The customs of the West and the East

In the month of April a religious festival is being conducted yearly in Tamil Nadu state of India. It is called 'Mariamman Panguni Pongal.' During this festival the Goddess, Sri Muthumariamman (of Aruppukottai) is worshipped with much devotion and fervor. Children too exhibit their devotion towards the Goddess: they smear their body and face in black and white spots of soot and lime. Then they go in groups to all the houses in their town reciting a song that overwhelms the occupants with devotion to the Goddess. They end the song with a request to give coins to buy materials and propitiate the Goddess at Her temple. If they are not 'treated' with the coins, they go on repeating the song refusing to move away - the 'trick' to get their 'treat'! Yes, it is akin to the 'Trick- or- Treat' played by the children in USA during the fun festival, Halloween Day!
Here in Tamil Nadu, a newly built house has always a white pumpkin painted with a face of a demon and hung in its portico - to ward off the 'evil spirits' and the 'evil eye', that too reminds the Halloween Day!
These customs still linger on, though modified in form and content, carried over from continent to continent for ages!

Nature's selection of Plants and Animals in a Year

Pictures of Plants and Animals






NATURE selects and promotes only a certain type of plants or animals in a year. This phenomenon depends upon environmental conditions, such as local rainfall, weather, climate and the fertility of both the soil and the living things. In the past five years period it has been found in my South Indian backyard that in a given year only a type of wild flowering plant grows more in abundance dominating on other plants. But this dominating nature didn’t continue so in the next following year: another plant dominated! Likewise in animals, for example, the frogs, different varieties of them were promoted in a year like one of our common frog or tiger frog or tree frog. Similarly, within arthropods, spiders or scorpions (arachnids) and butterflies or bugs (insects) dominated. Another aspect was also noticed: in reptiles, one of these like either lizards or snakes was promoted to breed profusely in a year. The next year another CLASS of animal kingdom among Classes of animals or within their Families or Species dominated. Even disease producing bacteria or viruses are promoted in a similar manner. So, it can be deduced here that diseases affecting man are also ‘preferred and promoted’ by Nature each year! The best example was seen here in the year 2006, when Chikungunya disease affected many people. It was due to the promotion of an Arbo virus (alpha type 1) (and also its virus carrying mosquito, Aedes egyptii naturally)!

Egret's ingenious way of preying upon

Egrets catch fish in ponds in an ingenious way. They stand still in the shallow waters. Then they lift up one of their legs slightly and move it inside water from side to side repeatedly. This agitates the water and the mud on the pond's floor. The fish lurking come out to the water surface. The egrets catch them quickly with their yellow beaks!

The Hill of the Supreme Being

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                                             

Being present in the sylvan beauty that is enclosed between the tops of four hills must be enchanting and exciting, isn’t it? The place on this earth referred to is called ‘MAHALINGA MALAI’ (it is in Southern Tamilnadu of India). Cut off totally from the rest of the world, there it will be great to enjoy the company of trees and plants, birds and animals & the devotees and their prayers to SIVA, the Hindu God of these hills! The mantra chanted everywhere on the hills is: “Sivayea nama Om”

Up the hills to the abode of the god:

The hills have to be ascended up by walking and climbing through the paths surrounded by many medicinal plants, trees and streams, and dotted with small worshiping sites for minor deities here and there. The path is occasionally seen strewn with scats of bears. Monkeys follow you for the snacks you carry. Jungle fowl strays out near the path sometimes.

The tiredness of ascending is blown out by the hospitality received from the devotees when we reach the Mahalinga malai temple: the devotees provide us resting spots and give free food as these services to the worshipers are equaled to the services to the God.

The elephants too worship the God:

It is said elephants come to the shrines of SIVA when the humans are absent, and pray the God by offering flowers! I wonder whether we humans have interfered much their praying duties! I think that why we should not allot for them certain period of the year for their free prayers?

On the hills one can even go for trekking higher up the hills to their tops with the guidance of experienced devotees. Note that nobody resides on the hills except Siddhars! All devotees descend down after praying the God. It is a wonder everywhere on the Mahalinga malai having always wonderful experiences at each time of the trip to be told to the folks at the plains!

Gene Studies

(1) The study of the faulty gene in Type 1 Diabetes patients leading to finding it as a risk factor to people in the development of the disease.
(2) Tampering the gene content in mouse to study its sexual behavior by its organ in the nose.
(3) Identification of gene that causes the visual disorder, Glaucoma.
These reported gene studies in the dailies are quite interesting. But when will they be put into more practical use for improvement, development and cure?

The Wise and Benevolent Plant

Insects aid plants in pollination. Some plants avoid interference to this insect pollination: The Passion vine plant (Passiflora incarnata) produces nectar at the base of each leaf for ants that may interfere! This distraction also has another advantage: the plant is guarded by these ants round the clock! Really it is a WONDER in the Nature!

This plant exhibits a peculiar phenomenon. Its flowers bloom overnight and close at forenoon as soon as sun's rays heat them! This also happens even when the flowers are plucked and kept in the shadow!

Read and view about it in:

Passion vine                                                                  

Tuberculosis - in the past and the present

About forty years back Tuberculosis was an abominable and incurable disease for the common people. Even movie pictures showed that newer drugs were discovered in a foreign country that cured the heroine’s tuberculosis! Sanatorium treatment was advocated then. The children were warned about this ‘jailed treatment’ and not to have contact with tuberculosis affected people!

Nowadays tuberculosis treatment is available at door step. Sanatoria are vacant, or have been converted into other medical facilities: patients continue to do their jobs while taking anti-tuberculosis medicines. The new born child is also assured of its right to have all the immunizations – by giving it first BCG vaccine against Tuberculosis!

Tuberculosis treatment and its control are wonders among the treatment of diseases.

Tuberculosis Susceptible people

Tuberculosis has ceased to be the disease of the poor and rural people. Now anyone, even the affluent people can get it by being weak in their immunity through their acquiring HIV+ status and then by moving freely with the tuberculosis patients. They are well aware about tuberculosis (and about its cure by DOTS medicines) but are careless about it. They need counseling both for preventing HIV and Tuberculosis and treating them, in case they contracted them.

Tuberculosis Treatment

Here in India people are well aware of Tuberculosis and availability of curative treatment for it. They move freely and boldly everywhere knowing all about the symptoms of the disease, the places of sputum examination and the presence of treatment providers at their own villages. They even know about the medicines of 'Directly Observed Therapy, Short - Course (DOTS)'! They understand here Short -Course as a period of six months!

View: Tuberculosis Division of Government of India