For my last day, I went to KIRTADS. This museum had a history of local tribes and was also a research centre. I picked the day when the curator was on holiday. He normally gives a guided tour explaining the exhibits. So I walked around alone, followed by the friendly person on duty, who switched lights on and off.
On returning to the centre of Calicut, I went to Mananchira Park, which is the centre of the community here.
I sat next to someone on one of the few benches out of the sun. I started eating some Indian snacks and offered some to him. He (Sunil) declined but we started talking. We had a nice long conversation.
I mentioned to him how much India had developed since my first visit seven years ago. I asked him if he was happy with the rate of development. He said that India could develop more quickly. Religion, the caste system, and the lack of education, he felt, were some of the things holding back development. We also spoke about Malayalam. I’d wondered why this was unlike many (most) other Indian languages. He said it was a Dravidian language unlike most of the others, which are derived from Sanskrit. He had good knowledge of Indian history, going back to early Aryan and other migrations.
I learnt relatively recently that my family’s caste could be the warrior caste. Traditionally, the castes were:
- Brahmins: priests, scholars, and teachers
- Kshatriyas: warriors, rulers, and administrators
- Vaishyas: merchants, traders, farmers, and artisans.
- Shudras: labourers and service providers.
Outside this classification were the “untouchables” (outcaste), now called Dalits.
The Indian government has a different classification based on historical advantage or discrimination. Even then, there are thousands of sub-castes across India with complex regional variations.
The Aryans went to Iraq and North India. My parents came from Gujarat. Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language. Thus, it’s possible that I have some Aryan heritage!
According to Claude (AI), “it’s important to note that ‘Aryan’ as a racial concept was a 19th century European misappropriation later exploited by Nazi ideology. Modern scholarship understands the Aryans primarily in linguistic and cultural terms rather than racial ones. Modern European populations have diverse genetic ancestries resulting from thousands of years of migrations, conquests, and cultural exchanges”.
My chat with Sunil had been very interesting. We had to eventually stop talking because Sunil had an appointment in the gym. We exchanged phone numbers and said goodbye.
For a while, I watched some people playing basketball in the park. Then I started walking towards the beach to go to a Starbucks near my hotel. As I approached the beach, I realised that sunset was in about five minutes! I sped up and got there in time. The low pinkish-red sun I saw was breathtaking. I sat on the beach while the sun went down.
After a coffee at Starbucks, I walked along the beach to my hotel. The beach was again very busy, like yesterday.
At the hotel, I bumped into the manager. I hadn’t noticed how big the outdoor bar/restaurant outside my room was.
I asked the manager about the hotel. He said that the rooms don’t make a profit. There are only six rooms and sixty staff! The profit comes from the outdoor area and indoor restaurant and bar. They are open for 8½ months a year and shut during the monsoon season. The manager said they pay about “35 laks” (about £30k) to the state as a form of licensing.
It turned out the Beach Heritage Hotel has quite a history, dating back to 1890. Originally constructed as the Kozhikode Ambadi Kovilakam, it was owned by a member of the Zamorin royal family. In 1932, the property was taken over by a British committee and became the Malabar British Club. In 2000, the building was acquired by a private company who preserved its original Victorian architecture and heritage ambiance. The hotel opened in 2001.
I went to bed early because I had to get to the airport by 8am tomorrow.