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		Mahe: A French window to God's Own Country?
		Krishnakumar Sreekandath
		I recently did a whirlwind trip to the beautiful and magical Mahe, a tiny enclave of Pondicherry (on the east coast of India) with a heavy French influence. This former French town, covering approximately 9 km and with a population of around 36,000 people, is an incredibly peaceful place. It is situated on the west coast of the Indian peninsula, just between Badagara and Thalassery. It is 58 km away from Kozhikode, 24 km from Kannur and 8 km from Thalassery and is a busy trade centre.
		Mahe has an interesting history. Originally the name of the region was 'Mayyazhi' which means ‘black river mouth’. The French Commodore de Pardallion, who re-captured this land from the local rulers, changed the name to Mahe in respect of the French Naval captain, Mahe De Labourdonnais whose skill and enterprise was the main cause of the victory. For two and a half centuries, Mahe was under French rule. The first representative of the French East India Company, Mollandin, landed here in 1721 and immediately entered into an agreement with the local ruler to establish a trading centre on the estuary of river Mahe. In 1724 the French built a fort here. Afterwards the region changed hands between them and their rivals the British a few times. By the second decade of the 18th century, the French re-established their authority here and on November 1, 1954 Mahe was handed over to the Government of India by the French.
		Coming back to the present, one can say that everything here at Mahe is either on the waterfront or near the beach. A statue of 'Marienne', can be seen at the beautiful Tagore Park. The origin of the statue goes back to 1789 when the French erected in Mahe a pillar and a statue made of tin and copper with the face of a beautiful lady at the end. Engraved under the face are liberte', equalite'et fraternite', the ideals of the French revolution. The architectural style of the French is much in evidence here in various buildings including the magnificent Government Buildings (1855). This style blends with the local styles giving the streets a special look. Another attractive building is St Theresa's Church which is famed all over Malabar for the efficacy of prayers said here.
		People of all religions descend on the Church for the fete (October 5-22), considered especially auspicious. There is a French-built St George´s Fort at Cherukallu which provides spectacular views of Mahe and its environs. What attracted me most was the warmth of the Maheans whom I met during my brief visit. They were warm, welcoming, and helpful. I was able to meet a wide group of people including politicians, businessmen, fishermen, hotel owners and the local policemen. Tourism in Mahe is still very much in its infancy. This place is only starting to cater to tourists and the infrastructure is still developing. But even with the limited resources Mahe still paints a colourful picture for visitors. I have no doubt that Mahe will rapidly become a much sought-after tourist destination on the Malabar Coast. It definitely offers a French flavour to God's Own Country.
		Like her more illustrious cousin Pondicherry, on the east coast of India, Mahe too can be developed into an attractive seaside resort capable of giving great 'value for money' breaks for a wide range of tourists. Currently Mahe has a tourism desk situated at the regional administrative office to guide all tourists. The only resort worth mentioning is Zara Resort which offers two 3, one 4 and one 1 bed air-conditioned suites available for tourists. Three more suites are currently under construction. The resort has a good restaurant and bar attached to it. The other restaurants worth mentioning are Hotel Cool Land, Hotel Azadi and the French Café which are all of reasonable standard. At Manjakkal in Mahe, the Pondicherry tourism department is in the process of constructing a water sports complex which no doubt will add another feather to Mahe's tourism cap.
		There is a lovely stone stage (Kalmandapam) overlooking Mahe river near the sports complex which hosts innumerable music and art programmes at dusk. I was told that the present administration in Pondicherry, which governs Mahe, is fully aware of Mahe's potential and has plans in place to take it forward even further. On the whole, Mahe portrays a rosy picture as a major tourism centre on the south west coast of India. (The author is the Business Development Manager of Dove Holidays and can be contacted on email: kris@doveholidays.com)