Aasha – and the Royal Game of Ur

When Ruby met Finkel This had been in my drafts folder ever since I came across its mention in Ruby’s book on the Cochin Jews. Recently Arun at Intach Palghat organized a Pallankuzhi session in Palghat, to bring about an understanding and some resurgence to the ancient Malabar game, and that sort of…

Idli – A Delectable Dish

And its origins Without a doubt, it is a favorite of mine, and I eat a couple of fluffy Idli’s manufactured to perfection by my wife, for breakfast, at least two or three days every week. Sometimes, it is eaten with chutney, or with onion chutney (Ulli Sammandhi) made the Palghat way, but most of th…

On and Under the High Seas – Part 1

As the oceans churned – WW II 1942 – the incredible story of Paul Luckenbach Many of the WW II stories we have read thus far touch on glorious and inglorious land and air battles and missions, but there were an equal number of risky ventures and fights, daring exploits and missions performed in the …

Pioneers of The Cashew Industry

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…

Mukesh – A Singer With a Timeless Voice

A Soulful Singer Today is the great singer’s 101 st birth anniversary, he was born on 22 nd July 1923. He passed away in 1976, just 53 years old. Without a doubt, he (or for that matter, his voice) has been a fellow traveler for the longest time in my life. In an era where Yesudas and Mohammed Rafi rul…

Chanson Indoe from Sadko – The Song of India

The Hindu Merchant at Novgorod and Khrushchev’s visit to India I was drawn to this tale while referring to Khrushchev’s memoirs, which interestingly took me to the story of Sadko, and made me listen to a glorious tune titled “Song of India’ by Rimsky Korsakov. The haunting tune led me to the Indian …