Impressions of India
A P h o t o j o u r n a l
Created by Tanya Aishwarya Raghu
Kerala, India
"God's own Country"
Due to the tropical climate, the fertile land offers an area for a variety of crops, vegatables and fruits to grow. Above is a picture of rubber trees.
Munnar is a hill station town famous for its tea gardens. The British profited from India's agricultural products by exporting these crops to France, Spain and the Thirteen Colonies for higher prices. Even though the British were unjust to the Indians, they also helped advance India's undeveloped economy by introducing new businesses.
The Backwaters of Kerala are interconnected, brackish lagoons, canals, rivers and lakes. The Kerala Backwaters directly feed into the Arabian Sea. The only mode of transportation used for Backwater towns are boats. Schoolchildren, parents and workers all have to use boats to cross the river in otder to go to school or work everyday.
Kerala's Monkeys
Munnar, Kerala
Kathakali is a dance/dramatic performance that originated in the 17th century in Southern India. It is known for its large, elaborate makeup, and clothing. The characters in the dance are portrayed by men only. The characters rhythmically dance according to the drummer's beat and rely heavily on their facial expressions to convey the story. Kathakali is unfortunately a dying art in India which will soon perish.
Karlaripayattu was created in Kerala and Tamil Nadu region and is one of the oldest fighting systems in existence. The fighting is based upon indian mythical Gods. Karate founded in China is originally based on Karlaripayattu.
Cochin, Kerala
Chinese Fishing Nets have become a major tourist attraction in Cochin for their unusal methord of fishing introduced by the Chinese thousands of years ago. The fish caught from the nets are sold to bypassers within a few minutes.
Cochin was once one of the biggest spice capitals in the world. It exported "Black gold," that is, pepper, as far back as the fourth century. Ayurvedic, an herbal medicine, was also founded from spices and medications that were also traded with the Europeans. Since India was the richest country in the world, the Westerners wanted to take over India mainly for its rich spices and gold. India was extremely wealthy, but, unfortunately, did not have a self-defense system, which allowed the Europeans to colonize India.
Since Kerala was a major port, the area around the coast was heavily influenced and converted by the religions of the West. During the Age of Exploration, the Europeans wanted to expand their lands and religious beliefs to Eastern world. Since Kerala came in contact with many other religions and cultures, the people here have become tolerant of different religious faiths. In the image above, a picture is displayed in a Kerala restaurant to represent Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity peacefully coexisting.