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Photos on the Mantel
I have been a little bit tardy with writing over the last two months, but then again there were no dearth of reasons. We had to deal with a tragic loss, the tumult following it and undertake a short...
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GV Raja, The legendary administrator and sportsman
The Colonel Thirumeni of TravancoreI had spent my high school days in Trivandrum and it was not difficult to bring up the tidbit from the deep recesses of my mind that the University stadium in those...
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And the waves became silent
Parayail Abraham Tharakan – Fondly rememberedOur association started sometime in 2006 after both of us had decided to enter the blogosphere. Since then I have followed his voluminous output with so...
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James Darragh in Aleppey
Tracing the curious story of ‘The King of the Coast’, an American in Kerala There is a fascinating song ‘kayalinarike’ which was originally sung by Mehaboob and recently re-sung by a favorite of mine,...
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Operation Tiger
The 1940’s were certainly turbulent if you look into the history of mankind. Half of the world’s population were striving to gain independence from imperialist powers and deliverance from famine while...
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The Tanjavur Quartet
When music and dance ruledSome months ago, we traced the route taken by exponents of Carnatic music in the Vijayanagara kingdom to Tanjore, where the Maratha Nayaks patronized them. That there were a...
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Tanjore and its Carnatic music legacy
Some weeks ago I delivered a short talk on this subject to a few friends in our music group and as it involved some study, I decided to write an article around it. We enjoy these Sunday afternoons...
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Ammani Ammal’s story
Dasiyattam and the first professional performances by an Indian dance troupe in Europe - 18381838 was a year of many events, some routine but some of greater importance. For example it was the year...
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Sopana Sangeetham
The music tradition of Kerala – A performance for the godsWe talked about the movement of Carnatic music stalwarts and capitals, its development in Tanjore, and the part played by the Tanjavur quartet....
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Ten Malayalee’s and an elephant
A successful Malayalee, in my opinion, has either an inflated ego or is highly opinionated, and at times exhibits both characteristics. Can you imagine a situation where ten of them, well known to you,...
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AM Nair – Ronin extraordinaire….
Nairsan - An Indian in Manchuria, China and JapanMany a hotel in Kerala serves chiggen manjuri (Chicken Manchurian) or Gobi manjuri (Cauliflower Manchurian) these days and you will see that it is...
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When the Amerika Maharani came calling……
Jackie Kennedy in India – and how she charmedBarrack Obama is in Delhi, charming the Indians. The papers are full of what’s going on. A great relationship is being forged. US’s icy relations with Cuba...
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Experiments with the heart
Friday, Oct 12th 1956 – That was the fateful day when the motely group comprising members of the Vereinte Aquarienfreunde (united friends of the aquarium) met as usual at the local pub in the spa town...
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The Kappiri slaves of Cochin
The Cafres of the Portuguese & the DutchThe last months of 1662 in Cochin were proving to be a test to the Portuguese who remained. The Portuguese Casado no longer carried the usual armaments like...
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An Englishman at Calicut
The Occupants of Staffa lodge, somewhere near WesthillCalicut as they said in history books, was on the way to everywhere. Many Westerners came and went, some stayed, some loved their stays while...
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The Indian Swaraj Institute (ISI) and the 5th column
The stories of TP Kumaran Nair and Abdul KhadirPart 1Each of the 5 Indians in the Japanese submarine prowling under the Indian Ocean waters, of which four were Malayali’s, had Rs 500 with them in crisp...
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The fate of the Penang ISI's 5th column
The stories of TP Kumaran Nair and Abdul Khadir Contd..To recap, the INA had been built up in Malaysia by Mohan Singh and a few others with Fujiwara’s guidance. Getting it recognized by the Japanese...
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Three muses…
Raja Ravi Varma’s twilight years 1890-1904, at BombayEverybody has a favorite Ravi Varma painting or water color. My favorite is the ‘Milkmaid’ watercolor, and I had written about it earlier. Every...
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GV Raja, The legendary administrator and sportsman
The Colonel Thirumeni of TravancoreI had spent my high school days in Trivandrum and it was not difficult to bring up the tidbit from the deep recesses of my mind that the University stadium in those...
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Monsoon legends
The monsoon came 4 days late to the shores of Kerala, giving a huge respite to the burning masses. As it was a little bit delayed, people who depended on it got alarmed. Some like the IMD said the El...
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