Books and the Legislative Assembly

I mentioned that I had some 2,000 Rs notes from my last trip to India. These, I was told, were worthless now. I had about a hundred pounds’ worth!

On asking more people I got contradictory answers. A bank I tried wouldn’t change them, but I was none the wiser whether it was possible another bank would.

Eventually, I searched online using my default search engine, DuckDuckGo. I’d switched to it a few years ago because Google was becoming less reliable for me. Between DuckDuckGo and GPT sites, like ChatGPT and Claude, my search needs were covered.

I found an article about 2,000 Rs notes online. It was from Dec 2024. That was after the date some people had given me for the notes’ expiry. The article said that I had to go to the Reserve Bank of India to get them changed. It listed about sixteen cities I could go to. One of them was Thiruvananthapurum!

Yesterday, I’d gone along to the Thiruvananthapurum branch. It was about 30 minutes from my hotel. The bank was closed. The closing times on Google Maps were wrong. The security guard at the gate told me to return the following day with a photocopy of my ID. He assured me that the notes could be changed!

When I was wandering around the temple yesterday, I saw a photocopy vendor. He photocopied my passport for 5 Rs.

When I went to the bank, there was lots of security. Eventually, I got into the branch. They took my photocopied ID and changed my notes without fuss. A few other people were also exchanging their notes. I walked out with twenty crisp 500 Rs notes!

Having briefly seen the State Central Library on my first night, I thought I’d try to get inside. Around the corner from it, I discovered several bookstalls on the side of the road. They had plenty of English language books, both fiction and non-fiction, including academic books (computing, law, engineering). Some were recently published.

At the airport, on my way to Kochi, I almost bought the newest Murakami book, The City and its Uncertain Walls. It was in hardback only. That was too too big and heavy to add to my luggage. Even though the book has just been published in English, one of the bookstalls had a paperback edition. I bought it for 250 Rs (£2.50). I also bought another Japanese book I’d been meaning to read: Butter by Asako Yuzuki. This they let me have for 200 Rs without haggling.

The State Central Library was around the corner. I handed in my rucksack and had a look around. I didn’t linger. The lack of air-conditioning put me off. Sometimes, fans don’t make that much of a difference.

My next stop was the Kerala Legislative Assembly. This is where the state government meet.

I had to go through lots of security, eventually handing in everything (rucksack, watch, phone, and camera). They pointed me down the road (away from the Assembly building) to go to two museums.

The museums were both small. One had photos of past state leaders and a brief history in Malayalam. This was of zero interest to tourists and even Indians were in and out quickly. The other was a photo history of Gandhi. This was more interesting.

I then returned to reception. Since they’d already stripped me of my electronic possessions, I could proceed to the next stage. Someone, who seemed to be giving everyone orders, accompanied me to the Assembly building itself. His name was Sunil.

Sunil took me to the assembly hall, the centrepiece of the building. It was stunning. I couldn’t take any photos! The ceiling of the octagonal hall, Sunil told me, was coated in some silicon material. This was specially made in the US to stop lizards and other creatures clinging to it. The hall is designed with wood-panelling and fabric-lined surfaces to ensure clear sound during legislative sessions in the cavernous interior. The lighting has been designed to prevent shadows.

After I left the Assembly building, I headed for Cafe Bookmark, were I could have a coffee. Before I got there, I saw a street vendor making fresh juice from green fruit. They were oranges, a person next to me said. I asked him if he could ask the vendor to make me a pure orange juice. I didn’t want it diluted with tap water or ice, which are not safe for tourists. I had memories of my last trip to India in Goa. I had a sugar cane drink. That evening I was throwing up! The person had used ice made of tap water not filtered water.

The vendor started making my drink. There were lots of flourishes as he poured the drink from one recepticle into another, sometimes from a great height. He was like a street magician trying to hide what he was putting in the drink! I noticed, however, that he’d put water in the drink! I asked my friend if the vendor could use just juice. The vendor said it would be more expensive since he’d have to use more oranges. Eventually, I got my juice but not without the orange juice passing through containers that previously had water in them. I accepted this. The juice was refreshing and there were no ill effects afterwards!

Cafe Bookmark lets you read books on their bookshelves or lets you buy books, which you could also read. What you definitely can’t do is read your own books! I’d read that it was a good place to meet people and discuss books. On this occasion, there was not any socialising going on.

Even worse, the coffee was from a machine and would be dispensed with milk. Non-dairy alternatives were not available.

I sat in the cafe for a while to escape the heat then made my way back to the hotel. I passed a church, a mosque and a sports ground. I also saw a millet restaurant.

At the hotel, I had another swim then looked up the millet restaurant. It had lots of veggie options. Millet was the star of the show. Breads, noodles, pasta, juices, desserts were all made with millet. I went there and had a simple but satisfying meal and smoothie. They were happy to top up the portions when asked.