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

Like some gods and goddesses, the flower shown in the photo has several names - Ixora coccinea (Rubiaceae), jungle flame, burning love, jungle geranium, flame of the woods, flame of the forest, scarlet jungle flame, faja lobi, rugmini, vedchi , rangan, chethi. Select any you like. I would opt for chethi because it always reminds me, like most Malayalees, of the perennial favorite song ‘Chethi, mandaram, tulasi…” But I’ll stick to the botanical name, Ixora for this post.

In some countries Ixora coccinea (Rubiaceae) is associated with valor. It is said that ancient Tamil literature mentions about soldiers wearing the flowers and leaves of this plant around their necks while going into battle. Ixora flowers are also a symbol of increased sexuality and passion. There is a religious angle as well to this plant. It is often a part of the prasadam (remnants of the offering to God) the temple priests give the devotees after a requested pooja (prayer ritual) to indicate that the deity is satisfied.

The 400 odd species of Ixora coccinea (Rubiaceae) grow mainly in India, Sri Lanka, South East Asia and Africa. It belongs to the coffee family. The leaves and flowers differ in size from one variety to another. The plant blooms throughout the year and most of the types are easy to grow. Propagation of Ixora is done mostly through cuttings. They are good as garden plants, for hedges and the small type as potted indoor plants. Ixora is said to be good for bonsai too.

Ixora flowers come in several colors and shades. Red ones are commonly found. Then there are different shades of pink, flame orange and so on. The yellow flowers are equally beautiful. White ones are supposed to be a good kani (first sight in the morning). But unlike the other varieties of Ixora the white one appear to be more difficult to grow. At home we have different shades, but not white.

Ancient systems of medicine like Siddha claim that almost all parts of Ixora have curative and/or prophylactic properties. Some of the modern research seems to confirm this. But I don’t know whether any approved medicines based on Ixora are available in the market.

If you have a garden, add this plant. Or try the indoor version, or bonsai.

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Also see:

Photos: Electric blue flowers

Photographs: Ixora Coccinea flowers

Photos: AK Kepler. Copyright free.
Click on photos for enlarged view.

Senior Citizens, blogging is a passport to good health

After reading You're never too old to blog. by GV Krishnan last month, I decided to write about my blogging experience. Actually it was a suggestion by GVK. I am going on 74 and have been actively blogging for seven months. That I thought was sufficient credential. I made the notes for the post, but put off the writing. Now I am preempted by The Hindu (September 2) which carried a Guardian Newspapers article ‘Senior blogger is a hit’.

The blogger is a Spaniard, Maria Amelia Lopez. Can you guess her age? Ninety-five! In the eight months that she has been blogging, her site has had over 340,000 hits from all over the world. This is something that only very few among the 93 million or so bloggers can hope for. Ms. Lopez, a great-grandmother, is an international celebrity today.

In his article GVK also referred to a piece by Hariharan Balakrishnan published by The Hindu. It is about a younger man, Eric Shackle who is only 88, who exhorts elders to shed the fear of the computer. He has published a web-book, Life Begins at 80.

Duly humbled by these inspiring stories let me narrate mine in all humility. I started using a computer as a glorified typewriter about seven years back, when I was 67. Initially the basics were explained to me. Along the way I picked up the more complicated operations on my own. It is an ongoing process of learning. Yesterday someone demonstrated the several uses of the computer ‘brush’. Just throw computer phobia out of the window. Once you start using a computer, you would love it.

Now about blogging. My inspiration was Jacob's Blog a successful one by Jacob Matthan a good friend from Bangalore days. I made a mistake though – registered four blogs! Can’t do justice to all of them. By God’s grace, this one has been reasonably successful.

Now, the reasons why senior citizens should start blogging. Keeping the mind and body active is your passport to good health. Blogging is a great mental exercise that is likely to help prevent/delay Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).

Another point is that elders would have so much of experience and memories that would be useful and interesting to others. Unless recorded, they would be lost forever. Blogging also enhances one’s self-esteem.

One can almost hear the protest, ‘But I can’t write’. You can, if you want. As you go along, the writing would improve. Use simple words, short, uncomplicated sentences, and go about it in a conversational manner. Write about anything that you wish.

Creating a blog is very simple and free – click on ‘Create Blog’ label on the top right hand corner of this page. Just follow the instructions.

Come on, get on to the bandwagon.

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Also see:

Old age care

Old age care contd.

ATM Service

The ATMs make cash withdrawals so easy and avoids the risk of keeping much money at home. You walk in to an ATM facility, insert the card, punch in your personal code and the amount to be drawn, and presto, the money is in your hands. That is, if there money in the ATM machine.

There is an ATM booth about two hundred meters away from my house. So convenient. I normally draw money before or after my evening walk. A few weeks back when I went to that ATM, there was an out of order board hung at the door. The guard told me there was no cash. I thought it was one of those exceptional situations.

Well, it happened again yesterday (September 1). When I went to the ATM booth around 5 P.M. the ‘out order’ notice was there. The guard explained, politely of course, that the machine (not the bank) ran out of money and that it would be replenished within an hour. I went back after some time but funds hadn’t arrived yet. The guard was apologetic and assured me that by next morning the ATM surely would be operational again. The bank involved is the same as the one mentioned in my post, Personal Banking: Non-service without a smile

I decided to blog this as a warning to others. If you are going on a journey and plan to draw money from ATM en route to the airport or railway station, you could be taking a risk. It is safer to collect cash earlier and keep, to avoid the risk of traveling without enough money on hand. ATM card in the pocket is not always a substitute for hard cash.

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Jaltarang

While looking through my files I came across this photo, which immediately reminded me of an evening two years back at Dakshinchitra on ECR, Chennai. I was attending the Founding Day celebrations of ABL Biotechnologies Ltd., a fast developing bio-tech company. The focal point of the function was the enthralling jaltarang performance by the lady in the photo.

Who is she? Unfortunately I don’t remember her name. Is she Seethalakshmi Doraiswamy, the octogenarian who is one of the great exponents of jaltarang? (You can read a splendid article on ‘Seetha mami’ by Hema Vijay titled ‘’And The Granny Goes To…" at http://www.boloji.com/wfs5/wfs852.htm) I plan to check with ABL Biotechnologies (must congratulate them for including such a program for their annual function) for her name, but don’t have the patience to wait till the answer comes, to post this.

Jaltarang means water waves or waves of the water. Perhaps ‘song of the waves’ would be a more appropriate translation. It is music produced by tapping China bowls (usually), filled with water to different levels, with wooden mallets to produce heavenly notes. The bowls are of different sizes. Lower octaves are produced by the larger cups and the higher octaves by the smaller ones. The tuning is done by adjusting the level of water in the bowls.

I wonder if the specific gravity of the water that is used makes a difference to the sound. Perhaps it does. For instance, a bowl filled with salt water could produce a note different from the one that has potable water. I suppose that it can be corrected by adjusting the level. Will those readers who know these things kindly share the information with others either through comments on this post or by email to me?

How many cups are used in jaltarang? It seems that the complete set is considered to be 22. But some artistes use lesser number, say 14, or 16. I suppose that each performer finds an ensemble that is best suited for him.

Jaltarang is ancient. It is mentioned in old Indian, Byzantine and Greek texts. According to Vatsyayan’s Kamasutra playing this instrument is one of the sixty-four skills a woman should acquire. It is also mentioned that Alexander the Great took jaltarang players from India to Macedonia in 4thc B.C.

The music of jaltarang is divine. Nevertheless, it has become rare these days. In fact, it was after a long time that I had a chance to listen to jaltarang at the ABL Technologies function.

Why is this instrument fading away? Historically, a language or a system dies when it becomes incapable of absorbing new developments. Is that happening to jaltarang? I am not competent to judge. Perhaps some of the readers can enlighten us.

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Photo acknowledgement: ABL Biotechnologies Ltd. Click on image for enlarged view.

Also see: Dances for the gods.

Old man of the fields

The man on the extreme left in the photo, wearing a doubled up blue dhoti is Antha (short for Anthony). He died last month. This post is about him, a remembrance.

The world didn’t know Antha. But I knew him. The people of Olavipe knew him; he was one of the oldest in the area. And the staff of the nearby hospitals knew him because he was in and out of them during the last couple of years or so. Apparently he was an independent type of patient. The reason given for discharge from his last hospital was disregarding hospital rules.

That was his character. I don’t think he acknowledged anyone else than our family as his boss. In spite of our attempt to pension him, he used to report for work whenever he could.

Antha belonged to the Pulaya caste. His father Kunjoutha who was the foreman for a block of our rice fields, was converted to Christianity during the 1930s and Antha continued the tradition. However his son who is working at the Cochin Port became a Hindu. They stayed in the same house.

The photo below shows the location of Antha’s house. The building is blocked from view because of the trees in front of it. But a clothes line can be seen.

One morning Antha’s body was found in the waterlogged paddy field in front of his house. He and his father had worked that field all their lives. Obviously he had a heart attack when he was washing himself.

Antha’s winning smile is what I remember most about him. May his soul rest in peace.

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Also see: Morning After the Storm - Part 1.

Launch of a vallom (country boat)

Photos copyright: top - TP, bottom - KO Isaac. Click on them to enlarge.

A forest church in the heart of Chennai

Luz is a busy area of the Indian metropolis of Chennai. And tucked away from the main road there is a cute little church. It has many names – Kattu Koil (meaning church in the forest, in Tamil), Prakasha Matha Church, Church of Our Lady of Light, Nossa Senhora da Luz, and Luz Church. In fact, the place name, Luz, is inspired by the church.

The legend is that at the beginning of the 16^th century, a ship carrying a group of Portuguese Franciscan missionaries was hopelessly lost in the Bay of Bengal off the Chennai coast. Then the crew saw a light towards the west and following it, safely reached the land at a mangrove forest area. It is believed that Apostle St. Thomas used to live in this place for a while before his martyrdom in 72 A.D.

In thanksgiving, the Franciscans built this church in 1516 and dedicated it to ‘Our Lady of Light’ (Nossa Senhora da Luz). Some historians dispute the date but it is the official view of the Madras Mylapore Diocese under which the Luz Church comes. Anyway, it is considered to be the oldest existing Catholic church in Chennai. I saw a mention on the Internet that Marco Polo had visited a church in Chennai. Perhaps there was one built by early Christians of the place at the spot where St. Thomas had died. That church no longer exists.

The original church building at Luz was damaged during attacks by the Golconda forces (1662-1673) and again during Hyder Ali’s siege (1780-1782). It was, of course, restored.

The Luz Church is small but beautiful. The exterior is modest but the interior, particularly the alter, is grand. Some pictures are reproduced below from http://luzchurch.org/ with permission of the parish priest.

On the left is
Fr. A. John Andrew, Vicar.









The feast of Prakasha Matha coincides with Indian Independence Day – August 15. Thousands participate in the celebrations regardless of caste and creed.

Ends.

Also see: A historic church is no more.

Kerala: Onam goes up in spirit

On August 26 The Hindu carried an article ‘Festival of Onam, from legend to mirage’ by the venerable Justice VR Krishna Iyer. Mr GV Krishnan (My Take by GVK) was kind enough to draw my attention to the thought provoking piece.

The Justice very correctly says that the media hype and commercial interests create illusions “tempting the youth and the fairer gender into expenditure beyond their means.” He goes on to comment “Onam today has become robbery, bankruptcy and alcoholism, fleecing the spirit of the festival.”

Today there are two disturbing headlines. One is that three people died in Quilon District by consuming illicit liquor during Onam celebrations. Another report is that during the three days of Onam (on the fourth day the liquor shops were closed) Kerala consumed Rs. 52.79 crores worth of spirits. This is an increase of 28% over last year. The amount spent on toddy, illicit drinks and smuggled foreign liquor is not known.

According to the figures published in the Business Line of May 3, 2004, Kerala had 2.109 crores voters consisting of 1.016 crore males and 1.093 crore females, say, a total of 2.1 crores aged eighteen and above. There could be marginal increase during the last three years.

Never before has so much been done by so few (Apology, Winston Churchill) .

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