Between the Sea, the Devil and the System
In this feature story, we attempt to highlight the challenges faced by the lifeguards over the years, since the initiation of their service in Kovalam in 1986.
Beside the Waves, Beneath the Palms: the S.I.S.P. Story
Founded in 1996 by Paul van Gelder and Werner Fynaerts, Sebastian Indian Social Projects (S.I.S.P.) is a non-profit organisation working with the socio-economically disadvantaged communities and populations in the coastal villages from Vizhinjam to Poovar.
The Banshees of Inisherin: Three Colours of Loneliness
The Banshees of Inisherin is writer-director Martin McDonagh’s fourth movie, following his much-acclaimed work in 2017, The Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Akin to his previous work, The Banshees… has received critical praise and is one of the leading contenders in several categories for the upcoming Academy Awards.
The following is an attempt to examine only a part of what the movie represents – centering on the dying relationship between its central characters. . .
A Tale of Travels & Antiques
When you climb up the stairs of Gudhaam, you are practically about to take a journey through the experiences and collections of Basheer. It’s a captivating blend of many things, best described by the place’s social media bio – “A place where antiques, art, music, books and food meet.”
Life in Animation
“A good storyteller will be skilful in creating a good animation film. It’s about articulating the story in your mind in the most efficient way possible. People tend to dissociate books, movies, animation, etc. from actual life. There is a misconception that in animation there should always be a degree of exaggeration from reality to make it work for the viewers…”
Riding Over Patriarchy
“I was part of several bullet & bike clubs and used to go on rides and trips often. But being a part of Dauntless Royal Explorers was different. This was me being responsible for all those who joined the club believing in my dream.”
In the Valley of Chaos and Resilience
“If a country wanted a region to accept it completely, then they had to adopt that place too with all their heart. When the permanent state in there was the military rule, was that even possible?”
A Journey Fulfilled – Story of Prasanthi and I
“The incident affected me deeply. I had been pondering for a while about what I would do once I retired. It was clear to me now that I wanted to do something for children with special needs. So, I joined for a B. Ed course on special education at Bharathiar University, Tamil Nadu,” he looks back…
The Little Big World of Ants
Dr. Kalesh Sadasivan is a wildlife photographer, researcher, ataxonomist and a surgeon by profession, hailing from Trivandrum, Kerala. He is a founding member of the nature NGO, TNHS. He has discovered and described more than a dozen new species from the Western Ghats, including frogs, reptiles, wasps, ants & odonates.
The Accidental Writer: Of Butterfingers and Other Stories
Khyrunnisa A. is an Indian author and columnist known popularly for her children’s fiction, particularly the book series – Butterfingers.
Khyrunnisa has a huge fan following, amongst children and adults alike, including renowned figures such as Ruskin Bond, Shashi Tharoor, V.V.S. Laxman and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi!
The Sound of Music
“Getting to make music for a movie is a big aspiration for many musicians as cinema is such a popular medium in our country. For me, being part of a successful film was a massive dream. Even though I had worked on many films before that, Immanuel was special for me. It was the work of a popular director like Lal Jose, whose previous films featured such wonderful songs, and had an amazing cast including Mammootty and Fahadh Fazil. It gave me my career break too.”
Seeing Off the New Ball
“For a batsman, any ball could be your last one; for a bowler, any ball could get you a wicket. That is the difference, Ramdas.” Odayamath Kodoth Ramdas, better known as O.K. Ramdas, quotes his captain and his mentor, as he recounts his cricketing career.
Daughters of Scheherazade
“I wanted to inspect the phenomenon along the lines of how human desire functions through not just psychological, but also social and cultural lenses. The fear that came along with the concept of wedding night for women had to be studied through the sexual politics in our society, particularly exploring the taboo of premarital sex and the ‘myth of virginity’,”
Moonnam Pakkam – Of Death and Measures of Grief
“Even if the body washes ashore, it will be on the third day. That’s the law of the sea.”
It means that if you lose someone in the sea, then wait until the third day for the body to wash ashore.
If it doesn’t, then don’t wait any longer. Not for the body. Not for the person….
Can Walk – Changing the Narrative
By Bharath The COVID-19 pandemic that has been raging on for over a year now, and the second wave that has hit recently, has put a lot on Gokul Retnakar’s plate. He has a house under construction where he plans to move in soon with his wife and twin sons at Nanthancode, Thiruvananthapuram. Overseeing the work […]
Preserving the Past : Chapter 2
By Bharath Continued from Preserving the Past – Chapter 1 Understanding the Ancient Scripts The Malayalam scholar in Chako gained something much more valuable than just the art of preservation through her extensive work on manuscripts over the years – insight into the evolution of the language and its scripts. “Besides, to understand these scripts […]
Mohiniyattam and ‘Gender Trouble’
“The act of dancing holds various meanings personally, but perhaps most of all it’s a ‘political act’ for me,” reflects Amith, as he starts narrating his journey so far with Mohiniyattam.
Preserving the Past : Chapter 1
By Bharath Any other year, a visit to St. Joseph’s college, Irinjalakkuda, Kerala on a Monday afternoon would’ve guaranteed the typical hustle and bustle and a range of voices cutting through the air. But being the “pandemic year”, 2020 has been different. The stillness of the afternoon has engulfed the college. The only contradiction seems […]