Dear Mr. Weighing Scale,

Each time I step onto you, you make me go pale
All my month long efforts tend to fail
Can't you show some leniency towards this female
Heart broken I wail and wail and wail

But wow! the poet within me is on sail :)

Right next to the window where our son sleeps, a truck is loaded with speakers and people dance to chikni chameli, am a barbie girl, boardu illada bussige hattu banda chokari(eeiiks) and such numbers and that too at 11PM. Our windows were vibrating to the extent that we almost thought they would collapse any moment now. What do you think is the occassion? It's our very own favorite Lord Ganesha's visarjane. After having read the previous line if you are thinking 'Oh visarjane is it? Why is she complaining?', then please stop reading further. You would not understand my feelings and for others who voice my opinion, why do we bear this year to year. Dont consider me to be against celebrations, in fact I love them. Lots of things change around us. Some for good and some for bad. But I dont want the bad change scoring high over good change because its our younger ones who will be living there. Let them celebrate with dholaks,drums or whatever but why make such humongous noise and dance to those meaningless numbers in front of the Lord. Earlier when a visarjan procession would come in front of our homes we would offer poojas and take the Lord's blessing. But I don't see any such act now as the procession nowadays starts only after 10-11PM.
Am I the only one who cant relate to such acts.Am I the only one so agitated?
                      It's the Bangalore bandh today. Everybody seems to be cooperating which is really very good.
Surroundings are peaceful. No shops open, no rickshaws, buses plying on the roads. I hear a group of people on motorbikes shouting 'nyaya beku nyaya beku' (we want justice). Everything seems normal for a bandh day and then all of a sudden our room is filled with a pungent smell and our son has coughing bouts. Outside the people on the bike have burnt a Tyre and the surrounding if filled with thick black smoke.

Why? Why? and Why?. When everything is going smooth according to their plans why did they have to burn that Tyre and create such discomfort and huge degree of pollution? When I witness such acts, a voice within me shouts back saying 'If its troubling you so much, why don't you do something?'. But then, Can I? Can't we change such improper acts prevailing in our society.
              

For those trying to figure out what it means, its postpartum care. After pregnancy if you have your mother or your grandmother by your side then I would consider you to be blessed.I had my mother. She is one lady who can go about from 5AM to 11PM with no grumpiness or tiredness on her face.What I am about to share is specific to what my mother followed. So, I am not sure if this would help everyone who wants to know as to what needs to be done post pregnancy.
Usually postpartum care extends up to 3-4 months after delivery. So I will be sharing details in parts.
All medications usually start after 10 days of delivery. What my mother followed is
1. I had to take Dashamoolaristha for 1.5 months. This is an ayurvedic tonic which builds immunity. I guess this is given so that we don't catch cold, cough, fever and similar viral infections. Its very essential for a mother to remain healthy if she is breastfeeding her baby.
2. Always eat items hot and drink lukewarm water.
3. Take bath in very hot water(Mother used to say that doing so helps in lactation) and tightly tie up your stomach either with the traditional cotton cloth or the now available belts.
4. Before the bath massage yourself well with a good medicated oil(we call it Bananthi Thaila) mixed with turmeric and black cumin seeds. This too helps in lactation and helps in faster recovery.
5. On the 13th day, black cumin's decoction  was given. Follow this for 3 days and drink this first thing in the morning. This helps in throwing away any left out impurities from the uterus.
6. Lots of ghee, milk and thick curd is advised in our diet. Not sure why this is done. But I did follow.
7. Usually our diet consists of items made of black pepper, cumin seeds and ajwain seeds. My mom had prepared a powder out of these three and used to mix it with rice along with ghee.
8. Along with this, rice is eaten with banana flower preparation. Refer Banantana Preparations .
                          Meanwhile, when elders ask you to take proper rest, PLEASE do pay heed to their advice. It's very important for you to get rest. Sleep straight keeping your legs close together and cover them with a blanket. Drink lots of water and eat food containing iron and Vitamin C. After 2 months you might have terrible hair fall. Stop panicking and get on. Its absolutely normal.

9. Getting back, after 40 days started with shunti lehya (refer Banantana Preparations)
10. You can start with normal diet henceforth but do make it a practice to eat your food hot.
11. After 2.5 months started taking Shatavari lehya( available in ayurveda medical stores), Kade Maddu (refer Banantana Preparations) and antina unde (refer Banantana Preparations). You can continue these for another 1.5 months.

This should take care of it. Happy parenting and do take care of yourselves and most important 'Listen to what your elders have to say' ;)

Banana Preparation
Ingredients:- Bale huvu(Banana flower, poombe), Garlic, Jeera(Cumin seeds), Pepper, Oma(Ajwain, Carom seeds)
Method:- Soak lots of garlic in water and remove off its skin. Grind it with jeera, pepper, oma to a fine paste. Later add the paste with finely chopped banana flower and heat it well until its cooked. You need to cook this well as this needs to be stored for at least 40 days.

Shunti Lehya
Ingredients:-Shunti(Ginger), Jeera(Cumin Seeds), Kalsakkare(Crystal Sugar), Bella(jaggery), Ghee
Method:- Soak ginger overnight and peel off its skin in the morning. Ginger is ground to a fine paste and heated with remaining ingredients.

Kade Maddu
Ingredients:-

Pippali - Long pepper (Piper longum)
Jayikayi Patre - Nutmeg flower
Ona Shunti - Dry Ginger
Sogadeberu - Ashwagandha, winter cherry
Dry Black Grapes
Kalsakkare - Crystal sugar
Jeerige - Cumin seeds
Vayuvilanga - Vidanga, Embelia
Gasagase - Poppy seeds
Ghee
Method:- The above herbs are powdered and mixed with ghee and prepared into small balls for the ease of consumption

Antina Unde
Ingredients:- Antu(Edible gum), almonds, dry grapes, gasagase(poppy seeds), jaggery, dates, cashew
Method:- The items are slightly heated and powdered. Now reheat this with antu and jaggery and make balls. Use slight more of jaggery.

I can still recall the days when my mom used to ask me to learn how to put a few stitches. But arts and sports were never in my circle of interests. Off late I have been thinking about it and thought why shouldn't I try something and the one thing that struck me was the Anchor Stitch kit. The kit comes in Flash Frame Series(14cmx16cm), Impression Series(22cmx25cm) and Masterpiece Series(33cmx39cm). This kit contains
1. A printed canvas for us to embroider
2. Cotton embroidery threads
3. One tapestry needle
A completed one will look like this

If you are an amateur holding needles and threads (like me :)), then you will find it quite a task to embroider it. But once you finish a small section you will realize that it is quite easy and fun too. Am totally impressed with my first art. Mom, stop complaining now ;) .

No, no I ain't giving out the ingredients of Boost/Bournvita in here. Its just a simple home made HEALTHy DRINK. As kids, me and my bro used to find reasons to not drink this but eventually got used to drinking it like any other health drinks out there in the market. To avoid my son finding reasons ;), I started giving him this drink right from his 8th month :). 
Ingredients:
Corinder seeds - 1 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 cup
Wheat(optional) - 1/2 cup
Almonds(optional) - 1/2 cup
Method:
1. Roast all the ingredients individually in low flame. Roast wheat till it starts splattering.
2. Powder all the ingredients and store it in an air tight container.
3. For best results add powder to boiling milk and strain it before giving it to your kid.

You don't have to simply take my word that this is a health drink. I have put forth some facts.

Coriander seeds - Good source of dietary fiber, iron, magnesium and helps in digestion.
Fenugreek seeds - Excellent source of minerals like copper, potassium, calcium, iron, selenium, zinc, manganese, magnesium and source of vital vitamins that are essential for optimum health.
Cumin seeds - Known to increase digestion power, contains essential oils, contains good amount of B-complex vitamins.
Almonds - Rich source of energy and nutrients.
Wheat - Not sure if the details are necessary because you can call wheat as the base foundation of nourishment.
Hope your kid enjoys drinking this :) Good luck.

One of the most horrible experiences I have had in life, or should I say the only horrible experience I have had. The Bartholin's glands are located at the entrance to a woman's vagina, one on each side and a Bartholin's cyst develops when the duct exiting the Bartholin's gland is blocked. An abscess occurs when a cyst becomes infected. You can completely avoid this stage if you take proper precautions before hand. Start taking necessary action as soon as you feel the slightest discomfort of a cyst appearing else it might turn into a very painful affair.

1. The simplest method is to sit in the bathtub in a few inches of warm water for 10min at least twice a day.
2. Later apply a mixture of turmeric powder and castor oil on the cyst or you can also use any povidone iodine ointment
3. Do not use any deodorants/ powder near the area.
 Continue the above steps until the cyst completely disappears.
This should keep you away from that monster called bartholin abscess.

One of  N R NarayanMurthy's books. It is a book based on his lecturer's around the world. I think I am one of those few blessed who can spend quality time by reading such books. Off late I haven't read much in the non fiction section but this is a book which captivates you right from first. An inspiration to the youth is what this is. His adages are truly praise worthy and so is his knowledge. Each time you finish a part in the book it will raise a hundred questions in your mind as to what you can do for the betterment of your country.

According to me this book is

Must Read               Give a Try               Don't Bother 

Chinese cuisine has always been our favorite. So, we decided to cook some Indo-Chinese recipes on a weekend. We decided on Schezuan fried rice and Gobi Manchurian.
Schezuan Fried Rice:
Ingredients
    2 cups of Chinese Rice - Serves 4 - 6. Change according to your needs.
    2 tbsp Schezuan sauce
    1 tsp garlic, chopped
    Vegetables of your choice
    Salt according to your taste
Method
    Heat the oil, add the garlic and sauté till it turns golden in colour.
    Add the vegetables and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
    Add the Schezuan sauce and cook for another minute.
    Add the rice, salt and mix well.
    Toss for a few seconds till all the ingredients are mixed.
Schezuan Sauce recipe:
Ingredients
   12 to 15 whole dry red chillies, soaked in warm water
   2 tbsp chopped garlic
   6 tbsp white vinegar
   2 tsp sugar
   2 tbsp sesame oil
   1 tsp salt
Method
    Drain out all the water from the chillies and discard it.
    Grind all ingredients except the oil in a blender to a fine paste. Keep aside.
    Heat the oil to smoking point and pour over the paste. Mix well, allow it to cool and use as required
Chinese Rice recipe:
Ingredients
   2 cup long grained rice (basmati)
   4 tbsp oil
   2 tsp salt
Method
    Wash the rice thoroughly and soak in 6 cups of water for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
    Boil 6 to 8 cups of water, add salt and 1 tablespoon of oil.
    Add the rice to the boiling water. Cook till the rice is 85% cooked.
    Pour into a colander and let the water drain out. Pour some cold water on the rice to arrest further cooking.
    Let all the water from the rice drain out ensuring that the rice does not contain any moisture.
    Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and toss the rice in it
    Spread the cooked rice on a flat surface till it is cool and use.

Gobi Manchurian Recipe: This tasted so very authentic. I just couldn't stop relishing on them.
Ingredients:
1 medium sized cauliflower, cut into florets, placed in salted hot water for 10-12 mts, drained
2 tbsps maida/all-purpose flour
2 tbsps cornflour
1 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chilli paste
Salt accordingly

For sauce:
1/4 cup spring onions, finely chopped,
1/2 capsicum, finely sliced
2 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chilli paste
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1 tsps soya sauce
1 tbsp chilli sauce  - Use the sauces and vinegar to suit your taste
1 tsps vinegar
3 tbsps tomato sauce
Salt as required
1 1/2 tbsps sesame oil
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

1 Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy bottomed vessel.
2 In a bowl, combine maida, cornflour, salt, ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and water to make a thick paste. Dip the washed and drained florets into the batter such that its well coated. Leave it for 10-15 min. Place each floret that is well coated with the batter into the hot oil. Do not crowd the vessel. Reduce flame and deep fry till the gobi is almost cooked. Increase the flame towards the end of the cooking process and fry the gobi till it turns golden brown. Remove onto absorbent paper and keep aside.
3 Heat oil in a large vessel and once the oil is piping hot, add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste and stir fry on high for a few seconds.
4 Add the whites of spring onions and stir fry on high for 3-4 mts, constantly tossing them. Add the sliced capsicum and stir fry for another 3 mts. They should retain their crunch.
4 Reduce to medium heat and add the soya sauce, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and vinegar. Combine well and cook for 2 mts. Add 3-4 tbsps of water and cook for 2 mts.
5 Add the deep fried gobhi and combine. Toss on high flame for 1-2 mts. Turn off heat. Garnish with the chopped spring onion greens and coriander leaves.

Yummmmm ..... posting this recipe is making me hungry. While I am off to munch on something spicy and tangy you decide when you are going to try this.

Frank Lloyd Wright has rightly said "I believe in God, only I spell it nature". Imagine sleeping on the banks of Kapila river watching the sun change into its divine dawn color and the birds drifting right in front of the sun bidding it goodbye.Just the thought brings so much peace within us.I recently happened to enjoy this peace in Kittur.No, I am not talking about the one in North Karnataka. This is a remote village in the Mysore district,Karnataka near Kabini dam  http://g.co/maps/z99xx.

 I am married into the Kittur family. We are basically Vadama Iyers having migrated there.We have a Ravi Rameshwara temple there where every year people in large numbers gather to celebrate Shivratri festival with immense faith.This year we were lucky to be there to seek his blessings and thought the experience is worth a share. Lets slightly dwell into its history.

 Sri Ravi Rameshwara temple, part of the Taranimunti (Kittur) village, has a history of around 1500 years. Kittur village was the capital of the Punnata kingdom, the first kannada kingdom. Punnata kingdom is believed to have been established prior to 345 A.D and they were the first to use our Kannada script. The temple was built between 430 A.D. and 450 A.D during the reign of Ramaverma. Around the year 1960 the Kabini dam project was taken up and this made it inevitable to shift some villages adjacent to the dam as these would be submerged.Kittur and our temple were one of those affected. The caretakers of the temple were the Arasu families of Mysore samsthana. They decided to shift all the Devi-Devathas to another temple.But this did not go as planned.Instead,these vigrahas were sold for a price. However, the main Sri Ravi Rameshwara idol could not be touched as the Nagaraja (king of snakes) was guarding it. Hence for about 40 years, Sri Ravi Rameshwara remained in seclusion and provided shelter for wild animals In the year 2000,group of our people made a suggestion to assemble all the migrated Kittur families and form an association. A few members from the Kittur family visited Taranimunti and the old Kittur village. The Sri Ravi Rameshwara temple was in a dilapidated condition. It was difficult to even enter the temple premises.This was the starting point of Kittur Balaga. With the efforts from Kittur Balaga, its family members and others, the Sri Ravi Rameshwara temple has been cleaned and restored to the current state. Work on improving the temple is still in progress. From 2010 onwards, the Mahashivarathri pooja is celebrated in a grand manner. The Kittur Balaga family and the villagers of Taranimunti come together to celebrate the Mahashivarathri pooja.

The Balaga has also built a guest house in Kittur, according to the village standards.It has a large dining hall with 2 rooms and a bathroom. The reason why I specified the 'village standard' is, people well accustomed to city luxuries should not expect the same here. After all we are seeking peace in a village. Balaga families and their acquaintances can stay here with a minimal price though. Food arrangement needs to be taken care of by the families.
Now getting back onto the track, let me shed some more light on this year's Shivratri celebration. On the morning of  20-02-2012, Rudrabhisheka was performed. Few days before the festival, villagers of Kittur had requested the balaga to marry off a couple who were economically unstable. So, in the evening necessary arrangements were made for the marriage to take place. This is just one of the examples which makes clear that the balaga also intends to uplift the village families socially and economically along with the welfare of their own. Following the wedding was the teppotsava, where the lord's utsavamurthy is relaxed on the coracle and taken on a blissful ride on the waters of Kapila river. This sight is beyond words.

On the Shivratri night, arrangements had been made to entertain folks intending to do jaagarane(staying up whole night). Harikatha and bhajans were performed by Sri. S. R. Narasimhan and we also engaged the saxophone specialist Sri. S. V. Narayan. Next day we had early morning poojas which extended till 11AM. On both the days(20 Feb 2012 and 21 Feb 2012) there is annasantharpane(serving food to all the devotees) in the temple. This was just a gist that I have provided here. One should experience and enjoy the above in person.
Any further details about our village/temple/balaga, please feel free to mail me. Suggestions and comments are open.

Our 5th wedding anniversary celebration this year was in the 'coffee land' of Karnataka. Its about 4hrs from Bangalore by road. http://g.co/maps/d3532 We drove there by ourselves. Left Bangalore at around 8 AM. We took the Magadi road from Kengeri Satellite Town and reached Kunigal around 9.Further near Yadiyur we stopped for breakfast in Hotel Mayura. This is nice place to rest. Has a children play area and enough of parking. It was 10:30 when we started from here. From then we drove non stop to Chikmagalur. We had booked our stay at Scenic Acres Homestay. This is 5kms from Chikmagalur on the Mulyangiri road near to the Mountain View School & College. Belongs to the Sargod family and is maintained well. Had a memorable stay here.

I am sharing this information for a reason and that being, I never encountered any problems during my trimesters and also I have a healthy son (touch-wood) .
My LMP(Last Menstrual Cycle) was 15/01/2010 and EDD(Expected Delivery Date) was 22/10/2010
First Trimester:
                       I was asked to take complete rest in this trimester. I did rest but not completely :). I quit my work as a software engineer but did all the household chores like cooking, washing vessels, cleaning. After every 2 hours I would rest for a while and get back to work. During this trimester in case you observe any slight bleeding then do not hesitate to check immediately with your gynecologist. I took
MCBM69 - 30 tablets, Sasten 300mg - 30 tablets, 3 injections of Sasten 200mg and 30 Becadexamine Multivitamin tablets. Usually an obstetric ultrasound is performed to check the live fetus with a heartbeat.
Second Trimester:
                            -->I started taking SukumaraGrita(Ayurvedic medicine) with milk in the morning. It gives the baby a healthy skin and is also good for our uterus.
-->Occasionally  used to drink powdered amla(Indian Gooseberry) water as it is a rich source for Vitamin C and we all know Vitamin C improves immunity in our body.
-->Used to go for a 20 min walk
-->Drank tender coconut water
-->Started taking 2 strands of kesar(saffron) with hot milk after bath
-->Used to eat sprouted green gram and fenugreek seeds in the evenings
-->Took Celol calcium tablet, Ferium XT iron tablet and Casein, a nutrition supplement with milk.
-->In the fifth month Antenatal Profile test( check my blog post) and ultrasonography is performed. In this the baby's weight, functioning of kidney, spinal cord, heart, length of the  nose, information about cleft lip and various other measurements are taken.
-->Took 2 tetanus injections.
Third Trimester:
                           I changed my iron/calcium tablets to Meripol and Alcal D 500. Stopped taking coconut water. Rest was the same as in my second trimester other than the anxiety part :) .

Throughout my pregnancy I ate leafy vegetables at least twice in a week. I constantly gained 1.5-2kgs per month and 10-11kgs overall. All the while my BP remained normal. I never gorged on extra sweets/oily items and kept a check on my salt in take. Even if you did help yourself with your favourite eateries, to avoid indigestion you can  have a glass a warm water with 1 tsp of powdered amla powder and 1/2 tsp of ginger powder.
Good luck and God bless :)

These two are Kate Morton's books. I had not even heard of her before I read these books and once I read Distant Hours I fell in love with her work.
Distant Hours is about the Blythe spinsters who leave in a decaying Milderhurst castle. The character Edie Burchill has to unravel the secrets behind those walls of the castle. I don't know how to describe her work. Its not spooky yet there is a mild scare in her words. While I was reading this book I felt my own room speaking to me... eeeiiikkkk...
Forgotten Garden is about a tiny girl abandoned on a ship and is adopted later. When she knows this truth on her 21st birthday, she is shattered and sets on a quest to find her original family which in turn leads to the Mountrachet family.She dies before knowing the truth. Her granddaughter continues her search and unlocks the secrets.

According to me both the books are


Must Read               Give a Try               Don't Bother

First of my David Baldacci books and I wasn't disappointed. Its about a daring kidnapping which turns into a national security issue. Two secret service agents turn into investigators in this matter on the request of the First Lady. Its a complete entertainer. But, half way through and I could tell whats in store next. So, though not disappointed with the book I wasn't even very excited.

According to me this book is

Must Read               Give a Try               Don't Bother

This is a real nightmare for every mother :( . All my nails are eaten up before our planned visit to the PD for his immunization. Keeping the sentiments apart, details of the immunizations that we administered are
1. After 2 days of our son's birth he was given:
                           > OPV(Oral Polio Vaccine)
                           > Hepatitis B injection(against liver infection)
                           > BCG(Bacillus Calmette Guerin, against tuberculosis)
2. After 6 weeks:
                          > OPV
                          > Hepatitis B injection
                          > DPT(Diptheria Pertussis[Whooping Cough] Tetanus) injection
This really caused a lot of trouble. Firstly he was not able to take 2 continuous injections and above that as he was colic, one of the injections reacted very badly on him and he was crying the whole day. So, next time we administered injections with no side effects. This cost us around Rs.1250.
3. After 10 weeks:
                          > OPV
                          > Hepatitis B injection
                          > DPT injection - INFANRIX, HIBRIX, ELOVAC were given. This had no side effects.

4. After 14 weeks:
                          > OPV
                          > Hepatitis B injection
                          > DPT injection
All the above immunizations were given in my hometown. When I shifted back to my husband's place, our PD here told us that OPV nowadays is not very effective and that its always safe to give IPV(Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccice). So, we again gave him 2 doses of this vaccine too.
5. 9 months:
                        > Measles vaccine
                        > IPV1
6. 10 months: IPV2
7. 15 months: MMR(Measles Mumps Rubella) or MMRV(Varicella, against Chickenpox)
    After 7-10 days of getting this vaccine he had cough, cold and fever. This lasted for about 4 days. Am not sure whether this happens with everyone.
As of now this is all the information that I have to share.

ಸೋಮವಾರ - ಮಲ್ಲಿಗೆ, ಜಾಜಿ

ಮಂಗಳವಾರ - ಗುಲಾಬಿ, ಸೇವಂತಿಗೆ, ಕೇದಿಗೆ

ಬುಧವಾರ - ತುಳಸಿ, ತಾವರೆ

ಗುರುವಾರ - ದಾಸವಾಳ, ಸಂಪಿಗೆ

ಶುಕ್ರವಾರ - ತಾವರೆ, ಕನಕಾಂಬರ

ಶನಿವಾರ - ತುಳಸಿ

ಭಾನುವಾರ - ತುಂಬೆ, ಕನಿಗಳೇ, ದಾಸವಾಳ

     

My, this experience with the ulnar nerve cant be forgotten. It was in August 2009 that I suddenly felt a tingling sensation on my right little finger. I ignored it for a week and continued with my usual chores. Later I found that all my fingers on the right hand had swollen. It was then that I was diagnosed with ulnar tunnel syndrome. Thanks to the bad ergonomics at my work place. Simplest of all cures would be
1. Use of wrist splint.
2. Hot water therapy - This is a must.
I had not taken any pain killers or anti-inflammatory drugs. These are the only  two things that I followed regularly for 15-20 days and I am sure it would help others too.

You can believe me on this one without any qualms. I say this because I was suffering from acidity for almost a decade.This is most commonly seen in people having 'Pitta'(1) body type and the most common symptom being pain or burning sensation in the upper abdominal region right below your chest.  Never ignore this as a trivial issue. If unattended it might even turn fatal.
You can keep acidity at bay by following some simple routines. This is what I did

1. Most important being, eat right quantity at the right time. Many of us when busy tend to ignore our tummy calls and this is exactly what I was doing which aggravated my acidity. Now I follow a regular routine and this has helped a lot in reducing the severity of my problem.
2. Drink good amount of water.
3. Eat fried, spicy and bakery items in moderation.
4. Regularly consume cumin seeds(jeera) before going to bed. Either chew it directly or prepare a decoction of it.

If acidity has reached its threshold limit, you tend to vomit whatever you eat and along with it comes out a yellowish bitter juice. Under such circumstance, keep yourself hydrated by drinking fluids. In particular, drink warm water.
Following the above mentioned details has helped me. Hope it helps others too.

(1) - According to Ayurveda, human body is broadly divided into 3 types. Kapha,Vata,Pitta. If you want detailed information regarding this you can go through http://www.ayurvedapages.com/ayurveddic_body_types.html or read Deepak Chopra's Perfect Health book.