significance of turmeric (Manjal) - Western research

Natural plant products have been used throughout human history for various purposes.

For a Srivaishnavaite, the best ornament is Thiruman Kappu.  Srivaishnava Urdhva Pundra (Thirumann)  should be worn  with great humility, thanking the achAryA and Sriman NArAyanA for their mercy.  Thiruman (White) is a type of soil gotten in Thirunarayanapuram, where Swami Emperumanar lived for 12 years.   The Srichurnam worn in between is an admix of turmeric and rice.   

Turmeric (manjal) is of highest religious significance.  In every function, in every vratham, it is the manjal that is foremost.  In Wedding and rituals for new born, there are ceremonies where turmeric paste is applied.  Turmeric is considered most auspicious and  it signifies purity, fertility and good health.  Turmeric is extremely good for the skin. Turmeric is considered a cleanser and a purifier both literally and symbolically.  The colour yellow is indeed associated with new beginnings, peace and happiness. In Thirumanjanam for Emperuman in Srivaishnava temples, manjal is extensively used and the turmeric mixed holy water is the ultimate solution for all our goodness.

Turmeric’s  botanical name is Curcuma longa. The plant reaches barely three feet in height and produces both a flower and a rhizome, or stem that is found underground. The rhizome has an appearance similar to ginger; it is this root-like stem that produces the yellow turmeric spice. India has been the largest producer of turmeric since ancient times.  It is grown in Telengana, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.    There are so many varieties of turmeric – yet the one from Erode is unique.  It is smaller in size and slender and has  a high curcumin content of around 3.9%. The loamy red and black soil of the area is believed to be the reason behind the distinctive brilliant yellow colour, as well as its characteristic sweet taste and aroma, making it the preferred choice of commercial curry powder manufacturers in India and abroad.

Once harvested, the turmeric fingers are separated from the rhizome and boiled for 15-20 minutes either in water or in specialised steamers until they get the right texture. The boiling influences the colour and aroma of the final product. The fingers are then dried in the sun for at least a fortnight before being polished mechanically to remove impurities and then brought to the market. Farmers say the Erode turmeric is pest resistant for up to 100 days after boiling.    Erode has obtained GI tag too for its turmeric.   At Erode,  the association of 357 turmeric traders and warehouse operators, called ‘Erode Manjal Vanigarkal Matrum Kidangu Urimaiyalarkal Sangam’, is among the busiest in the country. The daily auction of turmeric takes place  at a market hall in Nasiyanur, Erode district.

A compound found in turmeric could unlock new treatments in the battle against cancer, a scientific review has suggested. Researchers say the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers of curcumin mean it could halt the development of tumours.  They analysed almost 5,000 studies and found it blocked the growth of eight types of cancers, under laboratory settings, says a report in MailOnline.    The academics from Temple University in Philadelphia say curcumin stops nutrients from being transported to tumours.  Scientists say the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers of curcumin – the pigment in turmeric that gives it its bright yellow colour - make it prime for halting the development of tumours.  It also prevents the death of healthy cells by blocking cancer cells from releasing harmful proteins.

The academics concluded curcumin - the pigment in turmeric that gives it its colour - could 'represent an effective drug for cancer treatment, alone or combined with other agents'. But although it is widely used in Eastern medicine, and has been studied for its anti-inflammatory and anti-septic effects, curcumin is not an option currently. This is because it has never been tested in large-scale human trials, a necessary requirement for all medicines.  The Temple University scientists hope their finding will spur on more clinical studies of curcumin's effect on cancer. The therapeutic benefits of the spice have been shown in multiple chronic diseases, including high blood pressure and liver disease.  Some experiments have also shown it can help speed recovery after surgery, as well as treat arthritis.   As part of the latest review, researchers, led by Dr Antonio Giordano, a pathologist at Temple, scoured studies on curcumin published since 1924.

Studies have shown it is an effective painkiller and also reduces the risk of lung disease, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and depression.  They found 12,595 papers on the compound, but whittled them down to 4,738 that specifically looked at its effect on cancer.  Writing in the paper, published in the journal Nutrients, the authors said: 'The search for new effective drugs able to combat cancer diseases still represents a challenge for many scientists.  However, they warn it is not a miracle drug as previous studies have shown it causes number of side effects, including diarrhoea, vomiting and headaches.

Dieneke Ferguson had been diagnosed with the blood cancer myeloma in 2007 and had undergone three rounds of chemotherapy as well as four stem cell transplants.  The cancer, which has an average survival of just over five years, was causing increasing back pain and she had already had a second relapse. But it stabilised after Mrs Ferguson, from north London, came across the remedy on the internet in 2011 and decided to try it as a last resort.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

6^th Jan 2020.

the woman who operated ham radio opposing the British

In the modern media frenzy World with hundreds of TV channels, ever imagined or heard of Amateur radio – known as ‘ham radio’! – it is the use of radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radio-sport, contesting, and emergency communication. The term "amateur" is used to specify "a duly authorised person interested in radio-electric practice with a purely personal aim and without pecuniary interest. 

30^th Jan is remembered for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi ~ and that would also bring remembrances of Noakhali riots – the riots were preceded by attacks on the place of business of Surendra Nath Bose and Rajendra Lal Roy Choudhury, the former president of the Noakhali Bar and a prominent Hindu Mahasabha leader. The Noakhali riots were a series of semi-organized massacres, rapes, abductions and forced conversions of Hindus to Islam and looting and arson of Hindu properties perpetrated by the Muslim community in the districts of Noakhali in the Chittagong Division of Bengal (now in Bangladesh) in 1946, a year before India's independence from British rule.  The massacre of the Hindu population started on 10 October, on the day of Kojagari Lakshmi Puja and continued unabated for about a week. It is estimated that 5,000 were killed, hundreds of Hindu women were raped and thousands of Hindu men and women were forcibly converted to Islam.  Neither the British nor the Congress did anything for those affected.  Gandhi did tour the affected areas but appealed peace by the victims asking them to forget reprisal.

I have heard notions that Congress usurped the freedom and projected only themselves as those who had fought the British rule – numerous martyrs and their roles in the struggle including the likes of VoChidambaranar, Veer Savarkar,  Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh, Nethaji and many many more were forgotten or were sidelined.  In our history books, we read Congressmen being arrested, placed in judicial custody – writing letters to their family and the like but not of those who were tortured by the British in cells and those who lost their lives fighting for the freedom of the country.  I never imagined that those sidelined could include some who were associated with Congress too !

Congress Radio was a clandestine and underground radio station, which operated for about three months during the Quit India Movement of 1942, a movement launched by Gandhi against the British Raj for independence of India. Congress Radio was the broadcasting mouthpiece of the Indian National Congress, and functioned from different locations from Bombay, currently known as Mumbai. It was organized by a woman  Usha Mehta (1920–2000), a veteran freedom fighter of India with the help of ham radio operators. Her other associates for organizing the Congress Radio included Vitthaldas khakar, Chandrakant Jhaveri, and Babubhai Thakkar. The technicians and the equipment were supplied by Nanak Motawani of Chicago Radio, Mumbai. Eminent personalities like Ram Manohar Lohia, Achyutrao Patwardhan, and Purushottam Trikamdas were also associated with the Congress Radio.

this pic Credit : CNN

Congress radio came on air with Dr. Usha Mehta herself broadcasting this announcement:  "This is the Congress Radio calling from somewhere in India."   The radio’s first broadcast was made on Aug 27, 1942, on the 41.72-metre band. On Mar 6, 1943, the secret radio’s broadcast stopped. It came on air one final time on Jan 26, 1944, which was chosen the Independence Day by Congress in its Lahore session a more than a decade earlier. The radio was funded by local cotton merchants, grain dealers, business houses and trade association in Bombay.

History has it that the frail woman Usha Mehta, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi ran a secret radio station with her friends during Gandhi's Quit India movement in August 1942, despite disapproval from her father, who worked as a judge under British rule. "When the press is gagged and all news banned, a transmitter certainly helps a good deal in furnishing the public with the facts of the happenings and in spreading the message of rebellion in the remotest corners of the country," she reportedly  said in an interview in 1969.

Her life too was not bed of roses as in the year she went on air, she   and her friends were arrested.  Her staunch refusal to respond to months of police interrogation in 1942 led to her being locked up for four years in Yerwada jail in the west of India,  alongside 250 other female political prisoners.  The life history of Usha Mehta [25.3.1920 – 11.8.2000] has not found the rightful place it deserves, perhaps eclipsed intentionally by the same party !  In 1998, the Government of India conferred on her Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of Republic of India.

Usha was born in Saras village near Surat in Gujarat. In 1928, eight-year-old Usha participated in a protest march against the Simon Commission and shouted her first words of protest against the British Raj: "Simon Go Back." She and other children participated in early morning protests against the British Raj and picketing in front of liquor shops. Usha's father was a judge under the British Raj. He therefore did not encourage her to participate in the freedom struggle. However, this limitation was removed when her father retired in 1930. In 1932, when Usha was 12, her family moved to Bombay, making it possible for her to participate more actively in the freedom movement. She and other children distributed clandestine bulletins and publications, visited relatives in the prisons, and carried messages to these prisoners.

She made an early decision to remain celibate for life and took up a spartan, Gandhian lifestyle, wearing only Khādī clothes and keeping away from luxuries of all types. Over time, she emerged as a prominent proponent of Gandhian thought and philosophy. She graduated in Mumbai in 1939 with a first-class degree in philosophy. She also began studying law, but ended her studies in 1942 to join the Quit India Movement. After her arrest in 1942 and her steadfastness in not revealing anything, CID Police   interrogated her for six months. During this time, she was held in solitary confinement and offered inducements such as the opportunity to study abroad if she would betray the movement. After the trial, she was sentenced to four years' imprisonment (1942 to 1946).  At Yervada jail in Pune, her  health deteriorated and she was sent to Bombay for treatment at Sir J. J. Hospital. In the hospital, three to four policemen kept a round-the-clock watch on her to prevent her from escaping. In  1946, she was released, the first political prisoner to be released in Bombay, at the orders of Morarji Desai, who was at that time the home minister in the interim government.

Although the Secret Congress Radio functioned only for three months, it greatly assisted the movement by disseminating uncensored news and other information banned by the British-controlled government of India. Secret Congress Radio also kept the leaders of the freedom movement in touch with the public.  After Independence, her failing health prevented her association in active politics.    She later re-commenced her education and wrote a doctoral dissertation on the political and social thought of Gandhi, earning a PhD from the University of Bombay. She retired from the University of Bombay in 1980.  It is stated that with passage of time, Usha grew increasingly unhappy with the developments taking place in the social, political, and economic spheres of independent India.

She died peacefully at the age of 80.  I read her story for the first time only recently ~ have you heard of her earlier  ?     –   don’t  you feel that she deserved more recognition ?

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

30^th Jan 2020

babies ~ intelligence ~ generation improvement - smart babies !!

The debate could be endless ~are present generation smarter than the earlier one ? – for every parent, their child is so fast in learning [till they get to school whence mothers start complaining that they are not good in studies – right from Nursery level telling rhymes !!] ... children of famous parents are praised no ends – every single act of theirs would earn appreciation from outsiders who in over-eager zeal to earn brownie point with the parent would acclaim that the kid is a child-prodigy !   Many children of around 6 months could hear the sound and would get attracted to the music – say, title music of a TV Serial, making the proud mother acclaim that their son / daughter recognises the Serial at such tender age !!

A generation or more ago,  kids generally lacked opportunities – had little of toys – most of which would remain out of their reach – only to be exhibited and kept away ! – kids could ill-afford to break or throw things away.  Television itself was a luxury and the most luxurious had access to computer games !! – not any longer !!!

Babies as young as 6 MONTHS are using smartphones and tablets before they learn to walk or talk;  by the age of One, some infants are using devices for at least an hour a day; and by 2 – some children have mobile device of their own !!

In an interesting article in MailOnline -  more than a third of babies are tapping on smartphones and tablets even before they're walking or talking, research has revealed.  Time spent on devices increased with age, with 26 per cent of two-year-olds and 38 per cent of four-year-olds using devices for at least an hour a day.  The findings came from a survey designed to find out when youngsters are first exposed to mobile media and how they use devices.

Parents of children aged six months to four-years-old who were at a US hospital-based paediatric clinic that serves a low-income, minority community were recruited to fill out the survey. It was completed by 370 parents, with 97 per cent of them having TVs, 83 per cent tablets, 77 per cent smartphones and 59 per cent internet access. Parents were asked about what types of media devices they have in their household, the children’s age at initial exposure to mobile media, frequency of use, types of activities and if their paediatrician had discussed media use with them.

Lead author Hilda Kabali, of the Einstein Healthcare Network, in Philadelphia, said children younger than a year were exposed to the devices in 'surprisingly large numbers'.  More than half (52 per cent) had watched TV shows, more than a third (36 per cent) had touched or scrolled a screen. A quarter had called someone, 15 per cent had used apps and one in eight (12 per cent) played video games. And by two years of age, most children were using mobile devices.  

Most children were using mobile devices by the age of two, say the researchers, from Philadelphia. 'We didn't expect children were using the devices from the age of six months,' Dr Kabali said. 'Some children were on the screen for as long as 30 minutes.' The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages the use of devices such as TVs, computers, smartphones and tablets by children under two-years-old.  The study also found that 75 per cent of parents let their children play with mobile devices while doing household chores. And 65 per cent admitted they used them to calm a child, while 29 per cent said they helped put a child to sleep. However, less than third of parents (30 per cent) said their child’s paediatrician had discussed media use with them. The findings were presented at the Paediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in San Diego.

Just an HOUR of TV means children are more likely to be overweight or obese; Just an hour of TV a day can turn five-year-olds into couch potatoes, another study has warned.  Previous research has shown that children who watch a lot of TV are at risk of being overweight.  But this is the first to look specifically at the link between TV watching and obesity among five-year-olds, the authors claim. 

They are now calling for more stringent recommendations on how much television children should watch.  For the study, researchers analysed figures from 11,000 children who were in kindergarten during the 2011-2012 school year. As part of the study, lifestyle factors that could affect a child's educational performance were collected from parents, including the number of hours of TV children watched on weekdays and at weekends, and how often they used computers.  The children's weight and height were also measured. A year later, 10,853 of the children's height and weight were measured, and parents again were asked about their child's TV habits. The results showed that US kindergartners watched an average of 3.3 hours of TV a day.

Health experts currently recommend limiting children and teenagers to less than two hours of screen time each day to prevent obesity.  However, computer use was not associated with higher weight.  Study author Dr Mark DeBoer, associate professor of paediatrics at the University of Virginia, said: 'Given overwhelming evidence connecting the amount of time TV viewing and unhealthy weight, paediatricians and parents should attempt to restrict childhood TV viewing."

What is given above is the research findings in US – do you think that the situation is any different in India ?

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

29^th Apr 2015.

Another Super Over, another Kiwi loss - Wellington T20I

Who cares for the toss when there is Super Over ??

Perseverance and not-giving up can take one to greater heights – is what is often said .. .. no further proof than 3^rd & 4^th T20I at New Zealand.

Wellington  is the capital and second-most populous urban area of New Zealand.  It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. It is named after Wellesley – and here is some Indian connection !  Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852)  was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as Prime Minister. He won a notable victory against Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.  He was a colonel by 1796 and saw action in the Netherlands and in India, where he fought in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War at the Battle of Seringapatam. He was appointed governor of Seringapatam and Mysore in 1799 and, as a newly appointed major-general, won a decisive victory over the Maratha Confederacy at the Battle of Assaye in 1803. .. .. not a History post anyway ! ~ but on the dejection and despair of Kiwis and the way their Press has reacted !!

At Wellington today, India resting Rohit Sharma, Mohammad Shami and Ravi Jadeja  were 6- 88 in the 12^th  over before Manish Pandey and Thakur arrested the slide in a 43-run stand with Thakur contributing 20.  The target of 166 was well within range and looked all but achieved when NZ were steady in their chase.  After Jasprit Bumrah finished his spell, it was 11 runs required of 12 balls with 7 wickets in hand. It is only the team chasing that can win ! – there was Ross Taylor who has played more T20 matches than the rest of his combined .. .. Navdeep Saini bowled a great over giving away just 4 runs – yet it was 7 off six balls. 

Seven runs needed off six balls. Seven wickets in hand. Ross Taylor, who has played more T20 matches than the rest of his side combined, on strike. Surely, New Zealand couldn't lose from that kind of position again, right? Think again.

Bumrah finished,  no Shami today, and it was Shardul Thakur. Experienced Ross Taylor on strike – 7 wickets in hand. First ball, Taylor lofted it high, Shreyas Iyer covered distance and caught with both hands.  Daryl Mitchell comes to face his first ball, lofts over mid-off for a four. Just 3 needed off 4 with 6 wickets in hand. Next ball they tried sneaking a bye and KL Rahul hit the stumps at keeper’s end – Seifert had fallen short, after good 57 off 39 balls.  Santner came in, pulled the short ball for a single – 2 off 2. Thakur bowled a knuckle ball, Mitchell lofted it on the off – Shivam Dube completed another catch.  Last ball, Samson’s throw from deep caught Santner out after completion of a single – so yet another tie ! ~ a tie from a situation where they could not lose.

They lost again in the Super Over – and the NZ press was really screaming - Give the Black Caps some credit – at least they're finding innovative, entertaining ways to lose cricket matches. In a game which started in January and ended in February, New Zealand ushered in the new month by absurdly being beaten in yet another Super Over, for a second straight game.  After the horror in Hamilton, this time it was the wreck in Wellington, as the Black Caps lost four wickets in the final over to be consigned to another Super Over, where, surprise surprise, they lost again, succumbing to their fate at the appropriately nonsensical time of 12.10am, wrote Stuff.co.nz.

Only today, Black Caps coach Gary Stead defended his decisions during his side's dramatic Twenty20 Super Over defeat against India on Wednesday night.  On that day, Black Caps wasted a stunning innings from captain Kane Williamson at Seddon Park, being unable to score two runs from the final four balls of their chase of India's 179-5, and eventually heading to their third Super Over in six months. There, despite scoring 17 in their turn at bat, Tim Southee couldn't restrict India, with Rohit Sharma blasting two sixes when needing 10 off two balls to send New Zealand to another demoralising defeat, one which clinched the series for India.  Southee has now bowled in five Super Overs for New Zealand, losing his last four and conceding 13, 19, 17 and 20 runs in those losses. However, Stead wasn't about to second-guess the decision to back his senior bowler in the decider. "Tim sticks his hand up, he's very much a team-first player, he missed on a couple [deliveries] and if one hit the guy in the boot we wouldn't be having this conversation. That's the fine margins of the T20 game. The other strategic move that came under scrutiny in Hamilton was the elevation of Mitchell Santner to bat at number four. It didn't work, with Santner mustering just nine off 11 balls, but Stead explained that the surprise move was planned for the left-hander to try and change India's spin bowling strategies.

Today, all they  needed was three measly runs, from four measly balls, but the Black Caps completely butchered the final stages once more, crumbling down in an array of skied shots and run outs. Mitchell Santner required two runs off the final ball, but could only slap it to deep point for a single, and once the Super Over began, the Wellington crowd may as well have gone home.

Tim Seifert, Colin Munro and Ross Taylor made 13 from their allotted six balls – aided by two dropped catches – but for the fifth time in his career, Tim Southee couldn't come up trumps with the ball, as KL Rahul bashed 10 off the first two balls before Virat Kohli did the rest, taking another victory to go 4-0 up in a series which keeps getting worse for the Black Caps. Not only was the final over disastrous, and the Super Over worse, but it once again should never have got to that point. At one stage, the Black Caps needed just 12 from 14 balls, with seven wickets in hand, but they were unable to overhaul India's mediocre 165-8.

Despair of NZ is fully understood – what could have been 2-2 is now 0-4 for them.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

31^st Jan 2020.