Panangad: The pictorial delight of the Kochi backwaters

Kerala offers the best getaways to beat the heat, but our day out in the backwaters of Panangad in Kochi was so enchanting except for the scorching heat that only lessened after heavy rains a few days later. Coconut trees are quite universal in Kerala but you find it in lesser numbers in this place. Surrounded by lakes, and minimal human habitation, this place gets its food from submerged pokkali rice and fish catch- chemmeen, the premium fish variety.

We may burn out but not the enthusiasm of kids and this time our little Dash Zoe was also around to enjoy in the grass and sun.  (With Diyah, caretaker of Zoe)

Fishing provides food and livelihood for the people here. With a little bit of luck and a good net, you can have a sumptous lunch and dinner. But these days fish catch is falling.

Kakka meat (Clam)  is one of the favourite dishes here and cooking is done using fire wood or offshoots of coconut tree- leaves or kodumbu

People usually wear lungis, dhotis which can be either folded into half above the knee or worn down to the ankle. They wrap around a towel in the head and they hold beedis or match box for convenience.

Tiled and thatched roofs were common earlier but they have been replaced by concrete roofs even in this area.

The water you get here is salty and you need rain water harvesting to get quality drinking water or get them from across the shores in sintex tanks transported on vanchis (country boats).

(We are grateful to Rajo Devi and family for facilitating this tour in their family location in Panangad covering around 75 acres)

Easter thoughts: Faith and how vital it is in business too

The week that went by was marked by festivities- we had the Holy Friday that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and Easter that celebrates the resurrection of Christ.The millions of people who thronged to churches on these days no doubt believed in The Bible and the role Jesus did to redeem the sins of mankind.

Religions may differ,people do not worship the same God but what unites the Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or any other community is their Faith in the lord.

I was thinking about this even as sometimes religion is being blamed for some of the divisions that have formed in the society and consequent turmoil. The other day my son Darshan who is quite adept at making coffee was talking about making a new business out of coffee. His basic question was- after spending lakhs of rupees,  if the business flops.!

This kind of thinking is not unusual for many who do not ultimately enter business. Here again faith in one's own ability and support systems are important for any business idea to succeed. There are people with any number of ideas which may or may not be tested in the market before it is launched. Ultimately, the success of any new venture depends on the faith the promoter has in his idea, how he does the ground work, how he does the market survey and ultimately pool the resources in terms of money, human resources and regulatory approvals to get the business going.

Karl Marx said religion is the opium of the masses. The Left and the ideology based parties believe in the doctrines of their founders and hope such beliefs can be translated into action and hence benefit mankind. They persuade the party workers to think on those lines. Without faith in the founding principles, no worker could meaningfully co-operate with the activities of a party.

In a corporate organisation, workers or employees not aligned to organisational goals tend to be ousted as they don't add value to their services.

People like Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela who took up public causes had an unwavering faith in what they stood for despite the many hurdles they may have initially faced before they became international movements. It is said faith can move mountains, such is its power.

Now, perhaps, amidst geo-political tensions in Yemen, the fear over Iran's nuclear bomb and the deal and corruption and atrocities everywhere, a firm belief or faith in change alone can bring a transformation in society.

I am happy to share an insight from Dr Deepak Chopra, the alternative medicine advocate. He feels Wall Street executives need to have two hours meditation to get the required rest and tackle high stress. This is in turn should help them become more productive. Even just 15 minutes of meditation provides more rest than deep sleep. Among those who follow his work is hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones, who has his entire staff meditate daily.


(The author is a renowned business journalist/market analyst. He is now providing content development for websites, social media (FB Twitter, LinkedIn), and blogging  services. Please contact : sreekumsree@gmail.com for your requirements)