KOCHI: A kilometre from the Fort Kochi Boat Jetty is a beautiful street with shops selling antiques from the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial era. The aesthetically beautiful ‘Princess street’, also known as ‘Loafer’s corner’, makes the best of the given space with remnants from the 447 years of foreign rule.
The buildings still carry the past with them and people still remember the stories from years ago.
Some say the name of the street comes from a Scottish pirate, William Kidd. The shopkeepers point to one of the oldest people in the area, the designated storyteller of Princess Street, for more details. “He became a leader of pirates, and after making money, he came to Fort Kochi to enjoy a lavish life. He set up his home in the area currently known as Princess Street,” says Antoni Thomman, with a smile.
“He enjoyed his life, singing, dancing and partying. The locals fell in love with him. And eventually he came o be known as a prince, a neme given by the the people. And this area came to be known as Prince’s Street.” And after spending one and a half years in Fort Kochi, he went back to the sea and eventually England. Eventually, he was caught and sentenced to death by hanging.
“When he was hanged for the first time, the rope broke. According to the law at that time, if the first try was unsuccessful, he shouldn’t be hanged again. However, the British went against the law and hanged him a second time,” Antoni recalls. “The name of the street was eventually changed during British rule. They loathed Kidd. So they renamed the street to Princess Street.”
Most people in the area only know about the new name and that it was earlier called Prince’s Street. However, apart from Antony, not many can tell the reason for such a change. The buildings and houses here are made by the Dutch and Portuguese almost as old as 400 years.
“Most of these buildings used to be godowns for spices and armoury. And the inhabitants were colonists and missionaries. Anglo-Indians started emerging initially as traders, then settled in these lands. Later on, they left. But they kept coming back as tourists. Now, Malayalis occupy the street,” says John Korela, owner of the antique shop, Indian Industries the oldest shop on the street.
Princess Street is also famously known as ‘Loafers Street’ because of a lady’s hostel in the area.
According to Prasanth R, owner of the Loafer’s Cafe, many men used to come here and stare at the women of the hostel. “People started calling them loafers, which then became the name of the area Loafer’s Corner,” says Prashanth.
“As tourists started visiting, the economy of Princess Street along with other parts of Fort Kochi changed. The buildings here are renovated only on the inside. The outer layer is still untouched, protecting the heritage and culture. This is one of the main reasons why most people here on this street, shopkeepers and auto drivers are extremely fluent in English like it is their native,” he says.
What’s in a name
Weekly column on the history of place names. Got any suggestions? Write to cityexpresskoc@newindianexpress.com