Back in the 1970s, Chennai was called Madras. And in the Hindi-belt, everyone from southern India was classified as Madrassi. Never mind what the ‘Madrassis’ spoke at home - Malayalam, Kannada, Coorgi, Tulu, Telugu or even Badaga; most North Indians (including the educated ones) believed that anyone from ‘down-below’ spoke an exotic language called ‘Madrasi’ (that is Madrassi with one ‘s’ removed)! It did not matter where they actually came from: Kanyakumari, Kakinada or Kozhikode. Bollywood took the stereotype to a whole new level and the idea of a Madrassi was here to stay.

At a time when most of us think that the current corona epidemic is the worst ever, let’s not forget that smallpox in the 1950s was probably much worse. Few remember though, because a whole generation (and their parents) have grown up in an environment that has been largely free of scourges. During the 1960s and 70s India conducted massive campaigns to defeat seemingly incurable diseases – smallpox, polio, tuberculosis, measles, malaria and others. Hopefully, corona too will one day be a notch on the belt!

Any history textbook will tell you that Shahjahan was a great Mughal emperor. But did you know that he was neither the rightful legal heir nor a favourite son? Yet, he managed to ascend the most coveted Mughal throne.

If you visit the famous Vaikunta Perumal temple in Kanchipuram, you will see some wall panels depicting people with unmistakably oriental features. They may seem out of place at the temple, but these sculptures could very well be pointing to our Cambodian heritage! How? Read on to find out.