Kerala   

The friend from Poland

— Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

CULTURAL EXCHANGE: Cezary Galewicz of Jagiellonian University, Poland, speaking at a meeting of Calicut Heritage forum at Kozhikode on Thursday.

Cezary Galewicz finds Kozhikode fascinating. “This must be my fifth or sixth visit to Kozhikode,” says the teacher from Jagiellonian University in Poland.

Cezary, whose friends in Kozhikode consider him to be “the city’s ambassador in Poland,” was in the city to speak at a meeting organised by the Calicut Heritage Forum. The topic of his speech was befitting: “Kozhikode in the ey es of a friend from Poland.”

He has done extensive research and written on the civilisations of South Asia and the performing arts of south India. Another area that fascinates him is the co-existence of religions and cultures in India.

Cezary has travelled a lot in India, fascinated by its ancient literature, diversity of culture and natural beauty. Besides Kerala, he also likes travelling through the Konkan region.

Perhaps the most eloquent testimonial to his interest in India is his thesis ‘Canonicity and novelty in Rig Veda.’

Soon after reaching the city, he took a quick tour of some of the heritage sites. “The temple in Tali and the mosque in Kuttippuram are grand structures. But, much to my surprise, I found these are not marked on the tourists’ map of city that I have with me,” he said.

One major change he noticed was at the beach. The paved walkway was not there when he came last time.

“It is a beautiful addition to the list of beautiful sights in your wonderful city,” Cezary said.

He says he has assured a number of friends in foreign countries that a visit to India is not complete without a visit to north Kerala.

His friends here are mostly writers, academics and young men interested in history and culture.

But he confesses he is unable to recall the names of many of them.

He finds their names very difficult to pronounce; and he knows his name is also a tongue twister to a number of his friends here.

R. Madhavan Nair

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