Ria Bhattacharya Part 1: Landing in God’s Own Country It was just past noon when our flight dipped beneath a curtain of clouds and revealed a lush, endless green below. From the window seat, Kerala didn’t look like a state—it looked like a watercolor dream. Patches of paddy fields, snaking backwaters, tall coconut palms waving lazily, and a brief glimpse of a red-tiled rooftop—a warm welcome to God’s Own Country. As we landed in Kochi, a light drizzle greeted us, the kind that smells of wet earth and sea breeze. It wasn’t hot, just humid enough to make your shirt…