Today on Facebook, I came across some beautiful photographs of the Kottayam Cheriapally (St. Mary's Orthodox Church), along with pictures featuring author Manu S Pillai and historian Pallikonam Rajeev. That instantly took me back to 'SAGA — A Journey into Kerala’s History, Heritage, Culture, and Arts.' 🌴📚 'Episode 7, Syrian Christians of Kerala', felt deeply personal to me. It beautifully captures the story of the Nasrani community — their roles as merchants and warriors — while gently weaving in the local history of places that are not just locations, but parts of my life. My home village Kuravilangad, and places like Kaduthuruthy, Uzhavoor, Kottayam, Aruvithura, etc… each of them carries memories, emotions, and a deep sense of belonging. 🌿 For me, these are not just names on a map — they are pieces of my identity, my childhood, and my nostalgic journey. 💭✨ The conversation between Manu S. Pillai and Pallikonam Rajeev offers a thoughtful and engaging perspective on Kottayam as a historic Christian centre, and more importantly, as a beautiful reflection of Kerala’s unique syncretic traditions. 🤝🕊️ For anyone who loves exploring Kerala’s diverse communities, history, arts, and culture, the SAGA series by 'The Archival and Research Project (ARPO)' is truly special. It’s not just something you watch — it’s something you feel. 🎬❤️ 🎥 Watch Episode 7 here: https://youtu.be/XuhftsGmUNw?si=XC-0MTrcUSKEcpCh ✒️ George Palackalody #KeralaHistory #Kerala #Kottayam #Kuravilangad #KeralaCulture #Nostalgia #Nasrani #Roots #NasraniDiaspora #MyKerala #Heritage #Memories #Keralam

It's our Keralam. 🌴💛 This is a common sight in our buses, auto-rickshaws, barber shops, hotels, movie theatres, and countless other places across Kerala. For us, seeing Hindu, Christian, and Muslim symbols, saints, deities, or places of worship sharing the same frame has always been part of everyday life. We grew up with it, so most of us never even thought twice about it. Interestingly, it was only after visitors from other parts of India started posting these photos online with amazement that many of us realised how unusual this appears elsewhere. 😊 What we see as ordinary, others often see as remarkable. The amusing part is that while many people appreciate these images as a beautiful example of coexistence and mutual respect, some posts attract surprisingly negative reactions. In recent years, a few voices have even tried to portray this very spirit of harmony as something undesirable. Yet this simple scene continues to exist everywhere around us — not because of campaigns, slogans, or politics, but because generations of ordinary Keralites chose to live that way. For most of us, this is nothing extraordinary. It's simply Kerala. 🌴🤝☪️✝️🕉️ And perhaps that's one of Kerala's quietest and most beautiful strengths. 💙 ✒️ George Palackalody #Kerala 🌴 #Keralam #GodsOwnCountry #KeralaCulture #KeralaLife #KeralaStories #UnityInDiversity #ReligiousHarmony #PeacefulCoexistence #IndianCulture #EverydayKerala #KeralaDiaries #ProudKeralite #SocialHarmony #GeorgePalackalody #Georgey ✨

A piece of our Tharavadu (ancestral home) still lives on. Recently, while reading about the ancient St. Thomas Christian Crosses of India, I came across the 4th-century Alangad Cross in Kerala. According to Parsi scholar B. T. Anklesaria, who specialised in Pahlavi epigraphy, the Alangad St. Thomas Cross contains an archaic Pahlavi inscription and may date back many centuries. I also revisited images of the similar cross preserved in the Pilar Church Museum in Goa. As I explored these symbols and their history, my thoughts unexpectedly drifted back to something much closer to home — the old Aravaathil അറവാതിൽ of our ancestral house at Palackalody, Kuravilangad. Our centuries-old Tharavadu no longer stands. Although the house itself has disappeared, one of its most treasured pieces survives: the original wooden chamber door - Aravaathil and its remarkable brass lock. When the house was demolished, I made sure the door was preserved. It remains in Kerala today, resting on my home. The door is enormous and incredibly heavy, requiring several people to move it. The brass lock has always fascinated me. Its handle resembles a bird — perhaps a swan or peacock — while beneath it appears a floral motif crowned by a cross. Whether the design was chosen for faith, decoration, craftsmanship, or simply the artistic tastes of another era, I cannot say with certainty. Yet it reminds me of the rich blend of culture, tradition, and belief that shaped generations of Nasrani families in Kerala. The lock itself is probably from the 1800s rather than an ancient relic. Still, while reading about the historic St. Thomas Crosses, I found myself drawn back to this door. Not because of its age, but because of what it represents. I was born and raised in that house. Until moving to Melbourne in 2006, I spent countless days there with my grandmother and with chinnamma a beloved member of our household who cared for our family for over fifty years. Many of the happiest memories of my childhood were created within those walls. The old house may be gone, but part of its soul remains. Sometimes history is not only found in museums, churches, or archaeological discoveries. Sometimes it survives quietly in a forgotten doorway, an old brass lock, and the memories carried by those who once called that place home.🤎 🏠 Palackalody 📍 Kuravilangad, Kerala, India ✒️ George PALACKALODY #Kerala #Nasrani #NasraniDiaspora #KnowYourRoots #StThomasChristians #KeralaHeritage #Tharavadu #HeritageConservation #FamilyHistory #CultureAndIdentity #Storytelling #Palackalody #Georgey #GeorgePALACKALODY

Wherever I am in the world, my heart always carries the nostalgia of home — the memories, my childhood, and those beautiful old days. 💚✨ This house is not just a building for me. It holds the memories of my late father. The tall coconut tree standing in the middle of this photo was planted by my late father… along with a little version of me beside him. 🌱🥥 And this land still carries the presence and memories of my mother, sister, grandparents, and generations before them. We walked here, we farmed here, we played here, we laughed here, and we lived our lives here. I truly love Melbourne 🇦🇺💙, but no matter where life takes me, this is the one place I will always remain emotionally connected to. Whenever I think about “home,” these memories quietly return and fill my heart with warmth and nostalgia. 😌💛🤎 📍 Home, Kerala 🌴🇮🇳 ✒️ George PALACKALODY #Kerala #Home #Nostalgia #Malayali #Memories #ChildhoodMemories #Roots #Family #Melbourne #Diaspora #NasraniDiaspora #Palackalody #GeorgePalackalody #KeralaDiaries #HomeIsHome #LifeJourney #EmotionalConnect #CoconutTree 🌴

📢🚙 “It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that our beloved former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a bomb blast at Sriperumbudur…” This was the announcement that echoed through the streets on the morning of May 22, 1991. The sound of the announcement jeep moving around in grief is still unforgettable in my memory. I was just nine years old then. It was my father who woke me up and said, “Da… Rajiv Gandhi has been assassinated.” We immediately ran outside our home. At Thottuva Junction, a black flag had already been raised. A white cloth was spread over a chair, with Rajiv Gandhi’s photograph placed against it. A few people stood around silently… and on every face, there was a deep sense of shock, pain, and sorrow. 😥 Whenever I hear the name Rajiv Gandhi, these heartbreaking memories are the very first things that come to my mind. Thank you to the leader who laid the foundation for taking India towards a modern world and the beginning of a digital era. 🇮🇳✨ He was among the visionaries who pushed India forward in telecommunications, computerisation, software development, vaccine production, dairy development, technological growth, and countless other areas that shaped modern India. One of his most inspiring and unforgettable lines was spoken while addressing the Joint Session of the US Congress: “India is an old country, but a young nation; and like the young everywhere, we are impatient. I am young and I too have a dream. I dream of an India, strong, independent, self-reliant and in the forefront of the nations of the world in the service of mankind.” Even today, those words reflect the vision and hope he carried for India and its future. Remembering former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary… Prayers, respect, and remembrance before those memories. 🙏 Rajiv Gandhi (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) ✒️George PALACKALODY #RememberingRajivGandhi #RajivGandhi #RajivGandhiDeathAnniversary #IndianPolitics #ModernIndia #TelecomRevolution #DigitalIndia #IndianHistory #Leadership #India #GeorgePALACKALODY #Palackalody