September 16, 2025, Tuesday
Day 7/30. For those wondering what happened to Days 4, 5, & 6 in Trivandrum, here goes. On September 13, I stayed at my hostel, working on my freelance project and personal write-ups. On the 14th, I went home, spent two days with my family, and returned to Trivandrum only on the 16th morning. This is what happens when half your heart is a travel enthusiast, and the other half is a family person.
I boarded the 7:45 am Punalur Kanyakumari Passenger train from Kollam and reached Kazhakoottam by 9:30 am. I freshened up, had some food from my hostel, and boarded a bus to Palayam. Remember all those places I skipped to visit the Napier Museum on time on September 12th? It was finally time to explore those places one by one.
Connemara Market
First on my list was the Connemara Market. I read that the Market was first established in 1857, when Sri Uthradom Thirunal was the Maharaja of Travancore, to supply essential commodities to the Army. The red-arched market gate was built later and inaugurated in 1888 by Sir Robert Bourke, 1st Baron Connemara, Governor of the Madras Presidency, during his visit to Trivandrum, and hence named after him.
I was so excited to see the arched gate at the market’s entrance. However, when I entered, I realized that the place was being torn down to build a new marketplace. I wished they would retain the market gate.
Inside, there were many small stalls selling vegetables, fish – both raw and dried ones, and kitchen utensils, especially knives, mud pots, and pans. Outside, flower sellers and fruit sellers kept shouting the best deals of the day.
Secular Kerala
Recently, a few Hindi propaganda movies, such as the Kerala Story (2023) and the Kerala Story 2 (2026), have been trying to paint Kerala as a backward and intolerant state. To counter their false narratives with the ground reality of communal harmony in the state, Keralites usually share photos and reels of a certain point in Palayam.
It’s a shot of Palayam Church from the top, revealing the nearby sight of Sree Shakthi Vinayaka temple, Haji Ali restaurant, and a mosque sharing the same compound walls, all barely at a 2-minute walking distance. In the evening, when the church bell tolls during the mass, so do the temple bells from the arti, and the Azaan – the call to prayer from the mosque. That pluralistic nature and brotherhood, for me, is the true essence of India, not the religious hatred or intolerance propagated by political parties who still hope to water and harvest the fruits of the Divide and Rule seeds sown in Indian soil during the Colonial rule.
Palayam Church
Ruminating on these disturbing trends, I reached the famous Palayam Church – St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral. I’ve been to this church many times, especially during my IT days. It’s a safe and blissful space for me.
I reached the church around 12, noon time. I heard the bell tolling and realised some prayer was about to begin. Luckily, it turned out to be an Eucharistic Adoration, or the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In this ceremony, a priest places the Eucharist, symbolising Jesus Christ’s sacrificed body, in a golden vessel called a monstrance for adoration, and concludes it with a blessing called benediction.
I’m one of those people who don’t think highly of religious rituals, but when the priest and the crowd are so in sync, sometimes the adorations at churches and arties in temples get to me. I feel emotional and tear up, too. If you ever want to see me cry ugly tears, just quote Psalms 34:18 in Malayalam. “ഹൃദയം തകർന്നവർക്ക് കർത്താവ് സമീപസ്ഥനാണ്; മനസ് തകർന്നവരെ അവിടുന്ന് രക്ഷിക്കുന്നു.” (“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” )
This particular adoration turned out to be one such emotional instance. In his speech, the priest talked about hope. He advised never to let go of hope and to always have faith in God. He quoted the story of Enoch from Genesis. Enoch’s life was so pleasing to God that God didn’t let him die. It is believed that Enoch was taken to heaven, without experiencing death, just like Prophet Elijah.
The Bible says, “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
Another Bible verse the priest quoted was the story of the woman who suffered from hemorrhages for 12 years. Desperate and ostracized because of her illness, she touched the hem of Jesus’ robes, believing she would be healed. The Bible says she was not only healed immediately, but Jesus publicly acknowledged her faith.
The priest topped these stories with a piercing question: “Do you think our Lord doesn’t notice when you’re heartbroken and on your knees, crying? Do you think he doesn’t care?” I sobbed like a kid. In my defense, I wasn’t designed for such “I see your soul” kind of questions.
Once the adoration was over, the priest let everyone in the crowd touch the Eucharist and pray. He also sprinkled the crowd with holy water.
After a spiritual cleansing and emotional catharsis, I walked out of the church with a peaceful and light heart. I guess the cold-hearted people in this world won’t understand the peace that a good cry gives an emotional person.
Zam Zam Restaurant
I crossed to the other side of the road. Zam Zam restaurant was just a 280-meter walk away, barely a 4-minute walk. I reminisced about the first time I visited that restaurant with my IT friends. Some of my Bengali friends also joined us that day. I tried crab meat soup for the first time. It was a bit smelly, but soft and yummy. It tasted of the sea.
On my way to the restaurant, I saw the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium and its artistically painted compound walls. I once ran a 2-kilometer night marathon along with my IT friends in that stadium, as part of a women’s day celebration. I could also see the University of Kerala at a distance.
The Zam Zam restaurant was jampacked as usual. I had to share a table with a young man and his elderly mom. They were muslims. I realised this only because the mother(Umma) had covered her head with her saree’s pallu. She was kind and smiled at me. The guy preferred ignoring my existence.
I ordered a biriyani and falooda for lunch. Acknowledging the exact meat I ate that day could cause lynching based on which part of India you live in, but definitely not in Kerala. Yet the propaganda movies call us, the Keralites, intolerant. Talk about irony! Along with the menu, there was a leaflet informing of the 10% price increase in all chicken dishes.
I devoured my biriyani and eagerly took the falooda in my hand. The Zam Zam special falooda was made of one scoop of vanilla ice cream, splashed with a few drops of strawberry essence, layered on boiled vermicelli, and garnished with soaked chia seeds. It was so sweet and mouthwatering.
Unfortunately, while I was slurping down the falooda, my paper straw got stuck with vermicelli. No matter how hard I lunged at it, I was unable to get the falooda. The mother-son duo sitting opposite me watched my struggle with amusement, somehow stifling their giggles.
In the end, my paper straw tore in half, and I had to scoop off the molten liquid with a spoon. I frowned at the residue at the bottom of the glass that I couldn’t reach with my spoon. The only other disappointment that tops that sinking feeling is losing a biscuit dunked in tea.
St Mary, Queen of Peace Basilica
After settling my bill, I paid a quick visit to the nearby St Mary, Queen of Peace Basilica. It’s the first Syro-Malankara Catholic Church to be elevated to the rank of a Catholic Basilica, and the fifth Basilica in Kerala. I’ve never attended a mass there. But my college/IT friend cum government exam preparation partner, and I have stood in front of that Basilica many times in the past, waiting for Kazhakoottum buses.
Then I retraced my path to the road near Palayam church. Since Trivandrum is well-structured with multi-lane roads, I didn’t find road crossings tedious. This time, instead of walking the one kilometer to the museum, I boarded a local bus and bought a Rs 10 ticket. I reached the campus by 2:30 pm. I could see the Napier Museum to the right, but since I had already explored it in detail, I walked toward the zoo.
To be continued…
Author’s Notes
~ The photo of the Palayam Church was clicked by my friend in March, 2026.
~ All content on this blog, except the above-mentioned photo, is the intellectual property of the author. © 2026 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
Lirio's Wanderings 