Weekend Bucket

“100 lashes if you don't die laughing!"

Charlie Hebdo, the french satirical weekly’s 1011 Edition Cover

Kerala's colonial remains are unending…

Not too far from Kollam, on the bank of the Munroe Island is this unique 1878-built Dutch church where Saint Mary is worshipped as a Queen of India.

The Hindu community here offers worship and prayers on occasions of importance as the Dutch and the Anglo-Indian communities have more or less left the islands.

The infamous Perumon rail bridge is closer and the Lake Ashtamudi offers breathtaking views.

We observed many foreign tourists on Munroe Island where canal cruises and water tourism are emerging and crisscrossing the mangrove habitats.

Unfortunately it was also noticed small and large-scale land levelling may or may not be with the required permissions.

This group of islands and the surrounding delta region are known as as sinking islands.

Could that be the reason why land leveling is being carried out?

We read the story of Tuvalu, an island nation in the Pacific becoming a land of climate refugees.

Can we stop Munroe and similar low-lying regions from being in the spotlight again? As climate-responsible tourists we all have our own duties.

This red-brick church is a good example of a cultural handover where Dutch symbols are taken care of by the local community.

A visit to Munroe Island and this old place of worship kindles a sense of cultural exhange and the challenges of the climate crisis.

The land of the Indus is also the land of abstractions😊

In India and straight to Kerala’s temples this time where images and patterns are developed using lighted lamps creating a visual extravaganza.

A practice that is ancient and as glorious as in the olden days!

To the devotee, the temples are not only mere centres of solemn idolatry, but are locations where they are perpetually reminded of the untold worldly and spiritual abstractions.

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