is 'poppadum' a rascist word ?

[Guest guest]

Folks !

 

You might have all READ the news item on the controversial racial

bullying of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on reality TV

show 'Celebrity Big Brother' Jane Goody , who was voted out of the

show late Friday, had referred to Shetty as "Shilpa Poppadom."

 

Now , what is 'poppadum' ?

 

According to Wikipedia

 

"The papadum (or papad) is a thin South Asian wafer, sometimes

described as a cracker or flatbread, typically made from lentil,

chickpea, black gram or rice flour.

 

Salt and peanut oil are added to make a dough, which can be flavored

with seasonings such as, for example, chili, cumin, garlic or black

pepper.

 

The dough is shaped into a tortilla-like round and can be cooked by

deep-frying, roasting over an open flame, toasting, or microwaving,

depending on the desired texture.

 

Papadums are typically served as an accompaniment to a meal, an

appetizer or a snack and eaten topped with chutney or other dips."

 

NOW , IS THIS A 'RASCIST' TERM ? DEPENDS ON WHO CALLS WHOM WHAT ?

When i was newly married , my husband always used to call me 'idli

as i was round and white (fair) like an 'idli' but that WAS more a

term of endearment than a racial slur ! smile ! but when A british

actress Jane ggOODY gOODY gOODY ADDRESS HER iNDAIN CO STAR

AS 'POPPADUM' , THE WORD TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW CONNATATION -

A 'RACIAL SLUR' ......

 

pl go to this link to read all about this controversy

 

http://newsbbc.co/1/hi/entertainment/6304429.htm

 

anyway , let us see how Sri Ramana bhagwan views this south indian

snack in this lovely 'advaitic ' poem ...

 

Song of the Poppadum

 

No need about the world to roam

And suffer from depression;

Make poppadum within the home

According to the lesson

Of 'Thou art That', without compare,

The Unique Word, unspoken

'Tis not by speech it will declare.

The silence is unbroken

Of Him who is the Adept-Sage,

The great Apotheosis,

With His eternal heritage

That Being-Wisdom-Bliss is.

 

Make poppadum and after making fry,

Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy.

 

The grain which is the black gram's yield,

The so-called self or ego,

Grown in the body's fertile field

Of five-fold sheaths, put into

The roller-mill made out of stone,

Which is the search for Wisdom,

The 'Who am I?'. 'Tis thus alone

The Self will gain its freedom.

This must be crushed to finest dust

And ground up into fragments

As being the non-self, so must

We shatter our attachments.

 

Make poppadum and after making fry,

Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy.

 

Mix the juice of square-stemmed vine,

This association

With Holy Men. With this combine

Within the preparation

Some cummin-seed of mind-control

And pepper for restraining

The wayward senses, with them roll

That salt which is remaining

Indifferent to the world we see,

With condiment of leanings

Towards a virtuous unity.

These are their different meanings.

 

Make poppadum and after making fry,

Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy.

 

The mixture into dough now blend

And on the stone then place it

Of mind, by tendencies hardened,

And without ceasing baste it

With heavy strokes of the 'I-I'

Delivered with the pestle

Of introverted mind. Slowly

The mind will cease to wrestle.

Then roll out with the pin of peace

Upon the slab of Brahman.

Continue effort without cease

With energetic élan.

 

Make poppadum and after making fry,

Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy.

 

The poppadum or soul's now fit

To put into the fry-pan,

The one infinite symbol it

Of the great Silence, which can

Be first prepared by putting in

Some clarified fresh butter

Of the Supreme. And now begin

To heat it till it sputter,

On Wisdom's self-effulgent flame

Fry poppadum, 'I', as That.

Enjoying all alone the same;

Which bliss we ever aim at.

 

Make poppadum of self and after eat;

Of Perfect Peace then you will be replete.

 

-- from The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi, Edited by Arthur

Osborne

 

http:// www.poetry-chaikhana.com/M/MaharshiRama/SongofPoppad.htm te

 

if our member Benji were reading this , he would come up with

something really funny !

 

well, i know for a fact that Londoners love Indain food because when

i was in London , i myself visited many INDIAN' restaurants

including 'Veerasamy ' WHERE A MASALA DOSA cost an arm in the leg!

 

ENJOY!

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "dhyanasaraswati"

<dhyanasaraswati wrote:

>

> Folks !

>

> You might have all READ the news item on the controversial racial

> bullying of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on reality TV

> show 'Celebrity Big Brother' Jane Goody , who was voted out of the

> show late Friday, had referred to Shetty as "Shilpa Poppadom."

>

 

Namaste,

 

This is way off topic, but Goody's mother who was also voted off the

show is apparently a Muslim. The show is really just showing how

negative human emotions can be played out in a competition. The

Bollywood actress herself said that she didn't consider the remarks as

intrinsically racist, but competitive........The bottom line is the

show increased its popularity at the expense of the participants

characters and careers..Tony.

[Guest guest]

Tony-ji:

 

i wanted you all to see the big picture specially on the

word 'poppadum' .... and how a jiva like Shilpa Shetty considered a

seemingly innocent snack item as a racial slur wheras the great

maharishi Sri sri Ramana bhagvan weaved a beautiful poem around this

delghtful snack served proudly as part of every meal by a south

indian housewife ! i thought you would elaborate more on the

advaitic content of the poem than on Shilpa shetty's egotistical

reactions ...

 

anyway ....

 

in post number 34875, anandaji talked about 'pestcides' in another

context ...

 

i would now quote in the context of a jiva ., the following words of

Ralph Waldo Emerson :

 

The pest of society is egotists.

AND SURELY ALL THE THREE ARE EGOTISTCAL , SHILPA , JANE GOODY AND

HER MOTHER !

 

Tonyji , you are truly amazing ... you have added a third dimesion

to this racial divide contoversy ... by pointing out that jane

goodys mom is a muslim ... a religious cum racial slur ...

anyway ... This is the REALITY called samsaric 'Maya'

 

 

i am truly amused ..... smile !

advaitin, "Tony OClery" <aoclery wrote:

>

> advaitin, "dhyanasaraswati"

> <dhyanasaraswati@> wrote:

> >

> > Folks !

> >

> > You might have all READ the news item on the controversial

racial

> > bullying of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on reality TV

> > show 'Celebrity Big Brother' Jane Goody , who was voted out of

the

> > show late Friday, had referred to Shetty as "Shilpa Poppadom."

> >

>

> Namaste,

>

> This is way off topic, but Goody's mother who was also voted off

the

> show is apparently a Muslim. The show is really just showing how

> negative human emotions can be played out in a competition. The

> Bollywood actress herself said that she didn't consider the

remarks as

> intrinsically racist, but competitive........The bottom line is

the

> show increased its popularity at the expense of the participants

> characters and careers..Tony.

>

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "dhyanasaraswati"

<dhyanasaraswati wrote:

!

>

> Tonyji , you are truly amazing ... you have added a third dimesion

> to this racial divide contoversy ... by pointing out that jane

> goodys mom is a muslim ... a religious cum racial slur ...

> anyway ... This is the REALITY called samsaric 'Maya'

>

>

> i am truly amused ..... smile !

 

Namaste D,

 

I was just showing how convoluted things can get by pointing a known

fact about her mother being a Muslim...no comment.

 

All this comes in to the idea of Love and non love etc. It shows that

Love is neither an emotion nor a sentiment, and all this other stuff is

distraction of the monkey mind.........Tony.