2/18/06: Saturday, the Rabbi Spoke Hindi

Our last day in India began in the sauna and Jacuzzi. Refreshed, and almost packed up, we spiffed up for Shabbat services. Talk about the diaspora …the first Jews came ashore in Cochin in 587, escaping persecution. Over the years, the Raja of Cochin offered refuge, in part because of the Jews’ expertise at facilitating trade with the British and Dutch. We arrived at the synagogue at the end of Jew Street in Jew Town at 9 am, just in time to join the 14 remaining Jews (4 families) for their Shabbat Orthodox services. Anne took her place among the women behind the screen, while Rick joined the minion circle of men. The temple was quite charming, with 18th century blue tiles, rows of chandeliers, and an elegant bronze pulpit in the middle of the chapel. The locals were very excited to find that two of the foreign visitors were Cohanes (holy priest caste of Jews), and one a Levi (second in pecking order), both considered luxuries for small congregations. The service was vintage India and Jewish—a paradox of order and chaos, focus and distraction, ritual and idiosyncrasy. There were more versions of the prayer books than congregants. “What page are they on?” I’d inquire. “Not sure,” or “It’s not in that book, try page 231 in this one.” Most of the locals spent 50% of the time chitchatting, then suddenly chanting full bore as the Sh’ma or Kaddish began.

The four-family congregation embraced the five male visitors from America, offering each of us an Aliyah for the Torah portion, which included the ten commandments, an experience that wet my eyeballs and touched my heart. A short two hours later, the service concluded, and we chatted briefly with the maven of the congregation, whose family’s Cochin roots date back to 1582 and whose son is a doctor in the US. What else would you expect from an Indian Jew? We also met a couple of local Jewish couples who had returned to Cochin after a decade or so in Israel. We can understand why they returned. Cochin is unlike any other city we saw in India. The harbor is beautiful, the streets are remarkably clean (for India), the people very friendly, and there is almost no poverty to be seen (most likely attributable to the Southern emphasis on culture and education).

The long service put a dent in our remaining touring of Cochin, which delighted Jacob, because Esau (sorry) an opportunity to set a land guide speed record. We “did” the spice market in 5 minutes and then the Cochin Palace in a hasty 7, with its magnificent 16th century, well preserved murals of the Ramayana, and other stories of India’s most revered Gods and Goddesses, flashing before our eyes.

With a quick stop at the hotel to shower and check out, we bid an all too early farewell to Cochin, its impotent fishing nets, vibrant if tiny Jewish community, colorful yet blurry murals, sweet suite, fishy storks, and sunny harbor.

With this, the final stop on Anne and Rick’s great Indian adventure, we’d like to once again thank our delightful traveling companions--Laura, Paul, Ronna, and Susie--who helped us take the Highlights of Northern India to new Highs. And, we must save the best for last. A&P, your inspiration and brilliant planning has blessed us with a deep and lasting love for the charm, the food, the natural beauty, the architecture, and, most of all, the enchanting variety of cultures and peoples that is India. We have been fed so many scrumptious memories, it will take months before we truly digest India and edit the 2,030 photos. No doubt, we will never forget the Bhuddist monks of Ajanta, the Singh Sahib in his perch overlooking the Golden Temple, dinners with the Guptas and Pereses, golf with Vivian in Delhi, the continent-hopping groom, the Maharajah of Jodhpur and his palace, Mr. and Mrs. Desert from Jaisalmer, the Raj Vilas luxury in Jaipur, the sprawling and colorful temples of Trichy and Thanjuvor, the mussel men and stunning sunsets in Kerala’s backwaters, the Jews of Cochin, the flames and ashes of Benares, and last but not least the acrobatic lovers of Khajuraho. We will finally keep straight the primary Hindu deities and their legends, especially Ganesh and his bickering but loving mom and dad. In fact, Anita and Prabha, we may nickname you two Shiva and Parvathi. Like them, you two were with us every step of the way--in our minds, our hearts, as well as our bleary eyes from short-night sleeps on a crammed itinerary that couldn’t have been better. We look forward to sharing our next trip to India with you.

And so, my virtually traveling friends and family, the Road to Kerala, its bad puns, off-color humor, run-on sentences, and pointless meandering hereby comes to an end. I hope that my first adventure in Blogavia has made you chuckle or piqued your interest in this land of plenty. Namaskar.