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Aravana (Nei) Payasam – Food of the Gods

22 Jan

In God’s Own Country a unique dish has been perfected over the centuries as offering to the Gods. The Aravana also called as Nei Payasam is traditionally made in Bhagavati or Devi temples as ritual offering. Aravana Payasam is to Sabarimala Ayyappa what Laddoo is to Tirupathi Balaji. The rich sweet is made with raw rice, jaggery and ghee. There are different variants across regions / families / temples – but they are all time consuming and need skill and passion to execute perfectly. The unique aspect of this sweet is its long shelf life – and that’s probably why it is used in Sabarimala since the trek back in the past was arduous and long – and the Prasadam to be carried to the family had to last.

Families have passed on the tradition from generations – father to son. In the current generation there is a threat of this skill being lost. As fast food & automation replace passion and hard work there are very few who can follow the original recipe to perfection. Given the millions of cans that need to be made at the large temples automation has taken over and the authentic taste is lost.

Aravana production in progress at the mechanised Aravana plant at Sabarimala Sannidhanam.

The Chirayathumadom family from Nadavarambu (Village in Irinjalakuda near Trichur) belongs to the Palghat Iyer clan. Known for their unique culinary skills, the secret family recipe of the Aravana Payasam they used to make as offering to their family deity Puthucode Bhagavati – is still kept alive by a few. Prominent among them is my cousin master chef Venkat who has perfected it over the years. We had the privilege of Venkat coming home and demonstrating how to make it. The recipe is precious – treasure it, try it and use it at your next family get-together

Here is the original recipe passed on over generations

ARAVANA PAYASAM (NEI PAYASAM) RECIPE

Time to cook 1 1/2 – 2 Hrs, 25 medium sized servings

1. Ingredients – 2 kg broken Jaggery (dark brown, not salty), 350-400 gms uncooked rice (Govind Bhog / small grains), 350-400ml of Ghee, one large cup each of of Coconut chips – rectangular 5 mm by 2 mm with copra on one side, Raisins and split Cashew ; a small cup of ground Cardamom.

2. Equipment – Traditional Uruli or any thick bottomed deep and wide pan for making Payasam, another thick bottomed vessel to melt the Jaggery pieces in some water overheat, a vessel to pour the melted jaggery, one Aapai (deep ladle), one long wooden / metal spatula with rectangular shape  (longer the better but should be at least 2 ft long), a small vessel to fry coconuts and cashew in ghee.

3. Wash the rice couple of times and strain to remove any impurities. Add 2 cups of water to Uruli and let the water come to boil. Add the rice to the boiling water and stir for about half an hour till rice is cooked. Keep adding some hot water occasionally as and when required till rice is 80% cooked. Keep gas in medium flame on large burner. Ensure the rice is not burnt, overcooked or raw.


4. As the rice is cooking in Uruli, parallelly melt the jaggery in the second thick bottomed vessel with some water by heating it. Pour the melted jaggery slowly into third vessel ensuring any sediments, grit, dust etc. do not flow into the third vessel with the jaggery. Important to note that the jaggery just needs to melt – dont let it becoming a thick concoction. The colour of the jaggery determines the final colour of the payasam. Look for good quality dark jaggery. Avoid readymade powder jaggery or with salty taste.

5. Once the rice is cooked 80%, start adding the melted jaggery one ladle at a time over the next 30-40 minutes, with continuous stirring of the rice mix so that the jaggery is fully absorbed by the rice.

Tip – How to know when to add each ladle of jaggery – as the jaggery gets absorbed and water content evaporates, the rice mix will get slightly viscous and you may notice some resistance while stirring and not see any water, – at this point add next ladle of melted jaggery and continue this process till less than 20% jaggery is left at which point you may pour all the jaggery liquid into the rice mix. Stir carefully but continuously so that the rice mix doesn’t get burnt at bottom of Uruli.

Tips – If available wear long sleeved gloves to safeguard against hot mix bubbling out of Uruli (this is why extra-long wooden ladle preferred so that one can stand at a distance while stirring). Also, the stirring speed should be slow but deep – avoid fast stirring since it will increase the amount of bubbles bursting as more air will get mixed into the rice.

6. About 50 min to 1 hr. from process start (i.e. Step 3 – starting to cook rice), the rice and jaggery mixture should be nice and relatively viscous. At this point start adding the ghee and keep stirring. The ghee now needs to get absorbed in the rice. Adding the entire 250 – 350 ml of ghee with stirring will take about 20 minutes and the mixture should be viscous again.

7. Add the raisins and keep stirring. Switch off heat. Add some more ghee on top. Parallelly, fry the coconut chips in separate vessel in ghee until they turn creamish brown, at which point add the split cashewnut also and keep frying till cashew also turns light brown. Pour the mix into the Nei Payasam.

8. Add a couple of Tulsi (Basil leaves) if available on top and Aravana Paayasam is ready to serve the Lord and then partake by all. Retain it in the Uruli for some time.

Important Points to note 

  • Practise makes it perfect – will take a few attempts to get it right. Dont get disheartened if 1st attempt is not a success.
  • Use medium flame in big burner for entire cooking
  • Preferably find a long ladle that has a rectangular top vs a round top.
  • Keep jaggery broken / semi powdery – easier to melt . Important that jaggery should melt only and not become a thick syrup. Good quality jaggery is key to success. Some versions use Palm jaggery or dark brown cane jaggery.
  • Don’t use long grained rice like Basmati. Some versions used Matta Rice – Parboiled Red Rice.
  • You know you are getting it right when you observe while stirring that it is not sticking to the side of the Urli.

  • The Payasam tastes best a day after cooking. If you have stored it in the fridge reheat before eating.

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Sourhouse – the best place for Sourdough Bread & Pastries in Bangalore

17 Dec

Over the years I have struggled to get a good loaf of bread and fresh soft Croissants in Bangalore. The hunt ended when we  discovered Sourhouse. They make the best Sourdough and fermented products in Bangalore – there is no distant 2nd. Add to this their collection of pastries and dips – its a place to bookmark for a connoisseurs of good food.

With products of this quality you would think that the Chef is trained in one of the famous Boulangeries of Paris. You will be surprised to know that the owner is an engineer with a MS in Human Computer Interface. A simple middle class South Indian lad from Coimbatore. A campus recruit at Wipro, MS in Indiana, a short stint at Siemens US and then the 2008 crisis forced him to come back to India. A brief stint at an NGO in Chennai and then 3 years at a Product design Company. His friends working at the NGO in Chennai started Blue Tokai Coffee and that is when he had the first idea of breaking free and doing something of his own. With no formal training he started baking Sourdough bread at home. 

I asked him – When most people start experimenting with Cup cakes, Muffins, Biscuits and regular bread why Sourdough? He felt that regular bread with Yeast was not challenging – making Sourdough was more exciting and it was a eureka moment when everything worked out perfect. Practise and Passion makes things perfect, add to this the skill and expertise of his British wife Mia the couple started small and went from strength to strength to establish a name for themselves all over Bangalore.

Whats the secret behind their success? Perfecting the art of Fermentation. Thats when I realised that a bakery is not about cream, cheese, chocolate, sugar and butter – Its all about FERMENTATION.

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At Sour House, we want to bring the focus back to fermentation – to create products that are naturally processed, using ingredients sourced directly from producers. In short, we aim to bring you good, honest, healthy food in a socially responsible way

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What Is Sourdough Bread

Sourdough is one of the oldest forms of grain fermentation.It’s believed to have originated in ancient Egypt around 1,500 BC and remained the customary form of bread leavening until baker’s yeast replaced it a few centuries ago.

What is the difference between regular Leavened bread & Sourdough

A leavened bread is a bread whose dough rises during the bread-making process as a result of gas being produced as the grain ferments. Most leavened breads use commercial baker’s yeast to help the dough rise. However, traditional sourdough fermentation relies on “wild yeast” and lactic acid bacteria that are naturally present in flour to leaven the bread.

The mix of wild yeast, lactic acid bacteria, flour and water used to make sourdough bread is called a “starter.” During the bread-making process, the starter ferments the sugars in the dough, helping the bread rise and acquire its characteristic taste. Sourdough bread takes much longer to ferment and rise than other types of bread, which is what creates its particular texture.

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I looked at the wide range of Sourdough bread at the store – Whole wheat, Seeded Loaf, Olive & Rosemary, Sour Loaf, Dark Loaf, Sprouted Buckwheat etc. And I wanted to know why the shape of the bread was in a certain way. 

This shape is called a ‘BOULE” . Boule, from French, meaning “ball,” is a traditional shape of French bread resembling a squashed ball. A boule can be made using any type of flour and can be leavened with commercial yeast, chemical leavening, or even wild yeast sourdough. The name of this rustic loaf shape is reason the French call bread bakers “boulangers” and bread bakeries “boulangeries.”

While Sourhouse positioning and claim to fame is around Fermented products (Not just bread but also Kimchi, Fermented Drinks, Dips etc) – they also have an excellent collection of Pastries. (Sourdough pastries are difficult to make and more chewy – the Sourhouse pastries are not made of Sourdough). Sourhouse makes fabulous Pastries. The best Croissants & Cinnamon rolls I have tasted in India. Soft, fresh and massive in size. They also make delicious Palmiers – A classical French pastry made using 80% whole-wheat and 20% white flour coated with sugar.

And here again there was some education for me. As a I kid I grew up knowing two type of cakes – A pastry (a sweet bread block with a thin layer of icing and cream on top) and a Roll Cake that was filled with a white sugary semi solid. Today I realised there is a lot more to the family of Pastries.

The word Pastry comes from the word PASTE. Credit again goes to the Egyptians. One of the earliest forms of pastry was made by combining flour and water into a paste which was then wrapped around meat to be baked. Pastries were later developed in the Middle East and would eventually be brought to Europe, gaining popularity in the medieval period. By the 1600s, different types of pastry were developed. A Pastry is a small bun made using a stiff dough enriched with fat

There are five basic types of pastry – shortcrust pastry, filo pastry, choux pastry, flaky pastry and puff pastry. Two main types of pastry are nonlaminated (when fat is cut or rubbed into the flour) and laminated (when fat is repeatedly folded into the dough using a technique called lamination) An example of a nonlaminated pastry would be a pie or tart crust and brioche. An example of a laminated pastry would be a croissant, danish, or puff pastry. Baklava is an Ottoman Pastry and Gujiya an Indian pastry. ( Wikipedia even classifies a Samosa as a pastry)

All of this made by a few passionate, dedicated staff. Its all hand made – there is no mass production. Business is booming and large outlets like Foodhall, Nature Basket, Namdhari and Organic world have started placing bulk orders. Its a lot of hard work.

They make almost 25 different products and the best time to visit the store is at 2 in the afternoon. I assure you the smell of freshly baked products is heavenly. Almost everything is made to order and there is no stock that is carried over to the next day. They have a retail outlet in Koramangla near Ooty Chocolate.

And its easy to get their products – they deliver all over Bangalore. You can place your order before 4 PM for the next day delivery. https://www.sourhouse.in. You can also call them at + 91 98940 62073. 

Christmas is round the corner, but unique that they are there is no Rich Plum Cake in the menu – instead you can enjoy STOLLEN – A German speciality. Stollen  is a fruit bread of nuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit, coated with powdered sugar or icing sugar. It is a traditional German bread eaten during the Christmas season. They also have plans to start breakfast at 8 AM on Sunday – Fresh Bread, Pastries and Coffee. Selvan wanted to experiment with Bread and Chicken Curry – now that is something I frowned at. I would rather they stick to a traditional English Breakfast.

A few More Interesting Facts 

A Patisserie is a type of Italian, French or Belgian bakery that specialises in pastries and sweets, as well as a term for these types of food.

Croissant – A buttery flaky bread named for its distinctive crescent shape. The Kipferl, ancestor of the croissant – has been documented in Austria going back  as far as the 13th century, in various shapes.The “birth” of the croissant itself – that is, its adaptation from the plainer form of Kipferl can be dated back to 1839.The French version of the Kipferl was named for its crescent (croissant) shape

Why Sourdough Bread is one of the healthiest Bread –  https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sourdough-bread

What is wild yeast?

Wild yeast are single-celled organisms that exist all around you. They feed on carbohydrates, and as they do so they release carbon dioxide, B vitamins, and alcohol. Because they release carbon dioxide, yeast can leaven bread, and because they convert carbohydrates to alcohol, brewers use yeast to make beer and wine, too.

Traditionally, all brewing and baking used wild yeast – or the yeast found in the natural environment on your skin, in flour, on grains, and in the home.

With time, brewers and bakers cultivated these wild yeasts and, in the 19th century, chemists were able to isolate and domesticate certain strains from the yeast species saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is what you find in packets of baking yeast today.

What is the shelf life of a Sour House loaf?
Consume your bread while it is still fresh. If you leave it outside for more than 2 days the crust may become hard. However, sourdough has a good shelf life and you can still eat it until it begins to go mouldy. (We hope you won’t leave it that long!)

How to store Sourdough bread? ‎
Avoid refrigeration – it will remove all the moisture. Also avoid putting your loaf in a plastic bag, as that will make the crust begin to soften. Storing your loaf in a clean cotton cloth bag will help keep it fresh for longest. ‎If you are planning to save it for later consumption, we advise slicing the loaf, wrapping it in cling-film and freezing it.

 

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When COVID comes HOME – Are you PREPARED

30 Jun

COVID is no longer just a datapoint on Worldometer or an interesting topic for debate. Its round the corner and could knock at your door any day. Bangalore wakes up daily to see its worst fears coming true. We seem to be headed the Delhi & Mumbai way. After months of lockdown the preparedness as usual has been sloppy. Two days of 800 + cases and newspapers say almost all beds are gone – I wonder how !

So what do you do when COVID comes home?

Frankly at this point there seems to be 3 things that you can do

  • Pray that it doesn’t come knocking at your doorstep
  • If you are Rich keep money ready (Minimum 10 lacs)
  • And hunt out all the contacts you have in Hospitals / Sr Govt officials in Bangalore

I searched a lot for guidelines / process document on how to tackle COVID but could find nothing. No documented process from the Govt, No clear steps on any Hospital website. All the information was on Social Distancing / Do’s & Donts. Nothing about how to tackle COVID when it attacks.

I finally managed to get valuable information from a Sr Doctor which is the basis of the BLOG.  I have consolidated all this information in a FAQ format. Its simple, its got all that you need – so please share this with friends and family. 

Life goes on – so lets see how well prepared we can be given the circumstances. Here are a few steps that you could follow.

How do I know if I have COVID ? 

COVID affects people in different ways. Most infected people will develop mild to moderate illness and recover without hospitalization

Most common symptoms: Fever, Dry cough, Tiredness
Less common symptoms: Aches and pains, Sore throat, Diarrhoea, Conjunctivitis, Headache, Loss of taste or smell, A rash on skin, or discolouration of fingers or toes
Serious symptoms: Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath, Chest pain or pressure, Loss of speech or movement

CDC Recommends : Seek immediate medical attention if you have serious symptoms. People with mild symptoms who are otherwise healthy should manage their symptoms at home. On average it takes 5–6 days from when someone is infected with the virus for symptoms to show, however it can take up to 14 days.

If I have mild symptoms and decide to wait for a few days before going for a COVID test what self medication can I follow? 

You can take the regular home medicines like Paracetamol/ Crocin / Dolo 650 etc. Also heart patents and Sr citizens can take their regular medicines (But do check with your physician to be double sure). Do regular steam inhalation & gargle with Betadine. 

There is a mixed view on Ibuprofen. Initial days of COVID it was a strict no no. Some lab experiments have shown that ibuprofen may boost the amount of ACE2 receptors that the virus uses to infect cells and this could make the virus spread faster. But this opinion seems to be changing. To be on the safe side avoid Ibuprofen. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-to-know-about-ibuprofen-and-covid-19. 

Do not self medicate with HCQ or other COVID drugs that you see on the Internet.

When do I go for a COVID Test ?

It varies. If you have serious symptoms or you see your oxygen levels falling (Oximeter reading below 95) you must get a check done. To get a COVID test you need a doctor prescription.

There are two options

You go to a Fever Clinic – Most large hospitals have a Fever Clinic. Its a walk in. You meet the doctor and if he feels you need a COVID test he will direct you to the testing centre. https://www.karnataka.com/govt/covid-19-testing-fever-clinics-in-bangalore/

If your friend or family member is a doctor they can also prescribe a COVID test and then you can schedule a Home appointment with Apollo Clinic. The Lab Assistant conducting the test will be fully protected with a PPE suit. (https://www.apollodiagnostics.in/details/covid-19-rt-pcr-bengaluru/)

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What is Hypoxemia 

Hypoxemia is a below-normal level of oxygen in your blood, specifically in the arteries. It is a sign of a problem related to breathing or circulation, and may result in various symptoms, such as shortness of breath.

Hypoxemia is determined by measuring the oxygen level in a blood sample taken from an artery (arterial blood gas). It can also be estimated by measuring the oxygen saturation of your blood using a pulse oximeter — a small device that clips to your finger.

Normal arterial oxygen is approximately 75 to 100 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Values under 60 mm Hg usually indicate the need for supplemental oxygen. Normal pulse oximeter readings usually range from 95 to 100 percent. Values under 90 percent are considered low.

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While going to the fever Clinic or for a COVID test do I need to wear a PPE? 

A PPE is not a normal plastic covering you from head to feet. There are standard procedures on how to wear and remove a PPE. Even doctors struggle with it. If not properly done the PPE can be the source of spreading infection. So think twice before getting yourself a PPE.

Yes a fever Clinic / Test centre could be a hotbed of COVID. So protect yourself as well as possible. Also carry some snacks / water – you dont know how long your wait time is going to be here. Unfortunately there is no process of getting an appointment slot and avoiding the crowded waiting room.

What happens once you report COVID Positive? 

All COVID positive reports are sent to the Govt / ICMR. From then on they will call you and direct on next line of action. Not all COVID cases are immediately hospitalised. With increasing cases many are advised Home Quarantine if facilities exist. The apartment / House gets sealed. In some cases the entire floor is sealed. There is no clear rule book on this.

In Summary 

Other Points 

  • Get an Oximeter at home
  • While there is no proof – Pranayam could help in increasing Oxygen content. Try testing your oxygen levels before and after 30 min of Pranayam to see if there is any difference
  • A healthy nutritious diet helps in building immunity. Vitamin C / Fruits / Vitamin D Sachets once a week – all these could definitely help, even in normal days.

Information Source : Sr Doctor at Bangalore with 30+ years of experience.

 

 

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Bharat Ratna for F.C.Kohli, NRN & AHP

17 May

There have been 48 Bharat Ratna Awardees till date. The majority of the awardees (65%) have been Politicians and Activists. There has been only 1 Industrialist / Entrepreneur in this list and that is the great J.R.D.Tata

Here is the break up of  the 48 Bharat Ratna awardees till date

  • Independence Activists / Politicians / Former PM’s / Presidents – 31 
  • Sports / Musicians / Movie Makers – 7
  • Social Reformers – 4
  • Scientists – 2
  • Economists / Scholars of Repute – 2
  • Entrepreneurs / Industrialists – 1  .

This list does not do justice to the Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs of our country who have transformed Brand India form a land of snake charmers to the IT Powerhouse of the world.

Rather than debate a Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar (No doubt he was a great man) can we live in the present and honour 3 good men and the companies they built. Men who  have transformed the image of India, created millions of jobs and helped the economy grow in the last three decades. And they have done it tirelessly for the last 40 years . These are men who successfully started the Make in India mantra in the 1970’s.  

Its time we corrected this anomaly . TCS, Infosys & Wipro have a cumulative revenue of ~ 45B USD and employ over a million people. They in turn generate subsidiary jobs for 8 million people. In total just these 3 companies directly & indirectly provide sustenance to ~ 45M people (Assuming average family size of 5).

They are the foundation on which the great Indian IT industry has been built. These companies over the years have transformed the way we live and contributed immensely to the success of the country. In 2019 the Indian IT Industry contributed 8% to the GDP.

Credit for this needs to be given to the visionary founders F.C.Kohli (Father of the Indian Software industry), Narayana Murthy (Considered to be among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time) and the legendary Azim Premji.

If anybody in India deserves the Bharat Ratna – these 3 definitely do.

Here are a few reasons on why they need to be recognised with India’s highest Civilian Honour 

They changed the perception of Brand India. The Indian IT Industry generates a colossal revenue of 175 Billion Dollars every year. Very profitable. I cant even put a number to the cumulative Foreign Exchange it has generated over the last few decades. Its thanks to the efforts of these 3 great men and their companies which spearheaded this movement. They were the leaders who got going against strong headwinds and built organisations on the foundation of Integrity & professionalism making India proud.

Created employment in Millions – Just these 3 companies employe nearly 1M people. For every job in the IT Industry an additional 8 jobs are created in the ancillary industries like Training / Transport / Food / Logistics / Maintenance. It created a construction boom – not just for offices but for residences and apartments. Automobile sales and tourism took off thanks to the high paying IT jobs. The rub off effect could go on and on.

Empowered Women – TCS, Infosys & Wipro were amongst the first companies in India to employs 30 – 40% of their workforce with women. There was no bias – growth was purely based on performance and many grew to leadership roles.

Created wealth – These companies not only created high paying jobs, but they also shared their wealth. India Inc heard of Employee stock Options (ESOP’s) and Restricted Stock Units (RSU”s)from them. Not just the employee but millions of shareholders who invested in these companies have made an unbelievable amount of money.

Lets me now share a brief overview of these visionary leaders and the companies they built. Each one of them were simple, genuine, extremely hard working people who were hands on. They led from the front. The built organisations on rock solid values. Stories about their lifestyle and philanthropy is legendary. They built organisations on the fundamental principle “Respect the Individual – People are our Greatest Assets”

Faqir Chand Kohli – Born March 19th, 1924 he went on to become the 1st CEO of TCS. When TCS was started in 1969 he was the GM. He became Director In Charge and then the Deputy Chairman in 1994. (Ratan Tata was Chairman of Tata Sons from 1990 – 2012)

TCS Today is a global conglomerate with a revenue of 22B and Market Cap of over 100B Dollars. It is the worlds largest IT Services company and operates from 149 locations in 46 countries. 70% of Tata Sons Dividend is generated by TCS.

Azim Premji fondly called as AHP needs no recognition. He was born on July 24th, 1945. (That is why many Wiproites say he works 24/7). Taking over the reigns of Wipro as a young 21 year old after his fathers sudden death he transformed a Vegetable Oil company to a global IT powerhouse. Wipro started its IT Business in the mid 70’s and became a leading Global Software player in the late 80’s. Premji is known for his simple life and strong business ethics. In a country where corruption is rampant he has built an organisation on a strong foundation of integrity and values. There is a famous quote attributed to Premji ” The idea of integrity, in his own words, is black and white. And he says it has to be black and white, because if you play around, and in between black and white, there are many shades of grey”. Wipro with revenues of ~ 10B is respected the world over for this quality.

Narayana Murthy or NRN as he is fondly called is India’s poster boy of a successful entrepreneur. Born on Aug 20th, 1946 the story of how he built Infosys from an initial capital of $250 is legendary. Mr. Murthy conceptualised, articulated and implemented the Global Delivery Model (GDM) which has become the backbone of the Indian software industry. GDM is based on collaborative distributed software development principles and has resulted in the delivery of superior quality software to global customers delivered on time and within budget. Mr. Murthy also introduced the concept of 24-hour work day to the world. Infosys is India’s biggest success story till date.

He is again a simple man and practises what he preaches. At last count Infosys had revenues of 12B +.

Here are 3 good men who truly deserve the Bharat Ratna. They have touched and transformed the lives of millions of middle class Indians – more than any social reformer till date. They may not be a vote bank, they may not help in getting brownie points from any caste – but every Indian will give you a thumbs up for this decision and it will make Brand India shine better in the global arena. It may just be a coincidence that the rules of Bharat Ratna allow 3 awards / year.

 

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Corona – Best Practise Vs FEAR, A Few Good Things to do

28 Mar

Enough and more has been said on this topic. All news channels, WhatsApp groups, community messages have flooded us with ” What NOT to do” . I want to focus on “What You must Do” to stay fit and healthy – physically & mentally.  The 21 day lockdown may well stretch to 3 – 4 months and this is a golden opportunity to do the things you have been wanting to do for long. You can focus only on what is in your control and not worry about the rest. Life goes on – the Corona Virus will also pass as the wheel of life slowly moves day by day.

I am listing down these suggestion in 3 Points 

# 1 Follow the WHO Guideline

At a time when every Tom, Dick & Harry has a view, follow the WHO guideline. If you have not visited the website do it NOW. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_2.  I am listing down the points as mentioned in WHO Guidelines.

To prevent infection and to slow transmission of COVID-19, do the following:

  • Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, or clean them with alcohol-based hand rub.
  • Maintain at least 1 metre distance between you and people coughing or sneezing.
  • Avoid touching your face.
  • Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
  • Stay home if you feel unwell.
  • Refrain from smoking and other activities that weaken the lungs.
  • Practice physical distancing by avoiding unnecessary travel and staying away from large groups of people

China recovered fast, Italy, Spain , Europe & US seem to be collapsing. But Japan a close neighbour of China has hardly been affected. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/world/asia/japan-coronavirus.html. India with its higher immunity, tropical climate and spicy food habits will probably weather it out better than most countries. So don’t panic.

# 2 Stay Healthy & Fit – Exercise 

With most countries in a state of lockdown this is an excellent time to focus on your health. You have the most priceless item in your availability – TIME. So make the best use of it. So what if the gym is closed you can do many more things to stay Fit & Healthy. Here are a few must do’s every day

  • Brisk walking for at least 60 minutes every day. Good to do in the morning Sun. It may be boring to walk alone so get a walking companion. A brisk walking companion can help you do 20% more. 1 Hr of brisk walk is 6 – 8 Kms and thats burning nearly 700 – 800 calories
  • Climb Stairs – If walking continuously is boring, break the monotony by climbing stairs (ie if you live in a multi-storey complex). For every few rounds around the complex – climb one block of stairs. Climbing stairs is a great exercise to stay fit and loose weight. It also opens up your knees. (If you are obese and overweight do it slowly and avoid climbing down as that can impact your knees)
  • Do Yoga for 1 hr every day. You can mix and match Yoga with floor exercises to break the monotony. Play some music, keep changing tracks, and do it outside. If you have a pool in your complex preferably by the poolside in the morning or the evening. Start doing more Surya Namaskars – Its a comprehensive exercise by itself. If you had a capacity to do 5 you can start increasing that on a daily basis. Remember the trick to do more Surya Namaskar’s is to take a 5 min gap between two sets during which you can do some asanas or breathing exercises. Here again a Yoga partner can help you be more energised and push yourselves more. Play soothing music or Mantras as you do Yoga.
  • Pranayam – This is a must do exercise that cleans up the nasal tracts and strengthens the lungs. There are enough videos on youtube on how to do deep breathing & Pranayam.  Do this for at least 10 minutes every day. Even Om Chanting is a form of Pranayam as it involves deep breathing
  • Inhalation with Tulsi/ Ayurvedic ingredients – Try doing this every night before going to sleep. It cleans the nasal passage of all blockages and strengthens the immunity system.

# 3 Stay Healthy & Fit – Eat Healthy

Again this lockdown is a great opportunity to eat light and healthy. Losing weight is done in the mind not in the Gym. Eating less means less usage of vegetables & grocery, less cooking, fewer vessels to wash, less trash – all of this helps you and the community.

  • With no rush you can break your regular schedule of breakfast / lunch / dinner with Grains based meals. Skip a meal once in a while, eat 75% of your normal diet
  • Eat more fruits, sprouts (It’s easy to make it at home)
  • Try to finish dinner early by 7 PM.
  • Try fasting on fruits once a week.
  • Try intermittent fasting once a week when you eat a meal at 11.30 AM and your next meal is breakfast the next day – 18 hrs later.
  • Set a goal to lose 5 Kgs in this 21 day lockdown period and I am sure you can achieve it successfully.

In Conclusion – Every crisis can be an opportunity, as Mother Nature heals with a global shutdown here is an opportunity for you to cleanse yourself and becoming healthier and stronger – boosting your immunity system.

Stay Positive – Be Happy

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The Origin of Jai Hind – Remembering Netaji

22 Jan

Netaji would have been 122 years old today (Jan 23rd, 2019). While suave marketing over many years credits India’s freedom to Ahimsa – the truth may be very different.

In an interview given to BBC in February 1955, B.R.Ambedkar explained the reason for the exit of the British in 1947. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and his INA had caused enough damage to the British. Clement Attlee then Prime Minister of Britain agreed Netaji was the hardest challenge for them. Several intelligence and defence experts reiterated the same.

But this is not a political write up on Netaji and many more like him who worked tirelessly for India’s freedom but are relegated to the footnote of history.

This Blog is about the origin of the energising salutation “Jai Hind” and how a member in Netaji’s INA helped coin it.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was in Germany in 1941. he was trying to recruit Indian soldiers captured by Nazi Germany into his Azad Hind Fauj. A nationalist to the core who wanted a United India, Netaji observed that even in the German POW camp Indian soldiers grouped together in their own ethnic , religious groups. The Indian army then ( and now) was formed on the basis of ethnic lines – The Rajputs, Sikhs, Madras regiment, Baluch’s etc. When they met they greeted themselves in their own salutation – “Namaste or Sat Sri Akal, Ram Ram Ji or Salaam Alaikum”. This worried Netaji and he realised that the first step was to replace the religious greetings with a common salutation that was acceptable to all and would be the foundation to uniting and integrating the INA.

But what troubled him was that the soldiers of the Indian Army had historically been organised into regiments based on ethnic and religious lines – the Rajputs, the Baluchis, the Sikhs, and so on. And even here, in the prisoner-of-war camps, they tended to cluster into their own little ethnic and religious groups.

This job was accomplished by his trusted aide – Abid Hasan.

The Birth of Jai Hind 

Born to an anti-colonialist family in  Hyderabad, Abid Hasan was brought-up in India and later went to Germany to train as an engineer. It was while he was a student  during World War II that he met Netaji  in 1941 who motivated him to drop out of engineering college to became his aide.

Tasked with the job of creating a unifying salutation his first version was “Jai Hindustan ki” when he overheard two Rajput soldiers greet each other with “Jai Ramji ki”. This was later modified to the shorter, more rousing “Jai Hind”. Did the Nazi salutation of Hell Hitler have anything to do with this – One can only surmise.

Netaji was delighted with Hasan’s idea, which worked so well that “Jai Hind” soon went beyond its original brief to become a rallying cry of the Indian National Army. Later, of course, it would be adopted as the national slogan when, at the time of Independence, Jawaharlal Nehru raised it at the Red Fort.

It is ironic now, in the time of the Bharat Mata ki Jai controversy, to think that Jai Hind was a slogan created specifically to help unite the people of India, rather than divide them.

So what became of Abid Hasan?

When Netaji travelled from from Germany to Japan by submarine in 1943, he took Hasan along with him. The journey took 4 months. Beginning in the Baltic Sea in a German submarine, transferring off the coast of Madagascar into a Japanese submarine, and then sailing across the Indian Ocean to land in Sumatra. (This voyage that is interestingly portrayed in Shyam Benegal’s The Forgotten Hero, with Rajit Kapur playing the part of Hasan). From Sumatra the two of them were then flown in a Japanese Air Force plane to Tokyo.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose with his aide Abid Husain on their famous voyage from Germany to Japan in 1943. Photo courtesy: Anvar Alikhan
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose with his aide Abid Husain on their famous voyage from Germany to Japan in 1943. Photo courtesy: Anvar Alikhan

Hasan (by then Major Hasan) fought in the historic Battle of Imphal in 1944 – which Netaji believed would be the INA’s great breakthrough into the plains of India at the head of General Mutaguchi’s 15th Japanese Division, culminating in his dream of “Chalo Dilli!” But, unfortunately, everything went wrong. The four-month-long Battle of Imphal (along with the Battle of Kohima nearby) has been voted the greatest battle fought in the history of the British Army. But what that meant for the Indian National Army was that instead of leading to an advance upon Delhi, the battle ended with the long, dejected retreat back to Rangoon, which Hasan orchestrated.

he was imprisioned by the British and grilled for the whereabouts of Netaji. he revealed nothing. After independence Abid Hasan was released following the end of the INA Trials in 1946 and joined the Indian National Congress briefly. Post partition, Hasan chose to settle in Hyderabad and joined the IFS. Over a long diplomatic career, Hasan served as the Ambassador  to a number of countries including Egypt & Denmark before retiring in 1969 and settling back in Hyderabad. Abid Hasan Saffrani died in 1984.

 

Source : This Blog is based on information source from multiple websites prominent amongst which is a write up on Scroll by the Anwar Ali Khan Grand Nephew of Abid Hasan & Wikipedia

 

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What makes people born in Nov special

17 Nov

In his bestselling book “Outliers” Malcolm Gladwell came out with a convincing theory of why people born in 1954 – 55 ruled the Tech world. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Bill Joy, Scott McNealy, Eric Schmidt, James Goslings and many more famous astrophysicists and scientists were born in that period.

What you hear as a child sticks to your mind and I recollect my mother being disappointed that none of her children were born in November. She had the view that those born in November had an edge and would become famous. Maybe this was driven by her loyalty to the Nehru  family (Both Jawaharlal & Indira Gandhi are Nov born).

Having seen many a famous personalities Birthday celebrations popping up in news and social media over the last few weeks I decided to do some research. And yes – there does some seem to be some strong connect between being born in Nov and being famous.

Here is a list I was able to collate in 15 minutes and its real impressive. I think my mothers intuition was right. What I can infer from this dipstick is a large number of Film Stars and Politicians are born in Nov while there are few Corporate Czars and world beating sports personalities.

A lot of film stars and media personalities – Bruce Lee, Demi Moore, Sharukh Khan, Meg Ryan, Kamlahasan, Juhi Chawla, Irrfan Khan, Sushmita Sen, Aishwariya Rai, Tabu, Whoopi Goldberg, Larry King, Zeenat Aman and Bryan Adams are all Nov born. So are Nobel Price winners like C.V.Raman, Marie Curie, Amartya Sen and Winston Churchill. And rulers & politicians like Jawaharlal Nehru, Abul Kalam Azad, Indira Gandhi, L.K.Advani, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Aurangazeb, Rani Lakshmibai, Tipu Sultan, Arjun Singh , Kamal Nath, Condolessa Rice and Imran Khan.The list also includes the legendary corporate leader Jack Welsh who in his undisputed role as head of GE was both a sultan and a politician. A few players Virat Kohli, Billie Jean King, V.V.S.Laxman. Famous writers like Dale Carnegie, R.L.Stevenson, Jonathan Swift and Mark Twain. Spiritual leaders Sri M & Sathya Sai Baba.

 

Those born in the month of November either fall under the zodiac sign of Scorpio or are born on the Scorpio-Sagittarius cusp. As per Linda Godman those under the influence of Scorpio are easily approachable and are blessed with a sharp mind. These individuals are known for their forward thinking and are always full of unique and extraordinary ideas. These people are also known for their strong sense of clairvoyance and can at times be secretive in nature. Though not known for being talkative, they are extremely affable and make a lot of friends. Often they may appear as withdrawn and solitary, but they always keep a keen eye on the happening in their surrounding and are hardly apathetic. However, on the other side they can often be extremely manipulative, obsessive and revengeful. They are very loving and caring to their partners and exhibit a great deal of passion in their relationships, but one of their negative traits is that they can be a little jealous at times.

A famous Numerologist reports that if you were born in November, the number 11, which is a higher vibration of 2, will be of great importance to you. You are psychic, empathic, and positive. However, sometimes you get overwhelmed by your own sensitivity and develop stress related health and psychological problems, such as chronic fatigue and depression. You often set an example for others and make a great teacher.

A popular joke doing the rounds on Nov 14th is that its exactly 9 months after Valentines Day. I wonder if that has any impact on the greatness of the Nov born?

 

 

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From Technology Outsourcing to Social Entrepreneurship – The journey of Dr Sridhar Mitta

24 Jul

As part of A Few Good People – This blog features Dr Sridhar Mitta, a pioneering visionary who not only established Wipro as a global leader in Technology Outsourcing but also built the foundation for the industry. Dr Mitta has influenced the lives of thousands and on this Guru Purnima I would like to pay my respects to this wonderful man.  

In 1980 when a young 30 year old walked into Wipro’s nascent Information Technology Division as a founding employee he achieved two things. He helped catapult Wipro into a Global Technology giant and set the ball rolling to position India as a Global Outsourcing hub.

Dr Sridhar Mitta, Bangalore in 1980, with a population of ~ 2M was a quaint little town deserving the sobriquet of a pensioners paradise and a hub of  Research Institutes. The Janata government had shown the door to IBM, The PC was yet to be discovered, Infosys did not exist and the Indian Rupee was trading at 1 USD = Rs 7.86.

This was also the time when a young Azim Premji (AHP) at the helm of Wipro was hungry to expand. Whether it was vision or chance one would never know – but AHP who always had the knack for identifying great talent hired Ashok Narasimhan (A smart savvy financial controller from Telco) and Dr Mitta. Between them they were tasked to build the IT / Technology business at Wipro. 

Dr Mitta armed with a MTech from IIT Kharagpur and a PhD in Control Systems from Oklahoma State University (He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009) was the right choice for Wipro. He was a visionary but hands on. A wonderful team player he was crystal clear on the road ahead as he went about it step by step with determination and passion.

I recollect my first interaction with him in 1992. At our induction  program he  predicted that in the coming years the PC would be like a telephone, just a black box – and the whole attention would be on Software and Services. How right he was.

Over the next 20 years the successful trio of AHP, Ashok Soota and Dr Mitta built Wipro into a global giant. (Mr Ashok Soota took over as the President of Wipro Infotech from Ashok Narasimhan in 1984)

 Dr Sridhar MittaSridhar Mitta celebrates his birthday with Mr Premji, Ashok Soota & Sudip Banerjee

The first phase between 1980 and 1990 was the “Make in India” journey. Intel was coming out with blazing fast microprocessors and Wipro started building multi-user Minicomputers the S86, S286, S386, Landmark 486, Pentium based Synergy series etc. some of them based on the Unix operating system

Designing a Multi Processing Computer in the 80’s was not easy. Remember there was no Internet and Google. The R&D team under Dr Mitta built deep expertise in Chip design, Board design, Operating System, Compilers, Interoperability, Testing and all the zillion things that go into making a reliable high end system.

Dr Mitta recalls that in those days Wipro was the 1st choice for any IIT Graduate because of the quality of work and company ethics. People, Process & Technology were the bedrock for the R&D team and that was Wipro’s positioning for many years. Quality work always gets noticed and global tech companies like Intel started exploring partnerships with Wipro’s R&D team.  This would prove to be the foundation for the next wave of innovation. 

 R&D teamThe young engineers from Global R&D. Most have grown to be Tech entrepreneurs,CTO's and CEO's of leading companies

By the early 90’s it was evident that the India was liberalising. HCL had tied up with HP, Compaq had an alliance with Microland. All the large players were beginning  to make an entry. They had global scale and size and it would be unviable to try and compete with them in manufacturing given the small size of the Indian market.

The visionary in Dr Mitta saw an opportunity amidst this threat. He started contacting his friends  in the US who were working in large Tech companies like Intel, Sun, Tandem and NCR. The bold pitch was to ask for projects that could be done by his team of highly qualified engineers from India. He was crystal clear that there would be no body shopping (The model that software exporters had adopted initially).

The going was not easy as foreign travel needed RBI permission and there were strict controls on the amount of Forex you could carry. He recollects – “We survived on less than $50 a day living with friends and at times eating one meal a day. It was tough. But we were fired with a mission.” Infrastructure, power and network bandwidth were the other challenges that the team had to surmount.

Doing work remotely needed a strong process. Wipro led the industry in embarking for ISO and later CMM certification. This gave a high degree of comfort to clients on the process maturity of the company. Thus was born Tech Outsourcing from India. A wave that has transformed the lives of millions and positioned India globally.

Dr Mitta      Dr Mitta with the numerous awards won by Wipro Global R&D

After that there was no looking back as Wipro’s R&D transformed to Global R&D executing high end work for tech giants in US, Europe & Japan.This was when Dr Mitta decided to explore his entrepreneurial calling. After a 20 year stint at Wipro starting as employee No 1 he had now become the President of Wipro Global R&D. But deep down the technologist in him was itching for doing more innovative work that would impact society.

He spent a decade in EnThink and E4E two innovative startups. EnThink was an Intellectual Property design and licensing start-up located in silicon valley. At E4E  he helped develop the concept of EAP – Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program working closely with TIE (A Global organisation fostering entrepreneurship). By now he had seen the challenges of the rapidly growing IT Industry in Indian cities. It was time to connect the dots and bring his 40 years of experience in creating something new and innovative. This led to the creation of NextWealth.

While conceptualising NextWealth he met the legendary Dr C.K.Prahlad who spent a lot of time with Dr Mitta and finally concurred that his basis for NextWealth was foolproof. Dr Mitta still remembers his advice ” Think beyond Best Practice, invent the NextPractice – The next big business model“.  The founders wanted the company to be named NextPractice but since that domain was not available they settled for NextWealth.

Dr Mitta           Dr Mitta with Anand Talwai & Mythily Ramesh

NextWealth was Co – Founded with leaders from Wipro and the team of Dr Mitta, Anand Talwai, S.R.Gopalan and Mythily Ramesh steering it ahead.

NextWealth was created to add social value through entrepreneurship. The company has a unique business model that solves many of the challenges of the day.

  1. The Vision of the company is to provide 10,000 jobs in smaller towns. They call it The Distributed Delivery model.
  2. Each job generates 5 ancillary jobs and kick starts the local economy. NextWealth promotes not just employment but overall economic development in smaller towns.  “40 Years back Bay Area outsourced work to India 5000 miles away so why can’t Indian companies outsource work 500 miles away in their own backyard? Questions Dr Mitta.
  3. A lot of good talent is available in smaller towns at very affordable prices. This kills two birds with one stone – Lower costs and almost nil attrition.

The company identifies business opportunities and partners with entrepreneurs in smaller towns. The local entrepreneur runs the centre with  inputs from the experienced leadership team at NextWealth. The company has now partnered with competent entrepreneurs in smaller towns like Salem, Chittoor, Mysore, Hubli and Bhilai and has established its business model with many customers.

Over the last few years NextWealth has delivered with some very demanding Global & Indian customers in eCommerce, Finance, IT & Retail. Their core expertise is on deriving insights from Digital Data that can be monetized by blending people and automation. The focus areas are

  • Customer Interaction
  • Assisted Digitisation &
  • Business Process Management

It is a Win Win formulae for Customers, Employees and the Entrepreneur. A mid sized company that can scale rapidly and deliver quality output at very affordable rates. Quality of staff is good and with the right training and mentoring the staff excelled. And it was no surprise that more than 50% of the staff are women.

NextWealth

I visited their largest centre near Salem. It was buzzing with energy. The process & security standards were foolproof. NextWealth supports over 40 customers in a variety of high end digital services. (Judgemental, Cognitive, Analytics, Lead management and Lead conversion customer support) and is meeting metrics ever day and every week

Backed with the vision and operational depth of Dr Mitta and his leadership team NextWealth is now ready to take on large complex projects. The proof of concept phase is over. NextWealth is now ready to accelerate this proven model. It is truly delivering its promise “Human Touch to Digital processes”. 

For additional information please contact 

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