"....EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO PASS THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE..."

This Biblical image has always seemed extraordinary to me.  If you were going to think of something impossible - why not an elephant - were the camels' humps of some importance, adding an extra dimension of difficulty in getting it through the eye of the needle ?  But as it turns out,  it was all down to a miss-translation from Greek to Latin - kamelos and kamilos, the latter meaning rope !

The nomadic Fakirani Jats of Kutch are camel breeders and the women are noted for their embroidery - they originated from the Sindh district of Pakistan, but with the partition of India and Pakistan, they became separated from the original tribe and now wander the desert regions of Kutch with their herds of camels, constantly on the move in search of water and grazing.

There is something wonderful and exotic seeing them set off with all their tents and belongings loaded onto the top of a camel - walking one behind the other, they create vibrant colour in the barren dusty landscape, as their animals undulate along the road in their unhurried progress.  These 'ships of the desert', with inscrutable expressions, always enlivened Renaissance paintings of the Nativity and the procession of the Three Kings - showing the artist's lack of first-hand knowledge of these animals from the East, in depicting them with random proportions and vague anatomical detail !

Could Gentile da Fabriano, ever have imagined a camel carrying it's calf on its back, wrapped in a hand woven cloth bag ?  Now that would have been a fabulous detail to observe in a 15th c painting of the 'Adoration of the Magi' - how evocative it would have been of the difficulties of a long, long, journey!

NET WORTH

The catch seemed hardly worth the effort.  The beautiful Chinese Fishing Nets at Fort Kochi are a great tourist attraction at sunset - a combination of strong structural lines and delicate fish netting, their immense cantilevered weight looks weightless, as they hang out over the water, with nets 20 metres wide.  They are a permanent land installation, which arrived in Fort Kochi 500 years ago, according to some, introduced by the Chinese Explorer Zheng He.  Others suggest that they were brought in by the Portuguese a couple of centuries ago.

Constructed from bamboo and teak, 10 metres in height, the weight of the structure is counter-balanced by heavy stones at one end and at the other, the delicate curves of the netting.  The 11 remaining fishing nets at Fort Kochi (there used to be 30 between Vypeen and Fort Kochi) are lowered and raised at least 30 times a day by 5 or 6 fishermen and the small catch is sold to passers by.

The nets are expensive to maintain, but it would seem that the real urgency lies in funding the regeneration, nurture and preservation of the fish stocks, to prevent them from dying out completely !  Small fish are a sure sign of over-fishing, therefore a period set aside allowing fish to spawn and grow, would be a way of restoring the balance.

THE WHITE PLASTIC CHAIR

They're as ubiquitous as sunshine and rickshaws.  They have no significance in singularity, but rather in their power as a group.  They seem to be a kind of symbol for the democratic fabric of the society and appear at all sorts of occasions:  the opening of a new business, or the outdoor lecture of a visiting swami, or a lavish housewarming party.....but the event which they almost define, is that great social occasion: the wedding.

Party plots have sprung up all over town and in the wedding season, they are always in use.  Organisers of these occasions are able to create the most exotic venues in a matter of hours, beautifully decorated with flowers, drapes and canopies and the serried ranks of uniform white plastic stack chairs, are an important part of the event planning.  They face the stage or platform, being the focal point of the celebration and their number denotes the importance of the occasion.  Very often these chairs are empty, accommodating the sociable and free spirited nature of the guests, who have wandered off somewhere else - but still they serve as a reminder, about the true purpose of the gathering, a still point in the hullaballoo of loud music and bright lights - they have a certain gravitas, decorum and reliability, like a compass pointing true north !

THE GLUE POT

Dashing to the Night Post Office, I realised that I'd forgotten to bring my own  glue stick - drat, oh drat - a serious oversight !  Nothing sticks in the dry Indian climate - envelopes, stamps etc - every adhesive surface dries out and needs copious quantities of extra glue.  So now I was faced with having to use 'The Glue Pot' provided by the P.O.

This iniquitous object is a dirty shade of blue and is streaked with lava like globules of ancient glue which has dripped down the sides - these have become coated with dust and sticky fingerprints.
The applicator stick pokes out of the pot and is equally embellished with inches of dried glue.  Sometimes the contents are over diluted and this watery solution, when applied to the stamp, causes it to float over the surface of the envelope, without ever staying in one place !  No amount of dabbing makes any difference !  But today the glue had dried out and could be applied in sticky lumps -  she had given me 30 stamps for the Christmas parcel I was posting abroad !  Half an hour later, I regarded my handiwork with some anxiety - the formidable array of stamps, had taken on a three dimensional quality !

DIWALI - SEASON OF KISMIS AND CUSTARD APPLES

There is a general air of expectation and growing excitement as the festive season of lights comes into view - everyone making plans to return to family or village, a week in advance of the festivities - so that one feels as if everything is grinding to a halt, long before the actual dates of 13th and 14th November.  Some businesses close for 5 days or more and everyone is on the move.  Chinese lanterns and coloured lights illuminate the darkest corners and even the city slums are strung with tinsel.

Shops are piled high with elaborately decorated boxes of varying grades of opulence, packed with cashew nuts, almonds, raisins and chocolates, for those who can afford them and the smaller shops carefully weigh out little plastic bags of kismis, (raisins) for those who can only afford a few grams of festive food.

However, I think the real treat of this time of year is the 'Custard Apple' !  Never having come across it before, the intricacies of this New World, tropical fruit, need explaining.  They resemble an artichoke in a way, yellowish in colour - with raised cells, a little reptilian, if you think of them as scales, like the pudgy paw of a crocodile or armadillo !  "You have to look for fruit where the raised cells are beginning to divide away, as if ready to split,  then you should feel the fruit - it should be very soft to the touch"  she explained.  "Avoid the hard ones - they won't ever ripen !"

The fruit opens at the slightest pressure, revealing a soft custardy interior, packed with watermelon size seeds. Then with a little spoon, you can scoop out the custardy interior - the flavour is like no other fruit - rich, creamy and delicious !