Season 1 , Episode 1 , The Story Behind the Name - Kinkini Cheppu

About this episode

In the inaugural episode, Shubha Das shares a childhood memory that inspired the name of the podcast, Kinkini Cheppu, exploring the connection to Kerala's rich cultural heritage.

Every story has a beginning, and so does this podcast. In this very first episode, I take you back to a childhood moment that unknowingly shaped the name of this podcast. A memory, a song, and an unexpected connection - tune in to find out how it all came together. Kinkini Cheppu – Tales & Tidbits from Kerala The word Kinkini refers to tiny trinkets that tinkle, while Cheppu is a treasure chest of keepsakes and memories. Thus, Kinkini Cheppu is a podcast that brings to you stories that holds Kerala together through its folklore, myths, legends, rituals, traditions, practices, poems, proverbs, cultural quirks and some personal stories, wrapped in nostalgia, humour and a mix of vernacular Malayalam and English. If you are wondering why vernacular or why bi-lingual? Because for many of us, our connection to Kerala comes in glimpses - summer vacations, festive gatherings, the occasional craving for pazham pori, puttu-kadala or kerala porotta. But when we try to dig deeper, we often find these stories locked away in formal, literary Malayalam, just out of reach. This podcast is for those of us who want to reconnect with Kerala, not through textbooks, but through the stories that…

Topics covered

• childhood memories
• podcast origins
• Kerala culture
• folklore
• traditions

Keywords

• Kinkini Cheppu
• Kerala
• stories
• nostalgia
• bilingual

Mentioned in this episode

Products: pazham pori, puttu-kadala, kerala porotta

Books & works: The Story Behind the Name - Kinkini Cheppu, Kinkini Cheppu

Places: Kerala

More episodes of KINKINI CHEPPU - Tales & Tidbits from Kerala with SHUBHA DAS

• Season 1, Episode 7, Tholpavakoothu-Kerala’s Shadow Puppetry · March 31, 2026 · 11 min
• Season 1, Episode 6, The Story of Attukal Pongala · March 10, 2026 · 18 min
• Season 1, Episode 5, The Pulluvan & the Sacred Grove · February 25, 2026 · 14 min
• Season 1, Episode 4, The Love Legend of the Idukki Arch Dam · February 12, 2026 · 13 min
• Season 1 , Episode 3 , The Story of Theruvath Palli · January 28, 2026 · 10 min
• Season 1 , Episode 2 , The Chain & The Churam · January 15, 2026 · 11 min