Throughout its history, Cochin (Kochi in the local Malayalam language) has been an entrepot for the spice trade. Romans, Arabs, Jews, Chinese - the four corners of the world have met, mingled, and haggled in the city, and left with their purses lighter and their ships loaded. This balance remained, as the Romans turned into the Portuguese, the Chinese withdrew from the world sea, the Zamorin sought to conquer the great port, and a princely state emerged tossing between the heaving seas of European imperialism and domestic squabbles. The British have come and gone, the Maharaja has conceded his kingdom, but the city remains, and its visitors remain as eclectic as ever.

Though spices are no longer the only drivers of global trade, Cochin's economy is beginning to transition into the global era - both state and national governments seek to create a new superport casting its gaze across the Arabian sea side-by-side with a naval base to house the nascent navy and its dreams of blue-water dominance.