Santa and the Scribes: The Making of Fort Kochi
Within a single square mile lies an extraordinary palimpsest of human encounter. Chinese mariners, Arabian merchants, Jewish settlers, and European powers have all left their mark on this tiny Kerala town, their competing narratives etched into its very streets. This beautifully illustrated volume contains 135 drawings paired with insightful commentary, transforming a casual stroll into a journey spanning five hundred years of collision and coexistence. What emerges is neither a straightforward chronicle nor a simple tourist guide, but rather something far more layered. The sketches capture not just architectural remnants, but the friction between civilisations, the unexpected alliances, the cultural fractures that shaped Fort Kochi into something genuinely singular. You'll find yourself moving through history at an entirely human pace, noticing details others might miss. The author, a celebrated political cartoonist, brings his distinctive visual sensibility to bear, allowing the drawings themselves to speak as eloquently as the accompanying text. The result is a surprisingly intimate portrait of a place where East and West collided long before such meetings became commonplace in our modern consciousness.
- Author: E.P. Unny
- Publisher: Niyogi Books
- Genre: Travel Writing & Guides
- ISBN: 978-9383098354
- Pages: 216 pages