Kumbalanghi is a lush green village of Cochin. It is declared as the first model fisheries and tourism village of India which has its own tradition and culture. Most of the villagers are engaged in agriculture and fishing. The village is 16 Sq.Km in area and surrounded by backwaters and paddy fields. A visitor can experience a variety of village activities in Kallanchery which is a satellite island of Kumbalanghi. Some of the activities going around here are:
Coir Yarn Processing: Coir yarn is made with coir fibres separated from coconut husks.
Copra processing: The coconut is cut into two pieces and sun dried to extract coconut oil.
Crab Farming: There is a well-maintained crab farm. Visitors can experience themselves the catching of the crabs weighing 500gms to 3 kgs from the farm.
Clam meat processing: Clams are shellfish found in the brackish waters. Men collect the clam fish from back water. Ladies steam the clamshell to separate the meat from the shell. Shells are used for making white cement and fertilizers.
Chinese Net operation: Chinese nets were introduced by Chinese during 15th century. Here, Chinese nets are operated usually during the night.
Net making: As many of the villagers find their livelihood from fishing, knitting the net is also identified as a profession. Many of the villagers are engaged in making the net and their repairing.
Weaving Coconut Leaves: Coconut leaves are weaved by Ladies. Weaved coconut leaves are used for thatching the roof and for fencing. For this, green coconut leaves are first seasoned in brackish water which will increase the life of the weaved leaves.
Country Boating: Country boats are made up of wood like Wild jack tree, Teak etc. Wood is first split into planks of thickness ¾ to 2 inches. These planks are then joined with coir yarn with a coir fibre filling.
