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Please click each slide to advance>

Please click each slide to advance>. January 4 th : Our trip to India took off at 14.50 hrs flying Emirates EK0108 to Dubai. Slept the night in Dubai then proceeded to Kochi airport in Kerala. Thankachan was there to greet us. He lives in Kannur.

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  1. Please click each slide to advance>

  2. January 4th: Our trip to India took off at 14.50 hrs flying Emirates EK0108 to Dubai. Slept the night in Dubai then proceeded to Kochi airport in Kerala. Thankachan was there to greet us. He lives in Kannur.

  3. Wedged between the picturesque Western Ghats (or Sahyadri Mountains) and the mighty Arabian Sea on the southern coast of India, Kerala is the land of silver beaches, lush forests, exotic wildlife, shimmering backwaters, rejuvenating Ayurveda, the scent of fresh tea leaves and all that you could ever imagine in a dream vacation spot. With so much to see and do here, even God could not resist the temptation of being here and called it his own country. Thankachan’s house lies in Kannur or Cannanore as it was called by the British. It is a northern district of Kerala. It shares its boundaries with the Kasargod on the North and the Kozhikode District Of Kerala in The South. To the east is the Statre of Karnataka and to the West is the Arabian Sea. The district derives its name from the city of Kannur, which is its headquarters. Kannur is famous for its extraordinary natural beauty, its dainty beaches, ancient temples and the associated festival rituals like the Theyam. The major industries, besides tourism, are the handloom and coir work industries. 

  4. My encounter with THANKACHAN V P, Slideshare friend and a renowned Lawyer at Kuthuparamba

  5. Stopping to tuck in some food on our way from airport. Almost mid-night. We live in an intensely interdependent world in which all the earth's people with their immense differences of culture and historical experience are compressed together in instant communication. My wife and I, we were about to face Indian culture which in effect means Hindu culture, Hindu religion, Hindu society, Hindu civilization, Hindu way of life for the very first time. It took us some time to adapt but we understood that there is a head and tail for a coin. There is both positive and negative impact of Western culture and Indian culture. Western culture and Indian culture both have good qualities and bad qualities. We should not think of which culture is better but should take the good qualities of both cultures and put them into use in our life. THIS IS HOW WE FEEL ABOUT IT AND THIS IS WHAT WE ACTUALLY DID!

  6. < Gina & Suma, Thankachan’s wife. On our first day in Kerala, Thankachan dragged us along to a friend’s Wedding. The Wedding of Sherin and Sreesha. On an auspicious day the elders of the groom's side go to bless the bride and vice versa, by sprinkling husked rice and trefoil on their heads and giving them gold My wife and I took turns to sprinkle rice on the Bridegroom ornaments. It is a kind of acceptance of the boy and the girl on both sides. Venue for the Wedding reception.

  7. MORE WEDDING PHOTOS Preparing food for the Invited. Posing with the couple. The wedding ritual over the wedding ceremony begins. A banquet is held to treat the guests who lavish gifts on the new bride. The Bride and the Bridegroom.

  8. Thankachan and his Astronomy class. To commemorate the International Year of Astronomy in 2009, an article in the Malayalam newspaper Mathruboomi, examined the legacy of Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler. It also brought out an important topic – Eurocentrism in history writing – due to which it delved into the work done on telescopes by Galileo, Hans Lippershey and Roger Bacon. Invited to address the crowd. Malta was my topic. In their propensity to solve astronomical problems, mathematicians of the Kerala school developed concepts like Gregory’s series and the Leibniz’s series. Thankachan is one of many that teach the natives of Kerala to understand further. Teaching the natives via a big screen. Eager boys wanted to know about Malta. Ended up signing around 50 copybooks. Open air gathering. All attentive, all digesting what Thankachan is saying.

  9. A day out with Thankachan & Suma The snake farm or rather Animal Farm Right on top is Kuttapu, T & S’s son. Below a visit to Paru’s (T & S’s daughter) school + teachers. A sightseeing tour of the region proved interesting and exhilarating, especially driving through the forested narrow roads. Gina & Suma nibbling food offered freely at the Temple. With Thankachan & Suma at the foot of anotherTemple. Stopping at a Coconut stall with Gina quenching her thirst and later on selecting the fresh fish for the night’s dinner.

  10. A day’s visit to OOTY Thankachan organized for us a 2 day tour outside of Kannur. Riding in a comfortable car with 2 of his trusted friends, we ventured on to Ooty then on to Mysore. Ooty also known as Udhagamandalam is the "Queen of hill stations" and the capital of Nilgiris district. It is one of the most popular tourist resorts in India. Nilgiris means "Blue Mountains". It is a land of picturesque picnic spots. Used to be popular summer and weekend getaway for the Britisher’s during the colonial days. It is situated at an altitude of 2,240 meters above sea level. Somewhat COLD

  11. Driving to OOTY Stretching our legs amongst the Eucalyptus Trees….. and a tea plantation at our backs. The high altitude made us wear our jackets. A stop at a tea Factory was interesting and we ended coming out with small bags of varied tea Leaves. Along the road we encountered the odd monkey and the odd cow wandering the roads. Ooty has plenty of tourist attractions. The Botanical Gardens are full of shady trees, myriad ornamental plants and flowers. Another major tourist’s spot is Ooty Lake, which is at about 1-km of distance. It is an artificial lake constructed by John Suvillian, the first Collector and virtual founder of Ooty in 1824. Ooty organizes a number of carnivals all through the year. The most popular among them are the annual Tea and Tourism Festival in January, which we sorely missed.

  12. More photos of OOTY Left to right……the lush greenery, the lake and our hotel (just kidding for in India, the word hotel also refers to restaurant). With Gina at the Botanical gardens, the open market and the vegetable stall . Another pose at the Botanical gardens and finally with our protégés at market.  If you are in Ooty in the month of May, then you can also be a part of the summer festival, which is held there annually. 

  13. Next stop MYSORE Mysore is the second biggest City in the State of Karnataka. It lies 130 kms from the State Headquarters, Bangalore. It is the erstwhile capital of the Mysore Maharajas, who ruled Mysore State from this royal city. Mysore has still an old world charm which has not given way to modern amenities. In addition to its beautiful silk sarees and sandalwood oil, Mysore is also famous for its silk. Mysore is a city of palaces, gardens, shady avenues and sacred temples and retains some of the charm of the old world with its many institutions that propagate Carnatic Classical music and dance……. Here we meet up with Slideshare friend No2… The carefree AvalokSastri

  14. Avalok took up my invitation to join us for a day in Mysore. It took him over 150mins to travel from Bangalore his home town. Worthwhile noting that Bangalore is India’s fifth largest and fastest growing city.

  15. Drowning a shot of good whiskey With Avalok at the Maharaja's Palace Yet another pose prior to entering the Palace Just relaxing. Avolok managed to have lunch and a late dinner with us all prior to him heading home. Avolok is just fantastic, once you get to know him. A laid back person, if ever there was one. Not trusting Avalok as he gestures with his fork! Someone once wrote that ‘Mysore is God’s chosen heaven on Earth’ A stop at a Hindu temple at the top of Chamundi Hill

  16. Putting shoes back on Out from the palace… Posing with Rajan our translator. Taming the bull Relaxing at the bird sanctuary. With a group of worshipers Under the huge Nandi Bull With our friend Rajan. Gina with Sajesh our driver.

  17. Having been away for 2 days to OOTY & MYSORE, we returned for a final 2 day stay with Thankachan & family. Before proceeding to Thankachan’s house we were invited by Rajan for a family reunion….his wife, his son and daughter. On the way we even had time to visit Thankachan’s brother and his wife. That’s her with my wife Gina. In the meantime, back home Suma was preparing fresh home-made noodles for us and her adorable family.

  18. An early brisk morning walk brought us face to face with a group of women washing their clothes in the open. On board an auto-rickshaw or 3 wheeler. A vast number of local Hindu Indian festivals revolve around the worship of gods at the neighborhood, or village nearby. We were present during one of these Festivals. Ordinary men are dressed up in the images of the gods. People flock to them for advice and consolation. It is also a reason for music, dance, processions, and what have you.

  19. Muzhappilangad beach of Kannur is one of the longest Beaches of Kerala. It is situated at a distance of 15 kilometers from Kannur.

  20. Our very first night out. A shopping mall in the heart of Bombay. Abhishek bought food for all plus 4 tickets for a late night movie.

  21. The Gateway of India

  22. We decided to take a Harbour cruise. The TajMahal Palace & Tower, a city’s legend and a local landmark. One of many sellers on the waterfront.

  23. Undecided whether to take a horse ride.

  24. On the other hand the same Astrologer predicted I could be the next winner!

  25. GOA…..Everyone says (& everyone includes our dear friend Moses) “you’ve got to go to Goa.” So we did. WE TOOK UP MOSES’S INVITE. Goa is green, it's glistening and it's gorgeous: just three of the reasons why Goa has allured us, plus its friendly and invading varieties. Today, the biggest draw-card to its over two million annual visitors is the silken sand, the coconut culture and the sossegado (freely translated means 'laid-backness') of which its residents are justifiably proud. Nowhere else in India will you find the warmth of a Goan household and the lack of hassle when haggling for goods in its bustling marketplaces. Pour in a dash of Portuguese-influenced wine, food and crumbling colonial-era architecture, infuse with a colourful blend of Hinduism, Islam and Catholicism, pepper with parties, and you've got a happy, heady mix that proves just too enticing to long-staying foreigner.

  26. We still can't believe that we are in India! Feeling very lucky to have the opportunity to come here. We immediately felt welcomed by the down to earth Keralans, the relaxed Mumbians and the easy going Goans. These people are so friendly.  Being here has reminded us just how much we love travelling

  27. The Basilica of Bom Jesus

  28. Sorry for the poor state of some photos, but shrinking the size and resolution lessens their quality profoundly. Music supplied by Thankachan. Song is in Hindi and it is called chupkechupkeraat din

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