As a picky eater, my worst nightmare was seated at the looming dinner table, with an unfinished plate of now-cold rice and poriyal. I resorted to dashing away, hiding under beds, and depositing morsels into pockets. Paati's first remedy for my stomach was a hushed thinly veiled threat in folklore format, that if I didn't finish eating, the mosquitoes, scorpions, and other poochies would assemble, steal my food and grow large, and sneak into my bed when I was asleep. Her second remedy was shooing me into her lush garden lined with herbs, weeds, almond and chikoo trees, and streets, to pick out herbs. She transformed our pickings of manathakkali into sour kuzhambu, leaves and weeds into keerai side-dishes, and amla into jam.
Bitter, wholesome, and carefully picked, these herbs—never entering restaurant or urban home menus—revived my absent appetite, and warded away nightmares of Kafkaesque bugs. Gardens, indigenous knowledge passed down through communities, and plants dotting our landscapes harbor remedies. Herbs growing at the ground level have many medicinal and herbal properties to offer, explains Shruti Tharayil, founder of Forgotten Greens, at the Chennai Wild Food Walk, held a week ago.
In nature's company
Bu hikaye The New Indian Express dergisinin December 16, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The New Indian Express dergisinin December 16, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Dharavi to WPL riches: Simran bags ₹1.9 cr
SIMRAN SHAIKH was bought for her base price of ₹10 lakh by UP Warriorz at the inaugural Women's Premier League auction.
FORAGING AND FEASTING
At a food walk held by Forgotten Greens, Chennaiites gathered at Kotturpuram Corporation Park to find weeds and shrubs that have gone out of our vegetable baskets, but are powerhouses of benefits
Seasons of sangeetham
AS the music season begins, Carnatic tunes reverberate through the city, women don their most elegant silk drapes, and sabhas are the most frequented spots. With the lyrical rendition of Kandan Seyal Andro, Krishna Gana Sabha's inauguration ceremony of the 68th Margazhi Mela on Friday began with ragas, and enraptured rasikas.
Keeping up with a legacy
The inaugural events at the sabhas set the stage for a month-long dance and music festival as the city awakens to the mesmerizing rhythms of the month of Margazhi—up before sunrise, drawing kolams, visiting temples, listening to devotional songs, and more.
CURTAINS RISE FOR MARGAZHI
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WHEN BRATMAN SAVED CHRISTMAS
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Photographs that tell a tale
THE Chennai Photo Biennale Edition 4 (CPB 4) is scheduled to commence on December 20.
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LONE RANGER BUMRAH
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