A few weeks ago, I was in and around
Kumarakom, in the middle of Kerala’s backwater country.
Most resorts and homestays there are traditional houses. These are
ancient sloping roofed houses with more than 8-10 rooms, spread over 40-50 metres in each direction. That’s in addition to the just-as-big flowering gardens around the houses.
These were meant to accommodate large joint families.Today, of course, joint families have dispersed to seek greener pastures. Multiple rooms in these houses are inventory for homestays.
Wood-paneled paddy storage rooms still preserve a hint of warm, musty smells, but these are now converted to special luxury suites. Farming is far less profitable today. An agrarian, traditional society is slowly drifting towards a tourist economy.
