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Walking through rainbows: Victoria Falls

Theyyam – The folk and the lore

Once a kolam Extraordinary experiences make one a raconteur. Gopi sat in our midst, narrating tales animatedly but unhurriedly from his outings as a kolam, theyyam performer. Elaborate, gilt-laden headgear, sharp gleaming nails, metallic bulbous eyes, jangling anklets, all came out one by one from an ancient box unopened for many years. Most of it was a legacy handed down from his father. His own son, a schoolteacher, evidently proud of what his dad was, showed us time-stained photographs of a focused looking youngster with heavily kohled eyes, sporting a

By Thommen Jose

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Goree Island – Confrontation as reconciliation

All around me was dark. I think it has been kept that way – midday outside but a kind of gloaming inside – probably the closest a visitor can be made to feel what went on in these narrow corridors and dungeons. The wall plaster is peeling in most places and remains of corroded iron hooks from where chains were once clamped can be seen. Lanterns hung from low ceilings looking like cages purpose-built to make even light struggle to do its work. An array of narrow chambers into which

By Thommen Jose

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Through the fourth wall, lightly

Tripping across the imagined barrier, from director calling the shots, to actor and audience. A truism yes, but one of the most alluring aspects about mortality should be the enthusiasm with which we take on new things. I never say no to anything extraordinary that comes my way; heck, I even go out of the way to grab something – or someone – if rare and unusual. It is up to us whether to live out our lives siloed derps, or live up, a sensory rigadoon. When the opportunity came

By Thommen Jose

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The anatomy of an emergency landing

I prayed and offered my soul to God. Then I took Susan’s hand and held it tight. She was crying. I told her it was good that we are together – if we are to die, we will die in each other’s arms. Of course, not that it stopped her from crying. Bob On my part, I was going over the photographs I took taking off from Dubai and imagining the best possible ways to crash land – and hoping the pilot share my plan. I almost always do, take

By Thommen Jose

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