Women lead new tourism wave in Kerala’s Maravanthuruth

N.G. Indira, a 63-year-old communicative English trainer from Kulashekharamangalam in Maravanthuruth, has addeda new morning routine this summer. While many seek refuge indoors from the heat, she heads straight to Arivalthodu, the canal that winds through her village.

At one of the ghats opening onto the scenic waterway, Ms. Indira joins a few other women from the village, including a Class X student, for a paddling session. By evening, after finishing the day’s chores, the women return once again, their oars slicing through the water for another round along the canal, which links two tributaries of Muvattupuzha River.