The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1922-03-30
Grinding Corn in an Indian Village.
GvrfeJy oTAsIS

prepared by the National oeographi So
ciety. Washington. d. CO
The MOplahs, whose revolt In India
Is one of the most serious the British
have had to contend with in recent
times, are operating in the portion of
India-the Malabar coast-which was
the first to be sighted by Europeans
and the first with which trading was
carried on. Yet Ii has been less known
than any other part of the great PENN
sula empire. To the casual observer
of maps this seems the front door to
India, and the region which should be
best known and most influenced by
Europeans. For ii is the coast facing
toward Europe and lies just opposite
the main water gateway to and from
the west-the mouth of the Red sea-
But although 1t was natural enough
that Vasco da Cana, after he had
rounded Africa, should have his first
Indian iand-fall In Malabar. ii is equal
iy natural, when geographic conditions
are taken into account, that most of
the present-day argosies of trade shun
this lower western coast of India and
turn instead northward to Bombay or,
doubling the point OF the peninsula,
anchor at 1ndia's back DOORS" Mad
ras and Calcutta. For the Malabar
region Is only a narrow strip 20 to 60
miles wide with rugged mountains. the
Western Chats, cutting 1t off from the
rest OF India almost as completely as
would many miles Of water.
Then, too, MAlabar has no good
ports. Calicut and Cochin did well
enough for the light-draft caravels of
the early explorers, but cannot well ac-
cornmodate larger modern ocean-golng
craft. In the east India has no such
continuous barrier as the Western
Chats, and so the wide portion of the
peninsula to the east of those rugged
mountains has become a familiar land
tn travellers and has to a degree be-
come Europeanized, while the Malabar
coast has been little known and has
remained the best mirror of ancient
India.
What the Region 10 Like.
In few other places will the West
erner have his dreams of the East and
OF India come so nearly true as In
Malabar. The climate is hot and the
annual rainfall amounts to nearly ten
feet. The coasts are fringed with mil
lions OF coconut palms. Just inland In
many parts Of the region are quiet la
goons and backwaters, connected by
canals, on which picturesque Eastern |
'sondolas" ply. Along these inland
shores are still more coconut and other |
palms, and In the waters are croco-
dies. Everywhere brown natives |
bare above the waist
little different in appearance and Gus
toms from the first Indians which the
Portuguese found on those shores in |
I4gS.
Back of the coastal lagoons are fiat |
ice fields and In many sections these
.xtend up the lower hillsides on ter
aces, irrigated from the countless
uonsoon-born streams that trickle
Town from the Chats. Elsewhere the
,iIl slopes are given up to gardens
which even In the Fifteenth century
we're models of careful cultivation. In
hem are grown characteristic Eastern
'raducts, plantains, mangoes, pepper,
ginger, coffee, tea and many
vegetables.
Farther from the coast In the higher
Ills, are the luxuriant forests with
heir underground Of tree ferns, rho
odendrons and reeds and their deli
ate and c0lorful orchids. And to COM
lete the Westerner's dream-picture of
he East, In the forests are tigers and
sopards end wild elephants. This re-
ion is In fact the elephant country,
ar excellence, Of India. In its small
Drest reserves In the Western Chats
N British Indian government makes
respectable amount Of "pin money"
selling the elephants which 1t traps.
arge herds, too, roam over the pri-
stely owned forest lands Of the region
al OF Iravancore, Immediately to the
nth. These wooded mountains form {
eegion of great neutrality-suspicious.
AXIS with dark-green ravines in which a
iver streams descend In numerous c
aterfalls and cascades. a
Most OF the People Are Hindus.
Ihoagh the Malabar coast is blessed -
nm rich soil and luxurlant vegetation =
" not as dependent on agriculture :.
most other portions of India. Fish u
pound In the sea and are caught in
reat quantities and eaten. The tim
y INDUSTRY, too, is important and
eny natives are employed in II II
.mlnes are practically unknown in l.
e favored corner of India.