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!

About 4 Kms from the Madras Museum is a very short road called Balfour Road. It is so short, that even local politicians who love ‘indianising’ English street names, have overlooked it! Ah, who was the honourable Balfour? Dr. Edward Green Balfour came to India as an army doctor in 1834 and retired as Surgeon-General of Madras in 1876. This good doctor was more than..

We learnt a little ditty as kids, which I vaguely remember now: For want of a shoe, the horse was lost For want of a horse, the knight was lost For want of a knight the battle was lost All for want of a horse-shoe If shoes can cost you the battle, boots can win wars too. At least one cobbler ardently believed so. In …