Handmade Crochet Doll

Handmade Crochet Doll

The artistic lady in the house created this cute bundle for the grand daughter. My contribution is very minimal like stuffing, color choice, or removing the knots from yarn bundles. I think some artistic current (streak) still runs in the family. It is very difficult to preserve any sense of art in this modern crass world. Even the famed Dr. Balamuralikrishna (the composer, vocalist) expressed that sentiment in some forum, I think. What is very difficult in this crowded world is this: Just to live for the sake of “austere living”. Everybody else puts demands on our time, interest, and energies.

Our uncle and cousin sister learned and loved music. But sadly towards later life they could not hold to it due to the vagaries of life and health complications. Our dear mother had the talent but she was too busy with us; all her energies were spent on the family. Occasionally she would sing one or two songs at functions, puja, or Savitri Nomu, etc. I try to keep her memory and brilliant musical skills alive through exploring the meanings of Telugu songs. And once in a while I try to compose but I can never match mother’s creativity. 

Our cousin sister used to build little stands and castles for the Kanaka Durga Devi at home during the Navaratri Festival (Dussehra). She would collect umpteen discarded injection bottles from hospitals and patiently wash them and glue them into fancy tall structures with pillars.

In our native place (Narasapuram) we have a great tradition of embroidery (lace), crochet, and needle work. They used to export to Japan and many merchants from North India routinely buy large consignments of lace articles from the district. Yet the needlework puts strain on the artists’ eyes and you have to make hundred knitted bed sheets to make any sensible profit. The whole gamut of marketing is there – the middleman, exhibitions, etc. There are cooperatives and the state government is trying to promote through Lepakshi. As some one quipped in Hyderabad, “साब्, अब तो सब् चिनी का माल!"

The Walnut Tree

The Walnut Tree

In that coastal south Indian village our snacks and nuts were modest. In the evenings during idle leisure hours (we) children had access to only coconut, peanuts, puffed rice, or peas. That was before the prepackaged Haldiram, Ammas, or Lays chips showed up in the Indian markets. Some times even peanuts were a luxury! On occasion mother would give us a piece of jaggery, raisins, or popped rice. Or, even a ripe banana from our own kitchen garden. Come to think of it, our banana garden was just adjacent to the kitchen window. The large leaves would provide a cool shade to shield us from the sharp afternoon sun rays. I think the Mahatma (Mohandas Gandhi) used to favor peanuts as a snack. In small doses peanuts do no harm but when combined with a small piece of jaggery it works wonders – there would be no adverse side effects. Also it boosts the energy levels for children and adults alike. Little pieces of jaggery will quickly elevate the blood sugar and this is very useful for diabetic patients in small amounts. On long walks, trekking, or athletic sport events peanut brittle is a good source of nutrition.

I did not come to know about walnuts for most of my school and college days. But in Delhi I came to appreciate arts and humanities, a subject far removed from my specialization. Though we were mostly confined to technology and applied sciences, in the hostel we got good exposure to neighboring humanities friends. Also the JNU campus was right next door.  In those days our humanities department students started a poetry periodical (Avant-garde). Through my (poetry) submissions I got acquainted with a Kashmiri graduate student in the English Department. Once he brought a 30 lbs. sack of walnuts from his hilly garden estate. Thus sitting in his room I enjoyed freshly cracked walnuts while discussing poetry, aesthetics, and literature – across a red glowing electric heater.

But you wouldn’t know a tree like almond or walnut without touching it in the outdoors nature. In an earlier post I narrated my boyhood experiences with primitive gardening and the joy of growing an almond tree from seed. 

I get to see the nutritional benefits of walnuts first hand by observing the physically active playful squirrels in our garden and the adjoining backyard woods.  According to traditional sources (ex: Materia Medica) the nuts generate heat in the body. Walnut removes excess water from the body. It gives energy and strengthens heart and stomach. The nuts also promote male virility. Some other beneficial effects are: memory improvement, longevity, and physical vigor for the elderly. The nuts when taken with raisins (dried grapes) impart energy to the body. The antidotes for its adverse side effects are sour pomegranate, lime juice, and salt.

Here in the northeast USA we see these (wild) walnut trees majestically growing in the forests, wild areas, roadside, and even in backyards. The foliage turns bright yellow (bronze) in the autumn but the walnuts still hold on to the twigs and branches. Then our tailed rodentia (bushy tailed squirrels) get into briskly action and shake things down from above. We notice plenty of half eaten, discarded, and some barely bitten walnuts with the green outer covering on the floor during the windy fall season. The little children-like squirrels will do every trick to hide the nuts in our flowerpots, garden, overhead gutters, and in the bushes. Later in the spring and summer they wearily hunt down for every nut. Some times they succeed and some times they fail. But in the process they help the walnut trees sprout and spread all around. Walking near these thirty feet tall trees is soothing to the mind; the rustle of the overhead leaves coupled with the squirrels’ nut munching is an activity I cannot miss on my long walks in the woods. 

I forgot to mention the medicinal uses of walnuts for healthy teeth. Ayurvedic tooth powders (ex: Vajradanti) contain walnuts in their formulae. Walnut leaves and tender twigs are useful for brushing. They help in keeping dental cavities in check and the gums in healthy tight condition. Copyright 2023 by the author   

 

Toes, Toenails, and Fingernails

Toes, Toenails, and Fingernails

Though hands and feet are not directly related, I want to touch on some problems of the extremities - finger and toe problems. Many of us experience occasionally a rare fingernail (subcutaneous) abscess, in-grown toenail, or deformed toes. The last malady is also known as “hammer toe”.  Now, first about the finger nail abscess. Either due to accident or carelessness we may pull the corner of a fingernail. Thus without our awareness the nail and the surrounding parts (cuticle, the underneath surface (nail matrix), the nail surroundings) are disturbed. As a reaction to the injury, the fingertip and all the nearby areas become swollen and red. It becomes extremely painful calling for urgent attention. If pus (decayed white cells, etc.) forms under the nail then it needs some surgical intervention. In the village we used to see people going around with a tightly wrapped lemon (or lime) around the injured fingernail. This type of poultice works in most cases; it offers the required compression to aid in the healing. Alternatively, many grandmothers used to put a paste of flour mixed with Castor oil. The flour paste is warmed on a skillet and the warm soft paste is tightly applied to the fingertip. Some would also use a paste of turmeric and lime [Ca(OH)2] with good results. The well-known Mehndi leaf paste (Lawsonia inermis, Gorinta) is also very helpful for preserving the health of nails. Such home remedies are also good in preventing nail fungus. 

Once I too got into this painful predicament solely due to my own carelessness. While nail biting is mostly harmless, still it can lead to injury to the cuticle (nail corners). So, it happened once. It all started as minor pain, then redness all around, and finally the whole thing blew up into a nasty abscess filled with pus (paronychia). After exhausting all the home remedies I had to rush to the urgent care. The male nurse (compounder in the village) took care of it with a sharp scalpel, local anesthesia, and topical freezing. The earthly body gives difficulties even to personalities like Sri Ganapathi Muni. Thus once Kavya-kantha Ganapathi Muni wanted to write a major work on Indrani in Sanskrit verse; he vowed to complete the entire poetical exercise within two weeks. Sri Ramana encouraged him to do likewise as pledged. And then suddenly in the middle the poet extraordinaire developed abscess on one of his fingers that too on the right hand. Everything thing came to a standstill until an Ayurvedic doctor came up the hill (Arunachalam) and did the surgery right in time. 

In the village as kids we often wandered and walked miles without footwear. Like other school going children I too used to get bruises on feet and toes. Mother and sister would wash the wound and apply some turmeric paste. Often I used to get severe itching during monsoon season in the toes due to skin allergies. Due to constant falling and getting hit with rough stones on the road I too got a deformed toe. Luckily due to youthful suppleness, yoga, and vigorous physical activity the toe regained its normal state. Then many of us in the vast Indian small towns and villages had primitive schoolrooms. We studied the handicrafts (ex: weaving, yarn pulling) and music sitting on the tiled, concrete plastered, or even mud covered bare floors. Inevitably we ended up with warts on the little toes and ankles. Such hard knocks on the body remind me the passage of time and the limited resources of a bygone era. 

Recently while moving bookshelves I had an accident. We had to shuffle all the furniture, move stuff to different floors (levels), and bring back the shelves against gravity. It was not easy moving stuff across three floors. Some times one wants to be utterly self sufficient and determined to do things without outside help. If you hire outside help then you have to synchronize and submit to external schedules and dictates. Any way, these days getting any handyman here in the US is almost impossible. People are waiting for months to get one appliance installed; money or no money this is the reality in many places. So, while moving the heavy bookshelf (ourselves) I got my (right) big toe banged. Due to pressed wood some bookshelves weigh almost 50 – 70 lbs. At first I did not notice the splintered toenail and the profuse bleeding. But the white socks could not hide the oozing blood much longer. A cut or bruise on skin is no big deal; at the worst it would involve some stiches and a scar. But toenail is a delicate situation – healing slowly it may lead to deformed toenail, in-grown nail, underneath blood clot, or even fungus.

(Adapted from Gray's Anatomy)

Thus I got into a pickle (as they say here), all due to sheer accident. A quick tight bandage stopped the bleeding but not the pain. Also, I had to keep the big toe dry during showers using a plastic bag. A word of caution about cuts/bruises on toes for elders: Many elders may be on blood thinners and that will make things complicated. Compounding this is the uncontrolled blood glucose (Type II Diabetes). One of our dear relatives got into serious problems when her toe got injured due to walking with flip-flops (barefoot) in the village. Only prolonged dressing (bandage) with powerful antibiotics saved her toe from losing (amputated).  

In this case bleeding returned when the (constricting) bandage was released. So, I had to bear the aching wound without antibiotic cream for two days. Luckily the toe healed naturally without further complications. A doctor’s visit gave a tetanus shot in the arm. Initially I worried about distorted toenail, fungus, etc. unnecessarily. In modern manufacturing plants usually people are advised to wear a steel toe boot to prevent such accidents. I keep a homemade remedy (Dr. Elchuri’s Ayurvedic herbal oil) ready for cuticle and nail problems. And the herbal oil really helped in this case. Copyright 2023 by the author