Foreign tourists experience Kerala village life at Kannur homestay

KANNUR: An Italian tourist in a traditional lungi picking jackfruit, a Russian group dressed in colourful traditional attire singing Villadichan Pattu, and tourists from Hong Kong planting seeds and harvesting crops...these are common sights at E.V. Haris’s homestay in Adikadalayi, Kannur.

At Haris Beach Homestay, foreign tourists do more than just enjoy their holidays. They step into the village life of Kannur, trying to experience Kerala’s traditional lifestyle. Haris (69) takes visitors who want to live like a traditional Malayali around the village and introduces them to its everyday activities. Videos of foreign tourists wearing lungis, banyan vests and sarees have been trending on social media.

Haris, who once ran a clothing shop at South Bazar in Kannur, first became friends with a foreign tourist in 2001 when she visited his shop. He invited her to his home, where his mother Ramlath served her hot banana fritters. The visitor loved the taste and returned with her friends. The following year, she came back with an even larger group. Today, more than 100 foreign tourists visit Haris every year.

‘German besties’

German tourists Maria and Huntert, who visited Haris’s home once, had a simple wish- they wanted to catch prawns themselves and fry them.

Haris quickly helped them fulfil their wish. The two later returned several times and have now become close friends of Haris. Whenever they visit Kannur, they join him on his farm for activities such as planting and applying fertiliser. After returning to Germany, they continue to ask about the harvest. Haris also remembers another group from Germany that donated money to a school near his home.

Turning to farming during Covid

Haris turned to farming during the Covid period. On one acre of land near the resort, he started growing vegetables and raising goats, chickens, ducks, fish and honeybees.

He continued farming so that he could provide his guests with fresh, unadulterated food. His wife Sajitha and their children Nishin, Shijin and Roshan have been a strong support throughout his journey.