The story of Ahalia Publications started like all journeys do, with a single step; or in our case, a single book. That book is Saga of Kalpathy: The story of Palakkad Iyers by MK Das. Why Kalpathy? Simply put, it was the most appropriate choice to mark our entry, and here is why.The Ahalia Campus, Palakkad, sits under the watchful eyes (and in the shadow) of the Western Ghats, at the crossroads of geography, history and untold human stories. The story of the many peoples who have passed by this place is a history of Kerala. Kalpathy, located not too far away, also has been a silent witness to the unique cocktail of history and culture that marks it out as a location of great cultural importance, albeit one whose flew under the radar.

A Kochi-based columnist. He was the Resident Editor of The Financial Express (Chennai and Bengaluru) and, later, the Editor (Kerala) of The Indian Express and The New Indian Express. His works include a coffee-table book on Kochi titled ‘Anchor Cochin,’ ‘Tryst With Bulls and Bears,’ ‘A Southern Odyssey, The Story of South Indian Bank,’ and ‘A Journey Through Time,’ of which he was the co-author.

Email : kitchen_in@yahoo.com

Price   : ₹599

Author : M.K. Das

Category : Social History

ISBN : 978-81-951052-0-5

Publishing date : March 2021

Publisher : AHALIA PUBLICATIONS LLP.

Edition : 2

Number of pages : 228

Language : English

A newspaper cartoonist since 1977. Chief Political Cartoonist with The Indian Express in Delhi. Besides, he travels and sketches.

Email : unnycartoonist@yahoo.com

“The Saga of Kalpathy, The Story of Palghat Brahmins,” by veteran journalist M K Das looks at the migration of the Tamil Brahmins, their settlement pattern, the challenges they faced, attempts to retrieve their cultural history and their evolution…… What makes it a page turner are interesting anecdotes woven into the historical text.” -The Hindu

“This book is not just history and culture, but also of people, the challenges, the crisis, the interactions with other communities and current realities….. There is considerable wealth of literature that Das has gone through in the producing of this book. All these go into the making of a delightful book.” -Business Line “Nothing much substantial has been written about the journeys in Kerala of this ethnic group and Das’s well-sourced work is unique…. Their saga is fascinating and the offering of M K Das and E P Unny is a definitive contribution to the understanding of sociologists and laymen alike, of their continuing journey.” -Deccan Chronicle

“A new book on Palakkad Iyers dispels myths about a community often vilified for its snobbishness and superstitions.” – Times of India

“A slice of Kerala’s social history.” – Book Review

“കൽപ്പത്തിയിലെ തമിഴ് ബ്രാഹ്മണരുടെ ജീവിതത്തേയും സംസ്‌ക്കാരത്തേയും എഴുത്തിലൂടെയും വരയിലൂടെയും അവതരിപ്പിക്കുന്ന പുസ്തകം” – മാതൃഭൂമി