Ronnie Kuriakose

Kochi

Senior Sub-Editor at The New Indian Express

Freelance Writer at Freelance

chief sub editr @NewIndianXpress Kochi. words in @NatGeo, @xpresskerala, @TheWeekLive, @HindustanTimes, @TheQuint, @the_hindu, @onmanorama. songwriter, game dev

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Articles

Kerala's offroad subculture goes full throttle

1 week ago | newindianexpress.com | Ronnie Kuriakose

Riya Mary Bino, a 23-year-old school teacher here, is an offroader - like many others in the Pala region. "I started offroading when I was in Class 8," she says. "My father and his brother had already been into the sport since 2005. So, for us, it was part of life."Despite initial hesitation from her mother, Riya took to the sport. "At first, my mother was scared. But then she saw I was using all the safety measures such as helmet and seatbelt. Now, she's okay with it," Riya smiles.
Anuradha Vijayakrishnan's latest work, 'One Day, One Morning', is a saga of sisterhood

2 weeks ago | newindianexpress.com | Ronnie Kuriakose

One Day, One Morning by Anuradha Vijayakrishnan follows two pairs of sisters, each isolated within their own family ‘islands’. One lives under the shadow of an untold ‘curse’, while the other seems untouched by such darkness. But as the narrative unfolds, perspectives shift, exposing the fragility of memory, the weight of inherited trauma, and the inescapable nature of fear.
A classic case of how NOT to develop a playground

3 weeks ago | newindianexpress.com | Ronnie Kuriakose

In Malippuram, a cosy hamlet in Vypeen which boasts a long and cherished football legacy, the Veli ground was an altar of the sport, where every evening, the children and the elders alike gathered for casual exchanges and a game or two. So, when a plan was mooted last year to further improve the ground, the people here rejoiced. Indeed, there was good reason to.
V J James: 'It is time, and not award, that decides whether a book stays relevant’

1 month ago | newindianexpress.com | Ronnie Kuriakose

V J James hadn’t planned on becoming a writer. Well, not in the traditional sense. He loved writing and indulged in a few experiments during his time at Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kothamangalam. But more than that, James loved reading and devoured the works of Malayalam greats such as Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, P Kesavadev, S K Pottekkat, O V Vijayan and others. But it never occurred to him that he could be a writer.
The history of Tripunithura's Manimalika, the second oldest clock tower in Kerala

1 month ago | newindianexpress.com | Ronnie Kuriakose

In the enclave of buildings that immediately surround the Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple in Tripunithura, one structure towers above the other clay tile-roofed ones: the Manimalika. The 50-foot clock tower was built with the help of Dutch engineers in the early 1870s, during the reign of Rama Varma XIV, and houses a clock made by J Cooke and Sons, a British company.
Could orange be the new red?

1 month ago | newindianexpress.com | Ronnie Kuriakose

For parched throats that navigate the city streets in this scorching summer heat, no sight is perhaps as heartening as a heap of watermelons. Beside it, you can almost always find someone selling cups of that ruby-red drink that is as nourishing as it is refreshing. Indeed, watermelon, which is packed with water (92 per cent) and essential nutrients, instantly cools the body and replenishes lost energy, making it a summer necessity and a favourite of many.
Kraft festival returns to make us think, talk and transform

2 months ago | newindianexpress.com | Ronnie Kuriakose

Held in the inspiring environs of the Kalikotta Palace, the festival has grown into one of the most anticipated events in the city. Now, in its third year, Kraft boasts prolific speakers and poignant discussions, but its organisers maintain that they are “a very small festival”. Likely so, if you take into account that it is a residents association handling its affairs. On how that came to be, its team of 10 says, “Even we were surprised.
Does GCDA's Kochi heritage mapping site click?

2 months ago | newindianexpress.com | Ronnie Kuriakose

Save this hiccup, what bugs many, especially history buffs in the city, is the lack of forethought that has gone into the website’s making. Despite there being no dearth of information concerning the sites, the descriptions that accompany them are sketchy. Interestingly, save for writer and cultural organiser Bony Thomas, the principal investigator of the project, the rest of its nearly ten-member team comprises town planners of GCDA. “No historians.
Kochi's vintage vehicles expo has you vrooming into the past

2 months ago | newindianexpress.com | Ronnie Kuriakose

A 1969 model of Standard Herald was one of the major attractions of vintage vehicles exhibition at Rajendra Maidan in KochiMalayalis have always been fascinated by premium vehicles, and lending weight to it is the fact that over 20 big luxury car showrooms line the nearly 25-kilometre stretch from the Kochi airport to the city centre. According to industry reports, Kerala accounts for roughly one-sixth of all top-end vehicle sales in the country.
Kochi's vintage vehicles expo has you vrooming into the past

2 months ago | newindianexpress.com | Ronnie Kuriakose

Malayalis have always been fascinated by premium vehicles, and lending weight to it is the fact that over 20 big luxury car showrooms line the nearly 25-kilometre stretch from the Kochi airport to the city centre. According to industry reports, Kerala accounts for roughly one-sixth of all top-end vehicle sales in the country. However, this fascination is not limited to the new and shiny, or the fast and fantastic. Vintage vehicles, too, have their own appeal and their fair share of admirers.