Cochin Chronicle, Kochi, Cosmopolitan city, Commercial Capital, Ernakulam, Kerala, India

Cochin Chronicle -- Introduction

Kochi represents different things to different people. To many, it is an emerging cosmopolitan city with bustling life in the streets, the cinema halls, the shopping malls, and the skyscrapers; the commercial capital of the state, with a style statement different from the rest of the State - whether in clothes or lifestyle.

To some others, Kochi is a place with deep roots in history and its streets exude an old-world charm; a place with beautiful monuments and a variety of linguistic and ethnic communities including Jews, Konkinis, Gujaratis and so on. Yet another group looks at Kochi as a thriving, expanding market, providing opportunities for growth and prosperity to all who knock at her doors.

In short, Kochi offers a cocktail of modernity, old-world charm and a global outlook that, at the same time, facilitates continuity and change.

For centuries, Kochi had been a main port city, not only of Kerala, but also of the Indian Peninsula. Since the 14th century, Kochi, known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, has had ships from Asian and European countries visiting her port. The traders and travellered from across the globe were welcomed with open arms and minds. This greatly helped in its growth into a cosmopolitan city.

Kochi’s growth owes a lot to its strategic position on the northern end of the peninsula that has proximity to the Arabian Sea on the west, and the estuaries and the Western Ghats on the east. As for its geography, it is an indiscriminate mix of hilly areas, estuaries and backwaters, small islands, coastal cities like Fort Kochi and Mattancherry and plain terrain like that of the city of Ernakulam.

With its interesting monuments, geographic peculiarities, and emerging cosmopolitan nature, Kochi can keep a tourist engrossed for days.