The state of Keralam – What’s behind the name?

A discussion on its etymology

The state is making headlines, and several discussions will soon begin in the media - on social platforms, and of course, on TV. The official name Kerala, as written in the constitution when the state was formed in 1956, will soon be changed to Keralam at the request of the state government, which has long sought this change. Many people will soon offer expert opinions on the name's origin, and, as you might expect, these opinions will vary widely. For the sake of completeness, I will provide in this short article an analysis of these different usages and their development.

Air India 101, 1966 – The many mysteries at Mont Blanc

The fate of AI 101 Kanchenjunga VT - DMN is well known to many interested in Air India and to those who have studied India’s nuclear developments. Simply put, this commercial flight, a Boeing 707-437 operating between Bombay and New York via Delhi, Beirut, Geneva and Paris, took off without incident on January 23, 1966, and crashed early on the 24th during its approach to Geneva, slamming into the 15,700-foot-tall Mont Blanc on the French-Italian border. Strangely, the AI 101 crash occurred quite close—just 600 feet—to where the earlier crash involving the Air India 245 Malabar Princess happened in 1950! Both planes were approaching Geneva Airport and, during their descent, crashed, resulting in the deaths of 48 and 117 people. Among the passengers on AI 101 in 1966 was India’s nuclear scientist Homi Jehangir Bhabha, widely regarded as the "father" of India's nuclear program.