Head for Fort Cochin, a maze of narrow streets and old buildings, where most visitors stay.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Travel Watch | Afoot and Afloat, Kerala Is Worth the Journey

To lead the India charge, Alukkas, too, has shifted base from Dubai to Cochin.

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Today Alukkas manages his Indo-Gulf jewelry business from the coastal city of Cochin in the Indian state of Kerala.

FORBES: BY SARITHA RAI

Ali was an early backer of Cochin airport in his native Kerala state, India's first airport built through a public-private partnership.

FORBES: M.A. Yusuff Ali

He went on to help design India's first metro in Kolkata in 1970 and then served as head of Cochin Shipyard in Kerala.

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When Menon was 28 he had a chance meeting at a Cochin hotel with Sulaiman Al Adawi, then a captain in the army of the Sultanate of Oman.

FORBES: BY ANURADHA RAGHUNATHAN

Start at the top at Kochi--or Cochin, as it used to be known--a sleepy Macau-like port where the Portuguese set up trading depots in the 16th century until they were pushed out by the Dutch in 17th century. (They, in turn, were shoved aside by the British in the 18th century.) For the best views of the city, take a ride on a wooden launch.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Travel Watch | Afoot and Afloat, Kerala Is Worth the Journey