என் எண்ணங்கள்

நமது பாரம்பரியம். மிக்ஸியும் க்ரைண்டரும் தோன்றுவதற்கு முன், சுமார் 30,35 வருஷங்களுக்கு முன்னர், வீடுகளில் அம்மிக்கல், ஆட்டு உரல், எந்திரம் போன்ற கற்களை பயன் படுத்தி வந்தோம். இன்று அம்மிக்கல்லைப் பற்றி பேசுவோம். அம்மி என்பது செவ்வகமான ஒரு கல் (rectangle); அம்மிக்கல்லில் வரும் “கல்” என்பது ஒரு குழவி. cylindrical வடிவில் இருக்கும். அம்மிக்கல்லில் அரைப்பது, பொடி பண்ணுவது போன்றவற்றை செய்யலாம். சட்னி, துவையல், சாம்பார் பொடி, ரசப் பொடி போன்றவற்றை செய்ய இது பயன் படுத்தப்பட்டது அம்மியின் மேற்பகுதி சொரசொரப்பாக இருக்கும். இதை நன்கு சுத்தப்படுத்திய பிறகு அரைக்க வேண்டியதை இதன் மேல் வைக்க வேண்டும்; தேங்காய், பொட்டுக்கடலை, பச்சை மிளகாய் ஆகியவைகளை வைத்து, முதலில் சிறிது நசுக்கி கொள்ளவும். பிறகு, குழவியை இரண்டு கைகளாலும் பிடித்துக் கொண்டு, முன்னும் பின்னும் ஓட்டினால் தேங்காய் முதலியவை அரைபடும். சிறிது சிறிது தண்ணீர் சேர்த்து அரைக்க வேண்டும். இட்லி, தோசைக்கு சுவையான சட்னி தயார். இதே போன்று, சாம்பார் பொடி, ரஸம் பொடி, மிளகு பொடி, போன்றவற்றையும் செய்யலாம். ஜிம்முக்குப் போய் 1000, 2000 ரூ என செல...

Continuing Our Story about Namma MADRAS The Great Men and Women Who Formed our City OLCOTT MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL, BESANTNAGAR Colonel Henry Steel OLCOTT, was born in the year 1832, in New Jersey USA. After graduation, he was a military officer, lawyer, journalist and later in 1864 became a spiritualist. He and Helena Blavatsky (12/8/1831 - 8/5/1891), a Russian spiritualist joined together to form the Theosophical Society of USA in 1875. He was the first president and she was its Secretary. They left USA in 1878 for India to establish the Theosophical Society at ADYAR, Madras. He was a Buddhist and he worked in Sri Lanka to revive Buddhism. On May 19, 1880, he and Blavatsky were formally acknowledged as Buddhists at Galle in Sri Lanka. Helena died in London in 1891, but Olcott pursued the work with the Theosophical Society at Adyar. Madame Annie Besant joined him in this pursuit and after Olcott's death in February 1907, Annie Besant took over as its president and continued the ...

Namma Madras Madras Story Retold and Remembered. THE GREAT EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES OF MYLAPORE. Thirukattupalli is a small village in Thanjavur district of Tamilnadu. It boasts of an ancient history, mentoned in Ponniyin Selvan book by Kalki. About 2.5 km from this village is PAZHAMANERI another small village. In this village there lived one family of Sundaram Iyer and his wife Subbalakshmi Ammal. On 7th February 1864, a son was born to them and was named Sivaswami. He had his early schooling in nearby schools and studied in different colleges and obtained his Law degree.  He was a shining lawyer throughout and finally he became the Advocate General of Madras Presidency .He was elected to the Senate of Madras University and the vice chancellor of the Madras University, then the VC of Banaras Hindu University. He was a Member of the Executive Council of the Governor of Madras. He was a keen educationist, in particular of Girls' education. He wanted to uplift girls education. ...

This (20th Aug) evening Vijaya and I went to Aru Padai veedu Koil at Besantnagar. Here, the six Koils for Murugan - like Pazhani, Tiruttani, Swamimalai, Tiruchendur, Tirupparankundram, Pazhamudhisolai have been constructed in one complex and in granite. One can have darshan of all six Murugans here. Plus one Vinayakar. The temple came up here 33 years ago. The history follows :- In 1984, Kanchi Paramacharya was camping at Gulbarga, Karnataka, when Dr Alagappa Alagappan, a former UN official met him and expressed his desire to have all the six Veedus in one place, perhaps in Chennai. With His enthralling smile, the Kanchi sage looked at Alagappa and said, Why not? You start it, I will help. Dr Alagappa who was a resident of New York, started looking for suitable place. The Sage called the CM of TNadu (MGR) and told him. MGR immediately offered free a large plot (more than 2 acres of land) near the sea shore of Besantnagar. Dr Alagappan had constructed many koils in New York, Pittsbu...

Namma Madras Rediscoverd Madras Woodlands Hotel In a small village in South Kanara, Karnataka state, Kadandale (grinding stone, in Kannada), there lived a priest eking out a modest living. To this archaka, on October 21, 1898 was born a son. The father named him as Krishna, the child's grandfather's name. The child was underfed, illiterate, being taken out of school to help around the house, ill-clothed. But the child pulled on. He worked in 8 different mutts there, but did not get any economic advance. A severe bout of Malaria and he was sent back home. When better, he worked as helper in a village eatery - drawing water, dishwashing, grinding flour for idli and dosai. Grinding flour in the stone mortars seemed to be his destiny (his native village was Kadandale, you see). He used to get Rs 3.00 per month as salary. His brother-in-law Ranganna came one day from Madras and took Krishna to Madras; Krishna reached Madras like Dick Whittington! He started working first as a...

Namma Madras GEMS of Mylapore. RR Sabha. Mylapore, Chennai is well-known for its cultural, bhakti, historical background. Even today the one place everyone wishes to visit Mylapore for its cultural brilliance. There is that world-famous temple of Sri Karpagambal sametha Sri Kapaleeswara. Around this temple are its four Maada Veethis (streets) - East, West, South, and North Maada Veethis. The East Maada veethi is the location for many cultural centres like Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Rasika Ranjani Sabha (RR Sabha). The RR Sabha is the oldest Sabha in the whole of Chennai, it was founded in 1929. It is located in Sundareshwarar Street at the southern end of the East Maada street near Lady Sivaswami Iyer School (more about this famous school later). Carnatic music concerts were held monthly twice then, dramas were staged, and music classes were also conducted there. It was renovated in 1958 and Smt MS amma was the first to perform in the new auditorium. Yearly membership was just 2...