Murali Duggineni

Murali Duggineni

How seven islands and a goddess shaped Mumbai

Mumbai, India’s bustling financial hub, carries a history as layered as its skyline. Its name traces back to the Koli fishermen, the earliest known inhabitants of the region, who worshipped the local goddess Mumba Devi. The settlement that grew around…

The accidental invention of Mysore Pak

Mysore Pak, one of India’s most iconic sweets, traces its origins to the royal kitchens of the Mysore Palace. The story goes back to the reign of Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV (1902–1940). One day, the royal chef Kakasura Madappa…

The story of Rava Idli – A wartime invention

Rava Idli, a popular item in Karnataka cuisine, was born out of hardship and inventive spirit during World War II. In the early 1940s, the war triggered a major rice shortage across South India. Japan’s invasion of Burma, then the…

How a sweet lime became “mosambi” and “battayi”

The sweet lime (Citrus limetta) traveled across continents before becoming the familiar mosambi of India. Its origins trace back to Mozambique, where Portuguese traders first encountered the fruit and brought it to India’s west coast. There it became mosambi, a local…

How August got its name

The month of August is named after Augustus Caesar (63 BC-14 AD), the first Roman emperor. Originally, the Romans called this month Sextilis, meaning the sixth month of their early 10-month calendar. In 8 BCE, the Roman Senate renamed it…

Understanding Cusecs and TMCs when dams release water

During the rainy season, when reservoirs like Srisailam or Nagarjuna Sagar open their gates, we often hear figures like “2 lakh cusecs released” or “storage reaches 300 TMC.” These terms may sound technical, but they’re not difficult to understand. Let’s…

Reading nature’s signs before tsunami hits

A tsunami is a series of powerful sea waves caused by sudden disturbances in or near large bodies of water, most often triggered by undersea earthquakes. The word “tsunami” comes from Japanese, combining tsu (harbour) and nami (wave), reflecting the…

Karimnagar silver filigree – A heritage handcrafted

Filigree refers to delicate ornamental work made with fine wires of gold, silver, or other metals, twisted or curled into intricate patterns. It is used in jewelry, decorative objects, and architectural details, and can also describe anything resembling such lacy…

Tholu Bommalata – The art of storytelling through shadows

Tholu Bommalata, literally “leather puppet show” when translated from Telugu, is a centuries-old shadow puppetry tradition from Andhra Pradesh. Believed to have originated during the Satavahana period and flourishing under the Vijayanagara empire, it served as a powerful medium for…