If there is one place in the south of India that can come close to the word ‘heaven’, it would be the backwaters. A network of lagoons and lakes that run parallel to the Arabian Ocean, the backwaters are perhaps the most photographed attractions of Kerala. You can explore these in a houseboat or a speed boat and watch life go by in a wondrous delight from the villages built on its banks. Schools kids are often seen heading off to their respective schools in these boats, with bags slung across their shoulders, waving at you with all their innocence. Since no other mode of transportation is viable for the villages, a boat or two can be seen anchored in the water outside every house here. India’s Venice—that is what you might want to call the place.