Happy Memorial Day to my US friends! Summer is just starting over there and we are in the thick of it already- on the west coast (Kerala) the monsoons have started with a vengeance and in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu. No such luck in Chennai with these hot summer days! Seems like the weather has been erratic this year across the world- I read with sadness about the destructive tornadoes and loss of lives in the Midwest.
I am glad to have cold water from my fridge in this heat. Come to think of it, my fridge is a good example of the ingenuity of people who find ways to provide modern conveniences despite limitations. I have a French door refrigerator that has an external water dispenser that works with a water tank placed on the inside of that door! It holds about 4 litres of water- I need to fill it almost every day with filtered water since there is no central water line that is automatically connected. In a way it gives me an idea of my daily water intake!
My freezer is below and does have an ice maker which also works differently. There is a small electric booster machine on the outside that is connected to a large water cooler type bottle with small hose that goes into the freezer area- the ice gets collected in a large tray. So I am assured of clean filtered ice cubes for those wonderful fruit juices and of course a good gin and tonic!!
I took a trip to Pondicherry a few weeks ago with my grand nephew and we stopped on the side of the road to buy a jack fruit. If you didn't know, jack fruit is the second largest fruit and is originally from the western ghats of Kerala. The fruit on the inside is in the shape of fleshy pod which is a gorgeous yellow in color that holds a large seed that is also edible once roasted or boiled like chestnuts. The flesh is so sweet and has a fragrance that fills the room when the fruit is ripe- I recall having jack fruit as a tea time snack in Kerala and could not wait for the maid to cut open this huge, prickly 'green on the outside' fruit. The tree we had in my parents' home in Alleppey (Alapuzha) had the best jack fruit that I have ever eaten- when it was opened, the juices would just flow like honey and was a smooth golden color- the ones we get in Chennai don't often match up to that.
The other childhood pastime that I had to relive was eating ice apple- when we lived in Cuddalore just south of Pondicherry, right off the beach, we would walk to the beach and get "Noongu"- it is from the palmyrah tree and called ice apple by the Brits because it had a cooling effect and a translucent ice like flesh. The dark brown/purple black fruits, are about the size of a small coconut and slightly flattened at both sides with the edible kernels on the inside similar to the texture of a lychee. Noongu is declared the state tree of Tamil Nadu even though it originated in Africa.
I have been searching on the net for organic food places and luckily the Times of India featured organic food places in a recent article. So I took a trip to two of the stores and got lemon grass oil to add to the water for cleaning my floors and keeping ants and other insects out leaving a great aroma in the room. I also found citronella oil that I can use when I am sitting on my terrace.
Of course it was great to find totally organic vegetables including zucchini, ridge gourd, carrots, peppers and my Alphonso mangoes with no pesticides and not looking as beautiful as the chemically treated ones, but even sweeter on the inside!! I was also able to find organic seeds for ridge gourd which I have just planted- will wait to see how they do. I also planted organic garlic that I brought from the US and kept in my fridge to simulate winter hibernation! I have Italian basil and Thai basil starting to look like they need to be transplanted to a bigger space.
I have also found a butcher shop that sells mutton so fresh and chickens that they have a long queue onto the street from about 6.00 a.m. So I decided to go try my luck and guess what- they have a separate line for women- hooray for women!! That line is usually much shorter since more often than not the man does the meat shopping around here. So I was able to get a leg of mutton and mutton chops as well. The shop owners breed these animals in a farm a distance away from the city and this shop is only open on Sundays from 6.00 a.m- 12 noon. So they have a great reputation and I must say the meat was tender and did not need to go into the pressure cooker at all.
With all this food feasting I decided that I need to start exercising more- so I have purchased a treadmill and started my regimen- 25 minutes at least 4 times a week. I also have my recumbent bike that I use once a week for 10-15 minutes. I got an abs push up machine and one of those large balls to do some balance work as well. The complex actually has a gym and a personal trainer- however, it is crowded especially in the summer since all the youngsters are off school as well.
I also read about Sujok therapy which is a Korean form of acupressure and acupuncture that is centered on the hands. It is based on the theory that your palm holds all the pressure points to your body and can be stimulated using acupuncture needles in the corresponding areas and with magnets. I have been to 5 sessions for my shoulder pain and now will start doing some exercises as well to alleviate the pain. The doctor is a medical practitioner and has been certified as a sujok practitioner as well.
With the election of the female chef minister in Tamil Nadu, we are seeing some changes for the better- the law that was passed a few years ago mandating helmets for two wheelers is finally being enforced!! So the first day of the enforcement, it was interesting to see the huge number of helmets that were actually on the heads rather than just strapped in the front of the rider! In the past these riders would quickly put the helmet on if they saw a policeman at the traffic signals- now they have no choice but to keep it on their heads! I am sure that it will take some time before it really gets to be part of driving on the roads- the fine is only Rs. 50 ($1) right now and activists are clamouring to raise the fine to have a greater impact.
I am amazed at the cult like behaviour of people with their political leaders- they literally worship the ground these leaders walk on- in fact one of the cabinet ministers refused to wear shoes wherever the chief minster had walked- so he has been going around barefoot and the chief minister had to admonish him. I keep wondering about corruption of people in power-- it is so easy for that to happen if the followers are not going to disagree or voice a different opinion because the leader is seen as equal to God and therefore indisputable! What is even more outrageous is the act of cutting off parts of the body as a sacrifice for their leader- examples include cutting off the tongue, thumb!
Then of course the sad news of female foeticide on the rise among educated, affluent people in India- it breaks my heart to see that while India is marching forward in the global arena it is also stepping backwards into creating an imbalance in nature's process, thus depriving this nation of a most critical resource- its women. Amazingly, the recent high school results for the nation were published and the high scorers were girls! I wonder what it will take to get the mind set change that girls/women are just as significant as boys/men. I wish male actors like Amitabh Bacchan and Rajinikanth in Tamil Nadu would take up the cause and do awareness campaigns- after all this is when the cult status of these actors would result in some good for society.
I am starting to be busy on the job with the women's network chapters being launched. Of course our Global Chief Diversity Officer is visiting Chennai on June 28th and Mumbai on July 4th and we are planning a big bash and introducing our network teams and their initiatives around Communication Skills, Interpersonal Skills and Work Life Balance. I may have to write a blog post for a career web site on my experience of working in India- some of the cultural nuances, attitudes, business etiquette and overall interpersonal and social atmosphere. I am also working on a leadership development program for 6-8 women which should be an interesting challenge that will result in promotions as well as visibility for the women.
So until the next time- here's to a great summer for most of you on this list and a cool winter for some of you in the southern hemisphere. Keep in touch- I love hearing from you.
