ALAPPUZHA: Foreigners are getting attracted towards the slow-moving lifestyle of the people of Kuttanad who have been untouched by modernity or globalisation. The global media like BBC have documented it and presented before the world thanks to the aggressive campaigns by the tourism department. A BBC team is now in Kainakari, a remote village in Kuttanad, to picturise its unchanging villages where one can see women washing dishes and laundry by the water’s edge and hanging wet clothes over twig fences to dry. Kids play in the water and farmers herd ducklings to feed in paddy fields.
The men take cargo by small boats or anchor them and dive for mussels. And toddy tappers glide along the water early in the morning to climb coconut trees along the shore. According to Anoop Pandhal, who leads the BBC team, the documentary focuses on their unique culture, below- sea-level farming and famous toddy-making techniques. The yet-to-titled documentary is expected to be released by next year. In January, ‘The Travel Show’ team of the BBC led by presenter Henry Golding had visited here to shoot Alappuzha’s unique lagoons, rivers and sprawling canals.
Another team documented the Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Punnamada lake. Sheela Sajeev, president, Kainakari panchayat, says the tourists are attracted to Kainakari’s natural beauty and way of living. “We take special care of them to help them enjoy the uniqueness of our land,” she adds. Kuttanad is also famous for its cuisines. In 2010, Discovery channel's culinary show, ‘No Reservations,’ hosted by American author and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain had aired an episode on Kuttanad’s spicy cuisine.
