THE BEAUTY OF KERALA(slide show)

Kerala, the small, thin state on the Malabar Coast, in the southwestern region of India, had remained a void on the tourist map up to the last decade. Things changed fast in the mid-nineties with the government's policy of liberalization and suddenly Kerala has become the tourist hot spot in the 2000s.

The state had not been a major destination for travelers, Indians or foreigners, because it had very few celebrated sights, unlike the adjacent state of Tamil Nadu, which has several temples, and Karnataka, which has both temples and palaces besides hill stations to boast of. As for beaches, Goa is the reigning queen. However, every visitor to Kerala has been enchanted by it. It certainly has at least one unique selling point - its backwaters. Nowhere else, not even Kashmir, has anything like this inhabited area of lagoons, lakes, canals and paddy fields; where visitors can gradually feel their worries fading away from them, like a snake sloughing its old skin.

Industries are wary of starting a business in this state, as Keralites are known for an exuberant consciousness of their rights - a result of living in the most educated and developed state of the country with a literacy rate of a 100 per cent. The cities in Kerala are perpetually seething with strikes and agitations. These are a result of the communist power over Kerala, which is ironically religious communism. The leaders of the Communist Party openly involve themselves in religious functions and celebrations besides conducting 'pujas' and ceremonies themselves. The lack of industrialization has somehow saved Kerala from the evils of pollution, making it the greenest state of the country. In fact the greenery is so distinct, that if you are to travel by road or air you would definitely notice the lush green at the border to the adjacent state.

Kerala is famous in the country and abroad for its high literacy rate and everybody believes that this is a result of communism. But this is a myth. Though communist governments are believed to have conducted vigorous literacy campaigns, Kerala had the highest literacy rate much before communism took root. The main cause of literacy in Kerala goes back to the enlightened royal government of Travancore and the vigorous efforts of Protestant missionaries in the nineteenth-century. The latter's influence also explains that more than a fifth of Kerala's population is Christian.

If one is to travel to Kerala by air, the options are to land in one of the two airports at either Kochi (Cochin) or Thiruvanathpuram (Trivandrum). While Trivandrum is the capital of the state of Kerala, it is also a beautiful seaside city built on seven hills. The city gets its name from the word Thiru Ananthapuram, meaning the city of Anantha or the abode of the sacred serpent Anantha. Anantha, according to Hindu mythology, is the serpent on which Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the Hindu trinity, reclines. Trivandrum is connected by air with Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai and by rail with all major cities. By road, the journey is pleasant and comfortable as Kerala is connected with all major cities of all states of the country. The roads are smooth and Keralites are supposed to have the largest and most efficient transport service as far as 'private buses' are concerned.

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