The Quintessential Curd Rice
On the South Indian Intellects and simplicity of South Indian Life Style..
Recently my son was having a play date with his friends and I happend to meet a wonderful North Indian mom.
She was so much in awe of South Indians, their simple life style and the intelligent clan.. The Sunder Pichai and Satya Nadella effect in the US I guess.. In her imagination, “the South Indian kids always say a prayer before going to school, before lunch etc. The Mantras must be doing wonders to their intellect and grasping”
In addition, she was telling with awe.. “In Google, a mindfulness workshop showed scientific data on how meditation and prayers improved the neural activity at the frontal region of the brain.. When our elders talked about the third eye and meditation, we dismiss it and now we are trying to reinvent the same thing with science”
Mentally I was talking to myself — With changing times, I wonder even if every Brahmin family in modern setting know the Mantras.. BTW, Mantras are from Vedas and literally means -Mananaat Trayathe — that which protect the mind from constant recollection and worries .. Whether we understand or not, the codewords in the mantra sequence make an acoustic-neurochemical connection in the mind and is framed for different situations. These days, the mantra culture seems to be catching up due to awareness and efforts.. Good for those who practise without much resistance..
She also happend to enquire the recipe of 3 simple and soulful dishes — curd, seasoned curd rice and spiced butter milk. Why not.. after eating curd rice, remember the sleepy effect.. Apparently it produces a satisfaction feel amino acid called Tryptophan (trupthi aka satisfaction).
It reminded me of my college days at NIT Trichy. I am a South Indian myself and knew a few mantras from School but had a cosmopolitan lifestyle at Bangalore. My roommate was a sharp witty Tam Brahm from Sri Rangam and there seemed something very pristine and fresh about her.
We would tease the day scholar boys who would restrict their perspective to only Education and Learning and not look at the diversity around.. They were called ‘Tairrr Saaaadham’ — meaning Plain Old Curd Rice..
The Curd rice that was once sidelined has indeed proven itself to be Quintessential..
