Kuttanad, a weeping beauty

 

Kuttanad near Alleppey in Kerala is a fascinatingly beautiful area. It provides 40% of Kerala’s paddy production and has tremendous tourism potential that includes excellent cuisine....

J.J. Murphy: An Irish Jewel on the South Indian High Ranges

The first half of the last century. A rainy day at Ooty, South India’s famous hill station. Some nuns were walking along a road in the cold. Suddenly a car stopped by and the gentleman driver offered them a lift. He asked why they did not use a vehicle in such inclement weather...More

Asthtalakshmi Temple, Chennai

I was fascinated by the structure which highlighted several features of the Dravidian temple architecture. It is a comparatively new temple, built in 1976. Within the short span of three decades this shrine has become a tourist attraction in Chennai...More

The Elephant Swims to Crow Island

At about 6.30 in the morning on April 9, the shrimp workers saw a strange movement in the lake on the western side of the island. As the bewildered people watched, a tusker emerged from the water...More

Remembering Appan

We gathered at Olavipe this March 28 to commemorate Appan.’s 50th death anniversary – his descendants, relatives and friends, and the local people. Not many who were present for the function that day knew Appan personally. But they had heard of him...More

Amazing Grace

Newton’s life story is amazing. Son of a ship master, he went out to the sea at the age of 11 with his father. He was forced to join the navy after that and was caught while trying to desert. Later he was exchanged to a slave ship...More

Of Cuisine, Climate and Ketchup

I suppose cuisines develop and stabilize due to several factors. It could be said that recipes were originally created with grains and vegetables that were locally available...More

Thumpa--A Vanishing Beauty

Thumpa used to grow wild all over the place. Even children knew it had medicinal value. The most common usage was in case of any skin problems. If you touch a poisonous weed or plant and there are itching and/or skin eruptions, take a few thumpa leaves...More

Kerala Architecture: Another Parayil Heritage Home

Ayanat Parayil ‘ettukettu’ at Thycattussarry, about 3kms from Olavipe, is one of the oldest and largest among the Parayil heritage homes. Because of the length of the building, inner compound walls and the trees around, no photographer has been able to capture it in one picture...More

Fast Changing Cochin Skyline

Today's evening news on TV stated that Kerala has become unusually hot. One of the reasons mentioned is that the high-rise buildings had come up...More

From the 81st Oscar Awards, a new message to the troubled world

Resul Pookutty who won the Oscar for sound mixing said in his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony that history was being handed over to him. Yes. He is the first Keralite to win the recognition...More

Some Beautiful Peices

Blog Ratna

Returning to Blog Ratna, I met this person at his hotel in Chennai on 6th Feb on my way to a function. It was as though we had known each other for a long time. He is a former journalist, retired from the Times of India ten years back...More

More Olavipe Photos by Karthiki

Christmas Time Photos of Olavipe

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Memories: The Boatman and Olavipe Lake

On moonlit nights the trip across was sheer pleasure. The water would be usually placid. The shimmer of moonlight on the lake surface was simply fascinating...More

Different Matters

Shocking news is that five young women who were quietly having lunch at a pub in Mangalore, Karnataka, were badly beaten up by a self appointed group of moral police. Two of the injured girls are in hospital...More

Manapad: Conversion od Paravas

I am not sure if the Paravas wore costumes like the one depicted here. In the background the soldier and the girl look like a scene from the Rome of the old. Perhaps the artist did not have first hand knowledge

Photos: Flowers and Berries

November Rains in Chennai