Category: Top Picks

Trivandrum Series: Kathirmudi Trek With Appooppanthaadi

Kathirmudi Trek With Appooppanthaadi In the middle of every trek, there’s a moment where you ask yourself: enikk enthinte kedayirunnu? Meaning: what the hell was wrong with me? I could have been chilling at my home now, watching a classic Malayalam comedy like Kilukkam or Sandesham, munching on some mixture or banana chips. Why the … Continue reading Trivandrum Series: Kathirmudi Trek With Appooppanthaadi

Trivandrum Zoo – Aren’t We All Wild Animals Living in a Caged World? 

September 16, 2025, Tuesday. "The wild, cruel beast is not behind the bars of the cage. He is in front of it." - Axel Munthe. The young poet Debarshi Mitra’s debut collection, Eternal Migrant, has a poem titled ‘Stray Cat.’ He writes: He only stays sometimes unmoved outside my window gazing into my walls with … Continue reading Trivandrum Zoo – Aren’t We All Wild Animals Living in a Caged World? 

Trivandrum Series: Sree Chithra Enclave – A Museum & Art Gallery at Palayam

September 12, 2025 Sree Chithra Enclave I could see the Sree Chithra Enclave at a distance. I ogled at its red-brick building with sloping roofs and the neatly arranged rows of flower pots in front of it. Luckily, the Napier Museum entrance ticket also covered the enclave, so I didn’t have to purchase another ticket.  … Continue reading Trivandrum Series: Sree Chithra Enclave – A Museum & Art Gallery at Palayam

Trivandrum Series: Napier Museum at Palayam – A Treat for Every History Enthusiast. 

September 12, 2025 Napier Museum at Palayam, Trivandrum. Day 3/30 at Trivandrum. Since I finished my wanderings through East Fort pretty early the previous day, I decided to shake things up a little. I changed the format of my day. Instead of starting early, I worked on my freelance project in the first half, had … Continue reading Trivandrum Series: Napier Museum at Palayam – A Treat for Every History Enthusiast. 

Trivandrum Series: The Sreepadmanabhaswamy Temple, & Methan Mani.

You can read the first part of this blog here. After wolfing down my second breakfast, I walked out of the restaurant, caressing my imaginary pumped-up muscles and roaring mentally like a war hero, fully charged for the rest of my trip. Imagine Popeye, ready to take on the entire world, after gobbling down a … Continue reading Trivandrum Series: The Sreepadmanabhaswamy Temple, & Methan Mani.

Trivandrum Series: A Father and Mother Without a Child.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com September 10, 2025, Wednesday - Day 1, Moving to Trivandrum I bid a funny goodbye to my family before my brother dropped me off at Kollam Railway Station. My parents were like: “After exploring Trivandrum, come straight home. Don’t take any deviation to Goa or the Himalayas.” Well, in my … Continue reading Trivandrum Series: A Father and Mother Without a Child.

Kollam Diaries: A Nightmare, a Missed Boat, & an Ethereal Ride to Sambranikodi – Part 2

Mangrove trees near Sambranikodi Island You can read the first part of this blog here.  A Sudden Camaraderie  Even as I wiped my brow with a tissue and settled onto a window seat, I was still feeling embarrassed by my mistake. My mind was overloaded with the could-have-been and would-have-been scenarios: “I should have called … Continue reading Kollam Diaries: A Nightmare, a Missed Boat, & an Ethereal Ride to Sambranikodi – Part 2

Kollam Diaries: A Nightmare, a Missed Boat, & an Ethereal Ride to Sambranikodi – Part 1

Sambranikodi Island - a Mangrove Paradise in Kollam, Kerala. See Ashtamudi On August 9, 2025, while I was walking through the shores of  ‘Ashtamudi Lake’, near the Kollam KSRTC bus stand, I noticed a double-decker boat, with the name ‘See Ashtamudi.’ Out of sheer curiosity, I jotted down the boat’s contact details.  Back in the … Continue reading Kollam Diaries: A Nightmare, a Missed Boat, & an Ethereal Ride to Sambranikodi – Part 1

Two Forgotten Historical Monuments in Kollam – British Residency & Cheenakottaram

“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?” - Cicero. 19 August 2025, Tuesday  A bee was buzzing near my ear as I left … Continue reading Two Forgotten Historical Monuments in Kollam – British Residency & Cheenakottaram