✨🆕 Chaappa: Working Class Heroes | Mattancherry

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• The Lineage of Defiance: Uncover Kochi’s centuries-old history of maritime revolt, connecting modern labor rights to a long heritage of coastal resistance.
• The Ritual of the Scramble: Step into the heart of the bazaar to understand the mechanics of the chaappa—a system of "slave-like" exploitation that once defined the harbour.
• Maritime Tragedies & Triumphs: Revisit the forgotten stories of the boatmen whose daily risks in the backwaters became the moral foundation for Kochi’s first unions.
• The Red Resurrection: Explore the dramatic years of political bans and underground organising that shaped the city’s ideological landscape.
• The Martyrs’ Trail: Walk the final path of the 1953 uprising, where the power of regional poetry and oral history brings the city’s revolutionary past to life.

By choosing this signature experience, you support a social enterprise dedicated to decolonizing local history:

• Community Archiving: A portion of your fee funds the documentation of marginalised oral histories.
• Hyper-Local Economy: We partner exclusively with neighbourhood vendors, ensuring that the economic impact of your visit remains within the community.
• SDG Alignment: This walk is rigorously mapped against SDG 8 (Decent Work), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Communities) by preserving the intangible heritage of Kochi’s working class.

• Expert Storyteller: Guided by a specialised storyteller from The Kochi Heritage Project with deep knowledge of maritime and labour history.
• Curated Narrative: Access to exclusive, research-driven scripts and oral histories that go beyond standard guidebook facts.
• Traditional Refreshments: A cultural break at a landmark site featuring local favourites.

• This is a walking trail, and we do not use vehicles.
• Hotel pickups and drops.
• Meals
• Sightseeing points that fall outside of the curated route.
• We do not provide umbrellas, raincoats, hats/caps, face-masks or sanitizers.
• We do not enter any heritage monuments except what is mentioned in the inclusions.

• Please carry your own water bottle. We encourage a reusable bottle.
• We recommend wearing comfortable footwear and using sunscreen.
• Please also carry your own umbrella / raincoat or cap / hat / sunglasses (as the weather dictates).

• Photography is permitted but ask the storyteller first. Videography is not permitted. If you are a researcher, guide, a travel writer, or a blogger, kindly request consent from the Organizer before the tour.
• We will be serving refreshments / meals (if applicable) in places that follow hygiene and sanitary guidelines approved by The Kochi Heritage Project.

• The Kochi Heritage Project works on a 100% advance payment before the walk. Tour bookings shall be confirmed only once The Kochi Heritage Project receives full payment.
• Tour can be cancelled up to 7 days before their start for a full refund. Tour cancellation made between 7 to 3 days of the tour incur a 50% cancellation fee and within 3 days of the tour date incur a 100% cancellation fee, though they can be rescheduled for no additional fees.
• No refunds will be issued in case an attendee/attendees fail to turn up for the tour.
• All of our tours are rain or shine, and will only be cancelled due to extreme weather conditions. If a guest chooses to cancel a tour due to weather, the above policy stands.
• Cancellation of a tour due to circumstances beyond the control of The Kochi Heritage Project including but not limited to an act of God, riots, war, strikes, civil unrest, terrorism, governmental regulations, floods, earthquakes, fire, extreme weather and other natural disasters, shall be made at The Kochi Heritage Project's sole discretion without notice. Actual costs incurred on special arrangements made for the tour (if any), including cancellation charges on vehicles booked shall be deducted.
• The Kochi Heritage Project shall at its discretion be entitled to cancel any tour on a full refund of the fees to the guest for any reason that the company may deem fit with or without prior notice to the guest.
• Payment of refund shall be made within 15 days of walk cancellation. (subject to the above cancellation policy)