They know not what they eat

The street full of vendors, selling fruit and oily foods on Lake Area road off Valluvarkottam especially in the afternoons. And, who are the customers? Boys and girls, as there a number of schools in the area. 'Little do they know the harm these eats can do,' said a parent.

The vendors mostly sell guavas, slices of pineapple or when in season, mangoes. And nowadays nagapazham. Usually they are not very ripe and chilli powder and salt are added. 'This gives the fruit and tangy taste,' said some of the children, and their elders too. It is fun for the youngsters, and at that age who is bothered about health or hygiene?

True, maybe, but the school administration ought to take steps to drive these vendors away and tell the pupils that it not good to eat anything not covered or cooked outside, for the oil, especially will not be of good quality. 'Another thing, if the vendors are not around, the children will not be able to buy all that stuff,' said some parents.

All the vendors keep the slices of fruit in a basin, exposed, and our roads are full of dust. 'What happens when a lorry passes by, and there are so many puddles and garbage heaps on the road? Need anyone say where the flies come from?' said some of the parents at the gate of Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan. They had come to take their children home.

The cost is not much, for the children. A guava or a slice of pineapple may be got for Rs 2. Some said they got health problems. 'Once I got a stomach ache and diarrhoea eating the spicy fruit and after that I stopped,' said Selvi, a student.

C.Muniappan, Principal of Chennai school, said, 'We have told the students not to buy and eat from the vendors. The problem is once out of school hours we can't control them.Whenever vendors come and sell near the gate of the school, we chase them away. But they keep coming back. It is for the parents to make their children aware of the unclean fruit slices.'

The vendors selling unhygienic fruits in front of the schools are not a rare case, you can see a plenty of vendors near the schools all over Kerala and Tamilnadu(I been to this places only) It is the duty of parents to make aware of children about the importance of having hygienic food.

(Courtesy: Nungambakkam Talk)

Story of a bicycle teacher

The saplings he planted years back are now big trees, giving shade to many. However, the life of the man who planted them remains the same . This social activist, goes everywhere on his cycle and is popularly known as 'bicycle teacher'. When one calls him by his nick name, he turns back and says 'this is my scooter'. The wheels of the life of Shanmuga Sundaram have followed a Gandhian way over the 50 years.

Speaking to Talk Media he said ' my parents are my motivators. My mother taught me the meaning of ' kindness' through her deeds and I learned the importance of hard work from my father'

After completing schooling in Arcot, his home town, and was a teacher there for two years. He learned Gandhian way of living through a training programme. In 1963 he joined Chennai Boys School as a teacher.

The man who is always seen in white attire has introduced meditation and mid day meal scheme in his school and was appreciated and followed by other schools in the city. 'Most of the students of schools run by the Corporation were from the lower strata of society without anyone to care and guide them. 'That made me to take teaching as a profession in Chennai.' said Shanmuga Sundaram. He had also planted trees and maintained a beautiful garden in the school for which he was appreciated by the then Governor.

Even after his retirement as a headmaster in 1995, he didn't deviate from his path of encouraging the students, He added ' whenever I come to know about the achievements of school children, I go to their home and give them small gifts to encourage them'

He believes that a social activist should give importance to the moral values of life.'A social activist should follow a peaceful way to help the community.They should be simple and humble with a service oriented mind' said the retired teacher.

According to him, family has a vital role in shaping an individual. 'Family is the root, first serve the family, then state, nation and finally the world. Our life should benefit society as well as family. Thirukural learning has taught me to respect everyone 'added Shanmugam who is a member of Tirukural Sangam Literature Association.

He was awarded Best Teacher Award in 1986 by the state government. He was honored as the National Best teacher in 1989. He was also rewarded Tamilnadu Parents Teacher Silver Jubilee Award, Rotary Vocational Award and Asiriyar mani Exnora Award.

Just at that time his wife Lakshmi Kantha brought us some steaming coffee. She was all smiles seeing her husband being interviewed. 'He is happy,' she said,' for it brings back old memories. He loves those old days, they were happy times and more than anything else, he is full of satisfaction that he was able to do his bit to society.'

Shanmugam got up, for he said he had another engagement. 'My wife has inspired me a lot by providing ample support and encouragement' he said. Shanmuga Sundaram lives near Valluvar Kottam with his daughter.

(Courtesy: Nungambakkam Talk)

First days at Chennai

'Chennai- one of the metropolitan cities of India.' this is what I knew about the place when I got a job in the city.Gradually I got chances to know each and every heartbeat of the city as well as the lives.

First I would say about the inmates here..I have seen lots of pretty faces as well as the weird ones .. both of them gave me astonishment... As one part of the generation is having a grand life the other part is struggling to make their ends meet. Chennai showed me the extreme opposites lives.. It showed me the amazing lifestyle of the people on one end and the people who are starving for bread on the other end.. Some have luxurious houses and cars and for some the railway station platforms are their heaven.

Once I got a chance to visit to an IT firm, which was in Thiruvanmiyur, (the place is an IT hub). When I reached there, for a second I was confused about where am I ? Is this also a part of Chennai? It was just amazing!!!!Chennaities can be proud of themselves.

The very next week after this visit, I went to Pallavan nagar Slum as part of my assignment.. and the scene of the slum... Words are not enough to explain the life of the people there..Dwellings near the dirty and stinky Coovam river gave me a shock! This is also another face of Chennai..One can see such slums even near the marina beach also. The beauty of Marina
will make one say Wow...wonderful! and the sight of slum near the Beach.. Oops.. My God!

Hmm.. fine will move to the second one- the city!
Chennai has got world second longest street: Mint street of Sowcarpet. India's best eye hospital is in Chennai only: Sankara Nethralaya. Marina is the second largest beach in the world (no credible evidence). You know which is Asia's biggest bus terminal? It is also in Chennai- CMBT(37 acres). And it is the city with maximum temples.

Other than that the city has got lots of Shopping malls (Just like the other cities) and more new malls are coming day by day, and movie theatres,and lots of parks.. another interesting part about Chennai is that even the people who born and brought up here don't know all places in the city,so it is full of fun to travel in the city...

And forget about another thing..about the auto drivers.. Though the autos have the meter, they are not supposed to use it (By the law made by auto drivers for the auto drivers), and the charge of the auto depends on You-the traveler-- If you can manage tamil very well, you can bargain with them and can reach in a conclusion of affordable rate for the ride,otherwise no way!
yeah.. thats it about Chennai! :)

Keep yourself away from Alzheimers

Recently I went for a seminar in Chennai as a part of my assignment.The topic was quite interesting (may be you won't like but I liked)- 'Ageing brain! who at risk'. The lecture was delivered by Mr. Ralph Martins, a Professor in Ageing and Alzheimers Disease (AD),Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia.

It was an amazing speech, in which he explained about his experiences in his field.On his presentation he mentioned about one of his patient, a 33 year old lady with two kids. Just imagine yourself in place of her? Instead of leading a happy life with her husband and children in such a young age, her life is in its extreme opposite.. she sometimes won't remember them, recognise them... She would be in some other world almost all the time...

The most worst part about the disease is that till now the science is not able to find out a proper diagnosis method for it and a proper treatment to stop the progression of it. The recent studies showed that blood test and the testing of retina of eye may help to an extent to find out the disease in the initial levels. The amount of Apolipoprotein E in the blood would be in a low level in AD patients.

And how one can reduce the possibility of getting the disease? There is only one answer for that- Do a lot of exercise. Maintain a lot of physical activities,social engagement,mental stimulation and nutritious diet which would give you a healthy brain with less amount of amyloid, which is a major cause for the disease. Fruits like pomegranate, green tea, fish and curcumin can also act as anti-amyloid agents.


Do you know how the disease got its name?

German physician Alois Alzheimer presented the case of “Frau Auguste D.,” a 51-year-old woman brought to see him in 1901 by her family at a scientific meeting in November 1906,. Auguste had developed problems with memory, unfounded suspicions that her husband was unfaithful, and difficulty speaking and understanding what was said to her. Dr. Alzheimer studied about the disease and published his observation. In 1910 the disease was named after Alzheimer.

Locked up in wedlock

(This is a story for which I did a lot of hardwork and spend lots of time. Till now no other story of mine has given the satisfaction for me as this one gave.. I desperately wanted to publish it..But unfortunately no newspaper was there to help me to publish this work)

Haseena bears an indignant look, as though nothing matters any more. On prodding, she opens up, hesitantly. Her life took a bitter turn when she was married to a man employed in the Gulf. She was in her pre-degree class, and he was half as educated as her.

Though she had dreams of a good job, she gave in. However, an inner call prompted her to apply for a government job. But when she got it, her husband asked her to dump the idea. She complied meekly, to return with domesticity. “What could I have done?” asks Haseena.

Malappuram in North Kerala is home to many like her, with frozen ambitions leading a life of slavish submission to tradition and patriarchy. A 2001 census figure says12,47,419 women, of the total Muslim population of 24, 84,576, in the district are unemployed. This means 50 per cent of Muslims or nearly the entire lot of women, all when the literacy rate among the women in the district is a staggering 85.5 per cent. The female work participation rate here is an abysmal 6.6 per cent. Drop out rate among high school girls is very high, and so is teenage marriage and early childbirth.

The average age for marriage of Muslim girls from the area is 15, though the age is now slightly up, to 21. Yet a girl who has crossed 23 is considered “beyond marriageable age’. A survey in Nilambur district shows that there are about 1,265 girls, who couldn’t get married for having crossed the ‘marriageable age’. There is very little likelihood of such girls getting a good match, which, by popular standards, is a Gulf-employed groom.

Parents of brides proudly proclaim their prospective son-in-law “is in the Gulf”, as though no other qualification could match up to that. Islamic laws do not require a girl’s consent for fixing her marriage; her father can choose her partner. “The first marriage of a girl can be made according to the wishes of the father. The consent of girls is not important by the laws of the Koran,” says A.P. Abdulkhader, an Arabic Pandit.

Many of the marriages are held even without the knowledge of the girl. “One of my students got married so suddenly, within two days. The proposal came a Thursday and the marriage was on the following Saturday,” says Juby, a teacher in Ansar College in the district. Most of the girls are married off while they are studying and are forced to quit studies once married.

Hasna is one such who was promised chance to study only to drop out after marriage. “I had to obey my parents. So I married, and my husband’s family said it will let me study, but after marriage, I had to quit my UG course half way,” she says.

According to the Sharia, a girl who has reached puberty is fit to be married. (Yet the law does not stipulate an age for marriage of girls.) Muslim society takes this as cue to get its girls married off early, to evade the huge dowry a girl above ‘the marriageable age’ invites. Increase in wedding expenses and the shooting price of gold add to this trend. Another reason is the low marriage age of men. Most become fathers of one or two by 25. So girls who prefer to study after graduation will find getting married difficult. “The laws force her to adjust to the life of a housewife,” says Laila, a college lecturer. The men are so less educated as compared to women, prompting them to deny their wives access to higher education or a job. “I have a job and can look after my wife. I married her for looking after my family and my parents, so there is no need for her money,” says Shamsudeen, who works in a company.

Yet the laws are such that the women end up feeling insecure, as even her position as a wife is dependent largely on her husband, who can divorce her at his whim and fancy. “The laws do not give any guarantee to the Muslim women,” says Aryadan Shoukath, an MP and filmmaker. The situation now is a tad better now than before when all studies a Muslim girl could do was till 4th or 5th grade of a Madrassa. Now they are at least allowed to complete school. And there are some positives of the Gulf trend. “The women can pursue their higher studies while their husbands are away,” says
Irudaya Rajan S, Professor, Unit of International Migration, CDS. For Shahna, the Gulf syndrome was quite a boon. Her husband wanted her to pursue her studies but her mother-in-law tried playing the spoilsport. “She doesn’t like me going to college in bus from their home.

Neither can I take a cab or auto,” Shahna says. But she braved the odds, and continued to study from her home. “Now the course is over, and I joined in an auto CAD center as a trainee. My mother-in-law-law doesn’t know that. I now plan to go to Dubai with my husband. He will find me a job there,” she says with glee.

Schemes like Government of Kerala’s Akshaya computer literacy scheme and IGNOU’s community college, started in Nilambur Panchayat, have given women the opportunity to set pace to their stuck-up lives. The strength of IGNOU college is 125, of whom 50 are women who were ‘too old to get married’. “Islam does not forbid women from working, but they have to be dressed according to the Sharia,” Abdulkhader says.

Traditions and patriarchal motives are thus eating into the rights of women to be free individuals. Even when man feasts on silicon chips and water on moon.
(Some names have been changed to protect identity)

Warning: swine flu again

It looks as if it is the swine flu season again . The people are worried, though vaccines are available in the market. Although the name 'swine flu' strikes fear and anxiety, it is just an influenza, a H1N1 virus, which can be treated with additional care.

The main symptoms are high fever, unlike the seasonal flu where the patient has cough, a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, body ache, headache, chills, fatigue or tiredness, diarrhea and vomiting.

The reports of deaths in the city have made people more concerned and they are extra careful, said a doctor. 'For the past one week the number of people registering for the vaccination has increased much. People are more concerned about the swine flu now' says a worker in a private medical centre, Nungambakkam.

Most people are confused about the initial symptoms of the disease. 'My younger daughter got fever last week with symptoms of swine flu and when we took her hospital, for a check up, it was proved as seasonal flu.The problem is most of the symptoms for the both are the same' says Rathna, a housewife.

Health authorities of the state launched a mass vaccination programme last Monday, and this proved to be a good step. A large number of local residents got themselves vaccinated, they bought the vaccine sold at subsidised rates. 'I thought of getting the vaccine from a private hospital,which would cost around Rs 350, but before registering with the hospital, the government launched its vaccination programme, which has to be appreciated' said Murugan,a shopkeeper.

Coming to the precautionary measures... Doctors say: cover your nose and mouth whenever you cough or sneeze. If it is tissue see that you throw it in the trash. Swine flu spreads by direct contact with respiratory secretions of someone who is sick and were coughing and sneezing near you.Take extra care with such persons. Wash your hands, preferably with a disinfectant.

(Courtesy: Nungambakkam Talk)

Objects of yore are still gold

Once upon a time they were symbols of pride --- bronze lamps, HMV gramophones, Tiffany lamps and grandfather clocks --- representing regal status.

After the 90s, bronze lost its sheen so did the light around these objects, the gramophone faded away and tiffany lamps faded into oblivion. As the young generation started to throw them away or put them in a place occupied by junk material.

But now the golden period is staging a comeback. The antique clocks, lamps and furniture are in demand these days. 'Father buys a product, son throws it out and grandson buys it again.' This is how the demand for antique goods has risen, said a shopkeeper dealing with antique goods. 'I started collecting pens 20 years ago and now I have around 500 pens in my collection. Later I started an antique clock shop,' said Ajith Kumar running a shop in Spencer Plaza.

''We have agents who help us find the antiques, we sell it to collecters and customers. It is difficult to win the trust of the customers as a lot of duplicate stuff comes up in the marketplace,' added Ajith.

Grandfather clocks and gramophones which have a very long histroy from mid- 1700s are now being using as a decorative piece in the mantle of the houses, hotels, offices etc. The tiffany lamp has proved that still it has its royal look.

'People still come to us for restoration of the old clocks. The cost of renovation depends on the condition of the product.' said Sudhakar working in an antique shop on Pantheon Road. 'Since there is a demand for the products, we collect them and sell them,' added he

One can get a gramophone for Rs 1,500- Rs 2000, it all depends on the size, condition of the product and antiquity, he added.

'I've been collecting coins. I have spent a lot of money and time on this, It's more or less a hobby.The satisfaction and delight that I experience after adding a new coin to my collection can't be explained.' said Haris a coin collecter.

Both the dealers and collecters agree that the decorative pieces should be maintained properly, only then it will have value. Today online antique shopping centres help to sell or buy antiques or collectibles.The city itself has around 30 shops dealing with antiques.

To buy a real antique, the customers have to approach a reputable dealer who has been in the business for many years and there are lots of websites and catalog books available in the market to give guidelines to buyers.For example Bronze fakes are often made of cast iron with a bronze plate. Magnets will easily stick to these items. If it sticks, it's not bronze!

Nobody know what is the reason behind the people's interest in purchasing antiques. 'Lifestyle is like a circle. The taste of people keeps changing every 20-30 years. So they will reach to the old point again and again. Maybe they have reached the era of gramophones and grandfather clocks, said Ajith.

(Courtesy: Newstoday)