Gulmohar: A beauty from Chennai

The fern-like leaves. Weird looking branches. Pods which were once green and tender but now dark brown and opened. The flamboyant flowers. I took this photo of a gulmohar tree from my balcony in Chennai. And I like it. Rather proud of the image.

Gulmohar belongs to the Fabaceae family. This tropical tree which is endemic to Madagascar is now grown in many parts of the world. It has several names which include - Royal Poinciana, Delonix Regia, Peacock Flower, Flamboyant Tree, Flame of the Forest, and Krishnachura. It is also sometimes called Flame Tree though that name is not exclusive to it.

The ornamental gulmohar is usually planted as a shade tree. It does not grow very tall. Normally the height is about 7m but some of them grow to 12m. The tree branches out and spreads nicely providing good shade. An avenue lined with gulmohar in full bloom is a beautiful sight. We have several of them in Indian cities and towns.

Propagation can be through cuttings and seeds. The cuttings are difficult to root. Even germinating the seeds is not easy because they have a thick coating. Tissue culture saplings are available. A gulmohar plant takes about 5 to 10 years to mature and start flowering.

According to recent reports, scientists of the Regional Research Laboratory in Bhubaneshwar, India, have found a method of producing environment friendly natural dyes from different parts of gulmohar flowers. These can be used in coloring silk and cotton. This is indeed good news in a country that produces 64000 tons of synthetic dyes every year.

Did you know that gulmohar is considered to be one of the most beautiful trees in the world?

Ends

[Photos: Top two by me. Copyright reserved. Bottom one from Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. Click on images for enlarged view.]

Also see:

Jasmine (Jasminum): Flowers for beauty and for money

Kerala Flowers?

Malayalam songs: Lyrics

I get a number of visitors interested in Malayalam lyrics. This traffic is apparently generated by the some of my blog posts dealing with Malayalam cinema and songs. But my posts only touch the fringes and do not provide the readers with the lyrics or the means to locate them.

This morning, quite by accident, I came across the site

www.malayalamsongslyrics.com

and its subsections

http://www.malayalamsongslyrics.com/lyrics_new/index.php

http://www.malayalamsongslyrics.com/lyrics_new/subcategories.php?id=10000

These provide comprehensive details of thousands of songs, including complete lyrics.

The site is promoted by Aju Thomas Panicker. It has subcategories covering albums, Christian devotional, classic songs, film songs, Hindu devotional, and Mappila pattukal.

The first song I tumbled upon was the fascinating one ‘Vakapoo maram choodum…’ from the movie ‘Anubhavam’. In such simple words Bichu Thirumala describes the transient love of northern wind and a flower. Music is by AT Ummer. The mesmeric piece was sung by Yesudas.

I feel grateful to Aju Thomas Panicker for this venture and thought I would share my find with other music lovers like me.

Ends.

Also see:

Malayalam Cinema: Manjil Virinja Pookkal and melody maker Jerry Amaldev

B and a Malayalam song

Pristine village: Olavipe photos

Photo credits: Top, TP. Others AT. Copyright reserved.
Click on them for enlarged view.

Also see:

Kerala photos: Village paths

Niraparayum Nilavilakkum

Projecting the right image of India abroad

Justice Syriac Joseph, a Catholic from Kerala, who was till recently the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, is being sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court of India today. This elevation has come as no surprise to those who know the eminent judge. Also, it is another proof that in India, a citizen can go right to the top irrespective of his caste or creed. That is the greatness of this country of ours.

Do some Indians in other countries forget this? I am reminded of an interview published in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel some time back. It was given by a professionally, financially and politically successful doctor of Indian origin. The man reportedly said that minorities in India live under a glass roof and that the Christians, Muslims and Jews of that country go nowhere. The doctor is the son of a Protestant missionary [from India] according to a note accompanying the interview.

I don’t know who this man is. But I felt very bad at what he had said. He is apparently an important person in his community and his words would have caused a wrong impression about India among the readers of the newspaper which carried the interview.

Several members of the communities the Indian American doctor mentioned have held very important positions in India. These include RAW Chief, Commanders of the Defense Forces, Chief Ministers, Central Ministers, Political leaders, Governors, and Presidents. And they were/are from different parts of the country. I wonder whether there is any other country which can claim such tolerance.

Incidentally, the same Sun-Sentinel, on May 12, 2008, wrote in detail about a person fitting the description of the doctor in this story being charged with insider trading by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. I came across this information today while checking before starting to write this. Of course, it is only a charge, and will be fought out in the courts of law.

The point is, in my opinion, People of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Indians traveling abroad should always try to project the right image of India.

Ends.

Also see:

Great soldiers never die…

Syrian Christians (Nazranis) of Kerala: Some interesting customs

Kerala cuisine: Kudampuli for good taste, better health

Is kokum (cocum) and kudampuli the same?

Many people seem to think so. But they are different though belonging to the same family. The former is used in Marathi and Konkani cuisine. The scientific name for kokum is Gracinia indica. Some of the other names are amsul, katambi, panarpuli and mangosteen. Photo on the left shows two kokum fruits

Kudampuli (kudam = pot + puli = sourness) is an essential ingredient in many Kerala fish and seafood recipes, and is also used in some vegetable preparations. It is Garcinia cambogia but commonly referred to as Fish Tamarind, Malabar Tamarind or Kerala Tamarind. Other names include Gambooge, Brindal Berry, and Gorikapuli.

The kudampuli tree can grow to a height of 50 feet but starts yielding when they are much smaller. The green fruits turn golden yellow as they ripen. They look almost like a tiny pumpkin. The fully ripe ones fall down, usually at night, and are picked up in the morning. Or one can shake the branches to get them. I have not seen anyone climbing a kudampuli tree to pluck the fruits.

The collected fruits are washed and opened. The seeds inside are coated with creamy flesh. They are edible but too sour for normal palate. It looks almost like the inside of mangostein fruit. I am not sure whether butter, like in the case of kokum, can be made with it.

The thick rind is sun dried and also smoked. When the process is completed, the end product looks almost black. (If the essence is extracted, the remainder would appear brown or less intense in color.) It is then rubbed with a little salt and oil and stored in jars. The shelf life is long. A number of sites on the Internet provide recipes using kudampuli.

The kudampuli pieces in a dish are not eaten. Their function is to blend the flavors and to act as a preservative. A curry known as ‘meen pattichathu’ made with kodampuli would last for a few days without refrigeration. In fact the full bloom of taste is reached only by the third day. Kudampuli imparts its medicinal values to the food while cooking and in storage.

What are the medicinal properties of kudampuli? An effective ingredient in kudampuli is hydroxycitric acid (HCA). In Ayurveda kudampuli is used for treating stomach ulcers, arthritis, some uterine problems, to promote digestion and as carminative and antiseptic.

There are claims that kudampuli may reduce cholesterol levels. It is also widely accepted as a weight reducing agent; several anti-obesity formulations containing dried and ground kudampuli rind are available in the market. New research indicates that kudampuli may be useful in diabetes management as well.

(See: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050523092407.htm)

Kudampuli is yet another of nature’s gifts to man.

(Photos from Olavipe by me. Copyright reserved. Click on images for enlarged view.)

Ends.

Also see:

Kerala food: Peechappam, a forgotten item?

Photos: Kerala fruits

Kerala: It’s different

About five million trucks are off the roads in India. The indefinite strike is in response to a call by the All India Motor Transport Congress to protest the rise in diesel cost, prices, taxes and what not. In a country where 70% of goods traffic is by road, its impact on the economy is enormous.

But truckers of one state are not taking part in this agitation. Can you guess which that state is?

Well it is Kerala, God’s own country. The reason? The obvious answer would be that the Keralites have high literacy rate, are intelligent, and therefore are quick to understand the adverse effects of such a strike. May be.

Then again maybe people require an occasional holiday from even hartals. In the month of June, Kerala had 25 hartals (bandhs, shut downs) either across the state or in some localities. Or so says the media. In addition, the month had five Sundays.

In a way, hartals have some plus points. Which country gives its people so many paid holidays? And, in Kerala, it is a tourist attraction as well. The hartals and the allied activities like slogan shouting processions, stone throwing and grappling with the police do carry some amount of interest to foreigners in spite of the inconvenience.

That reminds me of a story that goes around in the hospitality trade. A few years back an enterprising tour operator organized a Moscow group’s visit to Kerala to see public display of pictures of Stalin. Icons sometimes migrate to safer locations.

But, as far as tourists are concerned, the Keralite does not forget his civic sense even during traffic-stopping hartals. If there is a white skin in a vehicle on the road, all that the driver has to say is ‘Tourist’ and the car would be waved on.

The month of July is not likely to be different. This morning when I called Cochin, my grandson had not gone to school because of hartal. Credit for it goes to the BJP. At issue is a controversial land allocation in Kashmir. Perhaps that will induce the students to learn more about Kashmir. Nothing is as bad as it appears to be initially.

Keralites who read this, don’t be worried. The state, in its own way, will carry on despite all these thamashas.

Ends.

Also see:

Kerala: Of monkeys and nuts

Caste System: Is Kerala still a madhouse?

Senior citizens

Read the article 'Elders: Sunshine in sunset years' at

Giving it a shot

http://gvk-givingitashot.blogspot.com/2008/07/elders-sunshine-in-sunset-years.html