Kerala, Photography

Flavours of Fort Cochin: Part-1

Sreejith Nair

There is one philosophy I truly believe in, and that made each one of my travels, successful.

That is, “It’s the journey that matters, not the destination”…

I was in Fort Cochin for “Kochi Muziris Biennale-2014“, an incredible art festival being organized annually.

FortKochi-0029The exhibitions are spread across different venues in the old colonial part of Fort Cochin.

I went to the Aspinwall building and took the ticket, which is valid for the whole duration of the festival. It was only 11.30 am and I had plenty of time at hand.

I thought, let’s explore the place first and as I reached the boat jetty, an interesting ferry called Junkar caught my attention.

It was as carrying all sorts of vehicles across the busy channel(shipping lane), connecting Fort Cochin and Vypin.

FortKochi-003FortKochi-004I wanted to try this mode of transport. In no time I had a 3 Rupees ticket in hand and waiting for the next junkar.

FortKochi-0014FortKochi-006FortKochi-0011FortKochi-009This ferry is the major lifeline for the people who lives on both sides of this channel.

I was not the only one who took this joy trip, and it provided plenty of opportunities to shoot as well.

FortKochi-005FortKochi-002FortKochi-008The journey took only a few minutes and it provided great views of the Chinese fishing nets and quite a number of ships moving out of Kochi harbor.

FortKochi-0018FortKochi-007Taking a stroll through the walk way along the channel, I could see how the local fisherman use this age old Chinese fishing nets so efficiently to catch fish.

FortKochi-001

FortKochi-0016It was already 2.30pm and “Our lady of Hope” church provided an ideal place to take some much needed rest.

Though there were plenty of action all around, waiting to be captured, a Biennale ticket was there in my pocket.

I haven’t visited even a single exhibition hall and there is hardly 3 hours for me to get a real over dose of art.

Waiting for the mighty Junkar, I clicked a few more images 🙂

FortKochi-0015

Published by Sreejith Nair

I am from the south indian state of kerala, and now living in Bangalore. My passion is travelling and photography.

58 thoughts on “Flavours of Fort Cochin: Part-1”

  1. Reminds me of my last days in colg! We were doing our final year project under the Cochin port trust. So we opted to stay in Cochin and those days were the best! We would take a boat to Wellington Island..and occasionally off to Fort Kochi!!!

    Superb shots!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I am so glad that you enjoyed these images, Bilna 🙂
      Final year college project was one of the best time for me as well. We guys had a great time in Bangalore 🙂
      It was in fact for the first time, I was in Kochi and really enjoyed the fort Cochin area…
      Thanks a lot for stopping by and have a beautiful day ahead 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  2. Dear Sreejith, each photo here is a work of art, and a loving portrait of the fishing life in this channel community. As I scrolled through I would think, “Oh this one’s my favorite” but I said that for each one! But which one is my all-time favorite? The smiling fisherman with the blue net and the fish on his back. Thank you for sharing this adventure and slice-of-life, I very much enjoyed it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for these words of appreciation, Jet. It really means a lot to me 🙂

      I was truly overwhelmed by the kind of subjects around me to photograph, and in the meantime I forgot, why I was there?

      I had so many images and thought, it would be better to share them in separate posts 🙂

      Have a beautiful day 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Dear Gerrit,

      Thank you so much for stopping by and taking your time in commenting 🙂

      The Chinese fishing nets are something special in this part of Kerala, and which tells the long history of trade with China and other countries.

      I saw these fisherman raising the net from water and they were so happy to find this big catch.

      I just followed his actions and let me tell you, within a minute he was off from the place, maybe to sell it in the nearby market or straight to his home 🙂

      The place was really brimming with action and really wonderful for photography 🙂

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thank you so much, Marc 🙂

      While taking a walk along these fishing nets, I was just imagining how would the aerial view be … with all these islands, port, ship building yard, backwater, bridges and all, I thought, it would be quite an exciting place for you to photograph from your plane 🙂

      Like

      Reply

    1. I was trying to capture the expressions of people in that ferry.

      The bright red color of the ferry was really interesting with the dark green on the machines and all interesting metal cut-outs…

      When I saw the man and kid in this frame, I just clicked 🙂

      Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Elizabeth 🙂

      Have a beautiful day 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. As always, I enjoy your photos and your story. Chinese fishing net is fascinating! I guess one just lower the net and then raise it? They look huge… must be able to catch a lot of fishes. 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes Helen exactly… the whole structure made of wood and ropes is really interesting 🙂

      I was just taking a walk and saw them raising one net, there was one big fish and a few smaller ones.

      They caught the big one in a flash and started walking away, may be to the local market …

      I just enjoyed taking photos 🙂

      Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your kind words 🙂

      Have a beautiful day …

      Like

      Reply

  7. That’s quite a bit of a side tour, Sreejith. I’ve never seen Chinese fishing nets as big as those. They must bring in a lot of fish each day…which I hope so because it looks like fishing is how those people there make a living.

    That is a very quaint looking church. I didn’t know you could take a rest there, at least in India. Funny how when you’re wandering around it’s sometimes a bit hard to find a place to rest for a bit.

    I really like your last shot. Looks like they are all waiting for a boat to take them to the other side 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Kochi is a very old port city and there were trade links between Chinese and Arabians even hundreds of years back.

      The Chinese fishing nets here are the symbols of that era, and one of the major tourist attraction.

      I had a great time watching all these action with plenty of time at hand and used it perfectly 🙂

      But, you could imagine how exhausting it could be, with a 30 Degree C temperature and 80% humidity, to walk for 3-4 hours …

      Yea, it really is a beautiful church and provided some peaceful ambiance. I couldn’t get inside the church, but there was some place to sit nearby in shade and that really helped me.

      Mabel, the guys in the last image are standing beside the busy shipping lane and watching all the ships and boats passes by.

      Frankly, I haven’t seen many a big ships before and it was really a great feel to watch them move through this channel 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Yes, Kat, that’s one of my favorite too 🙂

      I saw the whole action and it was really interesting …

      This place is really beautiful and I am sure you will set aside a day for Kochi in your Kerala tour plan 🙂

      Have a beautiful day 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. It always happens with me, Suyash 🙂

      If I find something interesting while driving, I stop there and try to capture images… or take unplanned deviations…

      One trade off is, I get less time at my destination.

      But, by the end of the journey, I will have something interesting to share with you all 🙂

      Thank you so much for stopping by and have a beautiful day 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

        1. Part-2 on it’s way, Suyash 🙂

          I got so many interesting images that day, I thought it’s better to share in separate posts 🙂

          Deviations and detours really helps to come up with something different, right?

          Liked by 1 person

    1. It really was great roaming around in such a beautiful place with a camera 🙂

      I am so glad you liked these images 🙂

      Thank you so much for taking your time and commenting, Joshi 🙂

      Like

      Reply
  13. Pingback: Flavours of Fort Cochin: Part-2, The Reward | Santiago the Shepherd

  14. Great series of photos Sreejith ~ ferries are one of my favorite modes of transport. I have to take them when I am in Hong Kong and also when I am in Seattle. And ferries are magical in the ways you mention and show in your photos…people love the water, and on a ferry it seems they become fascinated with the view (as with the man & the boy). You are so correct, “It’s the journey that matters, not the destination” which I think is why I enjoy the mode of traveling by a ferry so much.

    A great series of shots ~ all bringing together the feeling of travel with the relaxation/intrigue of being on the water. Cheers ~

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Kerala has quite an interesting geography, Dalo.

      Sandwiched between the ‘western ghat’ mountain range and ‘Arabian sea’, with over 600km in length and hardly 50 km width on average.

      Also there are 41 rivers, originating in the hills and flowing to the sea through this landscape and numerous backwaters.

      Hope it tells the whole story 🙂

      If you sea the map, the area I photographed is kind of a water world and people rely so much on water transport.

      But, my home is a little inland and I rarely had to take boats or ferries. Whenever I find them, I just become a kid and simply enjoy the feel of traveling or just watching them 🙂

      Here in this trip, I just forgot, why I was there on seeing this interesting ferry and here we have the result 🙂

      Thank you so much for your time 🙂

      Like

      Reply

        1. Frankly, I used to feel it like that, especially while coming home from Bangalore after a month or so 🙂

          No wonder why the tourism officials use the tag “God’s own country” in their campaigns 🙂

          Hope you would once explore this heaven on earth, Dalo 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

  18. so very true, it’s the journey that matters…
    so this is part one of the series of Cochin 🙂 I can only hope you have some more photos up your sleeve from this place, you have captured its atmosphere is a very immediate and lively manner…
    love the chinese fishnets photos…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Great to see your thoughts, Alexandra 🙂

      This is truly a wonderful place for someone who likes photography.

      So colorful and so many interesting characters 🙂

      Hope you have seen the second post as well…

      Have a beautiful day 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  19. A very intriguing and informative sequence. Great documentary compositions capture the vibrant life of the locale & the people living there. Well done. 🙂
    Now to check out part 2. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my posts 🙂

      The ‘mix of old and new’ with striking color all around made me deviate from my original plan and capture the people and life in this beautiful place.

      I am so happy and feels rewarded to see your comment …

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thank you so much, Neoline 🙂

      These fishing nets have got a very long history and kind of symbols of this place. They are called Chinese fishing nets.

      This place was brimming with life and activity, and really irresistible for someone who likes photography 🙂

      I am so glad that you liked these images and hope to share many more interesting images from India 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  22. Really nice photos story for a day activity. I really like this concept and I haven’t done it for years! The image of a father and son with the windows frame is pretty cool – I imagine they look at something special and so interesting to them – I wonder whether they shared similar ideas after seeing whatever they saw 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. It was an unplanned trip to this beautiful historic city of Kerala and once my official engagements were over, I had one whole free day…

      ‘If I have my camera with me, only one thing I needed, that is freedom’ or vice-versa 🙂

      Here we have the result, and I am really happy to see the feedback …

      Thank you so much, Indah, for your support and words of appreciation 🙂

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment