𝑨𝒎𝒎𝒖'𝒔 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔!

As we commemorate Kerala Piravi Day today  November 1 st 2023, I feel incredibly proud of my grandfather K Madhavan Nair, who had a major role to play in its inception. Kerala was split between the autonomous regions of Malabar, Cochin, and Travancore before this merger. From Trichur to Kasargod, the northernmost parts of Kerala were part of the British Malabar Presidency. The southern part was governed by the sovereign State of Travancore, while the middle section was controlled by the princely State of Cochin. At the 1920 All India National Congress meeting in Nagpur, when discussions were taking place to strengthen the local Congress chapters on linguistic basis, my grandfather, the leader of the Malabar Pradesh Congress took the podium. He spent hours arguing that fundamental states like Kerala should be included in the struggle for independence and that Travancore, Cochin, and Malabar should be united into a single Congress party that would be known as Kerala Congress and...

Underlying principle in a Hindu temple is the belief that all things are one, that everything is connected. Ancient temples welcome you through 64-grid or 81-grid mathematically structured spaces, a network of art, pillars with carvings and statues that display and celebrate the four important and necessary principles of human life – the pursuit of artha (prosperity, wealth), kama (pleasure, love), dharma (virtues, ethical life) and moksha (release, self-knowledge). At the center of the temple, typically below and sometimes above or next to the idol, is mere hollow space with no decoration, symbolically representing  Purusa , the Supreme Principle, the sacred Universal, one without form, which is omnipresent, connects everything, and is the essence of everyone. A Hindu temple is meant to encourage reflection, facilitate purification of one's mind, and trigger the process of inner realization within.  The specific process is left to the devotee's school of belief....

My mother was the pillar of my life, my source of strength, wisdom, and unconditional love. She was an extraordinary woman, full of grace, resilience, and quiet courage. Every value I hold, every strength I have, and every good part of who I am today is a reflection of her guidance and love. To honor her memory and the beautiful life she lived, I created this photo story. This is a tribute to a remarkable woman whose legacy continues to live on in my heart and in all the lives she touched. My mother (9 years) sitting extreme left with her family   My mother was born on January 12, 1930, in Kozhikode, Kerala, to Parappil Rukmini Amma and Ullattil Karunakara Menon. Her father, a progressive and principled man, served as an officer under the British government and believed deeply in the value of education, especially for his daughters, which was uncommon for the time. She grew up in a loving household with two sisters and a brother, who would later become one of the earliest me...