Category: Top Picks

Travel Diaries: 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 Travel Diaries: Kathirmudi Trek With Appooppanthaadi

Travel Diaries: 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 Travel Diaries: A Father and Mother Without a Child.

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

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

Travel Diaries: 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 Travel Diaries: Two Forgotten Historical Monuments in Kollam – British Residency & Cheenakottaram

Travel Diaries: A Hidden Historic Gem in Thangasserry – St. Thomas Fort

A painting depicting St. Thomas Fort and Thangasserry Lighthouse in its old grandeur. On the Way After visiting the Thangasserry Breakwater Tourism Park, I walked towards the next spot on my itinerary, a ruined fort. On the way, I saw small stalls selling sweets and cold drinks. We Keralites call such stalls pettikadakal (“petti” means … Continue reading Travel Diaries: A Hidden Historic Gem in Thangasserry – St. Thomas Fort

Travel Diaries: Thangasserry Breakwater Tourism Park – A Walk Down Memory Lane

Thangasserry Breakwater Tourism Park as seen from the Thangasserry Lighthouse. The Wait for a Sunny Day If you’ve read my previous travel blog, “A Tale of Two Rainbows…,” then you already know that on July 6th, I had set out to explore a picturesque coastal village named Thangasserry in my hometown of Kollam. Though I … Continue reading Travel Diaries: Thangasserry Breakwater Tourism Park – A Walk Down Memory Lane

Poem: Renovations

Photo by Laurie Shaw on Pexels.com I lay passive next to him, the heaving of his chest, the fluttering of my eyes. We kept staring at the blank ceiling. The wet patches on the roof, the leaky tap in the kitchen, wallpapers to hide the cracks, curtains to cut the glare, capacitor for the fan … Continue reading Poem: Renovations