Happy New Year 2023

 

Yes! one more year is just coming to an end. In everybody’s life some good and bad events might have occurred. That is way of life. But at the end of a year, it will be ideal to have an introspection and take stock of the past one years’ deeds. This will enable us to take new decisions for the ensuing year.

The proverb ‘Time and tide wait for no man’ is  perfectly apt. Days roll into months, months to years and thus time passes away. In Government organizations, at the end of each financial year, a review of the past financial transactions are reviewed and future programs chalked out. In northern India, business people do the same way - review their business activities and plan accordingly to the next year during Deepavali days. In a  similar fashion, each individual irrespective of his age and profession should also analyze their past deeds and plan future  activities for the coming new year. There might have been so many trials and tribulations. If one was able to remain  calm and quite in adverse circumstances also then he might have been able to face the situations boldly. Everybody must be able to forget the past deeds of their foes and forgive them. " Forget and forgive; then you will never regret"  - the proverb is like that.

In general, at least a large percentage of people take New year resolutions; but all will not be in a position to practice it throughout the year. They drop it after some days due to several reasons. In reality .people are not able to concentrate on their specified task because of distractions. Mind plays a very important role in this connection. In Upanishads, it has been told

“May we have noble thoughts in our minds

 May we never express bitter words in our speech! ”

One must be able to lead a healthy life both physically and mentally. The old saying “Sound mind in  a sound body “ is perfectly right.

Let us all hope and pray to the Almighty to help us to lead a happy Year 2023 with full of hopes  and aspirations. We must be able to help our fellow brethren in what ever way we are able to help. Let us try to spread a smile on face of all. Let us try to enjoy life to its full extent.

Remember-

“Unborn tomorrow and dead yesterday

Why fret? If today be sweet !”

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From Mud Houses to Multistorey Concrete Structures

In the early stages of  human life, people took shelter on tree tops and caves. Gradually they started constructing huts and moved there. During the Indus valley civilization period (2700 BCE to 1700 BCE) houses were constructed using bricks. Mud houses were prevalent in India, China, USA, Egypt, Algeria, Gulf countries also. 

USA

The above house was constructed in 1836 in clay puddled with straw and then rammed it. It was a 7.3 m x 11.6 m rectangular building with gable roof. The house is a historic one situated at Penfield, New York. It is a surviving example of rammed-earth construction. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Log cabin of (ex) president of USA  Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln spent his early childhood in this log cabin. His parents were very poor and as such they could meet the expenditure for his education . He borrowed books from his  fiends and privately studied. His father was a carpenter.

China

The above house was constructed using stones, mud, lime and surkhi mortar. Small private homes of ancient Chinese were usually built from dried mud, rough stones and wood. The most ancient houses are square, rectangular or oval in shape. They had thatched roofs supported by wooden poles.

India

Siddavatam Fort

This is situated in Cuddappa district of Andhra Pradesh. This was constructed in 1303. Fort is a famous archiological structure. It is situated on the banks of river Pennar. Originally it was constructed in mud, but later it was remodeled with stones. The fort extends over 30 acres of land.

Tajmahal (Agra)

Tajmahal is located at Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It stands by the side of river Yamuna.  The construction of Tajmahal was started in 1632 and completed in 1648. Emperor Shah Jehan got this constructed in memory of Queen Mumtaz. White marble stones imported from Persia were used for the construction. The mortar was surkhi.

Red Fort(Delhi)

This was also got constructed by emperor Shah Jehan. Red sand stone was used for the construction.

The work was started in 1639 and completed in 1648. Shah Jehan decided to shift the capital of Mughal empire from Agra to Delhi. It stands by the side of river Yamuna. Ustad Ahmd Lahouri was the architect of Red Fort. The construction of the fort took almost ten years .

Padmanabhaswami Temple (Trivandrum)

The Shree Padmanabha Swami temple  is a Hindu temple located in Trivandrum, Kerala. The temple is an intricate fusion of the Chera style and the Dravidian style architecture. The principal diety of  the temple is Padmanabha swami (Vishnu) .

Tali temple ( Calicut)

Tali Mahashetram  is a Hindu temple dedicated to the diety Shiva. It is situated in the city of Calicut
(Kozhikode),Kerala. The temple was built in 14th century by Zamorin of Calicut.

Mishkal mosque  (Calicut)

This mosque is located in Calicut, Kerala. It is an important cultural, historical and architectural monument. The mosque was built by a rich muslim merchant in the 14th century.

Banasura sagar Dam

Banasura dam is the largest earthen dam in India and the second largest in Asia. It impounds the waters of the river  Karamnathodu , a tributary of river Kabini. It is a one kilometer long structure. The dam was constructed in 1979. The water from the reservoir is used for drinking and irrigation. The dam is located 21 km from Kalpetta, Wayanad, Kerala. Banasura dam is made up of mud and boulders.

Revolution in the construction field

Cement Concrete

The development of  cement has actually revolutionized the  construction field. The credit goes to a mason, Joseph Aspidin of England. In 1824, he first mixed lime and clay, heated to a high temperature and after cooling , powdered  the residue. This was called Portland cement. Concrete was then made by mixing cement, sand and ballasst (broken stone) and water in correct proportion to get the desired strength.

Bhurj Khalifa (Dubai)

This is the tallest structure of the world. It is in Dubai (UAE). It is 828 m tall and has 163 floors. The construction started in 2004 and was completed in 2009. The tower was opened for public in 2010. The primary structure is by reinforced concrete. Bhurj  Khalufa was designed by  a group led by Andrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

Back to Nature

             Mud house in kannur

A couple residing in Kannur, Kerala desired to live in an eco-friendly house. They got a house constructed in mud and other natural materials. The house is of 960 sq.feet in area.

The cost of construction was only Rs four lakhs. The construction was completed in 2010.

There is no fan, AC or Fridge in that house. Their average consumption of electricity is only four units/month. For cooking, bio-gas is being used instead of LPG.

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Sabarimala Temple of Lord Ayyappa

 

Sabarimala Temple of Lord Ayyappa

Hinduism is the oldest and the third largest religion in the world.  There are a large number of  Hindu pilgrim centres in India. One such major pilgrim centre  is the Lord Ayyappa temple in the  Kerala State.

Sabarimala temple of Kerala is a very ancient and important temple. The temple is situated on the slopes of western  ghats in the southern part of Kerala. It is in the midst of thick forest and is surrounded by 18 hills. According to popular belief, the temple is 5000 years old. About five crore of devotees visit the temple every year. Just like other temples, this temple is not open on all the three sixty five days of the year. Normally the pilgrim season is mid November to mid January. On other occasions the worship is done for few days on first of every Malayalam month (middle of English month). One specialty of this temple is that ladies in the age group of 10 to 50 are not permitted to go to the temple.

The legend about this temple is as follows. It is believed that Kerala was uplifted from sea by sage Parasurama. He then installed Lord Ayyappa at  Sabarimala . Lord Ayyappa is said to be a joint personification of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Ayyappa , it is told meditated here after killing demoness Mahishi.

A very important feature of this temple is the oneness of different religious beliefs. It is perhaps the only one temple of the whole world with its doors open to all whatever be their religious beliefs. The pilgrims who are called ayyappans  chant Swamiye sharana ayyappa. It is the mental peace and the spiritual relief  that the pilgrims get after undertaking the pilgrimage that attracts lot of devotees to this temple. The devotees are expected to observe forty one days of vratham  (penance). During this period, they have to take bath twice a day, wear blue or black dresses and refrain from having non- vegetarian items of meat, fish; alcohol and sex. They should wear garlands of rudraksha or tulasi (basil). However, now a days  these practices are not followed in its full spirits. Pilgrims generally go in groups under a leader and each carry a cloth bundle called Irumudi Kettu containing traditional offerings.

The administration of the temple is done by Travancore  Devaswam Board. It is an autonomous body and comprises a President and two other members.

There are different routes to reach the temple. The last stop of the motorable road is Pumpa. From Pumpa  to sannidhanam (sanctum sanctorum) ,a distance of five kms has to be negotiated on foot. There are rest houses and hotels at the temple site but during peak period, it is difficult to  get proper accommodation unless advance reservation is made.

Petta Thullal ( devotional dance):

Petta thullal performed by devotees at Erumali on way to the temple is  an important traditional custom. According to belief, Petta thullal is a joyful dance performed on knowing that  the terrible demoness Mahishi has been killed by Ayyappa and that it is the victory of virtue over evil. After the prayer and offerings, the pilgrims walk towards the  mosque  of Vavar nearby and receive sacred ash from the Muslim priest. This is actually a demonstration of religious harmony.

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Cement concrete

                                        Cement Concrete 

Cement concrete has practically revolutionized the civil construction sector. Whether it is a small residential building, multistorey building, bridge, dam, highway, rail sleeper, airport, sea port, tunnel - for all these construction work, (cement) concrete is unavoidable. Naturally the question may arise. What is this concrete? 

Concrete is a compound consisting of cement, fine aggregate (sand), coarse aggregate (broken stone) and water.

 Characteristics of concrete 

-Strength 

- Durability 

- Fire resistance

- Impact resistance 

- Mouldability

 Grades of concrete

 Concrete is designated as M15, M20,etc in which M stands for mix and 15,20 denotes the compressive strength in N/sq.mm. The maximum compressive strength is determined in a laboratory by applying compressive load on concrete cubes of 15cmx15cmx15cm. size. The test is conducted after 28 days.

 Manufacture of concrete

 1.Proportionig of the materials 

2.Batching of the materials 

3. Mixing of the materials 

4. Conveyance of concrete 

5.Laying of concrete 

6.Compacting of concrete 

7.Curing of the concrete 

 Flow chart of manufacture of cement 

Bhurj Khalifa (Dubai)

This is the tallest building of the world - 828 m height consisting of 163 floors. It took six years to complete this building.(2004-2010).For the construction of this building 330000 cub meter of concrete and 39000 tonnes of steel were used. 

Types of concrete 

Ordinary concrete, Reinforced concrete, Prestressed concrete

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Cement - the very essential material for construction

In good olden days,  buildings were constructed using mud, stones, bricks or wooden scantlings, tin sheets etc. The binding material was usually of mud and lime mixture. In ancient Rome and Greece, it is reported that about 2000 years ago lime and volcanic ash was mixed with water  and then used for jointing the blocks. However the credit for the modern cement goes to Joseph Aspidin of England who developed what is known as Portland cement. In 1824 he took a patent for the same. In 20^th century, the manufacture of cement spread over the whole world.

Manufacture of cement

There are four stages in the manufacture of cement.

1.    Crushing and grinding the raw material,(mixture of lime and clay)

2.    Blending the same in correct proportions

3.    Burning them in a kiln at very high temperature

4.    Grinding the burnt product (clinker) after adding gypsum

There are three processes of manufacture of cement. They are

1.    Wet 2. Dry 3. Semi dry

Side effects of manufacture of cement

About 4% to 8% of carbon dioxide emission in the world comes from manufacture of cement. This in turn leads to increased  global warming.

Manufacture of cement in India

1904 South India  Industries Ltd  Madras

1914 Indian Cement Company Ltd, Porbunder, Gujarat

Tests on cement

For the quality control of cement, various tests are conducted in the laboratory. They are:

-Strength, setting time, fineness, consistency, soundness, chemical composition

Different types of cement

Ordinary Portland cement 33 grade, ordinary Portland cement 43 grade, ordinary Portland cement 53 grade, Portland slag cement, Colored cement: white, Portland pozzolana cement, Hydrophobic Portland cement

                                                              An old house                                     A modern house

   Cement manufacturing plants in India

There are 210 large cement manufacturing plants in India, out of which 77 are situated in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Use of cement

Cement is mainly used as a binder in concrete. There are mainly two types of concrete - ordinary concrete and reinforced cement concrete. This is mainly used in  construction of buildings, roads, railways, seaports, airports, dams  etc.

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Gulab Jamun

 

Gulab Jamun

 Gulab Jamun is a sweet dish which can be easily and quickly prepared in the house. This is very popular in India especially in Punjab and Bengal.  The energy  value of two gulab jamuns is about 300 calories.

Ingredients

Bread pieces           8

Milk                        5 table spoons

Oil                           

Sugar                   ¾ cup

Water                       ¾ cup

 Cardamom             3  

Preparation  

-       Cut the edges of the bread slices  

-       Put the slices in a grinder and powder it

-       Take the powdered bread pieces out and put in a vessel

-       Add the milk and cardamom powder

-       Mix it thoroughly

-       Make it into small balls and bring it into a spherical shape 

-       Take the oil in a pan and heat it

-       Put the bread balls into the hot oil

-       Stir the balls in the pan till it gets a golden brownish colour

-       Take them out and keep them in the sugar syrup for about

3 30 minutes

-       The gulab jamuns are now ready

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Kuttan Nair forgot his house keys

 Kuttan Nair forgot his house keys

_{Kuttan(Ku) Nair was}  staying in a remote village in Kerala. The house  was constructed by his ancestors   years back. _{It   was  made out of mud.   Even in summer, the inside of the house was quite cool His  wife Sulochana (Su)  and} daughter Parvati  (Pa) were with him.  There were a large number of coconut, areca nut, jack fruit, teakwood trees in the house  compound. Also he  was nurturing a quite big  vegetable garden. The surplus vegetables were  sold in the nearby market. In his house compound there was a small  pond. Water was drawn from the pond. In front of the house there was a small stream. Beyond the stream was paddy fields.  Altogether it gave  really a panoramic  view.

_{Ku’ spent most of his time in the field and garden. He was able to raise sufficient money from the sale of the}  agricultural products. There was a Krishna temple near his house. Pa’ and Su’ used to go to the temple regularly in the evening. Once in a year in the month of October there used to be a  pooram celebration in the temple. The celebration  lasted for three days.  Various cultural programs like Ottam thullal , Dance, Chakyarkooth   etc were being enacted during this period. Su’ spent her spare time in reading books. There was a small library  near to her house. She used to get books from  there. She  was interested in painting also. She taught  few students  painting.

_{Pa’ was studying in a nearby college. She took part in various cultural activities and won many  prizes. She also acted  as}  the Editor of the college magazine. After graduation, she joined as a teacher in the nearby school. At the same time she  continued with  her  cultural activities. By that time her parents started searching a suitable boy for her marriage. They gave advertisement in a local news paper. Pa’  told her parents that she was not interested in marrying a boy working in  the middle  east. She wanted the boy to be from near her place. After lot of searches, they could identify a boy from the  neighboring town. He was working in the state government revenue department.

_{The marriage was solemnized in the traditional style. Only close relatives were invited for the marriage. After marriage,}  Pa’ shifted to her husband’s house. She was happy with her in laws. Father- in- law was a retired government servant. The school in which she was working was very near to her house. She could come to the house for lunch also.

_{It was a Sunday evening. Pa’ was seeing a cinema in the}

_{TV. Mother in law  was  in the kitchen preparing evening tea. At}  that time she got a whatsup message. After reading the message, she started crying  loudly. Mother in law came running from the kitchen enquiring about the reason of the cry. Pa’ was not in a state to talk. Mother- in- law  sprinkled some water on her face. Then she murmered that her mother was no more.

_{Pa’ along with her husband immediately rushed   to her house. Almost all the neighbors were there. Her immediate neighbor}  started consoling her. She paid respect to her departed mother and sat near the dead body. She could not imagine that her mother would meet such an untimely death. She was told that mother was watering the kitchen garden. Suddenly she felt  some uneasiness and  fell down.  She was immediately taken to the near by hospital  but was  declared as brought dead.

_{After the death - ceremonies, Pa returned to her husband’s  house. She requested her father to come and stay with her.} But he did not agree. He told hat he has to look after his paddy fields and vegetable garden. But  he agreed to come to her  house in the week end.

_{As agreed,  he used to come to Pa's house on week ends and stay with her. On one Sunday evening, he was retuning to his house from  his daughter's house.} He  walked a bit fast. It was getting dark. Children in the nearby houses started chanting  prayers slightly in a louder voice. The village road was almost empty. The  sun was approaching the western horizon. A group of cranes flew over the green fields.  Children were playing football in the nearby ground.

Suddenly he remembered that he has forgotten to take his house keys from Pa's house. He turned back and walked to Pa's house. _{He opened the gate of her house. Walked} towards  the portico. He was about to knock on the door.  At that time, he heard a conversation   in a very  low tone between Pa’ and her husband.

“I don’t think the old man will die in the near future.” said Pa's husband

“He  is  keeping good health now also.”  Pa

"When he dies, I  want   to sell  this property and purchase a new flat in the town.” Pa's husband

“That will be nice. I am completely fed up with this  village  life.” Pa

Ku’   could  not  believe his  ears. He was till now thinking that his daughter was  not so greedy and   was loving her father  very much.  In an angry and desperate mood Ku’   collected   the keys. He did not talk any  thing  to Pa’. He came out of the house and started walking  to his  house. Old memories cropped up in his mind. He could not control his sorrow. Tears rolled over his cheek. 

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Bread pokoda

 

Bread Pokoda

Ingredients

Bread slices

Gram flour (Kadala mavu/ Besan)

Oil

Salt

Preparation

*Cut the bread slices in triangular shape

*Take the gram flour in a bowl

*Put salt

*Add water slowly and mix thoroughly

to  get a thick batter

*Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat

*Dip the bread slice slowly into the batter one at a time

*Put the slice slowly into the oil in the frying pan

*Fry both sides until it is golden brown  color

*Take it out and keep it in a plate

* Have it with chutney or sauce

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                           Physiotherapy- the need of the hour

Normally doctors advise patients to take different types of machines for various illnesses whether the system is under allopathy, ayurveda or homeopathy. But in certain cases, the treatment has to be under physiotherapy. Physio therapy or physical therapy is a type of treatment for injuries or illnesses which normally restrict the movement of a person or does not enable him to do his normal duties. The illness may be due to injury, accident, ageing or other factors.

Tracing back to the history of treatment, it is seen that even in BC 460, Hippocrates was practicing physical therapy such as massage, hydrotherapy etc. In due course the treatment was developed further using sophisticated equipment.  From 1940 onwards, the general practice consisted of massage, exercise and traction.

Equipment generally used in physiotherapy

.Tread mill, Exercise bike, Vibrator, Roller, Hand ball, Treatment table 

                                

                     

  Different types of physiotherapy                                                                

1.Pediatric physiotherapy

This treatment is intended for children.

2.Women’s physiotherapy

This deals with pre-natal and post -natal cases.

3.Geriatic physiotherapy

This is mainly intended for senior citizens. It helps

to manage joint pain, physiological disorders and

to increase the overall strength of the body.

4.Neuorological physiotherapy

This branch deals with nervous system related to head injuries,

Parkinson’s disease, stroke etc.

5.Orthpaedic physio therapy

This deals with defects and ailments related to muscles,

joints, bones etc.

6.Cardiorespiratory physio therapy

This branch deals with conditions related to lungs and heart.

7.Sports  related physiotherapy

This wing deals with sports persons and athelates.

Future of physiotherapy in India

According to WHO ( World  health Organization) , one therapist is required for every 10000persons. The  perception among general public is that therapists are required for massaging and some sort of exercises only. But in reality, that is not the case. The therapists are required to help in maintaining the well being of the general public .The Indian Association of Physiotherapists has formulated ethical rules and regulations which physiotherapists are requires to follow.

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Expectations - the need to have limitations

                            key words- expectations,  dejected, reasonable limits

Every body in this world have their own expectations. But quite often it so happens that the expectation may not get completely fulfilled or it  may get shattered. You may feel disheartened, dejected and sometimes angry. 

What is the solution? 

Follow this dictum: " . Keep your expectations with in reasonable limits; do not have over expectation. Try to remain calm and cool in odd circumstances also. And do not always expect others to behave the way you want"

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Antioxidents can improve your skin

Free radicals are major cause of aging. A free radical is any molecular species capable of independent existence  and can cause large chemical reactions in human body. They can be neutralized by taking antioxidants which breakdown free radicals. The most effective antioxidants are vitamins A, C, E and the mineral selenium. The diet should be supplemented with antioxidants. They protect the skin from damage by keeping away oxygen molecules from eating collagen and elastin of the skin’s tissues. The main precipitating causes of   free radicals are sunlight, smoke, air pollution and mental stress. When free radicals damage skin cells, collagen breaks down and wrinkles formed.

The main antioxidants used in the skin care products are discussed herein.

Alpha Lipic Acid (ALA) is a powerful antioxidant. It is 400 times more powerful than vitamin C and E. When taken internally it helps in the production of cells and keeps  them to function more efficiently.

CoQ10 produces energy from glucose in our body cells. It is used in every cell of our  body. It serves as an electron transporter for mitochondria. It is important for health and survival.  A stressful life can reduce CoQ10.

Copper peptides activate collagen and elastin. It gives skin strength and flexibility.

Vitamin C is another antioxidant. It builds up collagen and elastin. Vitamin C is unstable. Vitamin C-Ester is more stable but has to undergo changes so as to benefit the skin. L-ascorbic is a particular form of vitamin C and is more useful. It should be used at 2% strength.

Vitamin E is also another skin antioxidant. It is effective in the oil part of cell. It protects against damage from ultra violet rays.

Kinetin delays the destruction of skin fibroblasts. It is taken from plant extract.

Nayad is a patented ingredient from the cellular wall of baker’s yeast. It improves the moisture in the skin by 27%, appearance of wrinkles by 56% and elasticity by 74%.The skin will look young with the daily use of this.

Pycnogenol is another antioxidant. It is twenty times more powerful than vitamin C and fifty times more powerful than vitamin E. It works against free radicals in the water and oil phase of cells. It helps in creating a more youthful skin. Pycnogenol is called “ the magic bullet of free radicals.” It is top of all antioxidants that are currently in the market.

It is   necessary to know the ingredients of the skin care products of daily use.

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