The voice is a profound bass, close to a low growl, the words blurring deep in the throat, the pace almost decelerating. The first impression is surreal, almost like a vinyl playing at the wrong tempo ...

The occasional pair of shoulders could be seen swaying among the hundreds gathered in the audience, as heads nodded and feet tapped to the rhythm of percussion and vocals of the Indian classical art ...

Daubed with a protective layer of lemongrass oil and isopropanol, the antiquated treasures of the Oriental Research Institute and Manuscripts Library are stacked ceiling-high at the Karyavattom campus ...