Annakili, the film that introduced maestro Ilaiyaraaja to Tamil cinema, was based on a real-life, tragic tale a midwife from Pappanaickenpatti, the native village of the film’s writer R. Selvaraj, in Madurai district
Ancient China dreamed of future technology long before the modern age, conjuring visions of magic mirrors, ingenious machines and even lifelike wooden puppets. In the Tang dynasty (618–907) text Duyang Miscellaneous Records, a mysterious stone called the “immortal mirror” appears as a precursor to the CT scan. Found in the southwest of an unnamed land, the polished stone was said to span hundreds of kilometres. Passers-by could look into it like a mirror, but instead of reflecting their faces,...