# Reeshma Damodar
ThatIf you turn left from Eramallur in Lapuzha, you will reach a small pier. Basically a small shed covered with sheets. A small boat ready to go across. When the boatman saw the people, he pushed his oar, brought the boat to the shore, and when the crow told him not to go, he rowed away. He landed at the port and went back after taking the ransom. Fare is ten rupees per person.
A long stretch of dirt road ahead. When you breathe the fresh air here, it is as if you have reached the end of the earth. The soil here does not even scratch the wheels of the vehicle. Small stems flew from the plants. Multicolored butterflies cling to the scent of poontene. As the sparrows engage in their morning chatter…there are small wooden bridges in between. Be careful to cross the broken wooden bridges. If you slip one foot, you just have to look in the water.
There are small houses on both sides of the road. Nothing has walls. Instead only fences with plants. Boundless space. It’s late afternoon. None of the houses are populated. There is a small temple on the way. This is the Bhagavathy temple in the north-west. A little further there is another temple, the Plakisseril temple.
The walk was near Kaitapuzha Kayal, a tributary of Vembanatukayal. It is that Kaitapuzha described by Vayalar through song. Kakathurut is a small island in the middle of this backwater. You can see people fishing in small boats everywhere in the lake. The scorching sun overhead does not touch them.
Thurut is only two and a half kilometers long and one and a half kilometers wide. There are about 207 families. The main occupations of the people here are fish processing, fish marketing and building construction.
It was in 2016 that the outside world came to know about this crow. It is the only place from India to feature in National Geographic magazine’s ‘Around the World in 24 Hours’ list. The magazine says the trip will start in Norway at 12 a.m., travel through the Atacama Desert, tour the island of Hawaii, see Abu Dhabi and Melbourne, and finally fall into the sunset in Kakathurutu. Tourists are now coming to see the sight on boats and boats.
The only way to reach here is by boat. There are no other vehicles as there is no bridge. All there is is an anganwadi and an ayurvedic dispensary. Schools are located in Eramallur. You have to go through traffic to get to school. “Earlier, the work on the bridge was going on. Stopped halfway. Only its pillars can now be seen in the embankment. This place is a curiosity for outsiders. But the truth is suffering for those here. What’s more, even if you have to go to the hospital suddenly, it is difficult,” said Ashokan, who lives in Thurut. There is no noise pollution and no air pollution as there are no vehicles. An area where no sound disturbs you. Therefore, even a soft sound becomes more intense. The harshness of the sun started to decrease.
Boarded Shikaraboat to watch the sunset. The boat drifted away from the seaweed. While turning the steering wheel of the boat, Udayan took the mike in hand and said, “Kaitapuzha lake… in the hands of the wind…” The sun returns after six o’clock. Until then, the boat will spin for a while.
There are some houses near the lake. Blue and yellow boats are moored on the embankment in front of those houses. “Boats here are like bikes and cars in houses. Most of the households have their own boat,” said Foji John, Kakkathuruth tourism coordinator. The crow is preparing for the coming of dusk. All those who had crossed the ford for work and other purposes started coming back. Some came out of their houses, took bait and waited in the lake. Maybe looking to get something for dinner. Forward again. The bridge’s rusted piers tower over the embankment. Soot around it.
The boat stopped when it reached a place. Enjoying the starry sky, everyone fixed their eyes on one place. Witnessing coconut trees and backwaters, the sun set. Only a faint red color remained in the water…after a while it disappeared. The boats and yachts that had come to watch the sunset returned to the pier. When you reach the pier and look back, the little island lies quietly like a dark green forest. A boat with the men left on the quay made its way down the embankment towards the pier.
(Published in Mathrubhumi Yatra)
Buy the new issue