uvari, Near thiruchendur

திருச்செந்தூர்-கன்னியாகுமரி நெடுஞ்சாலையில் அமைந்துள்ள சுயம்புலிங்க நாதர் திருக்கோயில் மிக அருமை வாய்ந்த தலமாகும். முதன்மைக் கடவுளான சிவன் இங்கு சுயம்புமூர்த்தியாக லிங்கவடிவில் உள்ளதால் இப்பெயர் வழங்கப்படுகிறது.

கடலோரத்தில் நான்கு நன்னீர் ஊற்றுக்கள் அமைந்துள்ளன. இவற்றிலிருந்து சுயம்புநாதருக்கு அபிஷேகத்திற்குத் தண்ணீர் கொண்டு செல்லப்படுவது மிகசிறப்பு வாய்ந்ததாகும்.


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Improve vocal intensity

Singing priest,’ Fr. (Dr) Paul Poovathingal explains the techniques

Vocology, the science and practice of voice rehabilitation, may be in a state of infancy in India but well developed and practised abroad. The Chetana National Institute of Vocology in Thrissur is one of the first of its kind and its director is Fr (Dr) Paul Poovathingal. The first Christian priest to obtain Ph.D. in Carnatic music from the University of Madras, Fr. Paul had his lessons in vocology under Prof Jeanne Goffi of the University of Columbia and Prof. Ingo R Titze, the director of the National Centre for Voice and Speech, Denver, the U.S.

Prof. Titze, acclaimed as a pioneer in the field, earned a diploma from the University of Iowa, Colorado. Back home in 2006, he founded the institute and opened a weekly clinic, where people with varied voice problems queue up to be treated, sans any surgery or medicines.

And the voice disorders apart from puberphonia, include those caused by vocal cord nodules, vocal cord paralysis, insufficient phonetory gap, ‘Spasmodic Dysphonia,’ muscle tension Dysphonia and vocal cord cancer as well as stammering. Paul ascribes all these to unscientific voice production.

Interestingly, Paul’s treatment is a blend of both Indian and western techniques. Voice is the manifestation of breath and once exercises for correct breathing is practised almost all problems can be remedied, he holds. Lung pressure therefore is of paramount importance for vocal intensity and stamina. This is judged by measuring the Maximum Phonation Duration (MPD). After holding the breath for some time, duration of exhale is checked using a stop-watch. While fifteen seconds is ideal, for singers, it has to be above twenty seconds.

Pranayama practised regularly for 15 minutes and voice warming up exercises for 12-20 minutes early in the morning on empty stomach improved MPD considerably. Pranayama of four kinds are insisted — Anuloma-viloma (alternate nostril breathing), Bastrika (bellow’s breath), Seethali (cooling breath) and Ujjayi (victorious).

Opening of the mouth fully several times helps the patient to unlock the Tempro Mandibular Joint (TMJ) of the jaw thereby reducing the tension in the chin muscles. The movements of the tongue are rendered effortless with exercises.

Production of the sound ‘shick’ helps to activate the abdominal muscles, the very origin of voice. And when done with rendering the vowels, it can help correct pronunciation as well. Artificial yawning creates more space in the pharynx which improves the quality of voice through resonance. Paul adds that Puberphonia is essentially psychological. Even after attaining the age of puberty, the patient’s subconscious mind retains the voice of his mother or women in the family and he imitates the same. This is a fall out of the falsetto muscles getting connected to the brain. The treatment involves reconditioning the vocal muscles through exercises and finally connecting them to the brain, which result in the production of typical matured voice.

Stammering is a phobia, which can be hereditary as well. Paul’s advice is to stop speaking and take a quick breath. This is repeated many times.

The patient is made to read a passage for 15 minutes so that the eye sight, syllables and the respiratory muscles get synchronised. The voice of a patient affected by Spasmodic Dysphonia lacks clarity and intensity. This happens when the nerves from the brain connected to the vocal cords are damaged. It is a neuro-vocal problem.

Paul is in constant touch with speech pathologists across the globe and has been introducing the latest breathing exercises like Lax Vox Voice Therapy (LVVT), which is the discovery of Dr. Marketta Sihvo of Finland, an acclaimed voice therapist. This involves singing or speaking through a straw so that the vocal cords can vibrate more freely. The straw phonation exercise is also the remedy for Semi-Occluded Voice Track (SOVT), arising from a narrow vocal track.

The clinic at Chetana is well equipped with modern gadgets. Only a few cases need more sittings whereas feedback from most of the patients, who exercise regularly are all praise for the ‘priest with a healing touch.’ The institute organises annual vocology workshops that are attended by voice professionals from many States.

Many are the ENT doctors who refer cases to Chetana as they have realised that surgery is ineffective. Veteran musicians have directed singers for treatment by Paul. Incidentally, Fr Paul is also a disciple of K.J. Yesudas in Carnatic music. Popularly known as the ‘Singing Priest,’ he presented concerts at the Rashtrapati Bhavan when A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was the President and also for M.S. Subhalakshmi in Chennai when he was a student of University of Madras.

Interestingly, the students of Chetana Music College, of which Paul is the founder-principal, follow the syllabus of his alma mater. A globe-trotting musician, he cured a voice patient in Milan, Italy during the last tour.

India’s first tree to bar chocolate

On World Chocolate Day, meet Karthikeyan Palaniswamy and Harish Manoj Kumar, who have just launched

“I have always been interested in food. I wanted to get into the food industry by the time I turned 40,” says Karthikeyan Palaniswamy, textile entrepreneur from Tiruppur who was also a gifted home chef and amateur mixologist. Two years ago, when he turned 40, he decided it was time to pursue his dream. His brother-in-law Harish Manoj Kumar was a third generation agriculturist who, for two decades, had been growing cocoa trees as inter-crop in the family’s plantation in the foothills of Anamalais. Between them, they decided to take the plunge into chocolate making. And that’s how Regal Chocolates came into being.

Harish started focussing on plant propagation, sustainable farming methods, harvesting, fermenting and drying of the cocoa beans while Karthikeyan took online courses, connected with the international craft chocolate-making community, visited craft chocolate makers around the world and learnt the fine art of chocolate-making. They started making small batches of chocolate bars and tested it among friends and family.

The process was tweaked based on feedback and they were finally ready with Regal Chocolate, a line of gourmet baking bars and couverture chocolate and Soklet, India’s first tree-to-bar chocolate. As the only participants from India at Chocoa Chocolate Show in Amsterdam earlier this year, Karthikeyan says, “We presented our gourmet chocolate bars, Soklet, here before launching it in India. The response was very favourable and we hope to put Soklet in store shelves in Europe soon.”

Soklet is a line of fine chocolate bars mostly dark but with a milk chocolate and blonde variation. The packaging, which draws inspiration from Kanchipuram sari borders, only reiterates their core theme of being local and regional. They do not use compounds, flavouring agents and preservatives in the bars and let the cocoa beans speak for themselves.

Chefs like Manu Chandra have acknowledged Regal Chocolate on their Instagram feed. Chandra describes the brownie dessert at Toast and Tonic restaunrat as “featuring Coimbatore Regal Chocolate in the most comforting way.”

On the eve of World Chocolate Day, Karthikeyan and Harish are excited about launching two new products: pure Dark Drinking Chocolate and Roasted Cocoa Nibs. “We are almost ready with a chocolate-and-nut spread that is made using unrefined sugar and will be a healthier alternative to similar products. For the festive season later this year, we will introduce chocolate truffles in a range of Indian flavours”, says an excited Karthikeyan.

Regal facts

Soklet bars come with 40%, 55%, 57%, 70% and 82% cocoa content. A bar of 50gm is priced at ₹220 onwards

Regal Chocolate bars come with 50%, 57%, 70% and 82% cocoa content. A bar of 200gm is priced ₹295 onwards

Depawali sweets at kalyana mandapam

Legendary wedding caterer LV Pattappa has set up his annual temporary kitchen in a wedding hall for Deepavali, drawing loyalists from across the city

Hemamalini Kalyana Mandapam in Royapettah is frantic with activity and blanketed in the scent of molten sugar. Sales counters, stacked with boxes of sweets and savouries, are busy as staff take orders from customers, ticking items off a printed list. As customers enter the hall, they are handed a list of the many sweets and savouries available in an attempt to streamline the process. Despite the business-like efficiency, the space is festive and welcoming. While customers wait to collect their boxes of neatly packaged goodies, they are served samples of everything being prepared in the kitchen. There’s also filter coffee on offer, and hot khichdi in case you’re hungry. All for free.

For the past 15 years, I have been setting up a Deepavali counter in this venue. This special counter, open for just five days a year. “The idea is to make traditional sweets the traditional way buy from here as the sweets are freshly made, unlike in other stores where it is all made few weeks ahead. “We also enjoy the delicious food served here. So it is an enjoyable outing

soapnut intiative to save water bodies

Citizens take a step back to save Bengaluru Bellandur lake

Several residents of Bellandur, famous for frothing waters, now use soapnut in place of factory chemicals

Seema Sharma, a Bellandur resident, buys soapnut and makes her own hair wash, laundry detergent and dish washer liquid. “There was awareness among certain groups earlier, but news of frothing lakes has spurred adoption. I use raw soapnut and soak or boil it for use. But there are also many ready-to-use alternatives available in Bengaluru,” she said.

Nut for all reasons

The freelance corporate trainer has been using only soapnut for a year to wash vessels, for mopping, laundry, and as a hair wash.

Her method is to soak around 50 nuts in five cups of water for 48 hours. The nuts turn soft and are crushed by hand. The solution with bioenzymes is used to clean vessels and in the washroom, she said.

Ms. Vishak buys 5 kg of the nut at ₹150 per kilo and uses it for a month-and-a half. The rise of alternatives has been steady. Bindhu Balasubramanian, founder, Go Rustic, which offers both raw and readymade products says, “From around 20 kg per month a year ago, the sale of soapnut is now 50 kg. But many people like readymade products. So we make it with a liquid-base,” she said.

Companies that offer ready-to-use alternatives, such as Rajendra Hegde’s Biological Research Innovation Centre and Solutions, are selling them in Bengaluru, Chennai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Kochi, Mumbai, Gurugram and New Delhi.

Ramprasad V., co-founder, Friends of Lakes, said that it was not possible to pinpoint the cause of the frothing, but the switch to natural chemicals could reduce nutrient content in water. “But people around Bellandur alone doing it will not help. It has to start from the beginning of the lake series and 80% of people must change,” he said.

The values of green ‘nendram podi’

Green nendram podi has been under our noses all this while, but it took the gluten-free movement to get us to notice its value

“How long do you plan on living?” I was asked recently, when I spoke about healthy flour alternatives. Well-meaning folks also tell me that I should eat whatever is served and I do… when I’m out. But at home, I follow as healthy a diet as possible.

Bananas produce a grain-free flour that has existed in South India for hundreds of years, except it was known as podi (powder). The green nendram podi is the latest entrant as a gluten-free flour around the world. Marketed as green banana flour, it is being picked up by chefs, bakers, people who cannot digest wheat products and those wanting to add nutrient-rich foods to their diet.

Baby booster

Dr Sarah Paul, a paediatrician who trained at CMC Vellore and is a former professor at PSG Medical College, Coimbatore, has been practising for 35 years. She recommends the porridge for babies above six months, as a weaning food. “It’s grown locally, is natural with no additives, high in starch and fibre, is very good for the gut and, most importantly, is hypoallergenic.” It’s the first step in ensuring a healthy diet.

Dr Antony Terance, a consultant paediatrician at GKNM Hospital, Coimbatore, says, “Raw banana powder is a good source of carbohydrates and potassium. The Kerala green bananas also have carotenoids, a precursor of vitamin A. Banana powder porridge with milk and ghee is nutritious.” Check with your paediatrician about when you can introduce this mix. The flour got a boost when nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar said on her Facebook page: “Banana flour works as a prebiotic (foods that promote healthy bacteria in your gut).”

Making the flour

Making the flour requires a fair bit of labour, lots of direct sunlight, and patience. It takes about eight-nine kilograms of green bananas to make one kilogram of flour, so it’s invariably more expensive than wholegrain flours.

Today, the flour is considered gourmet food and is available online for anywhere between ₹200-500 per kilogram, depending on the brand and manufacturing process. Just make sure you pick the ‘Made in India’ variety. The recent rain and wind uprooted a few of my banana trees. It seemed an opportunity to try our hand at making the banana flour. We dried the sliced green bananas to a crisp (we soaked the slices in water to prevent discolouration). The slices were then processed slowly in a blender. The resultant pale yellow flour is the colour of cornmeal and has a very mild aroma of banana. The flour cooks quickly, adds a lightness to pancakes, and pairs well with both sweet and savoury ingredients. It can be used as a substitute for wheat flour. The author is an organic farmer, who is passionate about creating awareness on local, seasonal produce

Nagapattanam Halwa Shop (kadai)

At 10 every morning, the chimes of Madurai Meenakshi Temple begin, for puja. Devotees make a beeline for darshan. Opposite the lofty West Tower there is another queue forming, in front of a small dingy sweet shop.

With a nondescript exterior, the shop bears a board that announces ‘Nagapattanam Halwa Kadai’ in bold letters, beneath which in small type is the keyword ‘Estd. 1901’.

Circular tray, loaded with steaming halwa inside a glass case, at the entrance. Trays of boondhi, mixture, pepper sev and onion pakodas are neatly arranged in a row over the next few minutes. At 10.30 am sharp, a silver tray of flavoursome potato masala is brought out. Fiery red in colour with traces of glistening oil on top, the dish looks inviting. Half-a-dozen of the pottalams for Rs10 each. 100-gram portion of the blobby-gooey, sugary delicacy, neatly served in a delicate mandharai leaf, for just Rs 20. The mandharai leaf keeps the masala fresh for a whole day and the halwa comes with a shelf life of 15 days. Our customers even pack the halwa for friends and relatives abroad.”