From Broadway memories to music education: Musician Aubrey Aloysius's Kochi visit

Kochi: "My father's ancestral home is somewhere here. They have all said that this Broadway you see is where the house used to be. In those days, if you climbed the wooden stairs in the old house and opened the window on the second floor, you could see the backwaters right in front. There was no Marine Drive that you see..."

Standing on Ernakulam Broadway, immersed in the Onam rush, Aubrey Aloysius for a moment became a mischievous four-year-old boy. These are the memories of Kochi for Aubrey, son of Simon Aloysius and Bernadette of the Chakkalakkal house.

The musician, pianist and education expert is a guest at the Skill Kerala Global Summit, organised by K-DISC, which made him visit his father's hometown.

While walking along Broadway, he reached the Kadavaumbhagam Synagogue. He asked the synagogue in charge, Babu alias Elias Josephai, many questions.

"Most of my father’s friends were Jewish. He got tired of Kochi when they migrated to Israel. He often talks about that love," he said. "My grandfather, Aloysius Chakkalakkal Francis, first went to Mumbai for work during the time of severe unemployment. Later, my father also went. I was born in Mumbai. My sister, Isabel, was also in Kochi. All family ties were severed in the course of life."

Aubrey spent a long time in Mumbai. Later, in Delhi, he and his wife, Lorraine Fiona, started the Lorraine Music Academy in 2004. The academy now has 10,000 music students across multiple countries, with online teaching as the main method. They offer training in piano, guitar, violin, drums and vocals.

"Music is a boundless ocean, but it is in the era of information technology. We are preparing a music education program for Kerala that uses technology, including AI, and online possibilities. We will ensure 10,000 internships in the music industry, and this will include a residency program in Kochi for music teachers as a start. Discussions are progressing with authorities regarding cooperation with the Kerala government," Aubrey said.