Two brothers and their neighbor buddy. Thevara is one of our communities, part of Cochin (aka Kochi) and situated on the backwaters between the modern part of town and the older harbor sections of town called Fort Cochin and Mattancherry. Continue reading
These youngsters are often to be found on a warm afternoon sitting in this exact spot, discussing something important in Malayalam; but ever polite, when a passerby of foreign appearance says hello, they break into English. Continue reading
In our neighborhood, 8am on a weekday implies children of all ages preparing for a walk or ride to school Continue reading
Those not roaming or sifting, waiting for school or playing cricket, are often sitting right here in the late afternoon. Their instructor is nearby, always happy to have a passerby speak English to her tutorial group. And they are always eager to showcase their favorite phrases. Continue reading
Sometimes they are roaming on bikes, other times sifting through the nets of the neighborhood fishermen at dusk, the boys in our ‘hood are always looking for a portrait. Continue reading
You see them everywhere you go in India: buildings crumbling, their bricks and mortar moldering and turning to dust over the decades. Paint peels, debris accumulates, industrious plants creep surreptitiously along the gritty terrain until before you know it, a small forest occupies the ruins where Uncle Kumar’s tea shop once stood. But that’s urban decay. I like to call the process itself urban deterioration – the point at which the elements’ progress is visible, and still reversible, but steadily inching towards, for all intents and purposes, the end of a small bit of civilization.
In more than one earlier post, we might have given the impression that every young person in our neighborhood seems to smile all the time. Not necessarily so, though most do. But for certain when they see someone they do not recognize, they will definitely say hello.
In more than one earlier post, we might have given the impression that only fellows are out and about for snapshots in the neighborhoods we visit. Not so.
Every minute of this is fun. The 35th minute is particularly fun for those of us based in Kerala because members of our organization join the stage with the stars of this show.
About five months ago we were approached by a film production company about a show they were filming for National Geographic Channel. They told us that River Escapes was recommended to them as having the best houseboats in the Kerala backwaters (a bit of music to our ears). Then they proposed that their Kerala episode should be based on our houseboats (we danced to that music).
In a recent post, note was taken of a new bumper sticker. Milo, who normally is more of a nature photographer, was walking in Cochin this morning and started snapping photos of vehicles. Could it be?
Perhaps it’s a bit of a cliché to use the phrase “calm before the storm”, but that’s exactly what it was. The sun was setting and clouds were gathering – the grey sky occasionally illuminated by a flash of lightning, although thunder never followed. Lately, Cochin has been having rains that are seemingly erratic to someone who hasn’t lived here long, but to the locals, they’re as predictable as… well, the seasons.
Street life for animals anywhere is hard, but in India it is exceptionally so. The infamous modus operandi of Indian motorists is based in fact, and stray animals on the road frequently bear the consequences of too many cars and people in too little space. Animal cruelty is not unheard of anywhere in the world – even the most modern 
of American cities have incidences; India is much less well-organized in terms of prevention and consequences. Despite the sprawling bureaucracy of Kerala’s government, there is no sole agency dedicated to the safety and well-being of urban animals. As such, the responsibility falls to warm-hearted citizens, either by adopting stray animals or taking them to a shelter. Continue reading
From two of the windows in our flat in Cochin, the sunset at around 6 is visible, albeit with some structural interference. Nonetheless, the colors and hues, scientifically explained only two days ago, are visible from almost the entire city, or at least all the windows facing west Continue reading
Many people associate fiery skies over cities with pollution and smog. While these are indeed causes for a red-orange color during sunset and sunrise, they are not exclusively so – any particles in the air, including dust and vapor, can cause Rayleigh scattering. This optical phenomenon is not as complicated as some other forms of light scattering, and is more easily explained.
Organikos 
