Thiruvananthapuram (or Trivandrum) is the capital of my home state, Kerala. If you’re a family member or close friend, you probably already know that I worked there for four years during my not-so-fulfilling IT days, before quitting the field altogether to pursue my love of literature and creative writing.
Going on an India Trip, pursuing a Master’s in English Literature, and publishing my first book were my three immediate goals after quitting IT in 2018. With God’s grace and the support of my loved ones, I was able to cross off the last two from my to-do list. But the first dream still eludes me.
First Failed Attempt in 2019
Like I mentioned on my blog, ‘My Quintessential India Trip Dream,’ I did make a vague plan and set out on a solo trip back in 2019. However, due to some personal issues that I faced in the middle of the trip and safety concerns raised by my family, I had to wrap it up after spending two to three days exploring Trivandrum and return home.
If you’re from Kerala, then you might understand when I say travelling was not on any of our priority lists in the years that followed. Kerala suffered from adjacent years of floods and landslides in 2018-19, even as we were recovering from the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi in 2017 and the Nipah virus outbreak in 2018. And then the entire world got hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and went into a partial hibernation/full-on self-preservation mode till 2023. Like humans all across the globe, I also focused on staying alive, ensuring my family’s safety, finding a job, and then keeping it during that challenging phase.
Trivandrum Plan 2025
As you might already know, I’m chasing my travel dreams again this year. My initial plan for Trivandrum was to visit only a few familiar and touristy places, such as Kovalam, Palayam, Varkala, and the new Vizhinjam Harbour. Since many trains ply between Kollam and Trivandrum daily, I reckoned I could easily catch the to-and-fro morning and evening passenger trains for these trips.
But the extremely slow pace at which I tackled my Kollam itinerary and the way the itinerary grew longer during the process put things into perspective for me. I learned I’d have to hyperfocus and set clear deadlines to increase the pace and efficiency of this travel project. So, scrapping my initial plans, I decided to stay in Trivandrum for a month to explore it in detail.
September 8, 2025, Monday – Day 0, Hostel Hunting in Kazhakuttam
So, after my six-year hiatus, I landed in Kazhakuttam, the tech zone of Trivandrum, on September 8, 2025, to hunt for a hostel. When I say I returned to Trivandrum after six years, you must know there were negligible exceptions like the one time I landed outside Technopark early morning for a 3K run and the once-in-a-blue-moon night car rides to the airport.
Of course, these short errands didn’t prepare me for the vast changes Trivandrum and especially Kazhakuttam had gone through in the last six years.
When I landed at Kazhakuttam Railway Station and effortlessly traced the old paths back to Technopark and the nearby Le Arabia restaurant for lunch, paths I used to walk regularly with my IT and train friends, I thought this visit would be a piece of cake. But, nothing prepared me for the labyrinth of a six-lane configuration, with two additional service roads, and a 2.7 km long four-lane flyover at the Kazhakuttam roundabout.
To say that I was intimidated by this sight would be an understatement. It took me a while to figure out which was which and where to go to reach a particular spot. But I asked myself to push through because being scared is never the right way to live our lives. Besides, navigating all the states of India by public transport is, anyway, not for the faint-hearted.
Hostel Selection Criteria
I was on the lookout for an affordable hostel, preferably with a monthly rent in the range of Rs 5,000-6,000. I wanted both food and accommodation, so I knew I would have to check for three or four sharing rooms.
Actual Hunt
I had already called a few hostels and inquired about their rates. The first one was a premium accommodation with no food. Single rooms were available for Rs 1,000 per day, and a total of Rs 8,000 per month. Obviously, it was too expensive for my budget, so I didn’t visit it.
There was a ladies’ hostel close to the Kazhakuttam bus stop. The location was definitely an advantage. One vacancy was there in a 4-sharing room for Rs 4,500, requiring an advance payment of Rs 2,000, but food was not available. We had to cook by ourselves. I didn’t opt for this place since the rooms looked too congested and untidy. The bed was also only available for exactly one month, which meant I wouldn’t have the option to extend my stay if required.
Eventually, I ended up walking all the way from Kazhakuttam to Attinkuzhi, the bus stop between Technopark Phase 1 and Phase 3, and then towards the Kallingal service road to visit Mini’s Home Stay. This ladies’ hostel had a lot of positive reviews on Google. Many praised the friendly nature of the owner, that it was run entirely by women, and the quality of the food. When I visited the hostel and spoke with the owner myself, I felt that the reviews were genuine. She was so warm and friendly. And also so chill, a quality I’ve seen very rarely in hostel matrons.
The dormitory room with four members costs only around Rs 4,500, while a three-sharing bedroom with an attached bathroom costs Rs 5,000. The matron told me that they had three buildings in total. The one I visited that day was their oldest building. They had two more buildings, where three, four, and five-sharing rooms were available in the price range of Rs 5,000-6,000.
Eventually, I chose a four-sharing room in their second building (the semi-new one) and ended up spending the last one month (September 10 – October 9, 2025) there. I had a wonderful time with my affectionate roommates, hostelmates from other rooms and buildings whom I met and interacted with during meal times, Chef Sabitha Chechi, and the owner, Mini Aunty. A big hug for their love and support over the past month!
Why Kazhakuttam?
I chose Kazhakuttam and the Technopark area for my stay because I was familiar with the place and the roads remained well-lit and active even at 10 p.m. Since many employees worked night shifts, the hostels allowed us to return as late as 10:30 p.m., which was convenient for me whenever I came back late from remote locations or after strenuous treks.
Places & Mode of Travel
In the morning, I had travelled to Kazhakuttam from Kollam on the 11:35 am Kollam-Kanyakumari MEMU train. The ticket cost only Rs 15, and I reached by 12:50 pm. As planned, I didn’t take autorickshaws or buses for all my other errands. I walked to various hostels and eateries. I had my lunch from Le Arabia near Technopark, and a yummy Sharjah shake from the Chayapranthan shop near Attinkuzhi in the evening. Similarly, I caught the evening 6:20 pm Kollam passenger train to return home, after a quick visit to the nearby St. Joseph’s Church at Kazhakuttam, the one I used to attend regularly during my IT days.
This became my modus operandi for navigating all of Trivandrum as well: travelling by public transport and eating at budget-friendly yet clean local restaurants.
Notes on the People I Saw
I reached Kazhakuttam in the afternoon around 12:50 pm, so at that time, the repeating sight on the way was people hurrying off for lunch or resting in their drowsy moods.
On my long walk from Kazhakuttam railway station to Le Arabia, I saw Al Saj Convention Centre on my left. In the nearby open spaces, a few people were sleeping in the open luggage storage areas of big Volvo buses, probably the drivers after a long, tiring trip.
I saw a house with a beautiful garden where a running hose was left abandoned. I had the urge to walk into the property and turn off the tap, but chose against it. I didn’t want to trespass. Besides, what if they had dogs?
Inside Le Arabia, while I was having my half biriyani and lemon juice alone, most of the people around me were employees of the Technopark. Men and women in formal or semi-formal clothes, their company IDs tucked in their shirt pockets or still dangling around their necks, discussing meeting updates and bugs while eating fried rice, or grilled chicken with kubooz and mayonnaise. It reminded me of my IT days, our team outings, and parties.
Again, in the evening, as I was waiting for my passenger train to arrive, many buses from Technopark arrived at the station, stacked with IT employees. Seeing the crowd in the railway station at 6 pm, I asked one of the employees: “Is there some curfew now that all employees must leave the Technopark campus by 6?” She shook her head and said, “No, different companies have different timings. Some have shifts too.”
Anyway, I felt so happy to see so many employees leaving the office at sharp 5:30 or 6 pm, setting clear boundaries at work and prioritising their personal time. During my IT days, I never saw such crowds at 6. Probably on weekends or at 8 pm, but definitely not at 6 pm and especially not on Mondays. I realised there were other factors at play, too. The total number of employees working in the Technopark and commuting to work must’ve drastically increased in the last six years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of remote and hybrid work cultures.
Reflections
Some days, I do wonder how my life would’ve turned out had I stayed in the IT field. Maybe financially and career-wise, I would’ve been much better off than now. But I’m extremely grateful for the slow pace of my current life, my mental health, the quality time I get to spend with my family, the books I read, the places I travel to, the scribbles that turn into blogs, every penny I make from my writing, the food on my table, the freedom and artistic joy I enjoy every day, every good person I meet, and every good memory we create together.
Anyway, I felt super excited to move back to Trivandrum, even if it was just for a month. I couldn’t wait to explore all the places I hadn’t visited before, revisit my favourite spots like Palayam, and see how much Trivandrum had changed over the past six years. I wondered what hidden gems of people and places time had quietly saved for me to discover on this journey. I hoped for the best!
Stay tuned for more Trivandrum stories. 🙂
Are you someone who walked away from the comfort of a stable job to chase a dream? Looking back, do you feel it was worth it? Please share your experience in the comments. Your story might just inspire someone else to take that leap, too.
Author’s Notes
~ Big thanks to my friend, Deepak Swamy Murugesan, a.k.a Captain, for letting me use this snap of Kazhakuttam Railway Station in my blog! 🤗 Check out his awesome creative works at kidseye.jpg
~ All content on this blog, except the above-mentioned photo, is the intellectual property of the author. © 2025 Lirio Marchito. All rights reserved.
~ This blog is part of a series exploring my travels through Trivandrum, the capital city of my home state, Kerala, in India. You can read more posts from this series here. Trivandrum | Kerala| India
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