Smiling faces of India

The 2004 tsunami all but destroyed the village of Veerampattinam but the residents still find things to smile about, despite their impoverished circumstances. Photo / Greg Bowker

"Would you like to hold a crocodile ... or how about that snake?" It wasn't exactly the offer Belinda was hoping for as we wandered into the Madras Crocodile Bank on the Bay of Bengal.

But the large-framed man who was walking towards us, holding an upset-looking baby crocodile, seemed determined that she would get to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Silver, our guide from India Tourism, added to the pressure by assuring her that the toothy little reptile was only two years old and quite harmless.

Soon a large crowd of visitors - mostly Indians - had gathered to join in the fun.

I wasn't sure whether their interest was in the crocodile, which proved to be soft to touch but surprisingly strong, or in the pale-skinned visitors, one of whom might soon be croc food.

Either way, Belinda succumbed, and was soon holding the crocodile, an event which proved a major tourist attraction, with camera shutters clicking on all sides.

I noticed that her grip seemed to tighten after the handler observed nonchalantly that the croc's teeth weren't all that sharp and pointed to a bandaged finger.

But eventually he took his prop back and she escaped unscathed.

Some of the onlookers were obviously croc admirers, even though, generally speaking, you'd say crocodiles would be among the less loved creatures on the planet. A member of the bank's crocodile team helpfully pointed out that "they do perform a great role cleaning the waterways" by feeding on the sick, weak and injured animals.

The Madras Crocodile Bank is about 40km from the city of Chennai, which may sound close, but on Indian roads it means a two hour spine-tingling drive.

Its 3ha of grounds are home to about 5000 species, living in a natural environment with large pools and waterways surrounded by lots of lush, green tropical vegetation. Spectators are allowed to get a lot closer than in most Western zoos but it is still safe ... ish.

The centre is the largest crocodile breeding site in India and was set up in 1976 specifically to ensure the survival of the three Indian species of crocodile.

The park also houses a variety of snakes and Silver mentioned that if we wished we could see anti-venom being made. No doubt, there would have been a chance for Belinda to cuddle a snake if she really wanted.

Instead, we headed towards the small seaside fishing village of Veerampattinam which illustrated preservation work of a different sort. The village was wiped out by the 2004 tsunami and rebuilt after the Indian Government provided money for more housing and fishing boats.

We had been advised by our guide that the children loved pens so Belinda and I did our best to gather them from the various hotels we stayed in and even collected souvenir pens at several small shops ... as well as picking up a few nuts and fruit and sweets.

As soon as we arrived at the sandy village we were surrounded by a handful of excited children who had obviously decided not to attend school that day.

They spoke a little broken English but their smiles and hand guestures said more than words. They were bubbling with happiness to see us and the handful of pens that Belinda gave them sent the group into ecstasy. They literally ran and jumped for joy.

It seemed strange that a simple pen could mean so much.

But, as Silver explained, for children from the poorest families, possession of a pen meant that maybe, just maybe, one day they might get a job where they could sit behind a desk and write rather than being limited to labouring.

The children guided us through the small, simple village pointing out their houses, all situated on the beach and about 100m from the waterfront - all very basic and made from recycled wood and branches from banana trees.

Fridges were fairly common and some also had television sets. But the cooking was all done on old-style gas burners and the sleeping arrangements looked very primitive to our Western eyes, with most families having only one bed, and not a very big one at that.

Still, as our guide explained, that's how these fishermen live and they didn't seem discontented.

We gave them our gifts of food and felt happy - more than happy - to leave some money with the older man who seemed to run the village.

As we left, the children we had become friends with continued to play and show off their new pens. Meanwhile, we returned to the comfort of our hotel for a swim in the pool and a chance to reflect on our experience of the amazing mixture that is India.

GETTING THERE
Cathay Pacific has regular flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Bangalore via Hong Kong. For the latest specials or information about
fares, timetables and reservations go to www.cathaypacific.co.nz

THINGS TO SEE
The Crocodile Bank is about 35km south of Chennai (Madras) on the
scenic East Coast Highway, en route to Mamallapuram. There are
regular buses to and from the city. Tourists can also hire a taxi from
Chennai (Madras) or Mahabalipuram.

WHERE TO STAY
See www.chennaitourism.net for information on hotels and attractions in the area.

FURTHER INFORMATION
For general information on visiting India go to www.incredibleindia.org

Greg Bowker visited India as guest of Tourism India.