Fitness page - Expresso Page 5

The Siddhas Way to a healthy life
New Year - A time for Affirmations
Quantum touch healing

Fitness, Expresso, Page 5

Switchwords: A sound way to good health
An anatomy of a chronic headache

Expresso, Fitness, Page 5

Voicing concern for your vocal cords

Sanskrit has power to heal

Expresso, Fitness Page

Physical Education: Sri Aurobindo Ashram

Work it out, Just for today

Fitness, Expresso, Page 5

http://epaper.newindpress.com/NE/NE/2008/12/01/index.shtml
Yoga for Asthma
Being together in a crisis

Fitness, Page 5, Expresso

Pranayama: The science of Breath for Health
Fitness is a collective consciousness

Expresso, Page 5, Fitness

Sukshma Yoga: Art of Living

Yoga Nidra: Sleep away your blues

All work is no play at all

Fitness Page, Expresso

Thoppukkaranam: No Punishment This!
SuJok Acupressure
Mind to stay fit

Expresso Fitness

The New Indian Express, Fitness Page, 5, November 4, 08
Simple physical exercises
Chinese acupressure for fitness
Values impact your health

Expresso, FitnessPage, Monday, Oct.27,08

Mudras: The secret of your health in your fingertips
Let go! Its festival time

Fitness Page

Searching the mind for a cure
Mental Hurdles To Weight Loss
Coping with changes

Fitness page

Varmam Sports Medicine
Exercise with caution

Fitness page

Energy Healing
Switchwords that work

Fitness Page

1. Awareness is real
2. Relax at the Spa
3. Kalabhairavasana

Fitness page

Surya Yog
In Food lies the secret

VISION IN ACTION - IITian walks the ta...

VISION IN ACTION - IITian walks the ta...

RAM Krishnan understands the me- chanics of water and its effects. Oora- nis have to be rejuvenated and pro- tected, he says. “The moment you bring in water to a village, you bring in food sec...read more...

INVESTING IN WATER

INVESTING IN WATER

In north Tamil Nadu, small water bodies in villages are called kulams or kuttais. In the south, they go by the name ooranies. Lots of them have already been encroached upon, while a few have been...read more...

About you - JOURNEY MATTERS

About you - JOURNEY MATTERS

WHAT happens if one wakes up at 6.30 a.m., rush- es through the morning chores, newspapers, break- fast, to office through heavy polluted traffic,then television, dinner,late sleep with a grudg...read more...

MAKING TRAVEL EASY About you

MAKING TRAVEL EASY About you

IF at all our state of fitness and health are really put to a test, it is during travel. I am on a tour of the Himalayas now, as I write this from Haridwar, the city of bliss, and I discovered t...read more...

About you - Energy overload

About you - Energy overload

WHEN our we make lifestyle changes by keeping fit with games, sports and Yoga, regu- lating our food habits by eating healthy , adopting an attitude of compassion towards society at large and wi...read more...

About you - Breathing in energy

About you - Breathing in energy

EVERY part of the body, so
insignificant when seen collec-
tively, but gets all the impor-
tance when taken one by one.
This time it is the sense organ
of smell – the nose and all that
it connec...read more...

IAS officer Sheela Rani Chunkath honoure...

IAS officer Sheela Rani Chunkath honoure...

“I buried my child and did off with her
as soon as she was born,” said Ragini
(name changed) at a video shoot in Madu-
rai. That was in 1995, a time when the
practice of female infanticide had soc...read more...

About you - A vision of clarity

About you - A vision of clarity

Swahilya
Writer and speaker on
human resources
(http://www.swahilya.blog
spot.com)

EYES are the windows of the
individual. The most empower-
ing part of an indiv...read more...

About you - For that glowing skin from w...

About you - For that glowing skin from w...

Swahilya
Writer and speaker on
human resources
(http://www.swahilya.blog
spot.com)

IT is the largest portion of your
body, yet without emphatically
stating so be...read more...

About you - Healing a broken heart and b...

About you - Healing a broken heart and b...

THE heart is a physical organ
in the body, but when a surgeon
operates upon it, he will not be
able to show something called
love or hatred to which the or-
gan is associated. Nevertheless,
word...read more...

Your health and fitness is an internatio...

Your health and fitness is an internatio...

THE burgeoning healing ther-
apies and systems of medicine
that has a strong component of
invisible quotients of mind and
energy of the participant and
the healer is now the subject of
an intern...read more...

Relax on the wheel and breathe through a...

Relax on the wheel and breathe through a...

ONE experience for us every
day that can be really nerve-
wracking is the time we spend
on the road, driving, riding, go-
ing by bus or just endlessly
waiting in the bumper-to-
bumper traffic in...read more...

When life’s lessons are instant and cons...

When life’s lessons are instant and cons...

THIS universe is indeed an
open book of life, almost like a
university with many depart-
ments of knowledge. May be
that is the reason why they both
share most part of their name.
Stress can rea...read more...

Fitness page

Each week I post the Fitness page from the Chennai City edition of The New Indian Express, on this blog. I try my best to get the page across to readers who wish to read it, but in vain as I find it difficult to simply post the page here. I have carried the links to the text file of the main articles. Hope it is accessible to readers.
About You, Beauty and Health, Hatha Yoga

INSTITUTION - A unique path to wholeness

INSTITUTION - A unique path to wholeness

C
“YOGA for everything!” This is how S. Sridharan,
Managing Trustee of the Krishnamacharya Yoga
Mandiram (KYM) explains the possibilities with Yoga
through their institution in Mandaveli. Founded ...read more...

UB+ve - A must have universal blood group!

IF there is one thing that can make or break our life situations on a moment-to-moment basis – it is the unseen factor of our self, called thought. Many a book has been written and innumerable words have been spoken on just this one factor called mind, which is nothing but a bundle of thoughts.
There are many words that are commonly used to refer to a successful mind – centred, focussed, will power, balanced, cool. If someone is successful in their life, they have consciously or unconsciously harnessed their mind energy in the direction of success. If someone feels that they are down in the dumps, a failure, depressed, then the reason is nothing but that the mind that has been distracted into splinters that they do not have it with them to focus on the present moment.
To understand the power of distraction, we can look into the meaning of the word traction.
Traction is the process of using weights to set right displacement of bones. With application of energy in a focussed manner distressing situations can be set right. Conversely distraction happens when , the mind, which has to be focussed on being in the present moment, is often saddled with the worries of the past or anxieties of the future. So it is not available in the now. To do any work, it is important to be in the now. Have you ever tried sending the tip of a thread through the eye of a needle? It is a simple task, which requires total concentration. The eyes should clearly see the tiny passage. Else the thread will often separate when it touches the metal on the needle instead of the space between.
When total focus and concentration in the present moment is required for a simple task as threading the needle easily, one can understand the oneness of intention for other tasks like writing, reading, listening, understanding, physical activity, playing games.
Our success is solely dependent on this one aspect of oneness of purpose and concentration.
To talk of a focussed mind is easily said, but achieving such a state requires some training, effort and practice. There are many ways to this, but one sure way is through the breath.
Swahilya Writer and speaker on human resources (http://www.swahilya.blog spot.com)
IF there is one thing that can make or break our life situations on a moment-to-moment basis – it is the unseen factor of our self, called thought. Many a book has been written and innumerable words have been spoken on just this one factor called mind, which is noth- ing but a bundle of thoughts. There are many words that are commonly used to refer to a suc- cessful mind – centred, focussed, will power, balanced, cool. If some- one is successful in their life, they have consciously or unconscious- ly harnessed their mind energy in the direction of success. If some- one feels that they are down in the dumps, a failure, depressed, then the reason is nothing but that the mind that has been distracted into splinters that they do not have it with them to focus on the present moment. To understand the power of dis- traction, we can look into the meaning of the word traction. Traction is the process of using weights to set right displacement of bones. With application of en- ergy in a focussed manner distress- ing situations can be set right. Con- versely distraction happens when , the mind, which has to be focussed on being in the present moment, is often saddled with the worries of the past or anxieties of the fu- ture. So it is not available in the now. To do any work, it is impor- tant to be in the now. Have you ever tried sending the tip of a thread through the eye of a needle? It is a simple task, which requires to- tal concentration. The eyes should clearly see the tiny passage. Else the thread will often separate when it touches the metal on the needle instead of the space be- tween. When total focus and concentra- tion in the present moment is re- quired for a simple task as thread- ing the needle easily, one can un- derstand the oneness of intention for other tasks like writing, read- ing, listening, understanding, physical activity, playing games. Our success is solely dependent on this one aspect of oneness of purpose and concentration. To talk of a focussed mind is eas- ily said, but achieving such a state requires some training, effort and practice. There are many ways to this, but one sure way is through the breath.

Swahilya Writer and speaker on human resources (http://www.swahilya.blog spot.com) (June 23, 08).

Acupuncture

http://epaper.newindpress.com/Articletext.aspx?article=23_06_2008_356_005&mode=1

Published on June 23 2008 ,Expresso Page 6
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ACUPUNCTURE - Drugless therapy to keep your Yin and Yang in balance

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C MITHRA is just over two years old. She has been declared hundred per cent deaf since birth and doctors suggested a cochlear implant. But her parents chose acupuncture rather than subject her to surgery at a tender age and now there is a medically certified 30 per cent improvement in her hearing.
What is the magic of acupuncture that brings so many people narrating wonder stories of a normal blood pressure or sugar, reduction in body weight, disappearance of migraine, strengthening of ligaments or vanishing kidney stones? Dr. M.N. Sankar, Chief Acupuncturist at the Hi-Cure Acupuncture Centre says this is not as an alternative healing method, but a native system of drugless therapy called Suchi Veda. His clinic functioning from T. Nagar is frequented not just by patients who have lost all hope of cure from a very critical condition of their disease.
Ask him about acupuncture’s role in fitness and the doctor says that’s the reason why China, Russia and Australia win more medals in sports! Particularly in China, acupuncture is a sports medicine which helps to tone muscles, improve vitality and balance the hormonal bio-secretions by tuning the right en ergy points. There is also facility for quick healing of ligament tear, spine dislocation, shoulder, neck or knee pain and repairing of tissues.
The system has to do with the Yin and Yang or the masculine and feminine energies in every human being. When they are in balance, there is health. More of Yin or more of Yang means disease.
Overpowering by either Yin or Yang means death. When the energy is in excess or deficient, bi-metal stainless steel needles tipped with copper are used to directly receive cosmic energy and send it to the affected parts along the energy channels of the body. This leaves the person refreshed and sometimes dozing off too! Many a time, a patient coming for treatment of one disease such as ligament tear or high pressure, end up reporting a cure for many other problems that they had such as fibroid, blood pressure, thyroid problems or ulcers that vanished after treatment. “Acupuncture has several positive side effects,” the doctor says.
Acupuncture has the same five-element philosophy, as does Ayurveda where the body, which is a miniature version of the Universe, is composed of five elements such as Fire, Earth, Air, Water and Wood. Thus the ailments are interconnected. Less energy in the gall bladder may result in a weak heart. Tuning the gall bladder points will avert a heart ailment and strengthen weak ligaments too. It is this interconnectedness that makes a patient suffering kidney failure to experience suffocation of the lungs. “In the event of an epidemic threat in China, the Government advises the public to tune in the relevant acupuncture points,” the doctor who had his M.D. Degree in Acupuncture from the Shanghai University, says.
Tradition of ornaments: Piercing the ears and nose is traditional Indian acupuncture. The ornaments are not just for beauty, but to trigger the vital energy points in the system.
The view of acupuncture is that no organ – whether the uterus, gall bladder, appendix or kidney should be removed as every organ has a vital role to play in the body’s function. This is no empty dream, but has been a proved possibility for a number of patients who have witnessed it in their lives.
—Swahilya mswahilya.soulmate@gmail.com
C MITHRA is just over two years old. She has been declared hundred per cent deaf since birth and doctors suggested a cochlear implant. But her parents chose acupuncture rather than subject her to surgery at a tender age and now there is a medically certified 30 per cent im- provement in her hearing. What is the magic of acupuncture that brings so many people narrating won- der stories of a normal blood pressure or sugar, reduction in body weight, dis- appearance of migraine, strengthening of ligaments or vanishing kidney stones? Dr. M.N. Sankar, Chief Acupunc- turist at the Hi-Cure Acupuncture Cen- tre says this is not as an alternative heal- ing method, but a native system of drug- less therapy called Suchi Veda. His clin- ic functioning from T. Nagar is frequent- ed not just by patients who have lost all hope of cure from a very critical condi- tion of their disease. Ask him about acupuncture’s role in fitness and the doctor says that’s the rea- son why China, Russia and Australia win more medals in sports! Particular- ly in China, acupuncture is a sports med- icine which helps to tone muscles, im- prove vitality and balance the hormon- al bio-secretions by tuning the right en- ergy points. There is also facility for quick healing of ligament tear, spine dislocation, shoulder, neck or knee pain and repairing of tissues. The system has to do with the Yin and Yang or the masculine and feminine en- ergies in every human being. When they are in balance, there is health. More of Yin or more of Yang means disease. Overpowering by either Yin or Yang means death. When the energy is in ex- cess or deficient, bi-metal stainless steel needles tipped with copper are used to directly receive cosmic energy and send it to the affected parts along the energy channels of the body. This leaves the person refreshed and sometimes dozing off too! Many a time, a patient coming for treatment of one disease such as liga- ment tear or high pressure, end up re- porting a cure for many other problems that they had such as fibroid, blood pres- sure, thyroid problems or ulcers that vanished after treatment. “Acupuncture has several positive side effects,” the doctor says. Acupuncture has the same five-ele- ment philosophy, as does Ayurveda where the body, which is a miniature version of the Universe, is composed of five elements such as Fire, Earth, Air, Water and Wood. Thus the ailments are interconnected. Less energy in the gall bladder may result in a weak heart. Tun- ing the gall bladder points will avert a heart ailment and strengthen weak lig- aments too. It is this interconnectedness that makes a patient suffering kidney failure to experience suffocation of the lungs. “In the event of an epidemic threat in China, the Government advis- es the public to tune in the relevant acupuncture points,” the doctor who had his M.D. Degree in Acupuncture from the Shanghai University, says. Tradition of ornaments: Piercing the ears and nose is traditional Indian acupuncture. The ornaments are not just for beauty, but to trigger the vital energy points in the system. The view of acupuncture is that no organ – whether the uterus, gall blad- der, appendix or kidney should be re- moved as every organ has a vital role to play in the body’s function. This is no empty dream, but has been a proved pos- sibility for a number of patients who have witnessed it in their lives. —Swahilya swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com

The New Indian Express

I have been writing regular columns and articles in two pages of Expresso, the Chennai city supplement of The New Indian Express. For those who do not have access to the particular edition of the newspaper, I will continue to post the lead article and the About You columns in the Fitness page that gets published every Monday and Zenith columns and other articles in the Satori page of Expresso every Thursday in my other blog http://www.soulmatemedia.blogspot.com

This link is to a column on managing pain.

The New Indian Express

Himalayas

Each story that I write or wrote for the newspapers I worked were done as a meditation. But there are many reasons when at times, the energy that I put in, does not find expression as a published article in the newspaper. I thank God, that I have a blog! Instead of pressing publication somewhere or the other, I thought I would publish them myself on the blog that's meant exclusively for all my between the lines writings. So here it goes.

******

Alone in a crowd - A serendipitous journey to the Himalayas

This is my third visit to a different part of the Garhwal Himalayas. The verdant mountains, waterfalls, snow-capped misty peaks and the swift river gurgling several miles below..each time the experience has been mystical and deep, just like the silence of the mountain peaks and the depths of the Ganga. A sudden thought took me to Ukhimath, a village in the Rudraprayag District of Uttarakhand, 4,600 ft above sea level. Its landmark feature is that the deities of Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar – two of the Panch Kedars, closed for six months in winter due to heavy snowfall – are worshipped here at the Omkareshwar Temple. Besides this feature, Ukhimath is like any other Garhwali village with its myths, legends and some history too. It was a journey shrouded in mystery and serendipity, as each day unfolded with its own charms, surprises and miraculous encounters that have left me with hundreds of friends and a lasting love for this tiny village. Gaining courage from my last experience of an unplanned journey to Badrinath and Kedarnath the previous year, I took off the same way this year by the Chennai-Dehradun Express. In two full days, I reached Haridwar in the foothills of the Shivalik range, from the hustle and bustle of metropolitan Chennai. I just made a casual call to Swami Vibhu of the Paramarth Ashram in Haridwar and since that moment, I was received like a guest. It was a whole tranquil day I spent at Haridwar, watching the sunrise on the still waters of the Ganga at the Dharma Ganga Ghat, past the cabbage and raddish fields of the Ashram. I also met with Swami Chinmayananda Saraswathi, a former Minister of State for Home in the NDA Government and the managing trustee of the Swami Sukhdevanand Charitable Trust. Sipping tea in the lawn on the bank of the Ganga, watching the sunset followed by the ritual Ganga Arati, he spoke to me about the country's need to protect the Ganges. "Sarith Samudranscha Hare Shareeram," he said, quoting in Sanskrit to say that we are living in the body of God and it is our need to not disturb nature, but use her gently. At the Bharat Mata Mandir, with a claim to fame of being the only such temple in India, I got a taste of what I have read about often – religious fundamentalism. I was wearing a kurta with 'Om' written in Devnagari script all over, assuming that it would be a proper outfit for Haridwar, revered as a Mokshapuri – a place for salvation! One visitor at the temple hauled me up for wearing Om on a dress that reached up to my knees. He said that I was disrespecting 'Om' this way and told me to go and change it immediately. I tried explaining that it was made by Khadi and I had nothing to do with it. "Do you know the value of 'Om'" he threateningly asked me many a time, walking along with me floor after floor in the temple! "Yes, I do!" I told him, extricating myself from the scene quickly. After a breakfast of toast and tea the next day, Swami Vibhu dropped me at the Haridwar Bus Adda to take the one Himgiri bus to Ukhimath. The bus weaved through scenes familiar to me by now, mountains upon mountains, villages, towns, the twirling waters below now called the Bhagirathi, the Alaknanda, the Mandakini, the Kali Ganga….many names for the one Ganga. It was 6.45 p.m. and it was dark when the bus reached Ukhimath. I knew that there is the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, Government rest house available for tourists. But when the stop came, I didn't get off as it was lonely and dark. I wondered if the bus would stop next at Ukhimath market, it was not to be. "Bharat Sewashram Sangha," the conductor announced. "Will I get a room here?" I asked him as the name appealed to me somehow. I didn't think much after that and got off. The bus left me in the darkness and continued further ahead. If at any time the Upanishadic prayer 'Twameva Mathascha Pitatwameva,' meaning the Universe is my mother, father – had any appeal, it was now! I walked cluelessly into the Yatri Nivas, lugging two shoulder bags, a backpack and a handbag. A red paint on the wall of the sixth floor just above ground level read – Office, Mandir. I walked into the Mandir where a Vishwa Shanthi Homa was in progress. Nothing could be a warmer welcome for one shivering with cold, than walk into the smoky room with a fire burning! One Partho came out and said I had to wait till the havan was over. Brahmachari Sudhir who was in charge of the Ashram there asked me for an identity card as the Ashram rules did not permit a woman staying alone without a letter of recommendation or identity proof. I gave him my visiting card instead and the deed was done. I got a room, which I knew would have a beautiful view when I woke up in the morning. "We have a school Swami Pranavananda Vidya Mandir. The students are first generation learners. You could drop in for the assembly in the morning. The children will be happy to see you," he said. Anyway, I was a traveller without an agenda. So I agreed. A good night's rest in the warmth of a room with beds, thick blankets for a weary traveller that I was, was nothing but a blessing and I cherished every moment of it. I woke up to chants of the Bhagavad Gita, played from a tape through speakers connected on each floor, around 7.30 a.m. And as I thought, it was a view that would inspire a poet to write a poem, an artiste to paint, a philosopher to contemplate – a breathtaking scene of the mountains of Ukhimath, the snow-clad Sumeru peaks of Kedarnath, the Mandakini flowing beneath a bridge some two kms down the forest below at Kund. Two weeks rolled by, talking and listening to the students, trekking, taking morning walks through the village, climbing up the Bholeshwar Temple, having tea served to me by Phalhari Babaji (his diet is just fruits and milk), walking in the snow at Dugalbhitta in a surprise excursion with the teachers of the school, journeying to Kali Math and Gupt Kashi nearby. I bought two mementos – a pen stand and a wastebasket made of ringal by villagers of Bhanj at the Dev Bhumi store. I carry with me pictures and fond memories of many a loving village heart I met there. Back home, it feels as though I spent a month visiting my native village.

For an unstructured holiday: Holidays can be unstructured too and places like Ukhimath with a sparse population and not as frequented by tourists in the off season unlike many other places in the Garhwal Himalayas, provide such scope for simply being and drinking from nature's liesure. The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam offers rest house facilities with dormitory beds ranging from Rs. 60 to cottages up to Rs. 450. The Bharat Sewashram Sangha has a unique seven storeyed building with double and dormitory rooms. There are numerous cottages, rest houses and rooms near the Omkareshwar Temple which is famous for the Ushamath – Usha Anirudh Vivah Sthal, where Anirudh the grand son of Sri Krishna married Usha the daughter of Banasur in this place. Besides the Bholeshwar Shiva Temple at Ukhimath, the other places nearby are Guptkashi, Kalimath, Kotimaheshwari and Ruch Mahadev, Deoriatal – a lake that reflects the snow-capped Choukhamba, Chopta and Dugalbhitta for a view of snow, Tungnath – the highest of the Panch Kedars and Chandrashila, Karthik Swami, Kedarnath, Madhyamaheshwar and Badrinath are accessible from Ukhimath. In summer, the snow clears up to give a colourful picture of rhododendron, pine and deodar forests. Wild animals such as leopards, bears and jackals may also be sighted at times. The weather is cool throughout the year and thermal wear, gloves, woollen cap, sweater, shawl and a torchlight are a must to carry. Accommodation may be easily available in winter which is off-season. In summer, from April to October prior intimation is required to book accommodations as the most number of tourists visit then.

Picture Caption: Trekkers on a snow trail at Dugalbhitta, near Chopta towards Tungnath.

Himalayas

Mountains ho!

I love mountains and my friend George Breed calls me Yamabushi, Japanese name for Mountain Spirit. The sight of snow-clad peaks, wooded trek routes, circuitous paths leading to a lone temple up a mountain, surrounded by silence and the clouds gives me a high and I can write and speak no end about them.
I can never say what happens there, but each time I visit, for just a week or ten days, there's material enough to write for a book with exclusive photographs of nature's grandeur and several articles published in The Hindu, the newspaper I continue to write for.
My visit is often a call. And soon the preparations are on, arrangements made and I am ready to go with my backpack and thermals. I wish to travel around the mountains of the world and I know they are all going to make me feel the same - the breath of rarefied air, nipping cold, moving mists, silvery snow and green topped mountain slopes. When I come back, there is sheer experience and loads to tell those who wish to listen!
Metro Plus, Young World , Sunday Magazine, my first trip, story ideas spring, wellness and trekking, snow walk.
- Swahilya Shambhavi.
(Picture: Snow-covered slopes of the Himalayas with sunlight trickling through the deodar trees at Dugalbhitta near Tungnath last December.

A view of the Grand Canyon, USA taken by Aravind Venkataraman, an avid ski enthusiast who also loves to trek in the Grand Canyon. I have a strong belief that the Canyon, which is more a mountain from the basement will have the same feel for me as the Himalayas. I look forward to visiting there sometime.)
(Maha Shivaratri, Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Bhagavad Gita, Vignana Bhairava Tantra, Indians in Chicago, swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com)

On light and the sun

Light on Pongal Day

Thai Pirandal Vazhi Pirakkum

I had the opportunity to celebrate Pongal in Chennai and then at Chicago in the other end of the world. I celebrated as everyone did in memory of the light of the sun. There was the kolam with white powder and red mud, a design of a chakra resembling the sun at the open space outside the house where I kept the bronze pot tied with the tuber of turmeric, hot with the cooked Chakkara Pongal. In Chicago, watching the Pongal Kalai Vizha celebrations by the Chicago Tamil Sangam at the Aurora Balaji Temple, it hardly felt I was in a place that was culturally, socially, environmentally and climatically different from Chennai!

Thai Pirandal Vazhi Pirakku is a proverb in Tamil. I subscribe wholly to the truth, on which I did some scientific research too in my own capacities! There is a certain period of the year, when the sun is at its peak of activity and really at its peak, once in 11 years, called the Solar Maximus. The flare winds of the sun throws up the largest during that time. The Universe is so beautifully interconnected that the expansion of one object, causes an impact on another. When the activity of the sun is high, there is more light energy in the air. The energy of light helps humans to think better, rather brightens up their consciousness. And when the brightening up happens, they are able to come up with brilliant ideas and solutions for problems that they couldn't figure out what to do about till then. That's my understanding why they could have said the way is born in the month of 'Thai.'

An article that I wrote in The Hindu on Light on Pongal Day! The photo is children singing Vande Mataram and other songs to celebrate the Pongal Kalai Vizha under the auspices of the Chicago Tamil Sangam at the Aurora Balaji Temple.

- Swahilya.