Twenty eight years of friendship is very comforting. I don't have to think before I open my mouth and be afraid to put my foot in it. Friendship that started by exchanging awkward glances on the first day of architecture college has grown over endless cups of tea. Discussions on architecture and architects just never seem to end. I remember, in college days, going home and calling up each other to still talk more. Bound by common love....architecture, we have stayed connected in spite of marriage, kids and being in different countries.
We meet whenever we can and dream of visiting buildings together. Plans are discussed to go to Greece to see the Parthenon to check out optical refinement, visit Venice and experience the graceful Venetian Gothic buildings in person or even go to Dubai to see the glitz of mall architecture. Some more tea is consumed, buildings are discussed. Conversation veers from home to kids to spaces to architectural detailing to husbands, in no specific order. In the end we make more plans and as my son's school trip brochure tackily says, 'depart with sweet memories.'
Recently we decided to squeeze in some time and go to God's own country right in our backyard,
Kochi. I'd visited Kerala before but mostly from airport to a holiday resort and back. The only thing I remembered of those trips were early morning forest safaris, 'missed' tigers, lots of elephants, calm backwaters and emerald coasts.
This trip promised to be different. We decided to stay in
Fort Kochi which happens to be one of the most visited places in India. Old Kochi is rich with history, not so much of gory tales of destruction but of spices and trading. This historic district has distinct influence of Portuguese, Dutch and British architecture.
We yapped our way through Mumbai-Kochi flight but quietened as our cab started on an hour long journey to Fort Kochi. There's something about white walls, sloping
Mangalore-tiled roofs peeping through thick coconut trees. It makes for a picture perfect setting, little wonder, Kerala has inspired so many writers. To enter Fort Kochi one either takes the new bridge or the ferry. We were fortunate to take the ferry. It is like enjoying your favorite dessert one spoon at a time. As the ferry glided towards the Fort, we were welcomed by this wonderful long elevation of old buildings. These are now turned into five star hotels but maintain their 'sense of place'.
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| Beautifully scaled buildings of Kochi - Brunton-courtyard building |
This feeling continued as we entered the historic fort. The buildings totally belong to the place. You'll not be surprised by incongruous glass building jarring this idyllic setting. What was surprising though was the orthogonal patterns of streets. Unlike traditional residential development where streets grow with the population, here they seemed to have been planned. Tranquil, criss-crossed streets, lined with stucco finished houses give a definite character to this quaint town. Walking along these streets and peeping through courtyards is an amazingly calming experience.
Even though heat and humidity are almost unbearable, the 'hipness' of this place makes up for the discomfort of terrible weather. Modern art galleries and inviting cafes dot entire historic district. Enter a humble looking doorway and you'll be surprised by the modern art display and bakery products with eclectic coffees on the menu. Beautiful places to hang out with friends and chat away for hours on end.
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| Kashi Art Cafe - Fort Kochi |
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| Installation in one of the Art Galleries. Sorry, don't remember the artist. |
The architecture of Fort Cochin is an assimilation of economic, social and cultural influence of Portuguese, Dutch and British rule. It is not very easy to distinguish between different architectural styles as many changes have been made over the last few years. One can see amalgamation of colonial architectural features with Kerala traditional architecture. There are Kerala style buildings with very low sloping roofs totally responding to the harsh summers and humidity, and then there are colonial buildings with not so low roofs but use of wooden louvred windows inspired by traditional Kerala wooden louvres.
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| British Colonial |
Portuguese spent more time in Kochi than did the Dutch or the British. The Portuguese colonial architectural style of this era is quite plain, solid and almost devoid of any embellishments. This style is purely functional and was developed out of necessity as Portuguese were trying to establish their empire across seas and needed military base everywhere. This style was later defined by
George Kubler as
"Arquitecture chã"(plain architecture)
. I quite like this no nonsense style of architecture. Also reminds me of Goa and holidays.
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| St. Francis church |
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| Hotel in fort Koch |
The best part of staying in Fort Kochi is you can explore it on foot. We walked along the beach in the evening to see Chinese fishing nets in sunset hues, roamed Jewish town and visited every antique shop there is. Don't be fooled by the tiny entrances of these antique shops. I was quite amused to see an entire house courtyard for sale along with a 100' Kerala snake boat. These shop extend all the way from Jewish Synagogue street to waterfront. Walk around, shop and settle down for a refreshing beer or coffee.
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| House on Sale with a Snake Boat |
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| Chilling at a Cafe |
We unanimously agreed that Jewish town has an old world charm, replete with history and stories of the yesteryear. Walking through a narrow lane leading up to the Synagogue, the antique shops, shops selling intricate laces and that heady aroma of spices....very intoxicating.
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| Synagogue |
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| At the Synagogue |
There's so much to see and explore in this fort which ironically doesn't have any bastions. The charm of Kochi is in walking on foot and just soaking in the potpourri of architecture, art, culture, spiced with cafes. And if you visit it with friends who enjoy all of this, you'll have an experience worth remembering.
Bibliography
http://blog.coxandkings.com/10-reasons-to-visit-fort-kochi/
http://www.seetheworldinmyeyes.com/travel-diary/south-asia/india/fort-cochin-captivating-and-tranquil/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Portugal
http://www.cghearth.co.in/index.php/Brunton-Boatyard/Brunton-Boatyard---Fort-Cochin02
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