Aathma Dious argues that Malayali filmmakers have failed to move past popular—often stereotypical—tropes when it comes to representing second and[…]
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Apply to Ala’s Writing Workshop
Thank you for your overwhelming response — due to the large number of respondents, we are currently closing applications. Please[…]
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Ala Podcast: മൺപാത്രങ്ങൾ പറയുന്ന പ്രാചീനകഥകൾ: പുരാവസ്തു ഗവേഷണം കേരളത്തിൽ
ഇന്ന് കേരളം എന്ന് അറിയപ്പെടുന്ന പ്രദേശത്തിന്റെ പ്രാചീന ചരിത്രത്തെക്കുറിച്ചു ഐതീഹ്യങ്ങൾക്കപ്പുറം ശാസ്ത്രത്തിനെന്താണ് പറയാനുള്ളത്? പഴയ ധാരണകളെ മാറ്റിമറിക്കുന്ന ചില പുതിയ കണ്ടെത്തലുകളെക്കുറിച്ചു സംസാരിക്കുകയാണ് പുരാവസ്തു ഗവേഷകയായ ജസീറ[…]
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Provocative Sounds: Work, Leisure, and Malayalam Radio in Qatar
What can the radio-listening practices of working-class Malayalis in the Gulf, and the inter-ethnic tensions they produce, tell us about[…]
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Changing before their very eyes: Urban Expansion and Dispossession in Kammattipadam
Yadu and Sujeesh analyse how the visual world crafted by the 2016 movie Kammattipadam provides minute insight into the class[…]
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Mr. Family Historian (or kudumba-charitrakaaran): The Syrian Christian Case
Accompanied by original sketches, Nidhin Donald presents a tongue-in-cheek perspective of the trend of producing written ‘family histories’ among Syrian[…]
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A Snapshot of History: Vasco da Gama in Calicut, 1498
Drawing from the translation of an anonymous, first-hand account of Vasco da Gama’s historical visit to present-day Kerala, B. Prabu[…]
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The Changing Face of Family and Marital Relationships in Kerala
Sensationalized reports in Kerala of women involved in family murders and extramarital affairs serve to obscure more than they reveal.[…]
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Debates over the Quality of Electoral Rolls in Kerala: A Demographic Assessment
A comparative assessment of the voter population on the electoral rolls with the voter population in Kerala based on its current demographic trends reveal serious discrepancies in the electoral rolls used in the recently conducted Assembly elections.
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Between Fact and Fiction: Couple-photographs in Malayalam Cinema
S. Harikrishnan writes about how Malayalam cinema uses couple-and-wedding photographs as a useful plot device—to guide narrative, enhance contrast and add depth to characters.
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