Kerala Trip Report by James Griffith

Kerala Trip Report
James Griffith

I have tried to extract various highlights and important features about my trip and to avoid repeating discussion largely covered in the Technology Recommendations report. I have arranged these highlights into what seem to be commonsense subheadings. For those interested in reading more, excerpts from my travel journal follow this summary.

Old vs. New
There is an intriguing mix of old and new traditions and practices all over Kerala. Though the cities and most of the villages have numerous internet cafés, almost everyone has cable television, and cell phone users abound, cattle are still herded down village roads and road repairs are still done by men (and some women), often dressed in a traditional wrap (dhoti) and sandals rather than pants and boots, carrying buckets of tar and pushing rollers by hand. Though dating is generally not condoned in the culture, programs on the cable television networks are filled with depictions of Indian couples (primarily from North India) dating. This seems to be the result of fast changes in an otherwise traditional region.

The computers purchased through this project will create a similar effect in the Political Science department, at the University. It appears that this is a time of rapid change at the University of Kerala—they are erecting a new building across the street from the Political Science department for environmental science and oceanographic studies. In addition, fiber optic telecommunications lines have been run up to the outside of every campus building, though many offices within the buildings do not even have computers. Indeed, the Political Science faculty do not even have phones in their offices. Additionally, the university has been operating with an Internet connection to the outside world of only 64kbps; that’s just 8kbps faster than the fairly standard home dial-up connection in the United States. Within the next month, they are expected to quadruple that speed, to 256 kbps, and the library will have a separate connection of 512kbps as part of a government initiative. The current department chair in Political Science already has a computer, and now four additional faculty members will have computers. All five will now be able to access the Internet from their office, as opposed to paying for access at the library, down the street. Finally, the library will soon be waiving the fee for internet access and computer use for students, moving into a new building, and expanding their facilities to provide more computers for student use.


Travel and Accommodations Notes/Advisories
Many of the complaints about difficulties with international travel have been exaggerated. I traveled to Kerala just before the U.S. began the war with Iraq (more on this below) and I returned to the U.S. in the midst of the SARS outbreaks. My wife and I were able to get through customs and airports in a reasonable amount of time with few difficulties. Unfortunately, some of the good news about international travel has also been exaggerated. I had been led to believe, mistakenly, that international flights afforded more legroom and larger seats.

Most Americans will need some time to get used to the driving in Kerala. Lisa (my wife) never quite adjusted. From all appearances, driving behavior is erratic, but their appear to be fewer serious accidents than we have in U.S. cities. Travel by auto rickshaw is probably the best balance of convenience and comfort with economy, though the squeamish or uninitiated might prefer to arrange for a car. Travel by bus is manageable for short rides, but not advisable for travel over any distance. Travel by train is quite pleasant, but, unless a local colleague arranges the tickets, arrive early to allow time to figure out the schedules, fares, and ticketing.

Upon arriving in Kerala, the first place we stayed was the Salvation Army Guest House. Accommodations at the Salvation Army Guest House are not unbearable, but are lacking in some of the familiar amenities Americans have come to take for granted. There is only one power outlet in the room, into which the television (which receives 100 channels—in an odd twist, cable is cheap here, and thus widespread) is plugged. This paucity (and poor location) make it impractical to use with a laptop, though I was able to use it once for work and a couple times to charge the laptop. Compounding this power outlet access difficulty is the absence of a table or desk on which to work. The shower is Indian style, a showerhead protrudes from the wall and a drain is built into the floor. There is no separate structure or partition for the shower and bathroom lighting is poor. Finally, space is limited in the room, and bugs have at least as convenient access to the room as do paying customers. Travelers concerned about this last point (because of the information about disease spreading by bug bites in India) would be advised to bring a bed net and get the appropriate vaccinations before traveling. We brought a bed net, but the only place from which to hang it is the ceiling fan, and the window air-conditioner does not work well without the assistance of the fan. For the record, Lisa did not have any problems with illness for the duration of our trip. I discovered only on my last day at the Guest House that there is a room downstairs with a computer that can be connected to the Internet for 50 Rs./hour. I was not able to take advantage of this discovery.

I had the opportunity to visit and even sample accommodations (at comparable, slightly higher, and even lower rates) in several other locations during my visit. The difference between high range and midrange accommodations is striking. It is not like the continuum that we have in the United States. With one exception, places offering similar rates to the Salvation Guest House (this is classified as midrange in Lonely Planet) also offered similar amenities and quality of accommodations. We checked out a few places in the high range class decided to transfer to one of them, South Park, for the Lisa’s last week here. Hotels in this class offer rates of roughly $50/night. After Lisa’s departure, I again transferred, this time to a room with a slightly lower rate, at the Hotel Residency Towers. Of the high range places visited, I would have to say that South Park was the nicest overall. The exception I mentioned above is the guesthouse located in the Technopark. Arrangements have to be made through colleagues of the Political Science faculty, but the Technopark’s guesthouse offers amenities on a par with the high range hotels and midrange rates. It’s location is ideal for getting work done, since it is located in the Technopark, just off campus, though it may be less appealing for those who want to explore Thiruvananthapurum in the evenings. This will require a 30 minute car or auto rickshaw ride. One other option is the guest house at the University campus of the University of Kerala (downtown Thiruvananthapurum). The guest house is not bad, though there is no phone in the room, the shower is a traditional Kerala one, I don’t know about the availability of hot water, and one would need to go elsewhere for food, internet connection, and entertainment. The rooms are extremely inexpensive however (around $6 US) and each “suite” does have a separate study/work room with a nice-sized desk. Also, being located at the university’s city campus is a plus, especially since there is regularly running shuttle between there and the Kariyavattom campus.


Electricity and Internet Connectivity
Electricity should not pose a problem as long as travelers bring appropriate converters and/or adaptors. I was able to plug in my laptop both in my hotel rooms and on campus. Despite the numerous Internet access sites mentioned above, getting onto the Internet, particularly at a reasonable and sustained connection speed can be challenging. Aside from some time at the University of Kerala’s library and my time at the Technopark in a IIITM-K office, I was not able to do much more than view a few emails. This situation may improve if the upgrades to the Library and the Political Science offices (including the office for this project) have been completed.

Project Personnel Enthusiasm
The University of Kerala faculty, students, and staff participating in the project are very enthusiastic. I was able to meet most of these individuals the day after my arrival. An office for the project has already been created, and the computer purchase plan includes the provision of placing a computer in this office. This computer will be made available to the two post-doctoral students working on the project. I made two presentations to project personnel during my visit, one a few days after my arrival, and the other on my last day. Both presentations focused on the possible uses of technology for teaching, research, and collaboration, but the second offered a better focus, as I was able to incorporate their input and findings with regard to a locally produced software, Acado (see the Technology Recommendations report for more on this). Much of what I was able to learn about the faculty concerns and interests with regard to technology was based on the discussion following the first presentation. Though cautious about the use of the technology and their relative lack of experience, the faculty expressed enthusiasm and a commitment to learning and making optimal use of the technology made available by this project.

Meetings and Connections
As just mentioned, I was able to meet most of the project personnel within two days of my arrival. That same day, I also had a chance to meet with Dr. Achutsankar S. Nair, director of c-dit (Centre for Development of Imaging Technology). Among other things, this organization is responsible for the University of Kerala’s website and is involved in the emergence of e-governance in Thiruvananthapurum. I was later able to tour c-dit facilities. A meeting with K. R. Srivathsan led to the exploration of using Acado for the project. Dr. Srivathsan’s colleagues will be providing assistance in its use for Kerala faculty. As Kerala Political Science begins to make use of the new technolog, continued connections to IIITM-K and c-dit may prove valuable. During my last week in Kerala, Gopakumar, Hemachandran, and I were able to meet with the Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Kerala. He also expressed interest in and support for the project.

Cultural Interactions
Experiences of a different culture were probably my favorite part of the trip, though one should be aware of cultural differences with regard to productivity, communication, and planning one’s itinerary, Keralam people work at a different pace and have a different way of doing things. Arrangements for business, or even official social, meetings are often made by holding mini-meetings. Keeping this in mind and maintaining respectful and open lines of communication will go a long way.
The travel journal excerpts below provide some detail about some of the experiences, including a description of a traditional Kerala wedding, a trip to a wildlife sanctuary northeast of Thiruvananthapurum, a wonderful tour of Cochin (guided by two charming, local students), numerous dinner invitations, and a trip to the family (ancestral) home of one staff member (G. Hemachandran Nair—my counterpart in Kerala), Something not discussed much in these excerpts is the numerous discussions we had with people we met on the street, at train stations, and in other public places. Because of the timing, many people were interested in discussing the war and our political views. At first, I was a bit nervous about this, but each person discussed the matter in a civil and respectful manner. Of course, things were easier for my wife, and me because, as Jehovah’s Witnesses, we are politically neutral, and this position sits well the average person one meets in Kerala. Finally, one will most likely notice numerous protests or demonstrations while visiting Thiruvananthapurum. These appear to be nonviolent on the whole, though the demonstrators can be quite boisterous. I was admittedly nervous when an auto rickshaw driver misunderstood my directions and three times took Lisa and me through the heart of a demonstration the day after the U.S. began the war in Iraq (It turned out to be a workers demonstration.), but no harm, physical or otherwise came our way.


Monday, March 17, 2003
So far the trip has been fairly uneventful. All of the complaints about checking baggage and customs are, so far as I can tell up to this point, overstated. All I have heard about international travel prepared me to expect larger seats and legroom than what is found on domestic flights. Again, these reports were overstated. The seats and the legroom are at least as cramped, if not more. The entertainment was fine, several choices of movies looping on their own channel, TV on other channels, music and games on still others. It was good, since I didn’t sleep as much as I would have hoped, and yet I was too tired to do as much work as I would have liked. I should note (though it’s probably not very important) that when I began this, it was Monday in Hong Kong, but still Sunday in Claremont. The arrival descent into Hong Kong’s airport is beautiful, though I’m afraid that is all we were able to see. We (Lisa and I) took a few digital pics and have already imported them into the laptop—technology is great for some things. To my surprise, I was not able to access Hotmail, but CGU mail servers were more reliable—we were able to send friends and family an email letting them know we had made it as far as Hong Kong safely.