Namaskaram! I’m Vinaya Kanoor, but call me the “Mystic Thamburatti”—it’s sounds way more exotic than a “perpetually lost in translation in Kerala“. As a Punyachi Mulgi, my childhood Kerala experience consisted just a few brief vacation stints. I spent the bulk of my formative years traipsing around the wilds of Bastar, Chhattisgarh. So, yeah, my “roots” are more like loosely tangled vines at this point.

I hail from a traditional-ish, broad-minded Nair family (thanks, Amma and Achha!). As a product of Kerala’s Marumakkathayam, think strong women and deeply rooted customs. Though, growing up in Pune meant my exposure was mostly theoretical. I’m basically the poster child for “matrilineal heritage, now with a dash of confusion”

Circa present: by day, I navigate the thrilling (read: soul-crushing) world of corporate life, battling manipulation and political drudgery to earn a pay check and make ends meet. But my soul? Ah, it clings desperately to those fleeting memories of my tharavadu, resonating with the vibrant tapestry of Kerala culture that I barely experienced firsthand. This blog is a dedicated space where my mother, my sister, and I attempt to unearth and share the forgotten recipes that once reigned supreme in our ancestral home’s kitchen. We aim to evoke the flavors of generations past, before I replaced everything with recipes from around the globe because well you need more variety than your traditions.

I’m also a weekend seamstress – emphasis on weekend because my skills are questionable at best. I’m on a mission to give a modern twist to the exquisite Kerala handloom settu mundu and settu sarees, reimagining these traditional garments as contemporary Western fashion statements. My success rate so far? Let’s just say I’ve created some “interesting” silhouettes and do get rave reviews from people who wear them. The problem is finding takers to actually try them on

My passion today is all about celebrating the beauty of my cultural heritage, while infusing it with a contemporary flair. When I’m not immersed in the captivating world of Kerala traditions, you can find me indulging in my other beloved pursuits: fuelling my days as an avid coffee enthusiast (a necessity for corporate survival), fearlessly experimenting with salads and salad dressing, creating artisanal breads and reviving the memories of Thai street food in the kitchen (with varying degrees of edible success), pouring my creativity into one-of-a-kind designs as a part-time seamstress (again, results may vary), and expressing my inner self through the graceful art of Mohiniyattam (This I can confidently say I’m pretty at judging from the reviews I’ve gotten in the past from art critics).