Maddy's Ramblings

The story of a woman scorned This story takes you to a region north of Calicut and introduces you to two flamboyant art forms of North Malabar, namely Thira and Theyyam.

Part 1 - Haines – The Ingliz Sultan and the formation of Aden Having focused thus far on the Calicut end of the Red Sea-Malabar trade route, I thought it would be a good idea to head over to Aden and see how the port developed into the place I had heard so

The Odi Cult and the Kalladikode NeeliIn the previous article, we read about Yakshis, especially Kalliangattu Neeli and the Panayanar Yakshi, and their connection to the Kadamattathu Kathanar.

Muziris, Arikamedu, and Aalgankulam - Windows to Roman Trade In the previous post, we discussed Indians who ventured abroad and sometimes settled in Red Sea ports and Egypt for short periods while engaged in Roman–Indian trade.

Azad Hind – Head of Secret Service and Intelligence Most INA-related books focus on Subhash Bose's central role as the leader and often overlook details about the people, characters, actions, and stories of bravery at the lower levels of the force he comm…

And the graffiti made by Cikkai Korran, in the Valley of the Kings It should be no surprise to anyone interested in the Indian Ocean trade that there was robust intercourse between India and the various dynasties that ruled Egypt and Rome.

An elite community of Boston Boston is an amazing place to visit with so much to see.

The ubiquitous Malabar Parotta – and its meandering journey I love the Malabar Parotta, and ever since I first tasted it during our college days in Calicut in the 1970s, it has remained a favorite.

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 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.

Preethi Vinod Chellappan’s painting – ‘Vasco de Gama’s first audience with the Zamorin in Calicut (AD 1498) It all started last year when I was researching the history of the Tali Temple.

The adventures of an enslaved Nambiar from Chirakkal Some years ago, I wrote a short note on Ayaz Khan, but it was incomplete and required much revision.

An eminent anthropologist's pioneering work in KeralaI came across her seminal work and read several papers she wrote on Nair kinship many years ago while trying to understand the history of the Nairs of Kerala, and as part of my effort to grasp some of o…

Although many Malayalis are familiar with this fascinating character from folklore, and quite a few probably know of Naranathu Branthan (who is similar to the Greek mythological figure Sisyphus), his brother, the lunatic from Palghat, I haven't come across

Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, ABB, Hitachi, and me… The other day, I visited some historic sites related to Tesla and Westinghouse, which brought back memories of my time at ABB and Hitachi, both of which had links to Westinghouse over the years.

Sambhar – the curry and its originsThe other day, we discussed the origins of Idli, and a few days later, I came across a different version of Rasam, popularized by a well-known wedding caterer, cook, chef, and restaurateur, Nataraja Iyer, which turned out

Panchavankadu Neeli a.k.a Kalliankattu Neeli Two days ago, we watched the exciting Malayalam film Lokah – Chapter 1, starring Kalyani Priyadarshan, and it was a fantastic experience.

Cabral, Pacheco or ?

And its involvement in Indian affairs During the early 40’s, as the world was engulfed in a great war, pitting the Allies against the Axis, the battles drifted Eastwards, and the skirmishes in the air and over the seas intensified.

A Victory slogan and Abid Hasan Safrani Many articles and books mention that Champakaraman Pillai was the originator of the usage of “Jai Hind,” and I was also misled by it initially.

A Raja Rani Story Raja Ravi Varma, the great painter, on assignment to the Tondaiman palace for a month, could not have imagined that the little eleven-year-old sitting across from him, modeling for a remarkable painting (which you can still see and admire

My interview with Jimmy at Dream Malayalam....https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Sankara Variyar, Sankunni Menon and Govinda Menon – Dewans of Cochin Ikkavamma the poetess Many families produced illustrious bureaucrats, but only one produced three dewans.

A story from Victoria Point – Burma- May 1942 – WW II Japan entered the war with an attack on the American Pearl Harbor naval base at Hawaii, on Dec 7th1941.

Cricket in the 19th century – MalabarKerala finally got into the Ranji trophy finals and played two-time winner Vidharba.