The journalism department had its very first trip ever since it’s been around in MCC. Hurray! Well…jokes apart, the three batches of journalism students went for a daylong trip to Dakshina Chitra and The Crocodile bank on the 16th of August.
Being the typical evening college students that we are, we’re accustomed to waking up late and coming to college by around 1 in the afternoon. I think it was one of the rare times in the year that some of us actually empathized with the morning college students because we actually woke up at six in the morning and dragged ourselves to college to catch the bus for the day’s trip. Then again, some of us stuck to our principles and enjoyed a lie-in.
So after collecting the money, counting the money, picking up the fallen banknotes and counting the number of people who did make it for the trip, we all got into the bus and made ourselves comfortable and soon, we were off on our way to Dakshina Chitra. The place can best be described as a heritage village and it’s basically an attempt to tell us city bred boys and girls how people in South India lived ‘in those times’. But yes, it’s been a very successful attempt at that. It’s a major tourist attraction especially for people from abroad, especially since it comes close to their visions of India as a land of snakes and tigers, what with all the special attractions in the place like the palmist and the tarot card reader. But that’s not what this place is about. The people at Dakshina Chitra have recreated the kinds of houses that people lived in to every last detail including the toilet bowls that people used back then. Think exhibition of houses…that’s what this place is. There are Brahmin houses, Syrian Christian houses, Kannada houses, houses from Andhra Pradesh and what not. What’s really amazing is the amount of common sense behind the shape and structure of the houses. Certainly, there were no engineering colleges then. Forget electricity! But people built houses according to that. Step inside the Brahmin house, and you’d never feel the need for an air conditioner or a ceiling fan. I guess the most technologically advanced place in Dakshina Chitra is the restaurant. By the way, it serves really good food, even if it is only a vegetarian fare.
Incidentally, it was Kerala week in Dakshina Chitra. So, before lunch, we had the opportunity to watch the performance of a dance form called Velakali, which is native to Kerala. It was a really good performance, though it was just four bare-chested men walking up and down while swinging their arms in circular motions, while holding a shield and a sword in each hand. This was followed by a solo performance of Kerala’s martial art, Kalari Payattu. This man handled a sword, which could be rolled up like a whip, which goes to say that the weapon is swift, and sharp (he actually cut a few leaves from a branch above him!). The scariest part of his performance was when he lost control of his sword, trying to check if we were insured for life.
Next was our visit to the Crocodile Bank, which is a bit further away from Dakshina Chitra. The place was an utter riot, right from the word go. We bought our tickets and went to see the crocs, which were lazing in their enclosures. Some of us were very expressive when we saw the crocs (some of the girls were squirming in their insides and making noises that sounded like different versions of the word ‘YUCK’!). We then went to visit Mr. Jaws. Yeah I know it sounds like a really sick joke, but the Croc Bank couldn’t think of anything better! I’m talking about the saltwater crocodile there and we were told that he’s a vicious croc, which can actually jump out of the water when it’s irritated. At a staggering 16 feet and 575 kilos, he was quite disappointing. He just showed his head out of the water; maybe to let off some steam because he was really irritated at the number of people ogling at him. This leads us to a very interesting tangent. What if the crocodiles could talk? What if they actually enjoyed the company of humans? What if they gossiped about the kind of people that visited them? What if they had conversations that went something like, “Hey Rocky! I saw this really stupid guy who tried to call me when I was sleeping…” It’s quite a scary thought!
The Croc Bank has an interesting activity-they allow people to hold live crocodiles and snakes. Don't freak out! They’re just baby snakes and crocodiles. A couple of students let the snake on their necks and hands and also held the baby crocodile and posed for photographs. One of my lecturers told me that having a snake drape itself around your body is one of the most pleasurable experiences that one can ever have. I saw the scaly, slimy, rubbery thing slithering around my friend’s neck. Pleasure???
The last reptiles we saw there were the snakes. They’re all housed in the ‘snake haven’ in the Crocodile Bank. It’s a really dark exhibit and there are dim lights only in the snake’s enclosures. As usual, a few girls went “ooh”, “look at that snake!” and “oh my god!” One of my friends took advantage of this situation and quite literally, pulled her friend’s leg. The expression on her face-priceless!
Friday, August 24, 2007
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