Step Into Kerala’s Living Past: ARPO's SAGA series with Manu S Pillai
Each episode of SAGA series, hosted by Manu S Pillai is designed to be accessible, reflective, and rooted in real conversations with people who carry history forward in different ways.
At ARPO, we believe history is not something that lives only in books or museums. It breathes through music, architecture, belief systems, and everyday lives. With that spirit, we are excited to invite you to watch the first three episodes of SAGA, a new video series that journeys through Kerala’s history, heritage, culture, and arts.
Hosted by acclaimed author and historian Manu S Pillai, SAGA brings together scholars, artists, and practitioners to explore how the past continues to shape the present—quietly, powerfully, and often in surprising ways.
Here’s what the first three episodes explore.
Episode 1: | Exploring Chenda ft. Deepu Menon
From political processions and temple festivals to weddings and celebrations, the chenda is one of Kerala’s most recognisable sounds. But what does it mean to be a chenda artist today?
In the opening episode of SAGA, Manu S Pillai sits down with Deepu Menon, a young chenda performer, to talk about life as a contemporary percussion artist. The conversation moves from discipline and training to changing audiences, evolving performance spaces, and the realities of carrying a traditional art form into the 21st century. The episode even offers a glimpse into what an elementary chenda lesson feels like—grounded, rhythmic, and intense.
Episode 2: Kerala Islam and Mappila Culture | Ft. Dr Ajmal Mueen
Islam in Kerala has a history and cultural expression distinct from many other parts of the subcontinent. In this episode, the SAGA team visits the iconic Mishkal Mosque in Kozhikode—a stunning wooden mosque built in the traditional Kerala architectural style. Joining Manu is scholar Dr Ajmal Mueen, who helps unpack the layered history of the mosque, the Mappila community, and the broader questions of heritage conservation faced by Kerala’s Muslim communities today. The episode gently weaves architecture, faith, trade history, and lived experience into a thoughtful conversation on identity and preservation.
Episode 3: The Communist Princes of Cochin Royal Family | Ft. Prasanna Varma
The third episode takes us into one of Kerala’s most fascinating and lesser-discussed histories—the royal family of Cochin. This was a dynasty where princes became communists, princesses spun khadi in response to Mahatma Gandhi’s call, and matriliny shaped complex and intimate domestic worlds.
Manu S Pillai is joined by Prasanna Varma, a literary translator whose father and husband both belong to the Cochin royal family. Through personal anecdotes and historical insight, the episode explores how ideology, caste, gender, and politics intersected within a royal household—quietly challenging our assumptions about power, privilege, and rebellion.
SAGA is not about nostalgia. It is about connection—between past and present, scholarship and lived experience, tradition and change. Each episode is designed to be accessible, reflective, and rooted in real conversations with people who carry history forward in different ways.
If you’re curious about Kerala beyond headlines and postcards, SAGA is a great place to start.
