interesting things about this mosque was that when we entered it, I didn’t realise it was a mosque. Only the green walls gave it away. I looked at the mosque, which appeared like an ancient Chinese temple, and thought of the unique architecture. We could see how the structure was interlocked and there were no nails used.

Most of the architecture in Calicut doesn’t involve the use of any adhesive or nails. It’s amazing how the structures stand sturdy till date. Each element has its own strength and is put together to build a magnificent mosque. As I sat there, making a few sketches, I thought of how even humans, who have their own strengths, work together to make something marvellous in the same way.

After this, we went to Muchundhi mosque, the second oldest in india. It’s beautifully carved and the ceilings are even decorated with the traditional calligraphy. We went into one such shop which had calligraphy artwork.

Muchundhi Mosque

Calicut was the place where Islam wasn’t imposed on the local population as a religion. The people in Kerala gradually accepted the coming of Islam, and even the Nair community was involved with the Arab traders. Matriliny was prevalent in kuttichira and the houses were controlled by women. Men did not have rights on property. We went into one such house. It had a veranda or a courtyard constructed in traditional style with sloping roof and pillars. The entrance had steps leading up to a door with a curtain, beside a large window which could open, behind which there was a flat sitting area, more like an elevated floor. The old lady of the house told us that the men who visited could not come inside the house. They had to sleep outside in the sitting area, including the husband. It was very different from what I had seen before. The parda was there to separate the area of women from men.

               

After this long day in kuttichira we retired to our hotel rooms. Every night I used to head out for dinner, wanting to try something new. I didn’t find any difficulties in locating the Calicut special food or any other unique cuisine as it was everywhere. But there was only one thing to worry about- how would we get an auto at 9:30!! As weird as it sounds, Calicut used to shut down by 10 pm. There were very few autos and the streets were mostly empty. One night we were thinking of actually walking back to the hotel as there was no auto!

Mann Cafe- a mental health centre which had art therapy as a treatment.

People have praised the autorickshaw drivers of Calicut. Yes, it is true that they are the kindest and very helpful but at night the local drivers retreat to their homes. Their jobs are taken up by the migrants. One evening an autodriver did not switch the meter on and demanded for double the money. When we declined he got angry and started shouting at us. This does not usually happen. The autodrivers always used to turn on the meter- a thing you will only find here and in Mumbai now. I had to go from mananchira lake to the east hill to the beach one day. I called for an auto (after 4 days we were now trained to catch autos in seconds) and asked him to take me to a museum on the east hill. On the way I was trying to tell him the way. I experienced a language issue in the city because most of the population only speaks Malayalam. People know a little hindi and english. So I used to mix whatever words I knew together so that the auto waalas could understand it. I even resorted to sign language once. He asked me where I was from and was eager to know what I was doing in the city. We were talking on the way and he suggested me some places to eat. This was the usual pattern with the auto drivers. All of them were keen to know why we were in the city and used to talk to us. The auto drivers are usually seen as impolite or dangerous. But the people here were different.

Ansari Park

I got off at mananchira Ansari park one evening and found an art camp set up there. I was very excited to see this as I never knew about the concept of an art camp. There were professional artists who were painting on large canvases. They were invited by the Lalit kala academy of kerala and their concepts revolved around nature or society or political problems of the country. It was a great experience to talk to artists and learn about their point of view and to be able to see their process. I stood there, admiring how each artist had a different style of painting and everything looked beautiful. But one thing crossed my mind that even though they are extremely talented, they do not get enough recognition as all of them were local artists from small districts except a few.

I thought of this while walking back. I noticed a shop selling lottery tickets. 'Wow, i only saw this in movies' i exclaimed. As i walked i saw that alot of shops sold the lottery tickets. This must be a good entertainment for the people of Calicut!

Mananchira pond was the source of all water once. Across the pond, is the CSI church, a very important protestant church. It is based on German architecture.

Sketch from the road opposite CSI church.

In the middle of our trip, we were asked to research on one thing that we would like to know more about. I always liked being in churches and noticing how grand their architecture was. So I decided to do my research on the churches of calicut, their architecture and their influence along with the history. I visited many churches to learn about this.

The Christian missionaries including the Basel mission set up churches in calicut. Christianity never separated itself from the local culture and adopted ways according the local culture. For example, I saw all bibles translated in malyalam. One of the churches did not even have any English bibles, the prayers were recited by the father in the local language. St. Mary’s church had an actual diya stand which is used in the hindu tradition, with a cross on top. I made many more such observations. The father of the church explained to me that the orthodox churches do not have an idol of Christ or a statue. Only the golden cross is there. He also mentioned that the mangal sutra was adopted in Christianity which had a cross on the chain. Things like these show how a religion that came from outside, assimilated with the local traditions.

St. George Orthodox Cathedral

We even saw a Sindhi temple and the famous Tali shiva temple which was built in the 14th

century.  The founding and prosperity of Kozhikode city is closely linked with the sanctity of this ancient temple. This temple has the most erotic sculptures depicted. Most of the sculptures are extremely well crafted. A weird thing happened when we were visiting the temple. While walking, we were looking for a 'temple' like it usually is. We could not see any temple and asked the passerby's about the Tali temple. We realized that it was right beside us. The architecture of the temple was so different! It did not have the Shikhara and looked alot like the Miskhal mosque! I guess that is one thing about Calicut- its history is not mainstream.

My evenings usually went by watching sunsets on the beach. Apart from the calicut beach I discovered the varakkal beach which wasn’t crowded. I used to take a walk along the beach, observing the sea.

Sand art by me.

The place had a serene landscape and I could forget all my worries of the day. The smell of the salty sea and the sound of waves would bring me at peace.I used to have my own little adventures in Calicut. One evening we decided to go at the end of the mampuzha river where it connected to the sea. The sight was one to behold! I was standing on rocks, a sandy beach to my left and a rocky one with the river to my right. From that small point, I could see the coast of Kozhikode.

I met a small boy, Shoaib. He was watching me sketch by the rocks. I gave him a pencil and paper so that he could also draw. He was hesitant to take it first but then he quickly drew his house and his friends and wrote Shoaib Class 3. I knew then that he goes to school.We could not communicate through language as i did not know malyalam but could understand each other through drawing! 

The Kallai river is also an important one. The bridge has seen many romantic movies being shot there. Earlier, when someone used to do something wrong in the Zamorin tradition, that person would be sent to the other side of the river. Along the river was a huge trade for wood. Timbre trade was very popular. There are still wood workshops in the area. Today, it is prohibited to cut the trees along the river as people realised the destruction they were causing and after many protests the government banned it.

We learnt how a tree is rooted and takes whatever is around it. It only absorbs the things beneath it and gives back in return to the soil. There are similarities between both humans and trees. Both grow upright and multiply. Sometimes it seems like a competition between the trees and the humans, as to who would conquer the place. But humans being mobile, usually destruct the entire area. And if they abandon a place, the trees take over. This seems like a constant race and makes me wonder more about the survival of the fittest in new aspects. Even though calicut is a small city which is not much developed and there isn’t much tourism, I realised that if you want to find beauty in a place you just have to look for it.

Beauty comes in many forms. A significant memory of my trip was the beautiful craftsmanship of the artisans at Sargaalaya. This arts and crafts centre is located an hour away from Kozhikode. The most interesting thing about the place was that the finished items were kept for sale in different rooms, and behind those were the workshops where artisans were producing those articles. We could actually see the process of how the final product was made. I think that is very important in art and design. How you arrived at something equally matters! I saw the working of a powerloom, artists painting canvas, beads, cane and bamboo, clay, pottery, jewellery making, metal work etc. It was an enriching experience to see people with great skills. 

This trip helped me look into a city in a deeper way, to understand tradition, history and how the society is changing and to learn about the stories embedded between things. Calicut was literally a city of trust, with people helping me all the time. The city celebrates and inculcates its morals and values. The people are colorful from the inside and outside. The lifestyle and the people are simple, trustworthy and genuine. The trip provided me with a lot of insights and to observe things and reflect on my experiences. This was a great start towards building an art practice!