Good Ole Choyi - The man about town!

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…

In Memoriam - Sarojini Sivalingam

A pioneer Radio Jockey - Ceylon Radio, Malayalam transmission During the 70s and the early 80s, youngsters of our generation were glued to transistors - small portable radios, a marvel that arrived after the bulky old valve radios of yore. They were a heaven-send for not only music enthusiasts, but …

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…