In the early 1600s, Portugal, Holland and Britain, Europe’s superpowers at that time, were embroiled in a struggle to dominate India. Even while they were fighting it out, Denmark quietly managed to establish a colony in Tranquebar in 1620. Tranquebar is Danish for Tarangambadi, a seaside town about 280km from Chennai. As the little colony prospered, the Danish King Frederick IV decided to “civilise” his Indian subjects with Christian values. But this was easier said than done

In the early 1800s, some ships sailed into London’s harbour and made the British very afraid. You would think that the ships belonged to some European power intent on attacking London! You’d be wrong. These ‘hostile’ ships were Indian

Between 1298 CE and 1306 CE, the fearsome and bloodthirsty Mongols of Central Asia attacked India on six different occasions. Each time, they were pushed back by Alauddin Khilji, emperor of the Delhi Sultanate. He was helped by his most trusted general, Malik Kafur. Did you know that Malik Kafur was eunuch?

As he travelled the world, evangelising the cuisines of diverse cultures, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain once said, “Meals make the society.” In that vein, it’s hard to imagine visiting a state like Kerala and not munching on tapioca chips dusted with chilli powder or savouring some spicy kappa meen (tapioca and fish) curry. These dishes feel like classic recipes, handed down across generations. But would you believe that tapioca came to Kerala less than 200 years ago? It’s true!