Musings from Antique Origins

Webbs Double Soda Waters, London c. 1830 (Murali's Collections) A s the New Year eve approaches, corks are popped up all over. Kerala is a state in which the hard liquor is sold like an essential food item and has more consumers than for the traditional hot cakes of Xmas and New Year. Soda water is an essential ingredient for hot drinks for many. Though soda water in pet bottles is popular and readily available, many people use the soda makers at home for making their drinks. I too had once bought the Butlers soda maker, a brand quite popular here. Talking about soda bottles, it is very interesting to trace the evolution of these in India. Though the concept drinking soda water was introduced by the English, the elite Indians soon developed a taste for it and buying soda water became quite fashionable in the nineteenth century. The earlier soda bottles date back to 1778. Probably, these bottles were introduced in India only during the middle of the 19th century. These egg shaped...

Statue of the Maharajah A nyone born in Kerala and who has gone away from its shores for employment and a living has many lingering memories of the land in his mind. Of these, the memories connected with the ancestral family, the village, the childhood, the harvest festivals and the worshipping places are most rooted. Probably, this is because these institutions or symbols have considerably shaped ones personality and thoughts during one’s formative years. Temple festivals of yore were occasions when village children in particular enjoyed themselves wholeheartedly. The hawkers with wares unseen, vendors of exotic sweets, performers of magic tricks, performances like Ottan thullal, Chenda melam with its mystic and captivating tones and the caparisoned elephants provided enough thrill and excitements to the young minds. Money was hard to come by, but the enthusiasm was never diminished. Snacks from the make-shift stalls tasted heavenly. As one grew up, the colours of many memories faded...