Cruising the Tranquil Backwaters of Kerala

“Atithi devo bhava” is an ancient Sanskrit saying translated as “All guests are gods.” As if that weren’t reason enough to visit India, Oberoi Hotels has launched the M.V. Vrinda a motorized vessel that takes guests through the backwaters of Kerala. With its tranquil waterways lined with swaying palm trees, lush rice paddies, and small villages, Kerala is often referred to as “God’s own country.” While that sounds like hyperbole, it’s more like understatement.

As soon as I come on board the Vrinda, an elegant and intimate (eight-cabin) cruising vessel, I’m offered water from a coconut that the chef has just had one of the staff climb up and cut down. “That’s the sort of theft you see in Kerala,” he quips. Any notions of frenetic, overcrowded India disappear at once. Food on the ship is spectacular, and includes international and Indian choices. After lunch, it’s up on the deck for some sunbathing. At the end of the day, we return to the jetty to watch the sun slip below the horizon as fishermen spread out their nets.

Before dinner, we’re treated to a private onboard performance of Mohiniattam. This graceful “Dance of the Enchantress” is performed by women who sway their upper bodies and use their eyes, teasingly, to seduce the viewer. After dinner, I retire to my cabin, furnished in beige with teak floors, local artwork, and two picture windows overlooking the water. There’s also a TV, a DVD player, and a fully equipped bathroom.

The next day, we glide past the narrow canals of Alleppey, known as the Venice of the East. Midmorning, we transfer to a narrow rice boat, to navigate canals too small for the Vrinda. (Rice boats, held together with coir knots, are made without a single nail.) We visit a small temple housing a half statue of Buddha. (I expect some mystical explanation for the accident; it turns out an elephant ran into it during a festival and the other half was lost.)

P.R.S. Oberoi always loved Kerala and wanted to share it, luxuriously, with his guests. He named the boat Vrinda after the garden where Lord Krishna and his consort, Radha, spent their happiest days. With apologies to Herman Melville (and Lord Krishna), “Call me Radha.”