My Musings

THE PORI MAN The real crorepatis of India: This is from Indian Express (23rd). The writer, Ratna Rajaiah, narrates her experience with a "puffed rice (PORI, in tamil) seller." You will come across all over India these vendors of Pori, mur mura, puffed rice or whatever - an old man with a 'saakku mootai' on his back. This particular man was no different - poor, extremely poor, of ill-health, weak etc. In spite of his deteriorating health, he used to pedal his wares, hot sun or chill winter, day in and day out. Stop wondering. How do millions and millions of our people get by, crushingly poor and often terribly sick? It is an unanswerable question, another uneasy question we city people don't want to ponder over. Back to the Pori-seller, you may not be an avid fan of Pori, but when he comes calling "puri, bisi puri" (hot pori in Kannada), you won't have a mind to disappoint him, so you buy one measure or two. Thus the writer too purchased a measure for...

Ulcers and Marshall In the late Seventies, till about 1980, the accepted medical theory was that the ulcers were caused by stress, smoking, and alcohol. In India, there was another 'cause' added - the Kaaram (milagai) one eats. In 1982, an Australian scientist, Marshall, was convinced that the ulcers were caused by a hither-to unknown bacteria that were living in a sterile, acidic zone - the STOMACH - that medical texts had declared uninhabitable. Unfortunately, Marshall's and his assistant Warren's attempts to culture this bacteria failed. But then, FATE intervened, and a lucky break brought them a crop of this bacteria. When they explained, or tried to explain, this phenomenon at an International Conference, Marshall was booed down. Unfettered, in 1984, Marshall, then 32, swallowed the growth from a three-day culture; and five days later, he experienced the classic symptoms of severe gastritis (ulcers). Then he cured himself by taking antibiotics !! Helicobacter pylor...

We four brothers perform our parents' sraththam every year. Amma's thithi is Aani maasam, Krishna Ashtami (June or July) . Appa's is Aavani, Sukla Dwadasi (Aug or Sept). Vijaya and I performed these sraththams at Hyderabad till my retirement (2001). Then, we came to Chennai where we joined Sugavanam. Later, Jayaraman also came to Chennai and he joined us. Year 2002, the two sraththams (amma & appa) were performed at Thiruvanmiyur. Year 2003, on 21 June amma's and on 7 Sept appa's at Thiruvanmiyur. Year 2004, on 9 July amma's; on 27 Aug appa's at Thiruvanmiyur Year 2005, on 29 June amma's at TVM; on 15 Sept at our place Karpagam Avenue. Year 2006, on 13 July and 4 Sept at Karpagam avenue Year 2007, 7th July and 25th Aug at Karpagam avenue. Year 2008, 26th June and 12th Sep at Karpagam avenue Year 2009, 15th July and 1 Sep at Karpagam avenue. THINGS REQUIRED: #A. SASTRIGAL'S NEEDS. செங்கல் - 6; மணல் - கீழே பரப்ப வரட்டி - 6; சிராய் - 2 கட்டுகள்; கற்...

My Mother's Sraththam Ceremony Yesterday, 29 June 2005, was my mother's ceremony (Thithi) day. Every year we three brothers perform this Thithi in the month of Aani, Sukla Ashtami. (The fourth brother performs it at Pune). We are joined by our sisters. The ceremony is a tight ritual to be followed very strictly. The sastrigal comes by 1000 hours to conduct the ceremony with almost never-ending mantras and rituals. One day I will describe these rituals. After about two and a half hours, the ceremony comes to an end with a feast to the sastrigal who is (are) considered to be that person for whom we are performing Thithi. Clearly, it is a day for remembering those who had passed away long back with love and reverence. Yesterday, we remembered our mother who passed away 22 years ago. Rajappa 30 June 2005

U Ve Swaminatha Iyer A TRIBUTE to The Patriarch of Tamil. This morning, let me talk about the TAMIZH THATHA, Sri UV Swaminatha Iyer. A tribute, on his 150th birth anniversary. The original texts of a number of literary works of the Sangam period (1st and 2nd Century AD) came to public notice only towards the end of the 19th century, when they appeared in print form. Until then, works such as Aymperum Kaappiyangal (the five great epics) – Silappathikaram, Manimekalai, Kundalakesi, Jeevaka Chintamani, and Valaiyapathi were in the form of palm leaf manuscripts in the possession of scores of families living across Tamilnadu and outside. They didn’t have the skill to read the manuscripts, and, therefore, did not realize the literary worth. The palm leafs were allowed to rot. The need to hunt for the missing palm leaf manuscripts and bring to light the hidden treasure of Tamil literature was deeply felt. Foremost among those who undertook this formidable task was Mahamahopadhyaya Uttamadhana...

BRINJAL - A EULOGY. Brinjal, Kaththarikkai, Baingan, Vankaya, Vaangi – whatever name you call it by, this most versatile vegetable was known in India by “vatingana” even in 206 BC. Its purple colour signifies the presence of anthocyanins – the antioxidants that guard the heart, inhibit bad cholesterols, and prevent blood clotting. Any shade of blue, red or purple indicates the presence of these antioxidants – plums, purple grapes, onions, red radish, beetroot, jamun, figs, and of course brinjals are good sources of anthocyanins. Brinjal contains nasunin, a brain food that protects the brain cell membranes. It lessens arthritis, prevents cancer. Brinjals of all varieties like pale green, white, not just purple varieties, are highly rich in potassium, second only to bananas. Potassium, we all know, is very vital for muscles and nerves. Potassium helps lower the high BP and stroke. Dietary fibres facilitate regular and easy movement of the bowels, controls the release of blood sugar into ...