India, Aug. 18 -- Kuala Lumpur, once a modest 19th-century tin mining settlement at the muddy meeting point of the Klang and Gombak rivers, has grown - gracefully, and at times rather defiantly - into Malaysia's cosmopolitan heart. Today, KL is a study in contrasts: Mogul-style domes share space with Art Deco buildings and towering skyscrapers, incense wafts through alleyways beneath LED-lit billboards, edgy artist communities flourish along the winding alleys of Chinatown, and an ancient rainforest thrives on the city's fringes. A capital shaped by trade, migration, and empire, it bears the multifaceted imprints of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and colonial British influences, each lending inspiration to its architecture, cuisine, and cultural...