There are 2 villages in Wayanad in Kerala where Kabani Tours takes travellers. Now a third one has been added (see below). These three villages have different focuses. One has a lot to contribute to agriculture, the other is the ‘bamboo village’ and the third, Mothakkara, where I stayed for a long time, was the village of women for me from the very beginning. A friend immediately noticed this: ‘You write so much about such great encounters with women there, I didn’t expect that.’ And only then did I realise that I was actually mainly meeting women. Mercy, one of the best accommodation souls, gets her own post.
The guide picked me up on the first morning: Radhamani is 62 and has an insane knowledge of plants, a warm personality and knows everyone. A day with her is always an absolute highlight.
She took me to the local library, which is run by a woman. They have around 10,000 books, 90% of which are in Malayallam. Stories, poems, children’s books, politics, agriculture, travelling…. The library has 700 members. Some don’t manage to get there (Mothakkara is widely scattered) and so Radhamani started the ‘mobile library’ project. She goes to these people with a bag full of books, hands them out and collects them again. Her customers include around 100 women. Usha Kumari is on site, sorts the books, does the administration, etc. New acquisitions are discussed together.
We move on to the chocolate lady. Remya has a good education, but hasn’t found a job. A friend of her husband’s gave her the idea for a chocolate factory. She was impressed, learnt and started her business. Her chocolate tastes great and meeting her and her daughters Mira and Menakshi is a real pleasure. What’s not a real pleasure for me is that I didn’t take a nice picture of her. But you have to experience her – and you will immediately take her to your heart. She radiates good humour all round.
Mira and Menakshi certainly grew up with the products of the ‘Nutri-Factory’. Here, 5 women grind wheat, rice, soya, sugar and groundnut and mix them together. This mixture is delivered to the kindergartens, but it is also packaged and sold elsewhere.
There were 2 tailors working next to my accommodation. I passed them several times a day, we greeted each other and they continued to work diligently…
The primary school where I did the Kamerakidz only had female teachers. The principal is Geeta. She is 54 years old, started as a primary school teacher in 1996 and became headmistress in 2018. The atmosphere in the school is super nice. Another teacher can be seen in the top picture, between her daughters.
In addition to my walks with Radhamani, I also got to know other different women on my own. For example, Annia, who resolutely waved me over, offered me tea – and then despaired a little because I didn’t speak Malayallam and she didn’t speak English.
Or in the middle of the jungle, where I visited a Kamerakid, the neighbour’s daughter turned up. She is a police officer in training and is incredibly proud of it. And when we said goodbye, she gave me a gift with the words ‘I like your attitude’.
I have met many more women and not photographed them. And I bet that those who follow me will also find others to take to their hearts. Just like me. Mothakkara is a really great place for women!