In Touch with My Roots: A Creative Journey through Kerala is the imaginative retelling of Yusuf Arakkal’s travels through his native state. While the artist’ palette captures the imagery of the landscape, its people and its architecture new and old, his anecdotes present enchanting vignettes of the state and its culture. The splendour of nature shrouded in mythological mysteries, the magnificence of the elephant as it makes a sudden appearance, the local tea stall that continues to hold its own in spite of the grandeur of a five-star hotel within a stone’s throw, the sea and the fishermen, inseparable and linked by destiny—Arakkal’s strokes in brush and pen lure the reader to take an intimate look at the state of Kerala. From Trivandrum to Thiruvananthapuram, Alleppy to Alapuzha, Cochin to Kochi, Kerala has come full circle, shedding its colonial past to don its indigenous identity. This is where the Theyyam is performed and memories of Kublai Khan live on with the casting of each Chinese fishing net. This is where a few lingering Jews keep alive the sanctity of an ancient synagogue, and backwaters and houseboats offer food for the soul. This is where crowds throng silver beaches and the natural cures of Ayurveda beckon those in search of holistic healing. Arakkal’s travelogue is a brilliant amalgam of words and drawings: pen and ink, watercolours and oils on canvas. Redolent with nostalgia, his journey puts him back in touch with his roots, allowing the reader to see his world through his eyes.
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