Observations, Thoughts and Stories as they form in the mind! Book Reviews, Art, Travelogue, Economy and Society
We were lucky to arrive in Kunnamkulam town when the church at the bottom of the hill of the street, Puthenpetta Angadi, was celebrating its church festival. Kunnamkulam town celebrates weddings, church festivals and all events with a procession of elephants and 'chenda' (traditional drums). And there were elephants galore around town that day and drums, not the traditional 'chenda' though.
Tiger Woods was an American who turned a professional golfer at the age of 20 years. He won the 1997 Masters title in 12 strokes, a record breaking performance. I am not trying to be a Tiger in the Woods! I have thought of golf as a game of the leisurely rich. Then why am … Continue reading ‘Tiger’ in the Woods: Trying my hand at Game of Golf
India is jumping for joy after winning an Olympic Bronze in the Men's Hockey, Tokyo 2020. Hurrah for the Indian Men's Hockey team that ended the 40 year drought in Olympics since 1980. Last time the Men's Hockey Team won the GOLD in the Moscow Olympics, 1980. A shout out to the Women's Hockey Team that entered the Olympic Semi-finals, a first ever!
The Remarkable St. Teresa of Avila, the namesake of my alma mater, St. Teresa's Secondary School, Kolkata
Yoga as a form of exercise and as a form of learning to relax is of prime importance in our rather restricted lives during the pandemic. Keep calm and enjoy an amateur's view of yoga and the art of relaxing!
I have been visiting the Synagogue at Cochin (Kochi now) since childhood. Located on the island of Kochi it has an intriguing old world charm. In all these years in Ahmedabad I was unaware that there was a Synagogue here in the old city, the Megan Abraham Synagogue. Shutterbugs, the Student Photography Club at Ahmedabad University organized a visit and discussion on the Jewish presence in Gujarat where we enjoyed a guided tour and a fascinating conversation on the topic.
In which informal market space did one see stained glass windows? Well, we did, in the fruit and vegetable, fish and meat market in Malaga, Andalusia province in the South of Spain. There were beautiful stained glass depictions of the scenes from the Bible in the Malaga cathedral, but in the market? The Stained glass … Continue reading Market and More Market, Malaga, Spain
As we traversed the Holy Land of Israel we slowly began to feel the tensions beneath. My husband captured this beautifully in the poem that I post at the end of this post. Not having inherited such talent I write in prose of the various manifestations of the tensions beneath. Along the road to Nazareth in North … Continue reading In Turmoil: Layered tensions in the Holy Land
The courage of these women, part of the #MeToo movement, in media, in the movies and in the corporate sector, is admirable. They are coming out and talking about how they were humiliated, intimidated and told that their fledgling careers would be squashed. However, there have been a few criticisms of the #MeToo … Continue reading #MeToo: In Institutions of Higher Education
Lac Bangles, Bapu Bazaar, Jaipur, Pink City Art Bazaar, Moscow I am not an etymologist so anything I say on this subject should be taken with a pinch of salt. As far as I understand, the word Mandi in Hindi means a market place. Mandis are named after the products they sell. So a market … Continue reading To market, to market to buy a fat fish!!
I am a NRK, non-resident Keralite, as I was born in Kunnamkulam town, Kerala, but never really lived there. The only time I actually lived in Kerala was two years of my M.Phil course at CDS, Trivandrum. However, I spent all my summer holidays between Kunnamkulam and Irinjalakuda, both in Trissur. I have heard numerous … Continue reading Of Orthodox Syrian Christian Heritage
Unni-Verse 