𝑨𝒎𝒎𝒖'𝒔 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔!

  Viva Kashmir! Scores of tourists are flocking to its beautiful destinations. Srinagar, Gulmarg, Mughal Gardens, Tulip Farms, Pahalgam, mustard seed patches, etc. So beautiful to see all the photographs people are posting on their timelines! That prompted me to reminisce about a childhood trip to Kashmir. My first visit was in the winter of 1975 during a family vacation with my parents and my brother. It was not only the location of Kashmir but also the adventure of getting there which has left me with priceless memories. If there was a competition for being on time or early, hands-down, my father would win first place! He was lucky to have a patient wife who played along to his tunes. The first demand on the trip? To reach the station an hour before the train arrives. Mind you, this was a narrow-gauge Nilgiri railway line – a small little train that took forever to reach anywhere. Well, try saying that to my father! There he was with his wife, two kids, and tons of large leather ...

  In  Gandhiji's presence To be able to spend time with a great man is a privilege but getting a chance to spend three days in the presence of one of the greatest men? That was what my grandfather did on May 15, 16, and 17 of 1924. He spent three days with Mahatma Gandhi and wrote about it (below). My grandfather K. Madhavan Nair had a long-standing relationship with Gandhiji and all the other national leaders as a member of the All India congress committee and as the primary leader of the Kerala Provincial congress committee. They communicated with each other regularly through telegrams and letters and he used to translate Gandhiji's speeches at all gatherings instantaneously to Malayalam when Gandhiji visited Kerala. Gandhiji came to Calicut after my grandfather passed away in 1933 and gave a very touching, heartwarming speech about him. K. Madhavan Nair along with other leaders sought Gandhiji’s help to eradicate caste division plaguing the Hindu community from the rest of ...

This is a poster of a movie that came out on March 3rd called "Puzha Muthal Puzha Vare". This movie is based on the book (eye witness account) that my grandfather K Madhavan Nair wrote about the Malabar riots of 1921 when the Hindu genocide happened. My grandfather is well-known for writing this book however he has done so much more than that. He was Kerala's first political leader and social reformer which is unknown. He passed away in 1933 at the tender age of 51 after spending 18 years tirelessly working for the upliftment of the poor in Kerala and for the freedom struggle. Here is a timeline of all his valuable contributions. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰... 1882: December 2nd born in Thamarkuzhi, Malappuram to Parapurathu Karuthodiyil Kalyani Kutty Amma and Vallattu...

According to world history, the first postal service in the world was in Egypt in 2000 BC. Evidence of the existence of the earliest postal system in the Indian subcontinent was found in the Vedic work Atharva Veda. It is an underlying fact that like all other civilizations, the system of exchange of information was available in India as well. Literary sources and folk tales, as well as rhymes, reveal that the dhoots (messengers) and different animals and birds were used to send messages from one place to another. Even monsoon clouds and wind were thought of by eminent poets like Kalidasa (5th century CE) in his famous poetical work Meghadooth ( megha: cloud dhoot: messenger ) as a medium for sending messages to a person of choice. We can find swans in the episodes of Nala-Damayanti, Hanuman in Ramayana, and Bidur in Mahabharata (between 500-300BCE) as faithful messengers.  In ancient times the kings, emperors, rulers, zamindars, or the feudal lords of India protected their land th...

There is a sacred room called “ the machu ” in most Kerala Hindu ancestral homes ( nalu kettu ); a room with no windows and door opening towards the central courtyard ( nadu mittom ). The goddess Bhagavathy – the presiding deity of most of these homes is consecrated in a Sri Chakra yantra in some homes and installed in the ground in the middle of the room. The evening ritual of lighting the lamp ( nila vilakku ) involved taking the lit lamp first to the  machu  before placing it in the front verandah. Lighting the lamp is a chore for the older girls or women of the house. From the time I was a little child, I have witnessed an interesting ceremony that takes place in this room every summer u nder the able guidance of a priest from the Moosad clan, who performed a ceremonial puja.  The offering among other items included chicken masala and toddy – a brew from the coconut tree which was served following the puja as prasad. However, we kids were not allowed t...