KOCHI: People have witnessed many tourist locations and monuments in Fort Kochi. And many know that Kochi decked up for Christmas and New Year. What about Kochi at night?
Food anthropologist Oneal Sabu’s spook trail through Fort Kochi lanes is an interesting heritage walk that introduces the lore, myths, history and horror stories of Kochi to visitors.
Oneal came across the concept of a spooky trail while he was travelling in Edinburgh, Scotland.
“A man there used to hold a spooky trail with stories of witches and sorcery. Many of those lore sounded just like Harry Potter,” he recalls.
When he returned to Fort Kochi, his hometown, inspired by the Edinburgh spook trail, he set up his own night walk, filled with spooky tales and history talks. He named the initiative Phantasma - Colonial Crawlies.
“The first edition of Phantasma was through Jew Town, a lesser-known location in Fort Kochi. Since December 2022, I have conducted walks through the lanes of Jew Town at night. Now, this year,I kicked off the second edition last year, changing the centre of the stories to Fort Kochi,” he says.
During the day, Kochi is filled with tourists, both foreign and domestic, and numerous vehicles. “One cannot understand or enjoy the beauty of this historical town. You wouldn’t even see the people who live here. And many of the visitors come here to enjoy pop history,” smiles Oneal. “So, I thought of introducing my hometown to the people, without distractions of the day.”
The walk starts at 11pm from Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica and ends at the same place. In two hours, Oneal will take around 30 people through the bylanes of Kochi, less traversed by anyone other than locals, and reveal the legends he grew up hearing. Under the cover of night, step by step he will peel a few tantalising layers of the enigma that is Kochi.
At the beginning of the walk, Oneal will present every walker with a postcard filled with riddles. “At the end of the walk, everyone can take a few minutes to solve those,” he says. It is his way of introducing the real Kochi to people. “This is my small attempt at it,” he says.
Oneal held the first spooky trail through Fort Kochi on December 13. The second one is on January 18, a Friday night, to heighten the eeriness. Real history, myths and monuments undisturbed by traffic and parked vehicles. According to Oneal, that’s the highlight of the walk.
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