Holiday in Bali
बाली विनोदयात्रा
Dakshini Marathi Khajana
दक्षिणी मराठी खजाना
Rajaram Ramachandran had uploaded these original posts of his in English in www.mdmsin.com/forum under "Shabdavali". The Dakshini Marathi translations and voice clips are of Ananda Rao Vasishta.
नित्राण
दिवस पूरा बीद हिंडलत॑ आंगाला झाल॑ नाही. नित्राण आहे. नंखर वेळ वार॑-वासि बसून उठलतर बरोर होऊन जाईल. अत्ता सध्या चेन्नैंत॑ लोक॑ उन्हाळांत तरपडत आहेत. मार्च शेवटी, एप्रिल आरंभांतच अस म्हणजे, जातां-जातां, मे जूणांत काय होयाल जात की ? देवालाच कळ॑ल. उन्हाळा की हिम्हाळा की, कित्येक दनांस बाहेरच काम असतच-असत॑. नंतरशाला ढकळाला होयनात काम. काम करींगून संध्याकाळी घराला येऊन पावताना नित्राण होणे सहजच. दिवस पूरा ऊनांत हिंडून घरांत वेघल की, ए. सी. घालींगून बसताने. अस॑ करणे आंगाला चोखट नोहो. फॅनाच खाले थोड वेळ बसून, आंगांतल घांम पूरा वाळिवाम. नंतर आंग धुवींगून थोड वेळ आराम केलतर बर वाटल॑. अम्चस्क॑ ऊनांत जास्ती काम करनात लोकांस अस म्हणजे, ऊनांत घर-बांधाच, तसच, बीद-घालाच कामांत असणारांस कस असल की ? उन्हाळाच दिवसी विघरलत॑ डांबर घालून बीद तय्यार करणारांस पाह्ताना मला उजंड वाईट वाटत॑. पण, काय कराला होईल ? करून-करून त्यांस ते दंडक झालाहे की कय की.
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अरुणोदि / दुस्तपारी
अरुण (सूर्य) उदय होयाच वेळाच नंखर पुढेच वेळ म्हणून हेज अर्थ. पाष्टे उशीर होऊन अंथरुणांतून (अण्थूणांतून) उठणारीन भरून आहेत. पण, साळे/कॉळेज/ऑफीसाल जाणार लोक॑ लोक्कुर उठूनच सराम॑. पाष्टे चालणे आरोग्याला उजंड चोखट. भरून पट्णांत॑ चालाला म्हणून पायवाटाच व्यवस्था पणीन आहे.
अम्च पल्लवपुरमांत॑, मझ॑ आजिम्मा पाष्टे-पाष्टे 3.45-ला उठून, घरच॑ नंखर मागपठीसच आडाच पाणी शेंदून आंघोळी करूनटाकतील. नंतर, संपाक-खोलीच भिंतींत॑ अडकिवून ठिवलत॑ जर्मन कॉफीपुडी यंत्रांतून बीं पूड करून कॉफी पीतांतरून साडे-चार बडिवलसल॑. एवढ॑ पतोरी मझ॑ अम्मा-बापा पणीं उठलसतील॑. साळेच सुट्टीच वेळ मी तिकड असलतर मी पणीं मझ॑ अम्मा-बापाच बरोर उठून त्यंच बरोरच कॉफी पीऊनटाकन. नंतर, एक घंटे पतोरी बागांत की शेतीच जमीनात की चालाल जाईन.
पण, वीतिविडंगनांत॑ मझ॑ मामि मात्र पाष्टे साडे-चाराला उठतील. बाकी लोक॑ साडे-पांचालाच उठणे. मला सोडून, कॉफीच वेड दंडक कोणालीं होत नाही. वीतिविडंगनांत॑ पाष्टेच आंघोळी वगैर-वगैर झालतरच लेंकरांस कॉफी पीयाला सोडतील॑. हे विषयांत॑ मझ॑ आजा कोणालीं दाक्षण्य दाखिवनात॑. पण, दांत घासलांतरून, आजाला कळनास्क॑, मला मात्र मामि कॉफी देतील.
लोक्कुर उठाच दंडक मला ल्हानपणांतच आलत॑ बर झाल॑. नंतरच काळांत॑ हे शील मला फार चोखट केलाहे. अत्तापणीं चुकनास्क॑ मी पांच घंटेला उठूनजाईन म्हणून दिवस पूरा चोखट वाटत॑.
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"भूक"
जेवलत॑ पदार्थ पूरा जीर्ण होऊन पोट खाली होताना याच अनुभवाला भूक म्हणतों. भूक लागणे चोखटच. आंग बरोर आहे म्हणून आश्वास भोगुया. ल्हान लेंकरे, उग॑-उग॑ भूक वाटत॑ म्हणून लटक॑ सांगून हे दे, ते दे म्हणून प्राण काढतील. पण, जेवतांतका म्हणून विचारलतर नोक्को म्हणून सांगतीलतरीं, बिस्कट, चॉक्ळेट असलत॑ काईं देलतर समेच खाऊनटाकतील. तसच, उजंड ल्हान लेंकरे कित्येकदपा दूध पीनास्क॑ अस्ताना, त्यांस दूध पीयाला निर्बंध करताने, पह्जतम्हा अपाप विचारींगतील॑ म्हणून डॉक्टरलोक॑ सांगतील.
एक जेवणेचीं नंतरल॑ जेवणेचीं मध्य वेळ थोडक॑ जास्ती झालतर, थोरळेंसपणीं भूक लागाला आरंभ होईल. दोन जेवणेच मध्य एक-दोन बिस्कटकी, नाहीतर, नंखर वेगळ॑ कायतरीनकी खाणे चोखटच॑. कां म्हणजे, जास्ती वेळ पोट खाली सोडताने. आंगाला चोखट नोहो.
अम्च वीतिविडंगनांत॑ (पुन्हाईं-पुन्हाईं मझ॑ गामाच नाव काढतों, क्षमा करांत॑. वेगळ॑ वाट नाही !) पट्टु म्हणून एकला होता. केम्हा पाह्यलतरीन भूक म्हणून रडत असल॑. पाह्णारांकडे अग्गीं भाताकरतां भीक मागत असल॑. कित्ति खाल्लतरीन पुन्हाईं-पुन्हाईं भात पह्जे म्हणून विचारत असाच मीपणीं पाह्यलोहें. पाप, तला कायतरीन आरोग्याच प्रश्न होतकी कायकी. आरोग्य बरोर ठींगांव म्हणजे, जेवाच विषयांत थोड करार-कंडिप दाखिवूनच सराम॑.
पह्यिलेंदपा बंगळूरांत॑ एक वराडाला गेलतम्हा (वराड भरून पाह्यलोहें, पण, बंगळूरला पह्यिलेंदपा जाताना) काय झाल॑ म्हणून सांगतों. पाष्टे सुमार नौ बडिवताना खायाला एक मादरीच पल्हार देले. पण, दुपारा एक घंटे पतोरी जेवणेच लक्षण काहीं दिसल नाही. चेन्नैंतून आलत॑ अम्ही अग्गीन इकडे-तिकडे पाह्त बसल्होतों. होटलाल जाऊयाका म्हणून मझ॑ मामा आरंभ केलेतरीं, पाह्याला बर असना म्हणून गेलों नाही. शेवटी, दोन बडिवताना पान मांडून वाढाला आरंभ केले. पण, डैनिंग-हाळ भरून होत-ते-करतां अम्ही जेवाला बसताना पंध्रा-वीस मिनिट अण्खीन झाल॑. हे अनुभवाच नंतर॑ वराडाकरतां बंगळूरला केम्हा गेलतरीन, वराडच-घरांतकी, नाहीतर, उपहार-दर्षनींतकी पाष्टे बेष पोट भरून पल्हार खावूनटाकन॑. दुपारा भात घालापतोरी भूक सोसींगून बसाला होयनाकी !
"करेपाक"
अम्च संपाकाला दिवसास्क पह्जत॑ एक मुख्य साधन, करेपाक. भाजी, सार, कालवण॑, चट्णी वगैरा पदार्थ करताना, वाटून घालाच्यांत करेपाक अस्तेच अस्त॑. पोणावांटा घराच मागेपटीसीं करेपाकाच झाड असेल॑. अम्च घरांतपणीं करेपाकाच झाड आहे. मारगलि (मार्गशीर्ष), तै (पुष्य), मासि (माघ) अणी पंगुनीच (फाल्गुन) थोडक भाग देम॑ अस्त॑ अणी हेजमळे करेपाकाला एक मादरि रोग येत॑. चैत्र महिनेंत ते बर॑ होत॑.
करेपाकाच पान पदार्थाला चोखट वासीन रूचीन देईल॑. ताकांत॑ घालून पीलतर प्रमाद असेल॑. पण, कित्येकदपा तज पान चेंचरलतर॑ केरोसीन-तेलाच (चिम्मिनि-तेलाच) वास येईल. पदार्थांला चोखट स्वादीन वासीन देत तरीन, जेवताना अम्ही करेपाकाच पान काढून बाह्येर टाकतों. मझ॑ दांत बरोर असजोरी मी जेवाच ताटांतूं करेपाक दूर टाकत होत नाही. बेष चघळून गिळत होतों. अत्ता हे जवळ॑ पसून जेवताना करेपाकाच पानाच चूर मझ॑ मोडक॑ दांतांच मध्य सांपडींगत॑ म्हणून मी पणीन ते काढून दूर टाकतों.
लोणी विघरिवून तूप करून, नंतर भांडीच बुडांतल॑ उरलत॑ खरडांत चार-पांच करेपाकाच पान भाजून खायाला बेष असेल॑. कषंडीच बरोर, तजांत भाजलत॑ करेपाकाच पानीं थोडक॑ साखरेहीं मिळिवून खायालीं बर॑ असेल॑.
जेवताना करेपाकाला काढून दूर भिरकावास्क॑, स्वंत कार्य साध्य कराला दुसर॑ सात्विक लोकांस॑ दुरुपयोग करून, काम झालकी-नाही त्यांस दूर सरकिवाच लोक॑ पणीं आहेत॑. मला पणीं तसलत॑ अनुभव भरूनदनांकडून झालाहे. मी एक सात्विक मनुष म्हणून अपाप सांगींगतों म्हणींगनाकांत॑. जिलेबी, नाहीतर॑ जांगिरीस्क॑ सरळ म्हणींगाका ! (अम्ही जिलेबी म्हणाच्याला कोयंबत्तूर लोक॑ जांगिरि म्हणतात, अणी जांगिरीला जिलेबी म्हणतात॑. या करतां विषय स्पष्ट कराला दोनीं सांगट्लों, एवढ॑च.) असलत॑ अनुभवांतून मी काहीं शिकलों नाही. मझ॑ स्वभाव तसच आहे, दुसरेंस सहाय करेत॑. हेज विषयीन अण्खीन सांगामत॑ आहे. पण, नंतर सांगतों.
"केंस"
केंस डोस्केच एक मुख्य अंश आहे. डोस्केच आंतल अंशाच विषयीन नंतर योचना करूया. बायकांच केंस लांबोळ अस्त॑ अणी दादिगे ल्हान होऊन ठिविंगतात॑. शेंडी बांधाला म्हणून पुरोहित लोक॑ त्यंच केंस थोडक॑ लांब वाढिवतील॑. कित्येक दादिगे नुस्त तमाशा करतां केंस लांब वाढिवतील॑. केंस डोस्केच व॑र असाजोरी परवा नाही. पण, झडलतर॑ प्रश्न होईल॑. फार हलक॑ असाकरतां वारेंत उडून इकड॑-तिकड॑ जाऊन पडेल॑. कित्येक होटलांत "दया करून केंस विंचरनाकांत॑" अस हात धुवाच वाष-बेसिनाच अर्साच व॑र लिव्हून ठिवलसतील. कित्येक होटलांत अर्साच असना ; असलतर, लोक॑ केंस विंचरतील म्हणून. चोखट-चोखट होटलांत संपाकाच कामाला संबंध झालत॑ कामवले सदाहीं टोपी घालींगून केंस झांकींगून अस्तील.
केंस तोंडावाटी आंत गेलतर आंगाला फार उपद्रव होऊया. पह्यिलच प्रश्न काय म्हणजे, सुलुभान ते आंत उतरना. जीव्हांत गुंडाळून, थुंकालीं नाही गिळालीं नाही अस कष्ट देईल. कसतरीन आंत उतरून गळांत सांपिडिंगट्लतर तजपक्षा थोर प्रश्न. आंत उतरलतर नरडींत सांपडींगून श्वास धरणे, नाहीतर नरडी कापणे असपणीन होऊया. चघळून उत्तरिवाच भात गळांत अडकून प्राणालाच आफत होईल. मात्र नहो, जीर्ण पणीन होयना ते. उग॑ नहो थोरळे सांगाच, संपाक-घराच जवळ ओठाकून केंस विंचरताने, पण घरच॑ एक प्रत्येक ठिकाणींतच करांव॑ म्हणून. विंचरणेकी वेणी-घलणेकी झालतांतरून खाले पड्लसाच केंस समेच काढून घरच॑ बाह्येर टाकाम॑.
केंस शुद्ध ठींगनातर ऊं येऊया. केंसांत॑ ऊं असाच लोक॑ उग॑-उग॑ डोस्के खाजींगत असाच पाह्यलाहों. आंगाच आंत ऊं घूंसलतर॑ भयंकर तंटा होईल.
केंस दत्तन ठींगणे एक साधारण विषय नहो. आरोग्याला अपाय काहीं येताने म्हणाच दृष्टींतून पाह्याच विना, लोक्कर बोडके होऊन जाताने म्हणाचीं अम्च मन्नांत असांव॑ !
"ऊन"
एप्रिलाच पह्यिलच वार अत्ता. चेन्नैंत॑ ऊन सोसाल होत नाही. मे जूण महिनेच भयंकर उन्हाळांत काय होयाल जात की ? "हे वर्षाच उन्हाळा गेल वर्षाच उन्हाळा पक्षा जास्ती आहे" अस लोक॑ प्रति वर्षीन सांगतात. पाऊसाच लक्षणेच नाही ; पट्णाच हे भागांत तरीन. एक-दोन दिवसांत थोडक तरीन पाऊस येतका-नाहीका म्हणून पाह्त बसलोंहें. संततधार पाऊस नोहो, पण, वाळून पड्लसाच भूमी थोड भिजाला तरीन. अम्च आड पूरा वाळून पड्लाहे. पाह्याला परिताप वाटत॑. भोंताले पूरा कॉण्क्रीटाचीं सिमेन्टाचीं बांधणी असलतर॑ मग काय होईल॑ ? भूमीच खालेंत्सून गळून येऊन आडांत पडाच पाणीच धारा पूरा झांकलाहे. भोईंच खाल्लच पाणी अण्खीन खाले गेलाहे. दोन वारापर्यंतीन माडीवर्च पाणीच टॅन्क दहा मिनिटांत भरत होत॑. अत्ता पंचवीस तीस मिनिटांत पणीन भरत नाही. वेगळ॑-वेगळच घरालाच हे परिस्थिती म्हणजे, भरून फ्ळाट्स असाच थोर-थोर बांधणींच गेत काय होयाल जातकी ! सध्याला टॅन्करांत पाणी बडिवुया. पण, जातां-जातां टॅन्कर पाणी सुलूभांत मिळ्ना.
पाणीच अनावश्य खर्च कित्ती उणे कराल होईल की, अम्ही ते करांव॑. सूर्याच ऊन आंगाला पडनास्क पाह्यींगाम॑. परवा करनास्क॑ बाह्येर हिंडलतर॑ ऊनाच-जेर येईल. नाकांतून रक्तपणीन येऊया. कांदा खायाल विरोध नाहीत॑ लोक॑ भरून कांदा खाम॑. मी देल्हींत असताना लोक॑ उन्हाळांत पिशवींत कांदा ठींगून जायाच पाह्यलोंहें. तसच, सर्दारजी लोक॑ त्यंच टर्बनांत कांदा ठिवींगून बांधतील॑. ऊनाच-जेर, नाहीतर॑, नाकांतून रक्त येण अस॑ काय तरीन होयाच लक्षण आलतर॑, समेच कांदा बेष चेंचून तज रस नाकाला लावतील॑. अस॑ केलतर॑ थोड आश्वास येईल॑.
याच भयंकर उन्हाळा सोसाला तय्यार होऊन असूम्हणे. तज पुढ॑ एक-दोन दिवसांत चोखट पाऊस येईल म्हणून वाट पाव्हुम्हणे. काय नाहीतरीन पाऊस येऊन दे म्हणूं देवाला नवसींगम्हणे !
"सालपट"
पोणावांटा पंडूचीं भाजीपालाचीन व॑रच भागाला सालपट म्हणतों. साधारण होऊन खायाच पुढे हे सालपट सोलतों. उदाहरण सांगाम म्हणजे, संतरा खायाच पुढे तज सालपट (अणी आंतल॑ बीं) सोलूनच खोतों. पिकलत॑ केळे, भाजी कराच केळे, पपाया, अंबा, हे अग्गीन पणीन तसच. पण, पोणावांटादपाहीं हेज सालपट अग्गीन दूर टाकून टाकतों.
कित्येकदन॑ सेबाच सालपट काढून टाकतील, पण कित्येकदन सालपट काढनास्कच खातील. अमच॑ वीदिविडंगन घरांत वेगळेच पद्धती होत॑. संतराच सालपटांतून चट्णी करतील. कच्चा केळेच सालपटांतून भाजी करतील. कोह्ळाच सालपटांतून वड्या करतील. भोंपळाच सालपटांतून चट्णी, भाजी असलत॑ अग्गीन करतील.
संपाक करताना सालपट पणीन घालाम म्हणून मझ माय-आजा निर्बंध करतील, आंगाला चोखट म्हणून. सेब की अंबा की कापताना सालपट सोलनास्क, ते समेत कापून अम्हाला देतील.
खायाच पुढे की, संपाक कराच पुढे की, सोलामते फळ अणी भाजी पणीन आहे. पण, सालपट समेत खायाला योग्य असाच पंडू अथवा भाजी असलतर, ते अग्गी्न तसच खाणेच बर॑. नुस्त रूच पाव्हून खायाच पक्षा हेज पोषक गुण कळींगून खांव॑. पालकाच काहीं पदार्थ करताना नुस्त मूळ काढूनटाकून पाला अणी देंठ (तंड) वापरास्क.
पण, हे काळांत आरोग्याच योचना कोण करतात॑ ? रूच विना वेगळ॑ काय पाह्तात लोक ? फास्ट-फुड संस्कृती हे ! पिज़्ज़ा की तसलते वेगळ॑ एक पदार्थ की खाताना तजांत काय काय पोषक सामग्री आहे म्हणून कोणाला तरीन कळेलका ? अंगाला चोखट का वंगळ का म्हणून कोण पाह्तात ? ब्रहमांड पैसे देऊन पांच-नक्षत्र होटलांत उणे दिवांत शिळे भातांत दही घालून देलतरीन खातों की, तसच हे पणीन. तेच शिळे दहींभात अमच॑ अम्मा अम्हास देलतर अम्ही सांगतो "हे कोणाला खायाला होईल" म्हणून. काळ अस॑ झालाहे.
नित्राण
Divasa poora beedhe hindalthe holni, nithraana ahe, nankara vela vaare vaasi basun utlathra borora hun jaayila. Right now Chennaites are feeling the summer hit; if by end March and early April the heat is like this, what is in store in May/June? GOK. Now whether it is hot or hold some of us have got to go out to do this work or that work which cannot be postponed. And by the end of the day when we return home we feel tired. It is but natural. Once we enter the house after being away under the sun for most of the time, we should not sit in air-conditioned atmosphere, it is not good for health. We should sit under a fan and see that the sweat slowly disappears from our body. Thereafter we can wash ourselves and take rest and the tiresomeness would vanish. If we, who do not do much of a hard work under the sun feel like this, what about people who are engaged in construction, road laying works, etc.? I used to feel sorry on seeing labourers busy with work connected with hot molten asphalt/coal tar for road laying. But they are used to it.
अरुणोदि / दुस्तपारी
This is the time around the break of dawn or even a little early. Now there are many people who do not get up from bed till late in the morning, but timings of School/College/Office necessitates early rising from bed. Early morning walk is very good for health and there are walkways in many cities for such walkers.
In our village Pallavapuram, my ajimma used to get up at around 3.45 AM, go the well a few yards into the backyard, take her bath, grind the coffee seeds in the German grinding machine that would be conveniently hanging in the kitchen, prepare coffee and drink by 4.30 AM when my parents would also get up and whenever I was there during holidays, I also would join my parents for coffee and after dawn I would go out to the fields or the gardens for an hour or so walk.
But in Veethividangan, my Mami alone would get up at 4.30 AM and others only after 5.30 or so, as none were coffee addicts (with one exception – myself), like Pallavapuram. In Veethividangan children would not be permitted by my grand father to take coffee without finishing morning ablutions, he was very strict about that. But my Mami would give me coffee just after brushing my teeth without my grandfather’s notice.
This habit of getting early in the morning has helped me a lot over the years and even now I am up at 5 AM which makes me feel fresh throughout the day.
भूक
Hunger is the feeling that we get when our stomach becomes practically empty as the digestion process of food consumed earlier gets completed. This is a very good sign for the body which inter alia indicates that the systems are working normally. Children would feign hunger and would ask this thing or that thing to eat but if you ask them to take food they would not accept and would ask for biscuits, chocolates, etc. Sometimes small babies would refuse to take milk when offered and the doctors would advise not to force the baby and that the baby would ask for it once it feels hungry.
Grown up people also feel hungry if the gap between one course of meal and the other gets wide. It is always better to take something light like biscuits or the like between two sessions rather than allowing the stomach remain empty for longer duration.
In our village Veethividangan (sorry for repetition of the village, but I just can’t help it), there would come a person by name Pattu who would practically keep weeping all the time begging for food. Any amount of food given to him would not be sufficient to fill his belly, as people used to say. I have myself seen him consuming lots and lots of rice and still asking for more. Perhaps there was some problem with his system. If only we plan our intake of food systematically on a regular basis it would lead to good health.
I recall a marriage I attended in Bangalore for the first time (first time is for Bangalore and not for attending marriages). Whereas sort of ‘Thindi’ was offered around 9 AM, there was no sign of lunch even after 1 PM. We, from Chennai, felt very uncomfortable and my uncle proposed that we go out and have lunch in a Hotel. Most of us felt it may look very odd. Ultimately lunch was served at 2 PM, that too after the dining hall was fully occupied which took further 15 – 20 minutes. Thereafter, whenever I go to Bengaluru for wedding, etc. I take heavy breakfast either at the venue or Uphaar Darshini, etc. so that I do not feel hungry if I am made to wait for lunch.
करेपाक
This is an important ingredient in our day-to-day cooking. This forms an integral part of the spices that we make for baaji, saara, kaalvana, chutney and the like. This grows in the backyards of most of the houses – our house is no exception. In the months of Maargazhi, Thai, Maasi and part of Panguni, these leaves get some sickness due to the dew and overcomes the malady in Chaithra.
Whereas these leaves add flavour to the items, some leaves smell like kerosene if we crush them and smell. It is excellently flavours the Neer Mor. But what we people do – we throw it away when it is served on our plate or rather we discard it in spite of its adding flavour to our meals. As far as I am concerned, so far as my dentures were intact I used to consume these leaves and chew it but now since they get stuck in my broken teeth I am also forced to discard them.
But when we make ghee out of butter, at the finishing stage we put a couple of curry leaves and I relish consuming them and also with the ‘kasanda’ mixed some sugar and the fried (in ghee) curry leaves.
Like the treatment meted out to Kareppaaka, some good natured people are discarded by selfish persons after getting benefits out of them. I (though I am not that good natured – I am as straight forward as a Jilebi or Jangiri – what we call Jilebi Coimbatore people call Jangiri and vice versa and hence I have mentioned both) have also received such treatment from several people on various occasions, but I have not yet learnt any lesson and continue to carry on my service as afore, but more on this on a different post.
केंस
This is a very important item on human head (forget about what is inside), many of us like me would vouch for its importance. Ladies grow it long and gents get it cut as it grows. Some gents like Purohits grow it long and have tufts on religious grounds, some gents grow it for fun and fashion sake. So far the hair is on our head only it is ok, if one or two strands of hair fall out they being light weight go to places with the wind. We see in some Hotels, on top of the mirror in the wash section they would have put a board reading ‘Please do not comb hair here’ and in some hotels they do not put mirrors at all and so no question of combing.
This is because hair, if it gets in to our mouth and gets inside our system it is extremely harmful. Firstly it would not easily sail into the system through our mouth but would create problem to the tongue which would try to evict the unwanted stranger but it would not budge. If it does get into the throat, then we had it. There is every possibility of its getting intertwined with the delicate food pipe, wind pipe, etc. and cause damage. It may even cut the pipes. Now it is not digestible, it would not disintegrate and hence we would face a lot of difficulties. That is why our elders used to say, combing of hair should be done in a secluded area of the house but nowhere near the kitchen. Once hair dressing is done, the hairs that have fallen on the ground should be carefully collected and disposed off outside the house. This is also the reason that in decent hotels all Chefs, cooks and bearers wear head gear covering their hair.
And on account of improper maintenance of hair, if lice gets onto it, it is all the more difficult and we can see people scratching their head all the time. And if lice gets into our mouth and body system, it is extremely dangerous.
Hence we should not dismiss hair as a small thing but should be very careful in handling it as apart from the health point as indicated above, baldness may occur sooner than later!
ऊन
It is very hot in Chennai these days and we are just in the first week of April. Dog days are still ahead, what is in store for us in the months of May and June, and thereafter? Every year during summer people say that ‘this year summer is hotter than last year’. There has been no rain, at least in this part of the City for the past few months. I eagerly expect some rains in a couple of days. Not Santhadhdhara Pousa but a little bit at least to quench the thirst of the earth, to start with. Our well is completely dry and presents a gloomy look. Can't blame it, it is surrounded by cement and concrete preventing water seepage and spurts have shut down long back. Subsoil water has substantially gone down. Whereas the overhead tank used to get filled in 10 minutes, a couple of weeks back, now it does not even after twenty-five to thirty minutes. If individual houses face water scarcity, what to talk about complexes with several flats! Tanker water service may be easily available now but this would become very difficult in days to come.
On our part we also should minimise consumption of water to the extent possible. Then, we should protect ourselves from summer’s heat. Sun stroke is common, nasal bleeding may occur if we expose ourselves too much to the hot sun. For those who do not mind consuming onion, they should take onion as much as possible. I recollect people in Delhi used to carry Onion in their bags in summer and some Sardarjis would keep an onion under their Turban. If symptoms of sun stroke or nasal bleeding was felt they would crush the onion and put the onion juice in the nose to get some relief, as a first aid.
Let us be ready to face some really bad weather, in Chennai at least, but before that be ready to welcome showers in a day or two! Or at least let us pray for rains!
सालपट
Most of the vegetables and fruits have an upper layer called ‘saalpata’ in DM. Usually we peel the skin or remove it and then use the vegetable or fruit as the case may be. Take Orange for instance, we remove the skin (and of course the seeds as well) and eat the fruit. So is the case with banana fruit and banana used as vegetable, papaya, Mangoes and the like but almost in every case we throw the skin.
Some of us remove the skin of apple and eat whereas many eat it without removing the skin. In our house at Veethivindangan, it was altogether different. Orange skin would be used for making chutney, raw banana skin would be used for making ‘baaji’, ash gourd skin would be used for preparing vadaa, pumpkin skin (and the giri) would be used for chutney or baaji and the like.
My maternal grandfather would insist on using the skin also in cooking as they were very good for health. While cutting apple or mangoes he would not remove the skin but would cut the whole fruit and give to us.
Of course there are some vegetables and fruits the skin of which have to be removed before eating or cooking them, but wherever the skin of the vegetable or fruit is edible same has to be fully utilized. We need not go simply by taste (for the tongue) only but should see the healthy parts of the vegetables and fruits. This is just like while using the spinach we use the stem also and skip only the roots.
But while eating who bothers about the health point of view, we look for the taste only nowadays - this is fast food culture! But do we know what all are the ingredients that go into the making of a pizzaa or similar items, whether they are good or not? It is just like eating in five star hotel, under dim lights even if shilaa baath mixed with curd is served, people would relish it and pay a huge amount but if mother serves shilaa baath we would say who would eat this? Time is like that.