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…
A Royal Proposal
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…
The Comma Nut’s Tale - Quilon (Kollam) It was the mention of the Vitapack technology that drew me to this research and went on to uncover the story of how the cashew industry was set up in India and detail the role America had to play in it. As I continue, you will find interesting intersections wit…
A New Assessment Some years ago, I had covered this subject, dwelling mainly
on the connections between Travancore, Britain, Sir CP, and the new administration
at Delhi, trying to complete the accession of all the princely states. It was
not complete and lacked study of certain angles, and so, I am …
The Duodecennial concept of Malabar Most youngsters from the present generation would hardly
have come across these terms or their significance in their studies, though
they may have heard it from elders. In the past, however, it was quite important
and was implemented across diverse areas, such as …
The crash of the Travancore National and Quilon bank and the
involvement of Sir CP in the affair is known to many old-timers. Those who had
thrown their lot with the Matthen’s and Mammen’s side of the story laid the
blame squarely on Sir CP, opining that it was his vendetta against the
Christian lo…
The Kochu Chothi Tirunal Amma Tampuran of Travancore
(1866-1953) When we dwell on Kerala painters, we tend to focus on Ravi
Varma, and indeed he was accomplished and over time, very popular. However, others
around him tend to get mentioned only in passing, like Raja Varma, his brother,
and traveling…
The Swati Tirunal – S Balachander imbroglio The serene and melodious Carnatic music scene at Madras suddenly
found itself in a cacophonic conundrum, when a doyen among them - Veena S Balachander,
decided to throw a heap of mud on the face of one of the greatest musical
exponents, the Swati Tirunal M…
The Catholic harquebousiers of Travancore It was while studying the character of De Lannoy that I came
across the mention of the Mavelikkara Malittas, a group of well-trained
Christian mercenaries, serving the local kings. At that time, I read that the
Malittas who trained at their Kalari’s like the…
Lakshadweep - Transfer of power deliberations, and a brief history There are many discussions these days about those remote
islands to the west of Malabar, namely Lakshadweep. I had written about the
caste quarrels out there and also some of its histories as connected to the
Cannanore Royalty and th…
Life and times of a poet extraordinaire… You can only understand the magic of Thampi’s works if you
spend a while and listen to lovely renditions of his poetry in the mellifluous
voices of KS Chitra and Sreevalsan Menon. As you let the lullaby Omanathinkal
Kidavo caress your mind and take you to you…
