She may never say,” I love you,” she never has to. We all just know. This may perhaps be the shortest chapter. Only because Ammachi believes that love is pointless if only talked about or even boastfully shown. It’s something that ought to live in you.
Theyyam is a vibrant and colourful form of ritualistic worship that is deeply rooted in the culture and traditions of Kerala, India. This living tradition involves elaborate rituals, music, dance, and vibrant costumes that bring to life the divine spirits being invoked.
A new beginning is always infused with hope. Life is full of moments that we believe to be beginnings only because of the presence of hope. A physical symbol of these moments of hope is the flower. The films attempts to capture the emotion of these beginnings.
Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away this year on 28th March leaving behind a legacy of innumerable musical compositions that'll keep him alive in countless hearts across the world. However, I'll always be haunted by the fact that I couldn't let him know that I'm still alive because of his music along with many more.
Dravidian Catharsis is the fruit of this deep immersion in the culture, the theatre, the traditions, and the soul of this mythological universe of the Tamil people. The powerful presences of spirits and living gods are embodied under masks.
Search for the questions to the answers written on the skin...and i asked. am i connected to the deep inside you? with the invisible roots from the layered skin of you? all the energy you transfer to the heart of your thoughts?i asked again am i still connected?
Nitesh Noor Mohanty is a visual artist who works at the fluid intersection of arts, culture, communication, media and self-reflection. His theoretical interests are also wide, often inquiring about the roots and fundamentals of art history, storytelling, and philosophy.
KR Sunil goes beyond his frames to explore and discover soulful human stories. In this journey, he pursues a long forgotten life, that of a Tamil boy who endured the worst in a journey to Kerala. As the World Cup fever peaks, here is a story.
79 IN TIME
03: Taken by the Current
I once read, “A woman armed with ancestral wisdom is an unstoppable force.” Kerala was never easy, and she never made it easier. You may take this in the wrong sense, but my grandmother showed me the hardships of how a society works.
Before I left to London, it was always a wish to gift Ammachi something special. She always said that only until I was a woman, I would wear sarees. I picked up the sarees from her wardrobe and visited some of the most important places in her life.
When I was thirteen never grasp it all. But in time we were learned to sit and listen to the stories of our ancestors, real life stories of hardships and triumph, the abhorrent views of the society, how a family functions.
Four days before her sister’s wedding, they lost their mother. My grandmother had a wedding and a funeral on her shoulders. She put on the bravest face and a dull colored saree to the wedding, she was now the mother of all.
Growing up with someone brutally honest, I knew she always wanted to teach us beauty lay in how content we were with ourselves not the one that thrived in compliments. Another person’s opinion of how you look never mattered if you don’t know how you look.
If there’s anything that I have stolen from my grandmother’s shelf of knick-knacks is a spoonful of pickle and some sweet and sour sarcasm. And yes, thanks to that I landed a job as a writer in a magazine.
You wear a saree only when you become a woman.” It sounds like a sentimentally wise thing to say, but let me break it down to you. In other words, it also meant, “When you’re ripe enough for the marriage market.”
Presenting to you the most exciting project that we have worked on this year! A short film shot entirely on phone, this project has been a dream & after a lot of anticipation & hard work from all of us here, we are super duper excited to finally bring this to you!
A collaboration of Vimal Chandran with Ajay Menon and a tribute to Avial. These series of films, photographs and illustrations we made inspired from Kerala, they celebrate Kerala’s unique landscapes, art and culture.
Ten years from now, we would remember how we set off to Pondi one summer. Sometime again I suppose, I would be sauntering in eye-clashing clothes in another city, but my first one would always be Pondicherry.
Usually during Onam, I used to see pavements lined with flower markets in Kochi. I grew up hearing tales on how flowers were transported from Tamil Nadu, but this was another world. The stalls were divided by stunning velvety rose garlands.
Even by 6:30 am, to our surprise the market was already on its feet. Women peeling fresh prawns, a lot of them comfortably squatted, and their wringed sarees tied around their waists. There were hints of jasmine among the pungent smells.
On our first day at Pondi, we imagined cycling through Rue Suffren till Paradise Beach, rather we found ourselves going around in circles. Riya and I never got our hands on bicycles, but we had a better experience with the rickshaws.
A flurry of auto drivers rushed to us chattering away in Tamil. Dawn seeped in, the sun rose fairly early at Pondicherry. It was another day of sun, but there was a sweeping wind of laziness that suddenly slowed down time.
My uncanny taste for flamboyant textiles hailed from a land of curious glances. Markets always stir these peckish desires in you to experiment, it’s the one place where you can tailor your dreams. But that’s not what I loved about markets.
Step into the world of NFTs with 101 India NFT Creators Project - Myths & Memes! Witness the amalgamation of two everlasting forms of stories through a live NFT experience! Unique project presented and hosted by Cafe Papaya.
Rima Kallingal, the Malayalam actress and diva, has her own way how to express her grief, as playful as Cruella de Vil. From a calm socialite, she morphed into an unhinged puppy kidnapper and then a vindictive glamourpuss.
Fishermen Rituals In Kerala I.
Fisherfolk in Kerala come from three different religious groups, Hindus, Muslims and Christians. Each of the groups has its own social organisation and mostly occupies separate places in a typical fishing village, although they do share some commonalties.
Avani is a brilliant photo shoot by Arjun Kamath, that convey the story of a woman in a patriarchal society. Avani’s story can be the story of you and me as the struggles and setbacks that she faces are the common problems of India, a country which is still deep rooted in patriarchy.
Avani is a brilliant photo shoot by Arjun Kamath, that convey the story of a woman in a patriarchal society. Avani’s story can be the story of you and me as the struggles and setbacks that she faces are the common problems of India, a country which is still deep rooted in patriarchy.
Avani is a brilliant photo shoot by Arjun Kamath, that convey the story of a woman in a patriarchal society. Avani’s story can be the story of you and me as the struggles and setbacks that she faces are the common problems of India, a country which is still deep rooted in patriarchy.
Avani is a brilliant photo shoot by Arjun Kamath, that convey the story of a woman in a patriarchal society. Avani’s story can be the story of you and me as the struggles and setbacks that she faces are the common problems of India, a country which is still deep rooted in patriarchy.
It is estimated that India has more than 100,000 brick kilns producing about 250 billion bricks annually, employing about 15 million workers, and consuming about 35 million tons of coal annually, still following the age-old practice of making bricks using hands.
Malayalam Actresses & Raja Ravi Varma's Paintings
In a befitting tribute to one of India’s greatest painters, Raja Ravi Varma, a Chennai-based photographer G. Venket Ram has recreated 12 of Varma’s iconic paintings into photographs, in line with the theme of celebrating the spirit of Indian Womanhood.
Moon Light is an exclusive video column by Biju Ibrahim, in which he shares a slice of his journeys and experiences as moving image anecdotes. Bhakti was shot in Tiruvannamalai, an ancient nature worship town situated in Tamil Nadu.
Found on the busy colorful streets of walled city of Jaipur, are two men who are proudly preserving three eras of photography with their 1860s Carl Zeiss camera, Surendra Kumar and his brother and Tikam Chand. The camera is a piece of history.
Pen Fiction: She Draws Rainbows
The story begun in the Blue City. It should be blue, but soon after the first words were born, rain drops wanted to wash them away and the Story had to be hidden under the umbrella with two women, who could not see her.
Peemakumari has been living alone for years in an old building in Mattancherry. A rickety building that has doors which are closed with old sacks. I saw her once sitting with a number of cats. The cats ran away seeing me, a few stood at a distance with caution.
Sisyphus: Time as a Rolling Witness
Parag’s meditative practice of achieving realism on canvas is often mistaken for photographs, his troubling paintings of faces and bare bodies design a carefully linked chain on the compelling ways that material, subject, and sensibility can align on canvas.
From the interconnected backwaters, the forests of Wayanad, the beaches of Alleppey, the temples of Thrissur, and the streets of Kochi, Kerala is right the place with the right traditions to embody what we’ve come to know as Human by Nature.
The human spirit has the extraordinary capacity to find positivity during hardships. Some have found it in reading, others in cooking or gardening. Dear Future Me, is a virtual time capsule on social media that lets us look back and remember the good.
The human spirit has the extraordinary capacity to find positivity during hardships. Some have found it in reading, others in cooking or gardening. Dear Future Me, is a virtual time capsule on social media that lets us look back and remember the good.
The human spirit has the extraordinary capacity to find positivity during hardships. Some have found it in reading, others in cooking or gardening. Dear Future Me, is a virtual time capsule on social media that lets us look back and remember the good.
Prays, Scars & Faded Memories of the Boats - Have you ever looked deep into the fisherman eyes? Sight, you can not catch into the nets, only feel it. Darshan of the God, sending his avatar with every fish. The boat during the dark storm on rough sea...
Varanasi Chai with drop of Soma
Hidden Tea stall is telling its story. Dark narrow street in old Varanasi, the voice in the head is quoting the Rigveda: We have drunk Soma and become immortal; we have attained the light, the Gods discovered.
Lakshmikutty Amma is called Vanamuthassi, The Grandmother of the Jungle in Malayalam. Her mission is to preserve the healing traditions of Kaani tribe, settled in the deep forest of Kallar in Thiruvandrum district in Kerala.
ONAM
The Harvest Festival in Kerala
Onam is the most popular festival in Kerala. It can be traced to the primitive harvest festival and also to the myth regarding King Mahabali - the benevolent asura ruler who brought peace and prosperity to his country. It is celebrated in August and September.
What is ayurveda? How is this ancient medical system connected with yoga, meditation, healthy food, relaxation in nature and modern life style? Ayurveda Trails is dedicated to everyone, who would like to travel and search answers to these questions.
I hesitated for publishing this story quite late, but there’s a beauty in rewinding. Makes me appreciate how all those days have become of me. The clever fall of dominoes of life events that led me to still standing. A very happy new year to all!
THE TREE, THE HERMIT & THE WOMAN
The old legend says, that when the forest dwelling Hermit dies a seed is planted in his mouth. He is buried vertically in the earth from where an ancient tree begins its life all over again…But what if the soul of old Hermit reborn in a place, where are no roots?
The Theyyam dancer’s dark black mystic eyes are emphasised by the deep bloody red color of his face. The light of the fire reflects on his bare chest decorated by the drawing of two snakes. He is ready to jump into the fire and narrator is telling his story.
The journeys of Mancukkar have spawned various forms of oral histories and local narratives all across northern Malabar. Their travel accounts are a richly rewarding source of geography, ethnography and cultural history.
KR SUNIL
The Seafarers of Malabar
There aren’t many places in the world, to which monsoon winds and the smell of spices brought more sea trading ships than to the ports in Kerala. Their glory has faded, but photographer KR Sunil in silent portraits of sea sailors is capturing their stories.
The history of mancukkar is the history of migrant labourers who were the pioneers of cross-regional labour vital to the functioning of trade, transportation and pilgrimage throughout the Arabian Sea and beyond.
I. PEOPLE, GOODS AND IDEAS IN MOTION
Looking at maritime travels interconnectedness of various communities, their narratives and their collective sense of history and memory, many travel writers have described medieval and early modern Keralam as a world on the move.
Biju Ibrahim captures the essence of rustic geographies, the people who are now becoming archive of the earth, the mythic and mystery of spaces and places, broken vessels and torn fabric, alleys of now filled with the density of then or before.
THE MAN WHO SAVED 1000 HERBAL PLANTS
This is not a wonderland with fairies and elves. But here, one can find lots of singing birds, dancing squirrels and sweet smelling flowers. The place becomes truly magical because it exists in the heart of a city. Our wonderland is called Alungal Farms.
UDAIPUR: 10 History Moments Caught in the City of Lakes
Udaipur is called “City of Lakes” and is considered one of the most romantic cities in India. Zuzana has a special net for catching moments, which changed the current of the historical events. In the “city of lakes”, she literally found many fish in the water!
JAIPUR: Galtaji Monkey Rebel Temple
They are Rock Stars! Action heroes of National Geographic Channel series Monkey Thieves! Galta Gang! They jump out of the windows and run around Jaipur’s Pink City like action movie heroes! They are modern soldiers of god Hanuman!
AJMER: Chisthi Sufi Saints & Roses
Ajmer is Rajasthan’s most important site in terms of Islamic history and heritage. It contains one of India’s most important Muslim pilgrimage centres, the shrine of Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti, who founded the Chishtiya order, the prime Sufi order in India.
RANAKPUR JAIN TEMPLE: 1444 Pillars & 108 Snakes
Nestled in a valley amongst the Aravalli Hills, Ranakpur Temple dates to the 15th century. Local legend holds that construction began in 1437 following a divine vision received by Dharna Shah, a local Jain business person.
Karni Mata is worshiped as one of the strongest warrior reincarnation of Goddess Durga in India. She might be powerful and fearful, but only until you see her army of 20.000 rats! If you are lucky, you can see the white rat, manifestation of Karni Mata herself!
Thoughts inspired by Atheena Wilson's booty shaking anti-bachelorette tea party with wine. The journey of womankind from being ripe for the marriage market to become the Goddess. All in Frida Kahlo style with blessings of Her Highness Princess Gouri Parvathi Bayi.
Celebrating the Jewish Fall Festivals - Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkoth and Simchat Torah - with Cochin Jews, a small community trying hard to keep alive the most sacred and revelous days of Jewish life in Kochi.
The Pappadam Makers of Cherlai
Pappadam has a special place in the cuisine of Kerala. It is an essential part of the world-famous Kerala sadya, a crunchy accompaniment to many of Malayali’s favourite dishes that immediately wins the heart of anyone tasting Kerala food.
The story of a passionate miller who runs a 67-year-old mill in the Gujarati quarter of Mattancherry and continues to follow the old ways of the food trade he learned from his father.
The 50-year-old farmer, who won the State government’s award for the best horticulturist in 2013, was barely four years old when his father, V. K. Karthikeyan, a veteran agriculturist now aged 90, acquired the 10 acres of seaside land, much to the bewilderment of his well - wishers.
QUTUB MINAR
Birds of the Holy Quran
Birds… a lots of birds flying on the sky and warm gold round sunset in late crispy February evening, like this I remember my first visit of the Qutub Minar, symbol which marks the beginning of the Muslim rule in India, built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak.
Breudher - The Story of a Dutch Bread
Tracing the culinary history of Breudher, a sweet bread which is a part of the Anglo-Indian cuisine of Kochi and also made by the Eurasian communities in Sri Lanka and South East Asia.
Narendranath is the guardian of a dying heritage. At his tiny shop in Fort Cochin, shrunken in the course of time, he reigns as the devoted practitioner of an age-old system of medicine, a rich and valuable legacy left with him by his forefathers.
My impressions of Mattancherry was informed by the widely available images and representations. But while shooting for “Mattancherry Series” all my perceptions shattered. I felt that every space is created to encourage cohabitation and togetherness.
ANITHA THAMPI
Poetry on the wall
Deshappalama: Anju Mozhippadangal. These speech-portraits are first attempts at confronting the single-person nations of Mattancherry and rendering them in poetry. Like myths, Mattancherry is a place that is woven from antiquity and multiplicity.