Just what you need for the hot summer
A melon stall during a 2018 India trip
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Happy Tamil New Year
Puthandu /Tamil New Year is believed to be the day God Brahma, began his creation. It falls on the first day of the Tamil month of Chithirai (~Apr 13-15). Tamil calendar was created during the Chola dynasty in the 9th century CE.
Mango Pachadi, is the speciality food of the day, symbolizing the different flavors of life, including sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and tanginess.
Chilling on a houseboat
This is where I would like to be today on my birthday.
Chilling on a houseboat in the Kerala backwaters
(photo taken a few years back)
Chilling on a houseboat in Kerala's backwaters
Coconut trees sway along the shore
The sun dips low, painting the sky with colors
A serene moment, that I'll forever adore.
Happy Pongal
All set for Pongal this morning, complete with Tiruman and Veshti (traditional attire).
Happy Pongal everyone.
Ready to make some noise with a plate and spoon along with cries of "Pongal O Pongal" when the clay pot of (newly harvested) cooked rice boils over.
Happy Pongal everyone.
A Pongal lunch spread. While farmers celebrate the rice harvest, we celebrate their hardwork by feasting!! Happy Pongal everyone.
Vaikunta Ekadasi.
What are Hindu festivals like all about and why are there so many - almost one a month. In this busy, maddening, materialistic-chasing lives of ours which often is the hallmark of our progress, they serve as a reminder for us to really pause, contemplate and take stock our of spiritual pulse and progress. You could think of them as a mindfulness monthly check in. Images, rituals and the sounds involved are tools that facilitate this mindset. Its multisensory integration and balance for the body. For instance just reciting our Sanskrit slokas generate innumerable beneficial vibrations in the body and activate the significant chakras in the body. Images help with visual focus. The practical advice of regular fasting on the bi-monthly Ekadasi day from ancient times, is rediscovered and now marketed as a healthcare gut-cleanse.
It's really amazing how Spirituality (the unexplained) of yesterday becomes the Science (the explained) of today. All the answers were always there, we just have to decode and understand them. In the modern era, we formulate explanations using the lens of science and evidence based research. Essentially, we are trying to reconstruct that old deciphering code, by asking the right questions, along with new technology; all of which kind of got lost/mangled over the centuries. Science is the process of "re-discovering" explanations.
Today is Vaikunta Ekadasi, celebrated on the eleventh day of the waxing moon in the Tamil month of Margazhi (December-January). It is also called Mukkoti Ekadashi. In our Puranas, it's the day the ocean (kshira sagara) was churned by both the devas and asuras for the nectar of immortality (amrit) during the Kurma Avatar era of Lord Vishnu; the spiritual significance being churning your own heart for goodness and purity and ridding it of falsehood, ego and conceit.
Vaikunta Ekadasi is also called Guruvar, the day our beloved Krishna imparted the knowledge of the Bhagawad Gita to Arjuna. The Gita is about inner spiritual practices in the form of the different types of Yogas, that not just help you in physical wellbeing and spiritual progress personally, but the resultant flow of unselfish thoughts results in service to society. After all, as Krishna tells us, the greatest seva (service) is service to society.
Vaikunta Ekadasi is a multiple-blessings day. It's the day the doors of Vaikunta, the abode of Vishnu open; the spiritual significance being an invitation for self-examination in our journey from the untruth to truth. On another note, it is believed that if you die on the day of Vaikunta Ekadasi, you bypass the rest of your karmic cycle of death-rebirths and attain Moksha, or liberation at the feet of God. Kind of like an escape card. Of course we don't get to choose when we die, but I sure hope that when my time comes, it's on Vaikunta Ekadasi day. The essence of Karma is action and equal reaction, cause and equal consequence, which Newton "re-discovered" with a lens of science. Your actions in the present (positive or negative) will have equal consequences in this lifetime or a future lifetime and our goal in every lifetime should be to cancel out all the negative accumulated karmic debt. Your atma (soul) has a much longer timespan that your mortal body in its journey to liberation. Rebirth makes total sense in modern lingo; we call it recycling now, instead of use-once and dispose off the old which just accumulates in polluting landfills.
Harrapa Artifact
My late Raghavan Thatha (grandpa) worked in archeology for a while. Replica of an artifact - Harappan seal from the Harappa archeology digs from the time of the Indus Valley Civilization. 2600BC-6000BC
Remote Instruction, International Edition
So I'm in India for a few weeks.
I had multiple varieties of kuzhutattai for breakfast. Kuzhukattais are traditionally steamed rice balls with sweet or spicy stuffing inside. They just got more creative. The white one is made with palm sago, there were ones made with Ragi (Millet) and also upma kuzhukattai.
A variety of spice and sweet Lip-smacking and finger-licking varieties.
Remote Instruction, International Edition
Remote Instruction at the table your parent used during their schooling. No laptops back then!!
A Variety of Kozhukattai Experience
The tiffen scene in Chennai is quite interesting.I had multiple varieties of kuzhutattai for breakfast. Kuzhukattais are traditionally steamed rice balls with sweet or spicy stuffing inside. They just got more creative. The white one is made with palm sago, there were ones made with Ragi (Millet) and also upma kuzhukattai.
A variety of spice and sweet Lip-smacking and finger-licking varieties.
Murunga's Three Feet Long
Freshly harvested Murunga Drumsticks (Moringa Olifera). Murunga's are loaded with good nutrients right from Vitamin C to antioxidants with many parts of the plant used in ayurveda meds. I've never seen a muruga drumstick this long before - its over 3 feet long. And these look fat and juicy too, when cooked.
I'm think I'm getting a yummy Murunga dish from Paati (grandma) tomorrow. Can't wait.
Competitive Cats
The cats at my grandma's place are seriously competitive. It saw me hugging grandma and demanded - as in meowing away loudly and pawing the rug and couch - to be be given room on the couch so it could get in on the love.There are actually 2 cats here, one on each floor and each possessive about its territory. The downstairs one (Chinni) never goes up and vice versa for Feather. The upstairs cat is quite old and decides to meow away in the middle of the night for food.
And did I mention the visiting fellows. A couple of cats turn up at the backdoor several times a day and meow for food. My Paati promptly feeds them. These cats never venture inside else they face the wrath of the house cats.
They are too funny. LOL
Lifelong Learning
My Paati (grandma) likes languages and at 82 doing courses on conversational Sanskrit. Got distinction in her last exam too.
No cats competing for this Paati's attention. Lol
Healthy Idly's
Breakfast today was healthy Bajra Idly's
The Ubiquitous Masala Dosa
Evening tiffen was Masala Dosa with sambar and chutney served on a banana leaf
and filter "Kapi" (coffee) served in a tumbler and dabara (saucer)
Happy Tamil New Year Everyone. Its the herald of spring.
My first Tamil New Year in Tamilnadu!!
An elaborate and delicious naivedyam lunch made by Paati (grandma) and Athai (aunt) with mor kuzhambu, kootu, 2 karamadhis, vadas, green mango pachadi, carrot payasum and more. Delicious and served on on a freshly harvested banana leaf from the garden.
It usually rains on Tamil New Year and the weather did not disappoint. Complete with Thunder. Rain is considered auspicious, means things will go well.
Banana Leaf Lunching
Warm delicious Paati samayal (grandma's cooking) on a freshly cut banana leaf from the garden.
Eating traditional style on an organic, eco-friendly, biodegradable plate with extra nutrition thrown in.
Extra nutrition? Polyphenols (think micronutrients in plant based foods packed with antioxidants) in the banana leaves get stimulated from the warmth of the food and get absorbed into the food along with Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Ca and Carotene in Banana Leaves.
Can I get a banana leaf every meal?
Eating with fingers? Its a natural exercise and builds dexterity for the fingers and the hand (kind of useful for someone like me actually with poor fine motor skills). It's slows down eating and brings about greater awareness of texture and taste, a.k.a mindful eating.
Eating with fingers? Its a natural exercise and builds dexterity for the fingers and the hand (kind of useful for someone like me actually with poor fine motor skills). It's slows down eating and brings about greater awareness of texture and taste, a.k.a mindful eating.
And isn't seeking sensory experiences an autistic thing? LOL Using silverware actually lends to faster eating.
Faster eating is linked to Type 2 Diabetics. Silverware actually lends to faster eating.
Ayurveda says nerve endings on the fingers stimulate digestion and improves blood circulation. Incorporating the five elements represented by the fingers - starting with thumb - space, air, fire, water, earth - is holistic eating. Somehow the Colonial legacy has meant that such indigenous cultural practices were frowned upon. That such things were "inferior" and made you "less than"
This sound familiar? - that the disabled mind-body is somehow "less than"
Image Description: Young male of South Indian origin eating food served on banana leaf. Also seated at the dining table is his grandpa with his grandma serving them food.
Ayurveda says nerve endings on the fingers stimulate digestion and improves blood circulation. Incorporating the five elements represented by the fingers - starting with thumb - space, air, fire, water, earth - is holistic eating. Somehow the Colonial legacy has meant that such indigenous cultural practices were frowned upon. That such things were "inferior" and made you "less than"
This sound familiar? - that the disabled mind-body is somehow "less than"
Image Description: Young male of South Indian origin eating food served on banana leaf. Also seated at the dining table is his grandpa with his grandma serving them food.
#PaatiSamayal #GrandmaCooking #EatingOnBananaLeaf
Sri Ram School, Gurgaon
Presenting on Autism @SriRam School, Gurgaon with ~ 60 parents and educators. Double screens so I could see the audience on one screen from my end.
I got to Milk a Cow - How about That!
I got to learn how to milk a cow at a dairy farm on the outskirts of Chennai. How about that!!
It felt a bit strange but some milk did squirt out.
I'm hanging out with a 1 month old calf named Raja.
Topped off with some tasty Nongu's
Presenting at SCAN, India
Presenting on Autism @SCAN - Special Child Assistance Network, Vidya Sagar School, Chennai. Over 100 parents and educators in attendance. So nice to meet you all. Also got meet a few families a few days later at my grandparents' place.
Scan Q and A 5/26/18
Q. Could you list 3 most important things in a student-teacher relationship from your experience?.
A. 1. Respect for me as an individual. Eg: don’t discuss me in front of me to others as though I don’t understand anything.
2. Kindness and understanding of my issues, rather than blame.
3. Inclusion wherever possible.
Q. If you were put back some years to your 12th year, what would it be you wanted to be different from the center, school, teacher you were going then to learn?.
A. Communication had revealed that I had a bright mind and had a desire to learn by accessing mainstream education.
The issue was that for years, the professionals had written me off and professional ego would not allow them to change their minds.
Given that our understanding of autism is an evolving field, they should have kept an open mind to possibilities and worked with me to help me succeed inside the schooling system instead of outright rejection of requests for at least partial mainstreaming.
Q. How much do you think it is about play, and how much about actual therapy learning practicals that makes it work for you?. Still on your 12th year.
A. You can’t distinguish one from the other really.
Q. How did your basic academic learning happen, especially as you have mentioned that you learned typing only at age twelve?.
A. Who says I was not learning. I was very much learning through inference and observation. I just was not getting formal education. It was just a matter of application to academics.
If you think about it, give the crazy amount of challenges we have, and all the unpredictability of our lives, academics is relatively easier to deal with, as it is logical, pattern-based, and more predictable. So academics actually came naturally and easily.
For example, when I joined the charter school, I’d tested at 12th grade math, but started with the 6th-grade math curriculum as that covers all the elementary math. My folks wanted to make sure my fundamentals were good before rushing into advanced math.
I quickly worked through 6th to 8th grade math and was ready in time for 9th grade high school math, at which time I kept pace with what my typical peers were doing.
I was just able to join in at grade level for the other subjects. Luckily I joined mainstream academics in 7th to 8th grade, so had some time to catch up before high school. High school or 9th grade is where academics get serious in the U S.
The paradox is that I am a pretty fast learner but a slow typer. So it takes me a long time to type out responses, though I may already know the answers in my mind. So I only do a few example math problems, instead of every single problem in the chapter.
Since I have no handwriting skills I have been using a math font software to help me form equations etc. For other subjects, I’ve used a word processing software.
Q. what did you think it would take for you and others in similar position, to lead a fully independent life.? Is it possible, and do you wish for it?.
A. A fully functional, productive independent life is, of course, the dream for all of us, disabled or not.
Every morning, I pray for three things. Speech, Emotion Regulation, and Body Regulation.
If I could get a handle on these three issues, I would be far along in terms of independence, functionality, and productivity.
But if a person is in a wheelchair, you don’t just expect them to get up and run a marathon.
Similarly, I can’t do anything about disability issues that are not under my volitional control.
I can’t stop all areas of my life in the meantime while I wait for solutions.
Until solutions come along, I am going to need and will use all the help and support I can to have as productive a life as I can.
In fact, I want to be part of the solution process that helps many like me.
Q. Can you make out what another non- verbal autistic child is trying to communicate?.
A. There are often subtle but observable patterns in Body language and behaviors that indicate what the child is communicating.
The short answer is often but not always.
Q. Is the world inside an autistic person same as any other, ie with dreams and goals? Or is that too much of a generalization?.
A.The latter.
Q. Autistic persons are nowadays being sent to assisted living conditions at a young age, do you think that its fair?. What would you advice to such parents?.
A.I think I kind of addressed this in the, Don’t give up slide.
Totally not fair.
Remember, as parents, you are the only ones who have a vested interest in our improvement. No one else cares or is going to put the same level of passion and commitment. We did not ask for this disability and are utterly dependent on you to try your best to put us on a path to a productive and meaningful life.
Q. Would it be a fair comment that autistic persons seem more at peace with themselves, have a detached view in a materialistic world and are internally quite ‘zen’ like?.
A.Depends.
For instance, the observable zen state could also be a state of apathy or indifference, which is a symptom of depression. You dont care anymore and so blindly go along. Ironically, you are called very compliant and all programs like such kids.
On the other hand, our external world is confusing and overwhelming and so we try to shut it out through internal introspection as a coping mechanism. This happily leads us to a zen-like state.
Q. What is the one thing, you would like to change in the world today, if you had the power?.
A.Kindness is in short supply. I would like folks to be more kind and show compassion.
Q. Does love and marriage fit in your scheme for your life?.
A.Of course, one dearly holds out that hope.
Q. Is stimming a habit, play, stress release, due to boredom? Is it good to block it?.
A.Stims are due to all of above and serve as a coping mechanism for dealing with our sensory environment.
Please also read the article I wrote in the daily cal titled sensory walkabout.
Stims look socially inappropriate, so try to teach an appropriate looking alternative behavior where possible
Tranquility
What better way to end the week than with a glorious evening of music and song?
Pandit Habib Khan, who is also my teacher, gave a fundraiser concert along with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri last night at the McAfee Center for Performing Arts in Saratoga.
Pt. Habit Khan started the evening with Raga Marwa on his Sitar. The swara set for this raag is SrGmPDN and a has a lot of dominance on r and D which in consonance brings about a delightful melodic effect. The pancham is skipped for this lovely evening raag. Panditji began with an aalap which is the introductory piece, oft improvised, but within the constructs of the raaga. His voice was a little hoarse, as he was a little ill, but he more than made up for it with his skill on the Sitar.
Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri then joined in on the tabla. What a treat it was to see this jugalbandhi between two such accomplished musicians and the playful banter they exhibited through their instruments. Their fingers just danced on the sitar and tabla and the result was an exquisite 1.5 hours.
Our plan was to leave during the 7pm break. Sitting for long periods and controlling this easily excitable body are an ongoing challenge for me. Then we found out that a number of students from the Saraswati Gurukul, which is Pt. Habit Khan's school, were performing after the break. I was introduced to some of them as well by Sanjanaji and Rubyji. Well this was something not to be missed - I really did want to see this portion too and decided to try to stay for the 2nd half. After a quick dash home for dinner, we were back.
The performance by the Shivaranjani Orchestra did not fail to live upto its promise. 24 in all - 12 vocalists, 6 on sitar, 4 on tabla, 2 on sax, 1 on flute. And Pt. Habit Khan of course conducting and sometimes playing a little tabla too. It was his composition, starting with raaga Shivaranjani, leading to Raaga Bhopali and Raaga Bhairavi.
A Sarva-Dharma treat it was for sure - Gayatri Mantra and Ganapati Bapa in the same breath as Buddha, Allah and Guru Nanak. Lyrics from a few old melodic Hindi songs, the Sufi Mast Kalandar and Meera and Radha's longing for Krishna all combined to make it lively performance. Interspersed into the composition were of course individual performances. All my teachers were there - Rekhaji, Sanjanaji, Rubyji and Davidji. Davidji skillfully alternated between both his sitar and tabla. He usually uses a tabla in class so it was interesting to see him play a totally different instrument.
I was on a music high by the 2nd half. Then a strong smell of smoke in the auditorium during the last half hour started, adding a total discordant note and had a not so positive effect on my senses. I may have been somewhat noisy there for a bit.
Overall a delightful evening.
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