“We now leave our homes with a touch of apprehension to shed the claustrophobia of apartment-living for wider spaces, greenery and peace,” writes Meera Ganapathi on a trip to Kayal Island Retreat.

Before the pandemic, the ‘traveller’ was a much-envied (and often-loathed) character chalking up a list of off-beat experiences to extract the most out of a trip anywhere. Many of our holidays had developed a pattern that was enthusiastically shared across social media. AirBnB reviews were dissected, sights were Googled and visited by priority, parks were napped in, shots of coffee were inhaled, museums were touched upon with some self-congratulation, restaurants were sourced for their authenticity and nights were ended at drinking holes. More often than not, we came away with memories, too many photographs and even a few friends. All that has changed in a virus-riddled world, where holidays (if we manage to go on them) have changed irrevocably.

But despite the lingering anxiety and uncertainty it seems to me that the breaks we take now have become far more meaningful than they used to be. With most places becoming inaccessible, holidays can’t pretend to be an impulsive indulgence. Infrequent, fraught with caution and carefully planned around e-passes and eases in infection rates and government restrictions, breaks are hard to come by and therefore, precious. Cooped-up in our homes through unending lockdowns and anxieties, taking a bold decision to go on a holiday isn’t meant to entertain us as much as it is meant to restore us. We now leave our homes with a touch of apprehension to shed the claustrophobia of apartment-living for wider spaces, greenery and assured peace.

Kayal Island Retreat is perfectly suited to the current predicament, inviting its visitors to cast-off the city with generously proffered tranquil. The usual Kerala tourism clichés of ‘coconut fronds’, ‘serene backwaters’ ‘spectacular sunsets’ etc. easily lend themselves to the island which is picture-postcard beautiful. But none of this does justice to the thoughtful restraint with which Maneesha has created Kayal. Despite the dramatic landscape that surrounds it, the resort is almost austere with just four well-appointed cottages. There has been no scramble to lure tourists- the space is what the surroundings allow it to be. Created with a minimalist aesthetic in mind, Maneesha and her architect have drawn inspiration from Kerala’s heritage homes while including elements of island culture in the art and design. And with attentive details in the unfussed décor, Kayal exudes a quiet elegance.

When Maneesha Panicker invited The Soup to Kayal, I was so unused to being outside the confines of my apartment, that I became keenly aware of my surroundings. Pandemic priorities being what they are, I found myself observing everything from, “hey the tables are in the open!”, “how nice, there are chairs by the water,” “what’s that crawling down my back?”, “wow, the bull-frogs sound like an orchestra,” to “is that the same thing as vendakkai pachidi?” Eventually Kayal Island turned out to be exactly the break I needed. Many months later, I still have distinct impressions of my days on the island, but what comes to mind first is always, the food.

We spent four wholesome days on the island but my most memorable experience there was listening to the ferryman’s daughter, Anaha sing. A trained singer Anaha traversed seamlessly between classical and folk music in the five songs she chose to sing for us, one rainy evening. One such folk song brought alive the century-old rhythm of the paddy field, once sung by grandmothers to farmhands who harvested to the sound of its melody.

In the days before the virus, after a holiday, I’d play a mental game where I’d try and recall each day of my trip, right down to what I ate. Despite my best efforts, images from the trip would eventually fade and only certain impressions would remain- most of them gathered from photographs. My memories from Kayal however, are still fresh in my mind. And I wonder if this is what holidays will become, not a scramble for souvenirs at the end of a journey, but a collection of meaningful experiences that stay with you. I’ve learnt by now that predicting anything in a pandemic is a waste of conjecture. What I do know with clarity, is that I will always remember Kayal in a 100-year-old song impossible to forget, much like the island itself.

Photographs by Himanshu Lakhwani, Bunuel PA, Anand Lalith Sethu.

For more information on Kayal visit: kayalislandretreat.com

Rooms start at INR 7,000 per night.