The adventures of an enslaved Nambiar from Chirakkal Some years ago, I wrote a short note on Ayaz Khan, but it
was incomplete and required much revision. In the meantime, journalist
Ramachandran had also covered this man's story and referred me to C. Kunjirama
Menon's book on Velluva Kumaran…
Hyat Sahib, Ayaz Khan, or Velluva Kumaran
The adventures of an enslaved Nambiar from Chirakkal Some years ago, I wrote a short note on Ayaz Khan, but it
was incomplete and required much revision. In the meantime, journalist
Ramachandran had also covered this man's story and referred me to C. Kunjirama
Menon's book on Velluva Kumaran…
An eminent anthropologist's pioneering work in Kerala I came across her seminal work and read several papers she wrote on Nair kinship many years ago while trying to understand the history of the Nairs of Kerala, and as part of my effort to grasp some of our customs. The
first time I got hold of…
Although many Malayalis are familiar with this fascinating
character from folklore, and quite a few probably know of Naranathu Branthan
(who is similar to the Greek mythological figure Sisyphus), his brother, the
lunatic from Palghat, I haven't come across any thorough studies on Pakkanar.
Kott…
Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, ABB, Hitachi, and me… The other day, I visited some historic sites related to
Tesla and Westinghouse, which brought back memories of my time at ABB and
Hitachi, both of which had links to Westinghouse over the years. While you
might find stories about Tesla, Edison, and …
Sambhar – the curry and its origins The other day, we discussed the origins of Idli, and a few
days later, I came across a different version of Rasam, popularized by a
well-known wedding caterer, cook, chef, and restaurateur, Nataraja Iyer, which
turned out quite good. (However, it should be even be…
Panchavankadu Neeli a.k.a Kalliankattu Neeli Two days ago, we watched the exciting Malayalam film Lokah –
Chapter 1, starring Kalyani Priyadarshan, and it was a fantastic experience.
Kalyani brought the character to life vividly on screen as Chandra, an
incarnation of the Venad Yakshi - Kalliyankat…
Cabral, Pacheco or ? Recently, I was discussing history with a Brazilian
colleague of mine, and I mentioned Cabral's voyage to India, noting how he
veered off course and ended up in Brazil, thereby being credited with the
discovery of Brazil. My colleague, Ricardo, frowned after listening patien…
And its involvement in Indian affairs During the early 40’s, as the world was engulfed in a great war,
pitting the Allies against the Axis, the battles drifted Eastwards, and the skirmishes
in the air and over the seas intensified. Frigates churned the waters and
bombers roared overhead in many war …
A Victory slogan and Abid Hasan Safrani Many articles and books mention that Champakaraman Pillai was
the originator of the usage of “Jai Hind,” and I was also misled by it
initially. Though Pillai was a hardcore patriot who fought for Indian
independence from Berlin during the early WW1 years and u…
A Raja Rani Story Raja Ravi Varma, the great painter, on assignment to the
Tondaiman palace for a month, could not have imagined that the little
eleven-year-old sitting across from him, modeling for a remarkable painting ( which
you can still see and admire at Google Art), would go on to create waves…
My interview with Jimmy at Dream Malayalam....
Sankara Variyar, Sankunni Menon and Govinda Menon – Dewans
of Cochin Ikkavamma the poetess Many families produced illustrious bureaucrats, but only one
produced three dewans. They were Sankara Variyar and his sons Sankunni Menon
and Govinda Menon who served as the Dewans at Cochin
during the second h…
A story from Victoria Point – Burma- May 1942 – WW II Japan entered the war with an attack on the American Pearl
Harbor naval base at Hawaii, on Dec 7th1941. It was a devastating attack,
launched mainly from Japanese aircraft carriers, destroying many ships in the
American Pacific fleet. Their prima…
Cricket in the 19 th century – Malabar Kerala finally got into the Ranji trophy finals and played
two-time winner Vidharba. Sadly, they conceded a first-innings lead and in the
resulting draw and loss of the title, were outclassed by another Malayali player
Karun Nair, playing for Vidharba, who score…
Kinnaird, a matrimonial proposal, and the Christians
of Travancore I mentioned this incident in the TNB bank article, and as
you study this story, you may, like I did, consider the whole thing
preposterous. But when you sit back and digest it, you will realize that it was
not so, for in history, all…
Revisiting the Nanavati Case The case has been talked about often, there have been a few
books, numerous articles, and no less than 3 movies as well as a TV series
based on the story. The latest book by Bachi Karkaria uncovers quite a few gaps
and makes it heady reading. Nevertheless, there could be…
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Choyi Butler of Cannanore, his hotel, and other
stories… Once upon a time, over a hundred years ago, there lived an
interesting man called Kottieth Choyi. Though many of his time remember the
colorful man who lorded a large family, Choyi Butler, as he was known, was more
connected to his hotel by th…
