These days electronic and paper media is filled with news of students and young children taking extreme steps. With exam time closing in some children and parents appear stressed.
Why is this so frequent now-a-days? Was childhood different two decades back? And is it different now?
Catch the difference below as I perceive child hood of the past & now. These are my views taken from the surroundings I live and many may not subscribe to the views here and it is not applicable to everyone.
One striking difference between the childhood then and now is that we were ignorant and hence innocent.Ignorance was indeed bliss. We were not exposed to the electronic goods and media and information, neither did we have parental, peer or school pressure . We found pleasure and satisfaction in very simple things and were not shielded from difficulties.
Those days the women folk after finishing their household work would sit around and learn to knit, paint, can products like jam, juice etc., and watched Tv some times( doordarshan). They had time to prepare delicious food and serve with love to children. Men folk would return home early added to that were the presence of grandparents, uncles and aunts who formed the joint family. Children came home to a joint family where they could relate the day’s happenings and problems which destreesed them
Today some parents have their own stressed lives to deal with not just working parents even stay at home moms. No time to care and spend time with their children. They send them to many extracurricular classes after school hours so they can keep their kids busy and attend to their work. With no extended family structure to sympathize with their feelings at home, parents at work they have become latch key kids and to compensate for the time spent with kids parents indulge their children’s fancies. Result they get everything today and are not prepared for a ‘ no’ in their later lives.Infact the temple priest who does puja at our native village temple who has very little salary has 3 mobile numbers. He said he bought the Hutch(a service providing company) number since his son wanted to have the number.His son is studying only in Class IV.
Those days When it came to making/breaking with friends, Parents never interfered. They did not allow us to choose and pick a friend. We had our fights with friends,cousins and siblings. They never shielded us from our problems but they were there to guide us through out.
Today parents are vice versa. They don’t allow children to rough out their lives. They are in a protective environment. They shield them from all the difficulties, Pick fights for their children’s sake with teachers, friends and do not allow their children to sort out their differences. Result is you are not able to face life without their help.
There were schools with good infrastructure and affordable fees. Education was not business then.Teachers those days were dedicated ,inspiring and taught us in simple ways in an airy environment. The stress free teachers imparted education on black boards in a way that it registered for a long time in our memory. Along with curriculum, moral values were instilled with dedication.The spiritual classes and prayers taught in school kept us mentally saner. Parents never sat with us and pressurized us to perform. Instead they would motivate us with simple words whilst doing their own work.
Today we have designer schools from various business companies which charge astronomical fees. Parents vie with one another to admit their child in the so called branded schools which lays emphasis on hore-riding, karate, tennis, shloka chanting and what not along with curriculum. All the classes are commercialized and taught by unskilled teachers with no aptitude for teaching. Stressed teachers rushing to finish their syllabi in dingy neon-lit a/c classrooms with LCD monitors and e- boards. The child is not able to grasp the concept. Parents pressurize them to do exceptionally well and they end up in private tuitions after school hours.
To channelize their energies Kids those days played in huge play grounds in school and in the neighbourhood where they raised dust storms , got dirty and played with friends unmindful of getting hurt or breaking their bones or catching infections all under sunshine. These games kept them mentally fit and less lethargic.
Today’s children have no ground or open space to run and play . They end up playing play station and video games in their ac environment under artificial lights. No Physical exercise. Then later on parents enroll them in a good dancing class/karate class/swimming class costing them a bomb.
Kid those days had simple toys ,books and clothes. Friends would share and exchange chandamama, ACK , Sputnik and other book. They cherished them like treasure and took good care of their things. Cycling was learnt on rented cycles which was rented for 50ps/hour.
Today’s generation of kids are growing on expensive electronic games (WII, PS,DS, X- box) and books . They have access to i-pod, internet, computers, cd’s DVD’s, - all their own, nothing borrowed or from a lending library. The vanity of the new book, dress and game console vanishes in no time and then they are ambitious for the upgraded versions. Today’s children have their own branded fancy cycle and keep updating with new models every three-four years according to their parents spending capability.
For kids those days, Party meant marriages and family functions where friends and relatives would get together.
Today, there are so many parties, birthday party, pyjama party,success party, dance party,theme party. Children wear branded clothes and they don’t repeat the dress, expensive junk food, costly party favors etc.
Vacation meant visit to grand parents place, local visits and inexpensive school excursions. There was no concept of summer camps.Music and dance were learnt after school hours which helped them to concentrate in studies All skills like team work, accepting failures gracefully, values of trust, honesty and handling up and downs were learnt through playing with friends.
Today’s children end up spending their summer vacation enrolled in summer classes in a a/c room with colorfully painted walls and more sophisticated lightings housed in a bylane. They have classes from 9-5 over shooting even their regular school timings. Pizza and burgers would be served with coke for lunch.
Inspite of all the facilities and loving parents, today’s children feel so insecure due to pressures from all quarters – peer, parental and school. No one to listen to their problems, no place to play, no proper study environment, don’t know how to handle problems, no immunity against diseases, no proper healthy diet, no moral/ethical values, no control over your emotions. Sad indeed is the plight of today’s kids.
If only parents/society/ teachers were more loving and accept their children with all the flaws and understand that academic excellence is not the only way to success and let children embrace their field of choice. If they raise them to be mentally strong and accept life’s up and downs with ease and teach them how to handle pressure rather than escape from pressure. If they inculcate moral,ethical,emotional, family and spiritual values in their children and not depend only on schools to impart them. If they realize that love cannot be measured with material comforts but physical presence ,guidance and symphatetic feelings. Perhaps , many lives would not be snuffed out so early.
Seeing today's children I feel we were lucky to have the best of parenting and much less complicated life.
After all tough times don't last only tough people do.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
A passage to Thanjavur
Mystic India – has its own undeniable charm, a diverse culture that is enduring and powerful. Many ethnic culture, traditions, languages and cuisine make it more charming. These survive through ritual and practices that have not been shaken by modern and scientific fads. They also continue to mesmerize tourists and cultural ambassadors.
One such grand ethnic culture is the Thanjavur culture of South India to which I belong. Though born in Madras , brought up in Bangalore and at present based in Hyderabad, My ancestral roots are in a village called Edakkudi near Mayavaram, an ancient city in Tamilnadu on the banks of river Cauvery.
Tamil Brahmins Iyers are basically vedic scholors who perform vedic rituals in the kingdoms of southern kings. Having migrated from northern India many centuries back They settled around the Cauvery delta of Thanjavur, Mayavaram and Tiruchi. Many great civilizations have originated on the banks of rivers and these are rich in culture and so this river belt is also no exception.
This culture is a haven for craft lovers. Exquisite thribhuvanam silks, temple jewellery, richly adorned paintings of Hindu gods called Thanjavur paintings, Thalaiyatti bommi( head nodding doll), Mirror laden Thanjavur plates along with Kalasam, bronze and brass idols, good quality kitchen items, patthamadai pai(mats), beautiful papier mache items are some of the artifacts you can pick up on your trip to the places around Thanjavur. What’s more you can buy directly from the craftsmen at work at a good bargain.
Tanjavur district is dotted with world famous hindu temples renowned for its architecture and frescoes.One of them is the Brihadeeswara temple built by chola kings which stands as a testimony to ancient engineering skills. Also the grand anicut called kallanai - a dam built by stones across river cauvery which has withstood many floods. Thanjavur is also known as the southern granary for its rich paddy fields with river cauvery and its tributary coleroon meandering by.
It is also the cradle of classical carnatic music and Bharatanatyam dance which received royal patronage under the princely states. The musical trinity of Carnatic music namely Thyagarajar, syama satry and muthuswami dikshitar belonged to this place.
Each region and direction of india has different flavours of food and the flavors depend on the weather and the base ingredients available in that region. One such cuisine is the Thanjavur cuisine.
Thanjavur iyer cuisine is purely vegetarian and does not accommodate spices like fennel, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves , onions and garlic. Their base ingredients are tamarind, lentils, yogurt, coconut, redchillies, corianderseeds, pepper, cumin, turmeric and asafoetida. To garnish they use fenugreek, mustard seeds, curry leaf and coriander leaves. Their medium of cooking is sesame/coconut oil. Combinations of these spices along with vegetables give rise to a variety of curries,thick soups called sambar and watery soups called rasam.
Tanjore iyer cooking is also ritualistic and is as good as worshipping. Cooking is done only after bathing and wearing madi clothes( clothes worn from the clothes line directly after drying). Cooking is done along with shloka chanting in unique vessels called kal chatti( stone vessels), man chatti( mud vessels), iya chombu( tin vessels, irumbu vanali(iron),vengala uruli(brass) etc., The vibrations of the shloka is believed to render the food tasty along with the trace minerals of the cooking pots. The cooked food is first offered to gods as naivedyam, then to the ancestors who are in the guise of crows and then served to male members of the family on Banana leaves/silver plates. They sanctify the food by saying a hymn and then thanking the god before eating with fingers and not with forks/spoons. The women eat later.
There are also concepts like Pathu( avoiding contact with cooked food). For instance yogurt(uncooked food) and sambar(cooked food) are not touched simultaneously. One has to wash hands to touch yogurt if you have touched sambar. Another concept called Echil ( avoiding contact with saliva) – you do not sip your steel glass while drinking water but pour it from a height into your mouth. These concepts were basically formulated by our ancestors to ensure food safety and that is why food was also served on banana leaves since the saliva contaminated leaves could be disposed of. Since India is a tropical country and germs spread very fast and there were no concept of cold storage in those days.
Inspite of advances in food safety, storage and refridgeration the weight of tradition still remains strong and some south Indian iyer households still follow this practice.
In Thanjavur iyer house holds food served is in a sequential pattern. The meal starts with cooked rice consumed with paruppu(cooked lentil called tuvar dal) and ghee, Then rice with sambar(thick lentil soup with vegetables) accompanied by a vegetable curry, followed with rice and rasam( thin watery soup) and it ends with rice and yogurt accompanied by a spicy pickle/ narthelai podi( a powder made with tender citron leaves)/ small mangoes in brine solution called vadu mangai. Infact the undying love for yogurt and rice combo( thayir saadam) has earned the Tamil brahmin the sobriquet Thayir sadam community.
Many lip smacking indigenous main course dishes like vattal kozhumbu, veppampoo rasam, poriccha kootu, keerai masiyal,paruppu usili, mor kootu, mor kozhumbu thogaiyal,thengai saadam, puliyansaadam, break fast and tiffin items like dosa, idli, vadai, thavala adai,uttapam,sevai, mani kozhakattai, ven pongal, upma ,sweet dishes like asoka halwa, surul poli, pal payasam, akkara vadisal and poorna kozhakattai reflect the rich socio-cultural life of this place.
Keeping with the changing times many Tam brahms are today scattered globally and may/may not follow these practices and some are not relevant in today’s times. Onions and garlic are today used in most households. I too have deviated from some of the practices.It is easier to use your microwave oven, cookers and mixers.
But I hope to keep alive the homey, whole some, unpretentious, time honored traditional exotic recipes sourced through my Patti, thatha, appa ,amma, Mother–in-law and chitti patti through my future blogs. This will then be a ready reckoner for my children at later times.
Text in red are tamil names
One such grand ethnic culture is the Thanjavur culture of South India to which I belong. Though born in Madras , brought up in Bangalore and at present based in Hyderabad, My ancestral roots are in a village called Edakkudi near Mayavaram, an ancient city in Tamilnadu on the banks of river Cauvery.
Tamil Brahmins Iyers are basically vedic scholors who perform vedic rituals in the kingdoms of southern kings. Having migrated from northern India many centuries back They settled around the Cauvery delta of Thanjavur, Mayavaram and Tiruchi. Many great civilizations have originated on the banks of rivers and these are rich in culture and so this river belt is also no exception.
This culture is a haven for craft lovers. Exquisite thribhuvanam silks, temple jewellery, richly adorned paintings of Hindu gods called Thanjavur paintings, Thalaiyatti bommi( head nodding doll), Mirror laden Thanjavur plates along with Kalasam, bronze and brass idols, good quality kitchen items, patthamadai pai(mats), beautiful papier mache items are some of the artifacts you can pick up on your trip to the places around Thanjavur. What’s more you can buy directly from the craftsmen at work at a good bargain.
Tanjavur district is dotted with world famous hindu temples renowned for its architecture and frescoes.One of them is the Brihadeeswara temple built by chola kings which stands as a testimony to ancient engineering skills. Also the grand anicut called kallanai - a dam built by stones across river cauvery which has withstood many floods. Thanjavur is also known as the southern granary for its rich paddy fields with river cauvery and its tributary coleroon meandering by.
It is also the cradle of classical carnatic music and Bharatanatyam dance which received royal patronage under the princely states. The musical trinity of Carnatic music namely Thyagarajar, syama satry and muthuswami dikshitar belonged to this place.
Each region and direction of india has different flavours of food and the flavors depend on the weather and the base ingredients available in that region. One such cuisine is the Thanjavur cuisine.
Thanjavur iyer cuisine is purely vegetarian and does not accommodate spices like fennel, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves , onions and garlic. Their base ingredients are tamarind, lentils, yogurt, coconut, redchillies, corianderseeds, pepper, cumin, turmeric and asafoetida. To garnish they use fenugreek, mustard seeds, curry leaf and coriander leaves. Their medium of cooking is sesame/coconut oil. Combinations of these spices along with vegetables give rise to a variety of curries,thick soups called sambar and watery soups called rasam.
Tanjore iyer cooking is also ritualistic and is as good as worshipping. Cooking is done only after bathing and wearing madi clothes( clothes worn from the clothes line directly after drying). Cooking is done along with shloka chanting in unique vessels called kal chatti( stone vessels), man chatti( mud vessels), iya chombu( tin vessels, irumbu vanali(iron),vengala uruli(brass) etc., The vibrations of the shloka is believed to render the food tasty along with the trace minerals of the cooking pots. The cooked food is first offered to gods as naivedyam, then to the ancestors who are in the guise of crows and then served to male members of the family on Banana leaves/silver plates. They sanctify the food by saying a hymn and then thanking the god before eating with fingers and not with forks/spoons. The women eat later.
There are also concepts like Pathu( avoiding contact with cooked food). For instance yogurt(uncooked food) and sambar(cooked food) are not touched simultaneously. One has to wash hands to touch yogurt if you have touched sambar. Another concept called Echil ( avoiding contact with saliva) – you do not sip your steel glass while drinking water but pour it from a height into your mouth. These concepts were basically formulated by our ancestors to ensure food safety and that is why food was also served on banana leaves since the saliva contaminated leaves could be disposed of. Since India is a tropical country and germs spread very fast and there were no concept of cold storage in those days.
Inspite of advances in food safety, storage and refridgeration the weight of tradition still remains strong and some south Indian iyer households still follow this practice.
In Thanjavur iyer house holds food served is in a sequential pattern. The meal starts with cooked rice consumed with paruppu(cooked lentil called tuvar dal) and ghee, Then rice with sambar(thick lentil soup with vegetables) accompanied by a vegetable curry, followed with rice and rasam( thin watery soup) and it ends with rice and yogurt accompanied by a spicy pickle/ narthelai podi( a powder made with tender citron leaves)/ small mangoes in brine solution called vadu mangai. Infact the undying love for yogurt and rice combo( thayir saadam) has earned the Tamil brahmin the sobriquet Thayir sadam community.
Many lip smacking indigenous main course dishes like vattal kozhumbu, veppampoo rasam, poriccha kootu, keerai masiyal,paruppu usili, mor kootu, mor kozhumbu thogaiyal,thengai saadam, puliyansaadam, break fast and tiffin items like dosa, idli, vadai, thavala adai,uttapam,sevai, mani kozhakattai, ven pongal, upma ,sweet dishes like asoka halwa, surul poli, pal payasam, akkara vadisal and poorna kozhakattai reflect the rich socio-cultural life of this place.
Keeping with the changing times many Tam brahms are today scattered globally and may/may not follow these practices and some are not relevant in today’s times. Onions and garlic are today used in most households. I too have deviated from some of the practices.It is easier to use your microwave oven, cookers and mixers.
But I hope to keep alive the homey, whole some, unpretentious, time honored traditional exotic recipes sourced through my Patti, thatha, appa ,amma, Mother–in-law and chitti patti through my future blogs. This will then be a ready reckoner for my children at later times.
Text in red are tamil names
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