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Produced by the Archival & Research Project (ARPO), SAGA is a documentary series hosted by historian and author Manu S. Pillai that explores the many layers of Kerala's cultural history. Moving beyond familiar narratives, the series examines subjects ranging from the chenda and Mappila traditions to the legacy of mathematician Sangamagrama Madhava. Through conversations with practitioners, scholars, and community voices, SAGA reveals Kerala as a region shaped by centuries of exchange and coexistence.
"To me at any rate this is the real 'Kerala story'. It also offers something of value more generally. We live, after all, in times where every cleavage, every aberration is weaponised to craft new, not always pleasant versions of who we are, and what we must become. In an age when burning bridges has grown more attractive than nurturing them, this sliver of the Indian coast might point us to an antidote.
And who knows, alongside Kerala, we may be able to tell a new India story too," says historian and author, Manu S Pillai, in his essay ‘The Real Kerala Story’, talking about the state’s plurality and rich cultural history of exchange and intermingling.
Kerala, like every other state in a country as diverse as ours, has been a microcosm of its own. Always walked on a beat of its very own, with a history that is complex and deep. In SAGA, a series by The Archival & Research Project (ARPO), Manu S Pillai travels across his home state uncovering and discovering corners of Kerala that go beyond the tourism post cards of lush green backwaters and Ayurvedic retreats.
Founded in 2021, ARPO (Archival and Research Project) is a Kerala-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to documenting and sharing lesser-known aspects of India's cultural heritage. ARPO actively seeks to reconnect people with their cultural roots through contemporary forms of storytelling and public engagement.
Each episode focuses on a specific aspect of Kerala's cultural landscape, for example the first episode examines the chenda, one of Kerala's most recognisable percussion instruments, through a conversation with performer Deepu Menon. It takes us through Menon’s journey and how he discovered an instrument that is often associated with, and traditionally considered the domain of, other castes.
The other episodes of the series delve into subjects ranging from Mappila culture and Kerala's Islamic traditions to the legacy of Sangamagrama Madhava, the mathematician credited with founding the Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics. By connecting these stories to larger social, cultural, and historical contexts, SAGA reveals the remarkable diversity that has shaped Kerala across centuries.
The series also reflects Manu S. Pillai's broader approach to history. Across his books and public work, he has consistently argued that Indian history is far richer than a simple chronicle of rulers and wars. Instead, he foregrounds overlooked individuals and regional histories forces that shape societies. SAGA extends his philosophy into a visual medium, making history approachable without sacrificing nuance.
SAGA is a cultural journey that invites viewers to understand Kerala in all its multitudes across cultures, and musical traditions, along with the way people pray and the way people eat, in an extremely well-researched but deeply human kind of way.
If you enjoyed reading this, here's more from Homegrown:
Roads, Reels, & Revolt: Inside The Wild West That Is Kerala’s Tourist Bus Underground
A Sanctuary For Souls And Strays: The Canine Devotees Of Kerala’s Muthappan Temple
Beedi Wars: How The Humble Beedi Sparked Decades Of Bloody Conflict In Kerala & Karnataka
