2nd March 2018

I wasn't  sure about going to Shri Nehemia  Mootha's tomb today for lighting my Sabbath candles. But by 4pm I had a strong urge to go and took a bus to Mattancherry across the river. When I reached Chakka Maadam, the evening sun was still bright and it was too early for the candles. I lit them anyway.

Being a Friday with the Dutch palace on their weekly holiday and the synagogue closed in the afternoon in preparation for the Sabbath, the touristic Mattancherry was hardly crowded. I walked through the empty old street to the Bazar where there was a small ally leading to the back water I had seen earlier which offered a captivating view of Sir Robert Bristow's Willingdon Island. 

After spending some time among the old buildings which are heaped in history, I walked back to the synagogue, hoping and praying one day the entire Mattancherry would be rebuilt to its old glory with its bazars bustling with activities and filled with international crowd as it once was, before it was too late. Some of the buildings have deteriorated so badly it's not possible to repair them. 

By the time I reached the synagogue, the Sabbath lights were already lit and the Shamash was getting ready to receive the members and hoping for the Meniyan for the Sabbath starting prayers. 

There was no Meniyan this week, the non-Jewish tourists kept coming to the synagogue even though it was closed and stood looking at the historic clock tower, the group of students from the RJ college of Architecture, Bangalore, was very eager to know about the synagogue and its history and kept asking questions to those who were willing to share the information with them. 

I was told a tourist couple who used to come to the synagogue regularly wont be coming anymore as they were returning. They waved me a sad good bye as they walked past me after the evening prayers. 

Farewell my friends, till we meet again. 

Sadly, I walked back to the Jetty and took the last ferry back to Ernakulam. We were lucky there was enough water at the low tide for the boat to moor at the jetty. There were few students from the Semester At Sea which is wharfed at Mattancherry wharf with me in the boat. I didn't knew the World Odyssey had called on our port and to see the ship all lit up at night took the farewell sadness away for a while. 

Sabbath Shaolom. Thank you Adonai, for one more Week!