Random Click: Foods of India in a Truck

I found this display at a mall in Bangalore, that led to the section of different snacks and savouries from different parts of India. The colors and design were so attractive that I immediately clicked a snap.

But there is more to this display than merely the cutout of a truck and vibrant colours. Why a truck? Why so many colours? Why is this the best representation of the diverse yet integrated India?

To understand, you have to know that India has 29 states and each is so distinct in its cultures, customs, language and cuisine that you might witness a different 'India' at every state. And trucks, after the Indian railways, play an instrumental role in moving goods from one part of the country to another. Not surprisingly at present there are more than 1300 trucks per million population, whereas the utilization of trucks is more than 70,000 kms per annum!

Trucks carry vehicles and clothing, sometimes people too (that's another story) but most of all they carry food. From essential grains to popular snacks, they connect India and help carry the taste of Maharashtra to Bengal or Kashmir to Karnataka. 

On the roads, you will always find trucks, sometimes much to the dismay of other vehicle drivers, because of the irritating roadblocks they tend to cause. But peek into the life of these truck drivers, some five million of them, and you realize that their life is that truck. For days and months they are on the road. Sometimes going to remote areas where there is not even a road. They are away from their homes, from their family all round the year and it is a a very harsh and dreary life. So they decorate their truck. They paint it in vibrant colours. Give a makeover with flowers and festoons, ribbons and parandis (hair accessory worn by many Indian women typically in the Northern parts). And invariably have a great phrase painted on their rears. Yes, you can actually have a fun-filled road journey in India if you only watch the rear of the trucks and read what they have to say. 

All Indian Trucks have much to say. Thank you The Dream Traveler for this image.

Trucks therefore represent India and food like no other.

Digging in into the packet of snacks that was especially brought from Madhya Pradesh to me in Karnataka, I thank the truck driver silently and look at the apt display once more. 

A World of Wonder

Age – 2 years

Place – Birthday at the Sasan Gir National Park

“Look, the lion is acting exactly like a doggie, rolling over, wagging its tail!” he said squealing in delight at the sight of a wild lion 200 m away from the safari jeep.

The guide quickly admonished, “Bacche ko chup karaiye. Janwar bigad gaya to?” (Ask the kid to be silent. You know not what might occur if the wild animal gets angry.)

Age – 4 years

Place – Neighbourhood park

“Aunty, he is always looking at insects and lizards and flowers and stems. Tell him I don’t like lizards,” complained one of the girls.

Age – 5 years

Place – Back home from school

“See what I found today – a round stone, a red leaf with not a single spot of green and...you won’t believe it, a dead butterfly!”

Age – 7 years

Place – Home with a visibly stumped friend

“Don’t you know metamorphosis? A caterpillar changes into a pupa and then to a butterfly. I have raised many at home – a yellow, a black with white spots, a blue one. You give the caterpillar tender leaves to eat everyday and they get fatter and fatter until they can’t eat anymore. That’s when there is the cocoon and soon a butterfly,” he explained.

Life as we know it in the last seven years, has centered around bugs, soil, mud, flowers, pebbles, stones, nuts, pine cones, pigeons, sun birds, mynas, frogs, snails and sometimes even snakes. Not surprising, you would say, for someone whose first words uttered were “ban-dar ma-ma!” after spotting a monkey on a tree. Not surprising, you might again add, for someone whose parents are passionate about nature and wildlife too.

 

But while, nature had been a part of our lives in that off & on sort of modern way where urban living leaves you with a choice of a weekend eco-getaway only, the birth of our son and his nature fancy has in reality brought back in us what perhaps got buried under the pile of chores - the capacity to wonder. 

Wonder at the seed that bursts into first two then tens and twenties of leaves growing into a plant. Wonder at the ant that separated from its comrades goes berserk locating the correct trail to the sugar mound. Wonder at the sun rays and the dust particles dancing in it.

No moment is dull. No day devoid of an adventure.

“A pigeon has laid two eggs under the AC, yippee!” or “Did you notice? There was just one shoe flower yesterday, today there are five!” or “I think I will follow this ladybird today. Want to see what it does all day.”

And then there are the questions…

“If plants give us oxygen, how do people in deserts breathe when there are no plants?”

…and the amazement…

“Mumma, a bhaiya from a big class at my school did not even know about sting rays!”

…and the art.

So yes, through the eyes of our seven year old we are on an unending and fascinating nature journey everyday.He does not know about climate change and dying forests and drying rivers as yet. That knowledge will come, surely in another few years. And hopefully by that time he will know how to heal the man-made scars that have distorted the planet he loves so much. 

For now, he lives in the world of natural wonder and gives us grown-ups a chance to turn many many caterpillar to butterflies – lest we forget.

This post is one of the entries for Nature's Friends for http://www.kissan.in/

Big and Small

The question popped late one night during bed time, “Mumma, which is the small-e-est living thing?”

Being his Mumma for five years now I could quite habitually understand that he intended to know nothing but the truth. No fantastic creatures, no imaginary tales because this was a serious question being asked.

So I said, “It has to be some micro-organism.”

“What is that?”

“Something that you cannot see, but it is still present.” I elaborated, “A kind of a creature that lives and moves and eats and has babies, but is so, so, so tiny that you cannot see it the way you see me.”

“Hmm,” he murmured. After a little thought though he said again, “But I can see them.” Excitedly he twisted on the bed to face me. “Really?” I asked with genuine interest.

“Yes,” he replied. “See, when I am sitting on the couch in the morning, light comes from the window. I can see tiny, very tiny, the tiniest of ball like things floating in the air. Aren’t they mico-ogani sm?”

Stifling my laughter I corrected him, “M-I-C-R-O O-R-G-A-N-I-S-M-S, but what you see are not microorganisms. They are just minute dust particles.” Not crushing his enthusiasm entirely I also added, “There might surely be microorganisms around, but as I said, they are so tiny, you can never ‘see’ them just like that. You need to have a very powerful microscope.”

“Let me show you,” I said raising my hand and showing him the palm. “At this minute, I have at least 500 bacteria here.” “Bacteria are micro-organisms?” he asked. “Yes, they are.”

“Are they the tiniest living things?” he asked again.

 “Yes, one of the tiniest; there are others like virus and fungi too.”

 The sleepy eyes were struggling to shut down. So, I planted a kiss on his forehead and said, “We can talk more about microorganisms tomorrow. Now, sleep, alright? Good Night.” Reluctantly the eyes closed and soon took him to the land of dreams.

“Mumma,” he shouted the next morning while taking his shower. “Didn’t you tell me that the blue whale is the biggest animal in the world?”

I said yes, rushing to grab a towel as he came out dripping. But the little curious head was more interested in getting his science right. He ignored the puddle he was creating and continued excitedly, “You also told me that a blue whale is equal to at least 10 to 15 elephants.”

“Hmm,” I said, the mother’s dextrous hand working furiously to dry his hair.

“Okay, so blue whale is the biggest, and bacteria the smallest. If 500 bacteria can cover just my palm, can you just imagine how many bacteria can cover an entire blue whale!” he said his eyes sparkling with the newly made discovery.

I paused and tried to imagine the analogy he had just made – a simple statement and yet so fascinating.

“Millions, and trillions..zillions..killions..hillions…” he went on and on with a bemused grin on his face.

I smiled at him, gently stroking his hair, giving an affectionate peck on the cheek.

Thomas Huxley had once said - The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of childhood into maturity.

With a silent prayer to let him carry this same spirit all his life, I said out loud, “Come, get ready fast, then I will show you some bacteria pictures.”

(Winner of the My Science Story blogfest by Tulika Publishers)

Cowherd. Visionary. Immortal..maybe not.

Book Review: Govinda by Krishna Udayasankar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We always seem to think that stories that are passed on from one generation to the next, are all the same. But in reality, each story teller adds or substracts certain things to the story, giving it individuality, making it new and yet retaining the age old essence.

This book I think, is just that. A rendition of the age old story of Krishna and Mahabharata in a new dimension that would suit the temperament of the young generation. The generation that has easy access to all the information in the world but are seldom served the history of their own land in a logical way. It is for those who want to question everything around them, even things that are passed on as myths and mythology in our society and therefore above reasoning.

Govinda is not a book for those who believe Krisha to be the Immortal God. It is a story of a mortal cowherd with an extra-ordinary intellect. A visionary.

Being the debut novel of Krishna Udaysankar, traditionally, one would give leverage to certain flaws. But that is where the reader might make a wrong presumption.

When I read the book, I too began keeping in mind that this was after all written by a first timer. But surprise awaited me at every turn of the page. The book does not come across as the first-time attempts of a novice at all. It is the work of a researcher, a scholar who surely seems to have rigourously sifted through buried ancient manuscripts, some legible, some difficult to decipher, and presented to us the readers, a very thorough and precise glimpse of the times of Aryavarta. She is a master story teller, because she has her facts correct, which unquestionably have been gathered after much toil and perseverence.I eagerly look forward to what she puts on our plate with her next work.

This book is history, myth, fiction, thriller, and all in all a very logical and consistent narrative. Read if you want to know the what and why of the tale we know as Mahabharata.



View all my reviews

Grandma’s Tale

There was a girl of 15 who wrote a novel. It was the year 1930. A time when it was unheard of, for little girls or even women to portray their feelings in words or verse. And so, while her father praised the creativity of her dear daughter and promised to pursue a publisher, the matter of the novel, was slowly, perhaps deliberately forgotten.

Bharathi Amma

75 years later, as the girl turned to a granny, her children discovered the dust covered manuscript. Written on ledgers, it was a fantastic blend of mystery, romance and drama. Surely not scribbles of a child, but thoughts of a mature individual. And then the unbelievable happened. As a gift to their gifted mother, the children published the novel.

It is called Nandavanam, a Malayalam novel by Bharathi Amma.

How I came to know about this grandma and her tales is sheer coincidence. I was conversing with my sister-in-law who informed me about the sad demise of her ammoomma’s (grandmother) sister. She told me that even at the age of 98 this grand old lady was full of life. Generous words and a generous smile never parted ways in her case. She would always be in touch with her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts and the extended family in all of Kerala. Even the day before her passing, she was happily calling relatives, gossiping, wishing them the best always.

And it is then that I learnt that this lady was Bharathi Amma, someone whose teenage year novel was published when she turned 95.

Intrigued by her story, I found an interview published in The Hindu newspaper, in 2010, the time when Nandavanam had been published.

Bharathi Amma unfolds her story so beautifully in that interview.

She says, with a smile,

“I started writing the novel when I was 15 years old and completed it when I was 16. I wrote the story on scraps of paper. I didn't let anyone see the story when I was writing it as I was afraid their remarks may affect my thought process for the story and also my interest. When the novel was ready, I transferred it into ledgers a relative gave me.”

“After I finished the novel I showed it to my fatherParshati Parayum. He showered praises and said he would see about getting it published; but he didn't. I guess it was because women who were well educated and accomplished were not considered good wife material in those days,” says Bharati Amma who was a topper in her school at Neyyattinkara in those days.

“I wanted to be a doctor, but like I said, women in those days were not supposed to be more accomplished or educated than men. Very few women went to school in those days. Thankfully, my late husband, Kulappuram N. Parameswaran Pillai, wanted someone who was educated. Even then, I was married at what was then considered way past your prime at 20. Women in those days were married at the age of 15,” says Bharati Amma, who used to write poems in her youth.

With time, bound by the duty of a wife, daughter-in-law and mother Bharathi Amma the writer took a back seat. It was only years later, when her children found the jewel that had been hiding behind household chores, that Barathi Amma’s first book was published.

In a book titled Ammayum Maganum three of her poems – Elam Poovu, Ammayum Maganum and Charitharadhyaya Sarmisitha, were published by her eight children to mark her 90th birthday. And with no publisher showing interest in publishing the work, they did it on their own.

Says Indira Devi, her daughter,

"My mother was a prolific writer in her younger days. Writing took a backseat after her marriage. I guess family ate up most of her time. While going through her novel and poems when we were adults, we felt they were good. That is why we brought them out ourselves. We did approach various publishers but they cited various excuses.”

Speaking about Nandavanam, her actual first piece of creative writing, Bharathi Amma said it was woven from real life instances she saw around her.

Nandavanam, revolves around two brothers. The younger brother tries to kill his brother for money and believes he has succeeded. The elder brother who has been mislead into believing that it his wife who is trying to kill him leaves for Kolkata. In the end, all is well and the moral – good triumphs over evil.

Bharathi Amma said, “I was observant as a kid. There was this woman in Neyyatinkara who pretended to be blessed by a divine presence in order to get her daughter married off to a neighbourhood lad. She said the gods had ordered her daughter to marry him.”

The scene is incorporated in the book.

While the books are distributed amongst family and friends, many who heard about the book through word of mouth have approached the family for a copy.

“For a 15-year-old to write a well- crafted story and tying all the ends neatly is a remarkable thing. We haven't put a price for the book; it is given free to all those who would like to read a good book. It is a labour of love from us to our mother,” says Professor Indira Devi


Bharathi Amma passed away last December and I wish I could have met her, just to revel in her presence.

I was reminded of her life story, quite abruptly, while reading Krishna Udayshankar’s poignant debut novel The Ayravarta Chronicle Book 1 Govinda.

In one of the chapters, Queen Gandavati of Panchala surmises the role of a princess or a woman rather to Panchali (Draupadi),

It reads,

...Like it or not, no matter how much you fight or what you say, you can’t change the decision made around you, for you. You cannot even begin to alter the life that’s laid out for you. All you can do is choose whether you will resist the occasional happiness that comes your way or be tormented by your own hatred and self loathing, or you’ll spare yourself your own judgment at the least and take what you can get....

There are innumerable Bharathi Ammas around us who still cook n clean without a hint of dismay, their self-expression tamed and living the life decided for them. One of them could luckily escalate to the position she deserved at the age of 90, but who’s reading about the hundred others? Is 2013 really so very different from 1930 or for that matter the second millennium BCE?

Mera Gantantra



 

हां, गुलामी मैंने नहीं देखी ,

 

वे स्वर मेरे कानो पर नहीं पड़े ,

जो देश की स्वतंत्रता के सपने दिखाते थे ,

 

वो लाठियाँ मैंने नहीं खाई ,

जो हर उस पीठ पर पड़ी जो तनकर तिरंगा सम्हाले था ,

 

मेरे लिए सोचना ज़रा मुश्किल है ,

 

ऐसे भी दिन थे जब दोस्तों के साथ ,

नुक्कड़ पर गपशप करना ही अपराध था ,

 

मेरा लिखना, बोलना, मुस्कुराना तक,

मेरे शासको को अखरता था 

 

मुठठी भर अनाज का मोल आज मैं जानू न जानू ,

 

एक समय था जब दो कनक के दानो में ,

पूरा कुनबा पलता था 

 

 

 

जो मुझे पुरस्कार स्वरूप,

यह आज़ाद भारत सौप गए,

उनमे से किसी को ना मैंने देखा ना जाना 

 

कुछ की तस्वीरें अब भी दीवारों पर टंगी है ,

बहुतो को तो मैंने कभी पहचाना ही नहीं 

 

यह शाश्वत सत्य है ,

 

कि स्वतन्त्र लोकतंत्र का मोल वे बेहतर जान सकते थे ,

 

पर जो मुझ रंक को राजा बना गए ,

शायद कुछ कहना, समझाना और चाहते थे 

 

चाहते थे कि इस धरा में फिर कभी,

विदेशियों का डंका न बजे,

सत्ताधारी प्रजा हो,

तो नेता अत्याचारी न रहे ,

जो मेरा नेतृत्व करें,

वो मेरा ही प्रतिबिम्ब हो

 

 

 

आज देश जैसा भी है, जो भी है,

उसका कारण मैं हूँ 

 

आज मैं दबता हूँ , या दबाता हूँ ,

इसका निर्णायक भी मैं हूँ 

 

आजादी, गणतंत्र कोई पुरस्कार नहीं,

पारिश्रमिक भर है 

 

मेरा, और उन सबका जो है,

भारत के भविष्य भाग्य विधाता .

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am watching a Chimpanzee give birth in South Africa!

No, there isn’t a chimpanzee in my room. Neither am I in South Africa. Thanks to a revolution called live video streaming, I am one of many around the world who are right now awaiting the birth of a chimpanzee baby at Chimp Eden Sanctuary in Mpumalanga, South Africa. And this is a world first.

 

Jane Goodall and a friend

Chimp Eden is a part of Jane Godall Institute where chimps rescued from hunters are given a secure home. Jane Goodall ofcourse is the lady who singlehandedly brought global attention to the apes and has spent many years observing them, by being one of them, quite literally.

What caught my attention yesterday morning, while going through my regular scrutiny of online animal news, was that the institute was going to show the live birth of a chimpanzee baby. This is not something that has ever been done before and though the idea of watching a chimp's labour room drama may sound weird, it's actually a fantastic oppurtunity to get to know an animal that's so so closely related to us.

Chimpanzees are one of the most human like members of the ape family. Actually, I don’t think genetic engineers will have a really difficult time turning a human to a chimp…because 98 percent of their work is already done!

Chimps share  98 percent of our genetic blueprint. And I am sure you are currently thinking of some human friend who seems to share a bit more...;)

Jokes apart, you observe Nina (that’s the birthing mother who is being videoed) and you are given live proof of how similar you and me are to her.

Nina - The would-be mom

Just now I saw Nina peel a mango and eat its tender juicy pulp not unlike a human child. I have caught my son drowned in mango pulp quite the same way a number of times in the past. A little while ago, Nina was playing with a ball (pictured) , licking a gooey substance from aj ar, sleeping on her hay bed, rocking and jumping like any other human baby.

What make's the live stream all the more interesting is the the fact that it is LIVE.
This is no edited footage of widlife in the African jungles. Just like the father pacing the floor outside the labour room all of us watching, hold our breaths in anticipation and await the arrival of the newborn.

Interenstingly, the institute staff’s biting their nails too. This is the first time ever a chimp is giving birth in their facility as it has a strict non- breeding policy. Apparently the contraceptive failed which happens quite frequently with apes and that's how Nina got pregnant! (No, she is not sueing the institute, the contraceptive makers or the father of the baby)

What the staff is all the more worried about is that they are not sure if Nina will accept her baby.

Nina was brought to the institute in 2007 rescued from bush meat hunters who snatched her as a child from her mother. She is just nine years old and at least 6 years younger than the average age at which chimps become pregnant. So being a mother is a new experience for her. She has also never seen any other chimp mother. She may give birth and walk away leaving the staff to take care of the child. One the other hand, motherhood may arrive instinctively to her. The video will therefore also tell us if Nina accepts or rejects motherhood.

Why a live video at all?

The institute director says, they want to tell a story.

Chimps live in Africa and are being killed everyday either for meat or just because their homes are being destroyed. It is believed that at this rate, in another 10 years there might be no chimps left in the world. The video is a good way to peek into the personal life of such an adorable creature and hope that in another ten years, the baby born to Nina will have a wild home to live.

There are at present 3, 39, 163 people around the world who are keeping a watch over Nina day and night. If you want to fall in love with an adorable chimp, welcome a baby into the world or just peek to see some of the chimp antics to confirm how much she resembles you or someone you know...:)  just click

 here or see below,


Live broadcast by Ustream

P.S. Nina does not know she is being filmed.