K Sankaran Nair – The legendary spymaster of RAW

Shanks - The sleuth from Ottapalam This is another name most of you may not have come across, Sankaran Nair was the man who headed RAW some time ago, the very man who left the unit in a huff after a tiff with Morarji Desai. Today you can switch on Hotstar and watch a debonair Kay Kay Menon play the...

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Ganesha’s curse

The tragic tale of Harriet Quimby, America’s pioneer aviatrix This is yet another incredible story, and the latter part will be better understood by an Indian. Now you may wonder how Ganesha the elephant-headed God, so revered by Indians, could have anything to do with a woman named Harriet Quimby...

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Veeraswamy’s of London

Palmer’s Indian restaurant – And the interesting story behind it During a trip to Gangarams in Bangalore many a decade ago, I found the cookbook, Indian Cookery by E.P. Veerasawmy. Some of the recipes in it were quickly mastered (the concept, that is) and became a staple in our kitchen. I had always...

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Mohan Singh, the Enigma

The first Indian airman – Licensed to fly in 1912 It is not often that a story grips you, and this was one. We had all been brought up on reports that JRD Tata was the first Indian pilot, that he possessed the #1 license, and so on. But in reality, there was another pioneer from India who was licensed...

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