Taking the Kollam-Alappuzha waterway is like a waterfront road trip through the belly of the erstwhile Travancore coast.
Through the eight-hour cruise along coconut palm-fringed banks, the scenery can range from the vestiges of primordial mangrove forests and mineral-rich sand deposits to traditional landing sites of migratory birds and symbols of modern-day life.
It is also a trip from one Ramsar site — the Ashtamudi Lake — to another — the Vembanad Lake. The spectacular scenery along the way makes it increasingly popular among visitors from around the world. But apart from the scenic beauty, there are little known yet wonderful cultural, spiritual, historical, and social aspects for the waterway. That precisely is what a 30-minute documentary is going to reveal. The switch-on ceremony of the documentary — Karakkaazhchakaliloode — under the banner of Nadam Movies was performed by Labour Minister Shibu Baby John from the starting point of the cruise at Asramam here on Friday. Shibu Kadakavur, the director of the documentary, says that it will be a visually explorative story that will also tap into a deep-seated nostalgia. The waterway was one of the main inspirations for renowned literary personalities like the Jnanpith Award winner O.N.V. Kurup, Vayalar Ramavarma, Thirunellur Karunakaran, and Kureepuzha Sreekumar, the legendary Kathaprasangam exponent V. Sambasivan, and even linked to the tragic and untimely death of Kumaran Asan.
It also deals with the cottage industries, ranging from cashew in Kollam to coir in Alappuzha. The documentary is being produced by Nikunchathil Nathan. Behind the camera is Jayan Das the script is by Ajith Navaikulam.
