Edited by: Abhirami Nair, Stuti Sharma
Dear Kochi
I am writing to you, not out of homesickness, but out of genuine love (and concern) for you. You are not the city I was born in, neither are you the city I come from nor are you the city I live in, but I still miss you. You may wonder how that is possible, considering I don’t live in you or belong to you and conclude that I miss you because you probably were my first encounter with urbanization and that it became a formative experience. But not really. You were a formative experience, but not in a very profound way. To put it simply, you have amazing vibes and experiencing those made me realise that I probably wouldn’t like any other city unless the vibes are similar. Now, I will elaborate on why I feel this way about you.
One thing I have noticed about you is how green you are. Most parts of you have so many plants and trees that your view from an aeroplane feels like a forest with a few buildings and roads in places. In fact, the view seems like a failed development project considering the greenery to buildings ratio. This is something that I wish wouldn’t change about you because it sets you apart from other metro cities in India- I felt it after I moved from Kerala to where I am currently living, which I reached travelling via Delhi (which is another metro city and incidentally, where the capital of the country is). The Delhi trip opened my eyes to how barren places can be. Anyways, you are doing a good job at the moment at balancing the urbanisation with the greenery so kudos for that. The greenery in you is not just the trees, but also how many small local ecosystems still exist within you in the form of gardens in old houses, sacred groves in random temples and roadsides in the city and just wilderness on the roadside. I am aware that some of these, mainly the roadside wilderness might be too risky to people in certain situations, especially when it comes to cases of venomous creatures harming people because they unintentionally hurt them so I do agree with controlling their growth, but not fully obliterating them. Another concern that gets expressed because of roadside wilderness is how it is a hindrance to road and highway development, but I would like to point out that the wilderness will somehow end up on the roadside even if there is a development project. Anyways there is that. There is also your historicity – how certain parts of you can transport me back in time purely because of how well they have been retained. Your old-school charm never misses the mark.
While I do like that you as a city are urban, yet not urban at the same time, I do wish you would be a bit more urban in your ways. This does not mean that you become another concrete jungle with buildings that look alike. What I wish for you is to be a bit more open-minded, and more accepting of social change because that would make you close to perfect. Behind your multicultural, cosmopolitan facade is a conservative, judgemental person and it does not suit you. For all the cultural and social revolutions that came from you, you are not reflecting that legacy. I guarantee that more people will find you comfortable if you change that about yourself because they will feel welcome. Social change is also what leads to a change in mindsets which would lead to more acceptance of people who don’t fit into the societally accepted definition of who is a “normal” person and when such people decide to take refuge in you, it is a great thing for you. It just adds to your diversity which has always been there.
I have never lived properly in you, but I visit you for almost everything I need or want, be it shopping for certain necessities or just hanging out with my friends, and for all these visits, you were never hostile to me. It feels very home-like. You are also the only city that makes me hate urban areas a little less because it gives me hope that not all cities are hubs of pollution. You also made me realise that maybe not all cities are mechanical and busy and that there are those (like you) who are laid back and relaxed.
As I write this while I am away from you, I just want you to know that I miss hanging out with you . You were my companion before college started and you will always be that whenever I come back home and visit you. So please be the same as you are right now while shedding some aspects of you that are . I promise you that you will be loved even more.
With lots of love (and a few drops of tears)
Someone who misses you a lot