Vasundhara Sarovar On Its toes for Relief & Rehabilitation Work A massive relief drive is going on in God’s Own Country. The centre, the states and corporate houses across India and the world have come forward to help Kerala. The outpouring of relief material across the state is a much-needed and heartening sight to...
Reason Why Monsoon is the Best Time to Visit Kerala
Rain and Romance is a match made in paradise and on the off chance that you happen to be in such an extravagant place makes the trip worth. Nature to be sure wakes up amid the rains in Kerala. There are two rainy seasons in Kerala, the main begins in June and the second...
Tender Coconut Mousse
Summer is here, and so are the tender coconuts. Keep yourself cool with this Mystic Spice special recipe, tender coconut mousse. Ingredients: Tender coconut (milk) 250 grams Milk 1 liter Whipped cream 650 grams Sugar 350 grams Gelatine 70 grams Cornflour 50 grams Method: Boil milk and sugar together in a pan. Add cornflour...
A Date with Dyes
I was walking down the lobby of Vasundhara Sarovar Premier, a resort in Alleppey, when I suddenly felt that I was being watched. I looked to the side, and a pair of eyes stared back at me. I gave a start, but the figure didn’t move at all. A life-size, three-dimensional statue of a...
The Serpent’s Song
My grandmother’s home, tucked away in a corner of Aliparamba, was where you would find me every summer break. When I think back now, there was never really much to do there — but as a child, curious and excitable, I would spend days on end occupied with this and that: sometimes climbing trees...
Attukal Pongala: the world’s largest gathering of women
Columns of smoke rise up in the area around the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, on a certain day every February. The smell of sweet jaggery wafts through the air. Clay pots and brick stones are stacked along the pavement. The roads leading up to the temple are decked: tender...
Kerala: the Paradise of Paradoxes
Last month, I got an interesting phone call. It was from a friend in Kochi. “Would you want to celebrate the mouse god with me this Sunday?” my friend asked. “We have one?” I inquired incredulously. “Yes, he’s small, wears a yellow body suit, a red cape and goes by Dinkan!” I laughed out...
On the Temple Trail
A few summers ago I found myself in front of a small temple on the banks of the Thootha River. I’d call it nondescript, and it probably had nothing on the majestic temples Kerala is so famous for. But I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. Located in my friend’s...
The Mystic Spice Series Part II
If you have been to Kerala, I am certain you have come across what the Malayalees call a thattukada or, their version of a roadside eatery. Come to think of it, thattukadas exist across India, albeit with slight variations from region to region. In Kerala for example, it consists of a large wooden shack,...
The Mystic Spice Series Part I
Sometime in the 15th century, fleets of ships from West Europe, laden with gold, would make their way to India’s west coast. Only to return home, laden with gold again, albeit a different kind. Sacks of pepper, considered so essential to European life, would fill up the containers of these vessels. In the olden...