In this episode of Kinkini Cheppu, we explore the story of Tholpavakoothu, Kerala’s traditional shadow puppetry art form, through the lens of this year’s World Storytelling Day theme - Light in the Dark.

At the heart of this episode are two powerful narratives:

• The myth of Darika and Bhadrakali, which marks the origin of Tholpavakoothu
• The story of Kavalappara Moopil Nair, who helped root this art form in Kerala along the banks of the Bharathapuzha
• We also briefly touch upon the living legacy of this art form through artists like Rahul Pulavar and Padmashri Ramachandra Pulavar.

Tholpavakoothu is more than an art form…where stories are not just told, but illuminated.

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Audible

Plug in your earphones, grab a cup of chaya, and let’s take a trip home every fortnight. And if a story tugs at your heart, or remind you of anything or anybody, write to me at kinkinicheppuwithshubha@gmail.com - your story might just find its way into an episode!

This season is incubated at Podcasting Bootcamp - Cohort 2 by Your Story Bag.

In this episode of Kinkini Cheppu, we travel to Thiruvananthapuram to witness something extraordinary, a day when an entire city rearranges itself for women.

This is Attukal Pongala, the world’s largest annual gathering of women.

Every year, lakhs of women gather across the city streets with clay pots, rice, jaggery, and firewood, turning the city into the world’s largest open-air kitchen.

But behind this remarkable gathering lies an ancient story.

The story of Kannagi, the fearless heroine of the Tamil epic Silappathikaram, whose courage and demand for justice shook an entire kingdom.

In this episode, we explore:

• The lived experience of attending Attukal Pongala

• The quiet sisterhood that emerges among strangers

• How an entire city makes room for lakhs of women

• The legend of Kannagi and her journey to Attukal

• The story behind one of the most powerful women-led traditions in India

Attukal Pongala is often spoken of as a religious ritual. But witnessing it up close reveals something more, a rare moment when lakhs of women gather, creating an atmosphere of shared strength, warmth, and sisterhood.

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Audible

Plug in your earphones, grab a cup of chaya, and let’s take a trip home every fortnight. And if a story tugs at your heart, or remind you of anything or anybody, write to me at kinkinicheppuwithshubha@gmail.com - your story might just find its way into an episode!

This season is incubated at Podcasting Bootcamp - Cohort 2 by Your Story Bag.

In this episode of Kinkini Cheppu, we travel to the quiet evenings of Palakkad, where lamps are lit at dusk and serpent groves breathe in silence.

What begins as a childhood memory of watching a lamp being lit in a sacred grove, slowly unfolds into a deeper exploration of Kerala’s serpent worship traditions, and the community that carries this ritual forward; the Pulluvan and Pulluvati.

Through personal memory and lived experience, this episode reflects on:

• The tradition of lighting lamps in sacred groves (sarpa kaavu)
• The role of women in serpent worship rituals
• The elaborate kalam drawings used in sarpam thullal
• The unique instruments - pulluvan veena and pulluvan kudam
• The origin legend of the Pulluvan community
• The quiet link between serpent worship and ecological preservation

In many Kerala communities, lineage flows through daughters, and ritual responsibility is carried forward through women and their families, holding space between home, land and belief.

As Women’s Day approaches, this episode gently reflects on inherited strength.

Listen in for a layered journey into Kerala folklore and living indigenous traditions.

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Audible

Plug in your earphones, grab a cup of chaya, and let’s take a trip home every fortnight. And if a story tugs at your heart, or remind you of anything or anybody, write to me at kinkinicheppuwithshubha@gmail.com - your story might just find its way into an episode!

This season is incubated at Podcasting Bootcamp - Cohort 2 by Your Story Bag.