Mallu medley

Looking charges

A soldier wanted to build a house. That’s fine. Everyone wants to own a home. This jawan started construction in his home district of Alleppey one and a half years back. He would not have anticipated any problem.

Trouble started when he and his brother unloaded some building materials that had been brought to the site.

Enter members of the Marxist-led workers union. They had no objection to the brothers handling the unloading. They only wanted to be paid for the job which they did not do. It is known as ‘nokkukooli’, which means looking charges.

Eighteen months passed and more construction material arrived. Again, the brothers and their men did the unloading. The Comrades were back, demanding Rs.4000/- as ‘nokkukooli’ including their unmet demand on the earlier occasion.

The soldier refused to pay. The union men beat up the brothers and their men, and threatened the womenfolk.

This is not an isolated incident. ‘Nokkukooli” is quite prevalent in Kerala, particularly in Alleppey district. The Marxists leaders preach against the practice, but turn a Nelson’s eye when such instances happen.

There used to be a law that permitted citizens to unload domestic items and construction materials for their own use, either themselves or with their employees. The police could interfere if there was any obstruction by outsiders. Likewise, a farmer could handle his produce himself or with his men.

The present Communist-led government changed the law. Now the police cannot interfere. They can watch if they want, but won’t charge anything for that.

Rupees 4,617.5 crore (46,175 million)

Five Year Plan expenditure? A major industrial venture? Some scheme to help the poor? Money set apart for a worthwhile project?

No.

It is the sales turnover for liquor by the Kerala State Beverages Corporation for the year ended March 31, 2009. It shows an increase of Rs.948 crores over the previous year. The figure does not, I believe, include toddy, illegally sold spirits, and liquor directly imported by luxury hotels.

Not a bad performance for a small state!

Related post:

Merry Mallus and mosquitoes

Remembering Appan

What is the importance of March 28, 1959?

According to history books, China dissolved the Tibetan Government on that day and installed Panchen Lama.

That was the end of an era and the beginning of another.

And so it was it for my family, for a different reason. Appan. (father) died of a heart attack on the evening of March 28, 1959. It was Holy Saturday that year. He was just 56. The local doctor, who was a family friend as well, was there, but he could do nothing to stop the inevitable.

Appan was buried the next day in the family crypt at St. Antony's Church, Thycattussarry . Since it was Easter Sunday, the priests wore white vestments instead of the traditional black for funerals.

We – his descendants, relatives and friends, and the local people - gathered this March 28 to commemorate Appan.’s 50^th death anniversary.Not many who were present for the function that day knew Appan personally. But they had heard of him, of his contributions to the family, the society and the people of that area.

It was a simple event – Holy Mass at the St. Antony’s Church, Thycattussarry and prayers at the crypt led by His Eminence Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, Major Archbishop and head of the Syro-Malabar Church. After that there was a vegetarian lunch at home followed by reminiscences of Appan by some of the people who knew him.

As a speaker pointed out, Appan’s short lifespan covered a unique period in history. He was born on March 23, 1903, the date on which the Wright Brothers obtained patent for their flying machine.

Appan saw the two World Wars, the Great Depression, Indian Independence, the switch over from feudalism to democracy, and the first Communist Government in Kerala. He was able to adjust to the great changes during his time extremely well and remained a respected leader of the Parayil Family and the people of our area.

Appan once told me that progress is a series of changes and adjustments. His life proved that to be true. I was 25 when Appan died. My elder sister was 27, and the youngest amongst us siblings, a sister, was just 6 years old. By God’s Grace and the value system Appan and Ammachi (Oru Desathinte Amma.) instilled in us, all of us did well in life.

Half a century is a long time in a person’s life. Memories become blurred, details forgotten, and pictures faded. Years ago, I described Appan’s death in a Short Story: A Bend in the Lake. I am reproducing the relevant portion here:

‘Some of the details were clear in my mind. Mother lying on a cot and crying silently. The crowd. Priests chanting prayers. The muted band playing as the raft carrying my father’s coffin moved away into the sunset for the cemetery across the lake.

“That morning,” the Captain was saying, “I saw the crowd. The servants and the tenants were beating their chests and weeping. Your father was a much respected man.”’

That raft, along with Appan’s coffin, carried away an era.

His Eminence, Cardinal Vithayathil leading prayers at
Appan's crypt on March 28, 2009.

Appan's crypt. The stripes are made with white and brown rice. All other
decorations are also done with produces of the land.

Photos: TP, JJT. Copyright reserved.
Click to enlarge.

Also see: Remembering grandfather

Kerala photos: More pictures from Olavipe

Photos by JJT. Copyright reserved. Click to enlarge.
Alsosee:

Flowers: Olavipe blooms

Amazing Grace.

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Amazing Grace, one of the most popular hymns of all time, is sure to be appreciated by all those who believe in God, no matter which religion he or she belongs to. It was written by John Newton (1725-1807) in 1772. This article takes a brief look at the song, the poet and the people who supported him.

Newton’s life story is amazing. Son of a ship master, he went out to the sea at the age of 11 with his father. He was forced to join the navy after that and was caught while trying to desert. Later he was exchanged to a slave ship where he faced much travail. But finally he had his own ship that he commanded, and was involved in slave running for some time.

Newton had no religious convictions during his seafaring days though he was born to Anglican parents. There are two versions of how his ‘conversion to Christianity’ came about. One is that his ship ran into a violent storm and was saved because, due to some amazing grace, he suddenly turned to God and prayed. The other is that he fell seriously ill out at sea and eventually pleaded with God to cure him.

The first stanza of Amazing Grace seems to describe this turnaround in the man’s life:

‘Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.’

Newton gave up sailing and took a shore job. During that time he learned several languages. Then he developed the desire to become a minister. A call of God, one could say. Initially the Bishop of York turned down his request. But after a few years of frustration, he was ordained as a priest by the Bishop of Lincoln.

Another stanza of Amazing Grace is appropriate at this point:

‘Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.’

John Thornton, a financier, philanthropist and evangelical layman sponsored Newton as curator of Olney. In his later life Newton was involved in a campaign to abolish slave trade along with William Wilberforce, Member of Parliament, and others.

It was at Olney that Newton wrote the lyrics of Amazing Grace and several other hymns. John Thornton helped to publish them, along with some poems by William Cowper (Cooper?), in a volume titled Olney Hymns.

And, Amazing Grace began to gain popularity. Many church choirs in English speaking parts of the world took up the song. The 20^th century saw several recordings of the hymn. It was featured in movies and on the television. In the UK, Amazing Grace attained top ten rating in the charts during the early 1970s, two centuries after it was written!

The concluding stanza of Amazing Grace says:

‘The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine.’

Till then, Amazing Grace will live in the hearts of men and women who have listened t it.

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[This is cross-posted from Articles By Abraham Tharakan with some modifications. Visit http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh378.sht to download music and for the lyrics. But the lyrics given on that site appear to have some changes form the original. The images are from Wikipedia and in the Public Domain.]

Also see: 

Nearer My God to Thee 

Nostalgia: Lili Marlene, the Lady of the Lamplight

Medicines in a tree

If you are in India during summer and see soft, woolly white material floating in the air, don’t wonder whether it is mist beginning to form. In all likelihood there would be a white silk-cotton tree nearby.

The longish pods sometimes open on the tree and the white fiber that cover the black seeds blow off in the wind. The tree sheds leaves in summer. From a distance, pods would look like brown bats hanging on dead branches.

In Kerala, this tree is known as panjimaram or seemapool. The botanical name is Ceiba pentandra Linn. (Please verify this.) It is also called kapok tree. Some of the names in Indian languages are semal, tella buruga, panji tannaku, shweta shalmali, safed savara, and schwetsimul.

The tree normally grows to a height of more than 50’. While it is young, the bark is green and has thorns, but turns brown as the tree grows older. White flowers bloom on the ends of the branches. There is also a tree of the same family, which has red flowers.

The floss or cotton from the pods is used to stuff mattresses, pillows and cushions. The fiber does not have sufficient strength to be spun into yarn or woven into cloth.

Separating the seeds and the floss is a messy affair. It is done by churning the contents of the pods. At Olavipe we have a man called Outha, a jack of all trades, who is an expert in handling this job. When he is finished with it Outha would look like a faded photograph with the fiber all over him. Not enough to make him look like a snowman though.

Till doing some research yesterday I was under the impression that the only use of this tree is to provide floss for stuffing. That was wrong. The oil from the seeds of kapok tree is used for cooking as well as soap making.

But it seems that the root and bark have several medicinal properties. According to some papers they are useful in managing constipation, urinary retention, tumors, seminal weakness, flatulence, colic, and type II diabetes. It is an aphrodisiac as well.

I was ignorant of the true value of the kapok tree. But not the people of Puerto Rico. It is their national tree.

(A request: Will knowledgeable visitors to the site add and/or correct what is said here? Thank you.)

The drawing on top is from Wikimedia Creative Commons. It is in the public domain. The photos below (copyright reserved) are from Olavipe. Click on them to enlarge.

Also see:

Ixora coccinea (Rubiaceae) - flowers that gods and men love

Two subjects, cuisine and ecology

Continuing with cuisine
 

In my earlier post, Of cuisine, climate and ketchup I mentioned that ‘English’ vegetables like tomato, cabbage and carrot have become a regular part of the South Indian Cuisine. But other items of foreign origin, like Brussels sprouts, artichokes and broccoli are rarely used. Probably the reasons are limited availability and cost.

Let me jump to ‘thoran’. It is basically a Kerala side-dish eaten with rice. This preparation in which grated or ground coconut is an essential ingredient can be made with several vegetables.

Now, you might wonder what the connection is between, say, Brussels sprouts and ‘thoran’. Incidentally, this vegetable looks like a tiny cabbage. They belong to the same family. Brussels sprout is actually a wild cabbage and is considered to have medicinal properties.

Yesterday I came across an interesting post Brussel Sprouts in the blog Kitchen Reels. It gives the recipe for Brussels sprouts ‘thoran’. A fusion of East and West, indeed. Being from Kerala, ‘thoran’ is a daily affair on our dining table. I have told Annie, my wife, to try it with Brussels sprouts.

Ecology: Where have the hills gone?

On December 18, 2007 I had published a post, Ecology: Vanishing Hills, stressing the dangers of indiscriminate mining and consequently, flattening of our hills.

Today’s Times of India Chennai edition carried a report on the Supreme Court’s three judge Special Forest Bench presided by the Chief Justice is considering a ban on mining in the Aravali Hills spread over Rajasthan and Haryana States.

Indiscriminate mining is playing havoc with the delicate groundwater system in the area and accelerating desertification. No preventive or protective steps like reforestation, it seems, are being taken.

According to the report, the question now appears to be who should pass prohibitory orders, whether the Central Government, State Government or the Court.

Given below are two photos of Aravali Hills:

From Wikimedia Commons under

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From Wikimedia Commons under

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GNU Free Documentation License.

Click on photos to enlarge

More Kerala photos, from Olavipe

An overcast morning.

Coconut trees reflected on water

Crooked branch of a cashew tree.

Photos TP (Copyright reserved.) Click to enlarge.

Also see:

Kerala Photos: Reflections on water 2

Photos: Olavipe blooms

Photos: Deepam (Light)