Information Laboratory

Deepavali/Diwali- The Fesival of Lamps

2011-10-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

In India different festivals are celebrated throughout the year. Deepavali/Diwali or The Fesival of Lamps is the biggest festival of India. Since it is due next week, I will describe it in brief here.
Deepavali/Diwali is celebrated in the Ashwin month of indian traditional calender. Deepavali/Diwali is the fesival of Havest. There are many legends for celebration of Deepavali/Diwali. It is for the celebration of Victory of God Rama over Ravana. In Deepavali/Diwali, Shri Lakshmi, Godess of abundance is worshipped for her blessings.
In Sanskrit, Deep means Lamp and Avali means Row. Hence the name Deepavali. During Deepavali/Diwali in mornings and evenings earthen lamps and colourful paper lanterns adorn each household and shops.
Let the coming Deepavali/Diwali bring Happiness and Prosperity to the whole world.

Cherish The Beauty Of Flowers

2011-09-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

Here is one Legend.

'There is a plenet out there in a galaxy. There are people but not a single Flower. People on that planet always say,"There are Flowers on Planet Earth; People on Planet Earth must be very HAPPY".'

The Beauty of flowers is far reaching. Let us Cherish it to Bloom our Lives.

Sane Guruji's Lesson for Teachers

2011-09-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

Late Prof. Pandurang Sane was affectionately called as Sane Guruji. Guruji means Teacher in Hindi and Marathi. He was a Famous Author, Popular Teacher, Great Social Activist and Respected Freedom Fighter from Maharashtra, India.

Everyday, Sane Guruji used to write fresh notes of the subject to teach in the class. Once his friend told him,"Guruji, you are teaching the same subject all these years.Then use your old notes to teach in the class. Why are you wasting time everyday to make fresh notes of the same subjects and topics?".

Sane Guruji answered,"My students are my GOD. I have to present them fresh offerings (Naiwedyam)".

Fast, Easy Yet Tasty 4

2011-09-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Tomato Salad

Salad is called Koshimbir in Marathi and Kachumbar in Hindi. The word denotes that the vegetables are cut in small pieces. In Marathi culture most of the food items are served in small portions in a big round plate (Thali) in the beginning at the time of lunch or dinner. Here Koshimbir is placed at the left side in the Thali. Different types of Salads are made. Now we will read how Tomato Salad is made.

Ingradients

2 Cups (Tomato Cut in small pieces)

1/2 Cup (Onion Cut in small pieces)

1Banana (Peeled & Cut in small pieces)

1Tablespoon Peanut Powder

1 Teaspoon Lemon juice

1Teaspoon Salt

Procedure

Mix all the ingradients and serve the Tomato Salad.

Tomato is supposed to have high nutritive value. It fulfills appetite, hence Tomato has place in Weight-Loss Diets. Onion is supposed to cool the body system. Banana is a good source of minerals and supposed to relieve Stomach Acidity.

Fast, Easy Yet Tasty 3

2011-09-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

Carrot Salad

Ingradients

1 Cup Grated Carrot

1Tomato (Cut in small pieces)

1Tablespoon Peanut Powder

1Teaspoon Lemon juice

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Sugar

Procedure

Mix all the ingradients and the Carrot salad is ready to serve.

Carrot is supposed to have high nutririve value.. Carrot is called Gajar in Marathi and Hindi.

Always Be Happy

2011-09-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

My Music teacher used to say, "Sing or play musical instrument everyday. Because God likes all people but he loves Cheerful people".

Marathi Saint Late Shree Nisargadatta Maharaj told his disciples,"Saints always stay in the state of happiness".

Happiness is the natural human instinct. If you try to be happy in the face of adverse calamities, you are surely going to overcome them.

Let Happiness bring more happiness in our of life.

Vinoba Bhave's Lesson in Ecology

2011-09-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

Late Mr.Vinoba Bhave was a practising Philosopher and a great Gandhian. His Movement of Bhoodaan (Donation of land from rich land owners to poor farmers) had tremendous success in India.

One day a small child asked him, "What is the benefit of wild animals like tiger and lion to us, humans".

Smiling at the curious child, Vinobaji answered, " The benefit of wild animals like tiger and lion to humans, is for us to understand that this Earth is not created for the benegfit of just us, humans only,

Fast, Easy Yet Tasty 2

2011-09-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

Raddish Salad

Ingradients

1/2 Tablespoon Oil

1 Teaspoon Cumeneseeds

1 Cup Grated Raddish

1/4 Cup Yogurt

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Procedure

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumeneseeds When Cumeneseeds start sputtering, stop heating.Add this seasoning to the mixture of grated raddish, yogurt and salt. Mix and serve.

Note - Intead of oil, butter can be used to enhance taste. 1/2 Teasspoon of Sugar can be added. Instead of Yogurt, 1 Teaspoon of Lemon jiuce will give a tangy taste.

In our Marathi culture Raddish is supposed to have diuretic and digestive property. Raddish is called Mula in Marathi and Hindi.

Modesty is One of the Best Policies.

2011-09-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

After doing my Masters in Chemistry, I started teaching in a degree college. Then I decided to go in research field. On my last day of teaching in college, one senior Professor told me, "Where ever you go Madame, do not leave your simplicity". The Profeesor was a man of few words. So I always remembered his words and tried to be simple in many of the aspects of my life.

Once I was reading and experimenting with the famous book "I Ching". In the end it was written,

"Only Modesty Will Win".

Recently, We experienced the Dance of Hurricane Irene. In my Marathi culture there is a saying, "Mahapure (In high floods) Zade (trees) Jati (Go to dust), Tethe (At that time) Lavale (Moss) Wachati (Lives). It means proud and rude people have few friends at the time of calamity, but A Modest Person has whole world as his friend all the time.

Recitation Power of India

2011-08-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

India, a developing nation, is on the path of spectacular progress. India's success is attributed to its large population of educated human resource. Behind this academic excellence lies the ancient Power of Recitation.

The dictionary meaning of recitation is "Presentation of Memorised material". The most ancient composition in India is Rigveda. From time immemorial, Vedas were memorised and recited. In modern times also, right from school, students are encouraged to succeed in Recitation Competitions. Examinar evaluates their performances, primarily on two criteria: flawless recitation ability and the robust memory power to pick the verses at random on the discreetion of the examinar.

Recitation enhances memory. It helps in acquiring acedemic excellence.The ingrained Power of Recitation is a tool for brain exercise. It is one of the foundations of Brainy India.

Fast, Easy Yet Tasty 1

2011-08-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

Banana Milk (Shikran)

I am starting my cookery posts with a recipe of white colour. In India,white coloured recipes are thought to be Auspicious. Banana tree is supposed to be the symbol of Abundance. Sweets are distributed at any Joyous occasion. In Marathi language this recipe is called "Shikran". This recipe brings back to me my childhood memories. Because Banana Milk is loved by children back in Maharashtra, India.

Ingradients

1 Mediumsized ripe Banana

1 Cup milk

1 Teaspoon Sugar

Procedure

Peel and cut Banana in small pieces. Add them to a cup of milk. Add sugar. Mix together. Shikran is ready.

Shikran is eaten with Chapati in Maharashtra. It can be eaten with bread or as breadspread. According to my culture Banana has digestive property and it alliviates stomach acidity.

Fast, Easy Yet Tasty.

2011-08-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

As I have described in my Blogpost "The Flavour of the Meal of India", the indian meal tends to be spicy and tasty. Therefore there is a general feeling that Indian Cuisine is very elaborate and complicated. I am a Scientist and a working mother. I have devised many recipes which are fast and easy to make yet Savoury.

From tomorrow I will explain to you my own recipes. These recipes are easy to cook and fast to save your precious time. They are rooted in the vibrant culture of India. Therefore they will be tasty to savour.

My Ultimate Goal of Life

2011-08-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

I am a common ordinary person. I have taken Doctorate level education. I toil daily to earn my bread. I have a family and a friend circle to fulfill my emotions. Then what else I want in my life?

I am from India. I am born and raised in Marathi community of the Indian state named Maharashtra. We have an ancient following of Marathi Saints. Saint Tukaram was a great Saint. In one of his Spiritual poem, he says my ultimate goal is "Shevatcha (Last) Dees (Day) Goda Vawa (Should be Sweet)".

The meaning is all our deeds should be on the right path. When we will leave this mortal world we should not have any repentions. That is the ultimate goal of my life. My last day should be happy.

One of the Benefits of Meditation

2011-08-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

There are several Benefits of Meditation. Meditation is supposed to help in acquiring Health and Wealth.

In simple terms Meditation is defined as Focussed Mental Attention on any Word, Sentence, Mantra or Picture.

Many people say that attaining Meditation is difficult. But I will say all of us normal people do Meditation many times in our day today life. I will elaborate on this by my experience.

About ten years ago I shifted my house twice and in that process I lost one very precious document. I could not locate where I kept it. Many times I tried to recollect but invain. One week passed and I was travelling in a bus on a 40 minute route. In an unknown crowd, I found myself alone. Again the topic of that lost document appeared in my mind.and I started meditating on it. After about two minutes a cupbord with a side table in our living room flashed in my mind. Was it the answer to my Meditation? I went home and found the precious document in that sidetable in our living room.

Even you must have similar experiences with Meditation in your daily life. If you have any concern in your life just meditate on it and you will geta positve direction. Best of luck for the Journey of Meditation.

Heal Your Mind with Buddha's Enlightenment

2011-08-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

From my primary school onwards, I was always reading about Buddha's Enlightenment. The Buddhism has its roots in Buddha's Awakening. I read many History and Philosophy books to find out what is Buddha's Enlightenment? I tried to understand the meaning of Buddha's Enlightenment. I have used his Phisophy in my own way to heal my mind in the time of sorrow and loss.

Buddha's Enlightenment preached me " Your Body and Mind should always travel together. When the wound on your body healed, you forgot the pain it gave you, Your body in the present does not feel the pain in the past. Then why are you dwelling in your mind on the unhappy events happened in the past? Try always to keep your mind in the present along with your body. If you brood on your losses, more losses will follow."

This meaning of Buddha's Enlightenment has helped me overcome unhappiness in my life. It has helped me to remain optimistic about my future, I wish all my readers will experience the same.

Thank You Buddha.

The Divine Blessings of Reiki

2011-08-03T13:16:00.000-07:00

Reiki is Life Force Energy. It has its origin in ancient culture of India. Reiki was revived by the great sage Mikao Usui of Japan.

Reiki is taught in three levels. First level is for self healing. Second level is for distant healing and third level is for becoming ReikiMaster.

Reiki helps in attaining health, wealth and spirituality. Practice of Reiki makes a person more Human.

To acquire the bliss of Reiki, try to follow these five principles, everyday.

1]Just for today work hard

2]Just for today be kind to other

3]Just for today be grateful

4]Just for today do not worry

5]Just for today do not anger

Three Sides of Success Pyramid

2011-07-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

We all want success in all our walks of life. Many paths lead to success in achieving goals. The new age science of self- development is eager to help you with Affirmations, REIKI, Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), Pranic Healing and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) etc. These are very powerful methods. I will go into details of these techniques later on. Let us ponder on this thought that before these techniques became popular, people were still becoming successful in many ways. What was their Success Pyramid based on?

When I meditated deeply on this question, I remembered three great personalities of human history. Their Success Pyramid is based on three important sides.

1] Burning desire - One should have burning desire enough to give up comfort zone and push limits of capabilities to the maximum. Alexander became Alexander, The Great; because he had the burning desire in him to CONQUER the WORLD.

2] Meticulous Planning - All round planning helps in making every endevour a success. Sir Winston Churchill was a great historian. His knowledge of historical battles and wars made him plan such a strategy that he summoned victory in second world war.

3]Continuous Action - Dreams will turn into reality when action based on burning desire and meticulous planning is implemented. Learn from failure and take correct path for success. Salt movement of Mahatma Gandhi is an example of preplanned action.

If we also incorporate all these three attributes in our life, every goal will be achievable.

A Flavour of the Meal of India

2010-06-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

India is famous for its rich variety of food.Indian spices enhance the taste and flavour of the food. India is a subcontinent having 28 states. It has diverse cultures and traditions. These have put forth innumerable variety in the indian culinary habits.

Now, with globalization inside the doorstep, indian tastebuds are comfortable with Chinese, thai, italian etc, cuisines.Yet, average Indian meal is rice, dal (curry), chapati/roti (bread), rayata (salad) and dessert. The Indian meal is almost complete with most of the nutrients required by human body.
Rice is rich in carbohydrates.Variety of rice is cultivated in India. Similarly, numerous recipes of rice dishes are prepared. Different regions pride in their own versions of rice recipes. In northern parts, rice is cooked with vegetables/chicken/fish and flavoured with spices to prepare biryany or pulav. South Indian rice galore is full with lemon rice, tamarind rice, tomato rice, curd (yogart) rice etc.
Indian bread that is chapati or roti is made everyday fresh.It is full with carbohydrates and vitamins.Chapati is made from wheat. Usually, it is made using little of oil.Roti is oilfree.It is made from dough of cereal flour with water.In northern parts of India,Parathas are made by stuffing boiled potato or radish in chapati.Sweet varieties of chapati are popular in western and southern parts of India.They are called puranpoli or sugarpoli.
Dal (curry) is full in proteins. This tasty fluid is prepared by cooking pulses with various types of spices.Its aroma is enhanced by adding vegetables/egg/chicken.Not only states,but subregions also have their very own recipes of curries.
Vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals.Bounty of vegetables are grown in India.They are cooked with spices.Delicious dishes of vegetables are served with rice and chapati.
Different types of Rayata (salad) are made using cucumber, tomato, onian seasoned with yogart or lemon.Fruit salad is also popular.Spicy pickles are prepared using raw mango or lemon. Oilless pickles are also prepared. Fried snacks, steamed starters and boiled eggs are served as side dishes.On special ocassions like weddings and festivals, numerous sweet dishes are cooked.They are made using dairy products, sugar/jaggery and flours of pulses. These sweets are known as ladu, pedha, gulabjamun, halawa, kheer etc.
Apple juice, mango juice and watermelon juice quench thirst in hot summer.The indian meal is generally finished with a glass of buttermilk.The meal is eaten with the belief that it is a gift from god. The person serving it, is blessed with gratitude.This is just a bird, tasting the meal of India. It will be relished recipywise in future articles.

A Gentle Look at Naturopathy

2010-06-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

Naturopathy is a medical science of Mother Nature. Human being is an offshoot of nature. Therfore man should live in conjuction with nature. Nature is made up of.five principles; earth, water, fire, wind and light. So is man. Imbalance of these principles give rise to disease.

The knowledge of natural healing was being developed from ancient times; yet in nineteenth century, naturopathy was given proper shape as a medical science. Credit for advancement in naturopapathy goes tonaturopaths like Franz Messemer [Magnetic Therapy - 1810] Vincent Presnitz [Modern Hydro-therapy - 1830] Sebastian Kneip [Modern Hydro-therapy - 1850] Emmanuel Felke [Mud Therapy - 1880] Taylor Still [Osteopathy - 1901] Louis Kuhne [Foreign Matter Theory - 1907] etc. Dr. Louis Kuhne, author of the book "New Science of Healing andDr. Henry Lindhar, author of the book "Basic Principles & Practice of Nature Cure", dedicated their lives in finding natural solutions for the diseased humanity.

Naturopathy is a way of life. Simple natural living conditions lead to healthy body, mind and soul. Proper natural diet and regular exercise are advocated by naturopathy. The natural lifestyle of early to bed and early to rise is sponsored by naturopathy.

Naturopathy stands on five basic Principles: More alkalinity (75%) and less Acidity (25%) is must for any cell to live a longer life; hence consume alkaline food."Accumulation of toxic matter in the system is the cause of Disease", so avoid toxic accumulation. Germs and Viruses cannot attack an energetic body. Man is made up of what & how he eats; so let "Food be your medicine".

Alongwith proper natural diet and regular exercise, cleansing of body system through natural methods is required to achieve health and longer Life. These methods are: Enema - To clean bowels, Steam bath - To clean through skin, Fastings - To clean the entire system.

Naturopathy encompasses all natural healing systems. Some important branches of naturopathy are; Natural Dietetics [Therapeutic effects of food used as medicine], Hydrotherapy [More than 100 types of baths, poultices and fomentation methods], Chromo therapy [Treatment with colors, for e.g. Blue as anti-inflammatory, Red as anti-spasmodic and yellow for digestive system]. Massages [Naturopathic massage includes Shiatsu, acupressure and other techniques] and Mud therapy [Different types of packs are used for treating many chronic skin diseases such as eczema].

Mahatma Gandhi read a book by a reknowned naturopath.He was greatly impressed by principles of naturopathy. At that time, his son was suffering from typhoid. Mahatma Gandhi treated him with naturopathy. The success of treatment developed more faith in naturopathy.In 1946, Mahatma Gandhi established Nature Cure Institute at Uralikanchan, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Mahatma Gandhi was a staunch follower of Naturopathy. He developed many new techniques of treatment. Mud-therapy and Massage were his favourite naturopathic treatments. He himself had a glowing skin due to daily massage with lemon rind.He used to treat patients, as a practicing naturopath. Slowly, Mahatma Gandhi was successful in making naturopathy popular in india.
The simplicity of naturopathy makes it cost effective medical science.

With more research and development, naturopathy will be popular in the entire world. Follow Naturopathy, Conserve Health.

A Glance at Yoga

2010-05-31T10:09:00.000-07:00

Yoga is practiced in India since ancient times. The word Yoga has root in Sanskrit verb ‘Yuj’ means to unite. Through Yoga, man unites with god. This process was described in eight (ashta) parts (ang) by Patanjali. This sage developed ‘Ashtang Yoga’.

The eight yogic steps devised by Patanjali are as follows.1] Yam (general moral code) 2] Niyam (personal moral code) 3] Asana (Yogic posture)4] Pranayam (Yogic breathing) 5] Pratyahara (controlling of senses) 6] Dharana (controlling of senses) 7] Meditation (concentration of mind) and 8] Samadhi (salvation).

For ages, practice of Yoga was confined within ascetics aspiring spiritual bliss.In early twentieth century, Swami Kuvalayananda simplified Yoga for commom man.The third step, Asana or yogic posture and Kriyas (yogic actions) have become very popular. The practice of Yogasanas is done as everyday ritual for fitness.They are also used as yogic therapy. Patanjali described Asana as Sthir (stable) Sukha (comfortable) Asana (posture) in which man should seek Samadhi. Many sages developed different types of Asanas.

Practice of Asanas is different in many ways from Practice of exercise. Postures of exercise are fast. Yogasanas are performed in slow rhythm. Exercise tones body. Goal of exercise is fitness through muscle building.Yogasanas tone endocrine system. Their goal is fitness of body, mind and soul. After doing exercise, we feel energetic. Yoga stores energy and gives kalming effect.

For a layman, benefit of Yoga is “Yoga Karmasu(in work) Kaushalam (efficiency)”. It means practice of yoga will bring efficiency in your work.Yogic therapy is beneficial in many psychosomatic ailments. Simple Asana like Bhujangasana (serpentine posture) can work wonders in backpain.Vajrasana (Diamond Posture) is beneficial for digestion.Therefore it is the only asana which is performed after having meals.

Yet we have to take some precautions. Always do Asanas after consulting a certified Yoga Teacher. Do not wear tight clothes while performing Asanas. Never try to attain final point of Yogic posture by effort. Try to remain stable in Yogic posture without any stress on body nor strain in mind.

Let Yoga be your way of life.