Thalassery Rocks...

Culture

     Tellicherry is at times referred to as the City of Cricket where Indians 1st played cricket. First Cakes and Circus. Tellicherry is considered to be the birth place of the Indian Circus. Keeleri Kunhikannan is a legend in the history of Circus. The Circus artist and coaches from Tellicherry are very much in demand. There is also a proposal to start a Circus school, which will give employment opportunity for many persons. This could serve as recruitment ground for Circus companies. There is also scope for earning foreign exchange as the Circuses are very popular in other countries. The cultural exchange programme with Russian performers by Jumbo Circus was well-received.
Rajya Samacharam, the first Malayalam newspaper, was published from Tellicherry.
Older houses in Tellicherry have traditional Kerala architecture, usually large houses with wide verandahs, a well and solid wooden doors . Each house invariably has a few coconut trees, jackfruit and perhaps papaya, mango trees. The many idyllic suburbs are well defined by the rivers and canals that flow past.
Since long time, Tellicherry residents like other Keralites have gone abroad or all over India in search of work and to seek their fortunes. It is quite common to find one or more persons from each household living overseas or in other states.This has led to a somewhat dependent money-order economy. It is a matter of concern for the residents on how to diversify and have a self-sustainable economy...

The Tellicherry Municipal Ground (Thalassery Stadium) located close to the sea hosts the Ranji Trophy cricket matches quite often. Lord Arthur Wellesley is believed to have introduced this game in Kerala in the 18th century for the British Soldiers who were garrisoned in the Tellichery Fort. It is recorded in the history that the India's first Cricket Club was formed in 1860 at Tellichery, which was later renamed as Town Cricket Club. The Tellichery Cricket ground was the hub of cricket activities those days. It has been reported that an exhibition match was conducted in this ground to raise funds during the First World War. Famous English cricketer Colin Cowdrey's father was a tea planter in Tellicherry and he used to play cricket in Tellicherry during 1890s, and is credited to have laid a decent cricket pitch here, in the early 1900s. Colin Cowdrey, played in Tellicherry during the British regime.
In the year 2002, Tellicherry cricket ground celebrated its 200th birthday by hosting a match between the former cricketers of India and Sri Lanka. In 2008 a new stadium only for Cricket has been inaugurated in Conor Vayal near Venus Junction in Tellicherry which is a project of Kerala Cricket Association...