Guest guest Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Dear Richard, I am fascinated by reading your account. May you have more and more such experiences. Ten years or so back I read an article based on some anthropology studies done by some Indian University. It says the best community life is seen in the villages of Tamil Nadu. There is so much love and concern among people in the villages, If a villager is admitted in a city/town hospital half the village people will go and stay in the hospital compound till the patient is discharged !! If you have not seen any sur-realistic cinemas, it is worth watching a few tamil movies. MGR who ruled tamil nadu as an elected chief minister is was a film actor. Many more actor turned politicians are present in tamil nadu. Biriyani is a favourite dish throughout India. Many different varieties are available, including vegetable biriyanis. Originally this was introduced by the "Mughals". The Iyers and Iyengars are the highest caste in Tamil Nadu. They are Brahmins - one who knows "Brahma". They are taught the Vedas at a very young age. Wishing you and your wife all the best With regards VenugopalRichard Clarke <richard wrote: Pongal Feast Jan. 17, 2008Today we were taken to a small village about 20 KM North of Tiruvannamalai. We were taken by our driver, who is making a point of including us within his family's Pongal activities. Just a few KM North out of Tiruvannamalai there are more small hills, and the land use changes to a forest of small trees. Maybe the biggest are 15 feet tall. Then to one side comes a big shallow lake, where there are many areas where trees are growing. I could not tell if these were islands or a lake edge. The lake seemed to be several KM long. On the other side of the road were the farm fields typical to this region. There was a paved road all the way to this village, and in the village itself. The village is where our driver's mother's mother lives. The village had at its center a small temple with brightly painted gods on top. There was a cement road perhaps 100 M into the village with small houses on each side. We were told that we were the first westerners to ever visit this village. The seemed to be less than 100 people who lived in this village. At one end of the village was the lake we had seen from the road. We saw some small fish in the lake and some kind of crane on the other side. We had seen trees where perhaps 50 of these cranes were sitting driving by the lake. The villagers said that they used poles and hooks and catch fish from the lake. The feast activities started with a goat that was sacrificed for the meal. When we first came into the village we were asked if we wanted to watch this. We did not. We saw the goat being led off. Then the next time we saw it, it was being skinned. Then it seemed like the whole village got involved with preparation. The men were cutting it up. They used machetes, with a piece of wood underneath to do the gross cutting up of the goat. Then a man sat down with a kind of knife that had a frame beneath it. The man sat, holding down the frame of the knife with his feet. The blade was vertical, sticking up. He used this to cut the meat from the bones. This was thrown into a pot of water where the women cleaned it further. Other men were cutting up the internal organs like the liver and keeping this separate. The scraps were thrown to the side where they were eaten by dogs. Then the cooking started. This was done in the biggest pot I have ever seen, maybe 1 M wide and deep, stainless steel. The pot was resting on three concrete bricks, with a wood fire for heat. First maybe a gallon of `ground nut oil' (peanut oil) was put into the pot. Then spices. Those that I knew were maybe 50 bay leaves, maybe ¼ C anise, 25 whole cloves, some others that I don't yet know, maybe 1 quart of whole serano chilies (or their Indian equivalent). These cooked for a while. It was men doing the cooking, the only time I have seen Indian men cooking. I think this was at least partially because a man has the strength to stir the pot. The `ladle' was about 1.5 meters long, with a spoon about 15 mm wide. They then added about 2 quarts of cut onions and cooked them a while, then a similar amount of tomatoes, and about 1.5 litres of garlic. Then they added the meat. When the meat was cooked they added maybe 2 gallons of rice and 4 gallons water, and cooked for a while. During this, after a while they put a lit on the pot, and put the coals from the first on the lid to add heat from the top. When this was cooked, there was then a kind of crust on the top of the dish. They called the dish `Goat Biryani."While this was going on, the girls in the village had discovered my wife. Small girls, maybe 7 years old, were hanging onto both hands. They were talking (In Tamil). We understood only a few words. We did things like say the names of parts of the body in Teamil, count from 1 to 20 in Tamil and count from 1 to 100 in English. Carol started singing a kids song, `Dance the hokey Pokey' and going through the actions - put you right foot in, put your right foot out, do the hokey pokey and shake it all about (while turning a circle and dancing), etc. The kids (boys and girls) sang along with her and did the motions with her. They did not want her to stop. As the feast was cooking we heard drums from the other side of the village. We walked up to see. There was a crowd of men with women an d children on the sidelines. On the other side of the men were two `chariots' where they had taken out the village gods from their temples for the day. In the West, the `gods' stay in the temples. In India the gods are a part of daily life, and on festival days are taken out of the temple and paraded around, so the gods take part in the festival too. The men were dancing, one of two at a time. This reminded my wife of Greece, where only the men dance. In one dance, it looked like the men were doing standing intercourse with each other. While this was going on, the crowd tried to remove the dhoti from one of them men as he was dancing. He did not cooperate. I saw one man who looked very drunk. I suspect he was not the only one who had been drinking. They paraded the chariots through the village next, to the house where the food was being prepared. They did a puja to the gods there. Then they took the chariots up the street, and everybody ate. We ate the ceremonial meal, though we usually eat vegetarian here. They gave us seats of honor (we had a bamboo mat to sit on, No one else did.). Our driver sat next to us. His wife served us. We were served first. Delicious meal, and all ate with relish. Altogether this took about five hours. Without the invitation from our driver, this village Pongal feast would not have been something that we could ever see. This kind of group meal is only done one time each year, so it is really a big event in the village. After we got home and were collapsed on our chairs, exhausted and resting, then was a knock on the door. There was the mother from the family that is our grounds keepers. She did not know that we went to a Pongal feast, and brought us a dish - chicken - from their feast. It looks like high caste Tamils are usually vegetarian, while lower caste people are not. She also made us rice to go with this. We just put them into the refrigerator and were in bed before 9 PM. Pongal is over now. It is a four day event, celebrated mainly in Tamil Nadu (I think). Not two,Richard Explore your hobbies and interests. Click here to begin. 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Guest guest Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 , " Richard Clarke " <richard wrote: > > Pongal Feast Jan. 17, 2008 > > Today we were taken to a small village about 20 KM North of > Tiruvannamalai. We were taken by our driver, who is making a point of > including us within his family's Pongal activities. > > Just a few KM North out of Tiruvannamalai there are more small hills, > and the land use changes to a forest of small trees. Maybe the > biggest are 15 feet tall. Then to one side comes a big shallow lake, > where there are many areas where trees are growing. I could not tell > if these were islands or a lake edge. The lake seemed to be several > KM long. On the other side of the road were the farm fields typical > to this region. Namaste, Yes Ramana says that for those on spiritual yogic path vegetarianism is advisable.......That is how Ramana instructs knowing that nobody can make anybody do anything.He suggests that's all, and if you really follow him you take the suggestion!!!!!!!..Tony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Dear Harsha during this lifetime is met a lot of "pure" vegeterians who have been a wonderful example of how not to be. Their dogmatism was full of unloving behaviour. In complete contrast to our beloved RAMANA so even this wonderful attitude of being an vegetarian IS NOT the "right attitude" if not accompanied by MUCH MORE in dephts... a terrible example is ADOLF HITLER who was - so it is said - a strict vegetarian looking forward for your comment all the bes to you and all michael Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.6/1230 - Release 17/01/2008 16.59 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Dear Michael, I am currently getting ready to travel and can't write in detail. But you are right brother. What matters most is what is in our Heart. Someone once quoted J. Krishnamurti, who apparently said, " It is less important what goes into your mouth than what comes out of it. " . I thought it was pretty funny. Overall, Sri Ramana said and it is stated in the Bhagavad Gita in some form as well that a nutritious diet in moderate amount is best. Will say more later. Namaste and love to all Harsha , " Michael Bindel " <michael.bindel wrote: > > Dear Harsha > > during this lifetime is met a lot of " pure " vegeterians who have been a wonderful example of how not to be. > Their dogmatism was full of unloving behaviour. > In complete contrast to our beloved RAMANA > > so even this wonderful attitude of being an vegetarian IS NOT the " right attitude " if not accompanied by MUCH MORE in dephts... > > a terrible example is ADOLF HITLER who was - so it is said - a strict vegetarian > > looking forward for your comment > > > all the bes to you and all > > > michael > > > > > > > > > > > Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.6/1230 - Release Date: 17/01/2008 16.59 > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 , " Michael Bindel " <michael.bindel wrote: > > Dear Harsha > > during this lifetime is met a lot of " pure " vegeterians who have been a wonderful example of how not to be. > Their dogmatism was full of unloving behaviour. > In complete contrast to our beloved RAMANA > > so even this wonderful attitude of being an vegetarian IS NOT the " right attitude " if not accompanied by MUCH MORE in dephts... > > a terrible example is ADOLF HITLER who was - so it is said - a strict vegetarian > > looking forward for your comment > > > all the bes to you and all > > > michael Namaste, My point is that Ramana advised it, and that should be noted by anyone who calls themselves a devotee. Yes there are vegetarians who are barbarians also, but what Ramana is talking of is people on the yogic or spiritual path combining that path with vegetarianism. This is becaus of vibrations and the path of Ahimsa.........Tony. The statement about what comes out is more important than what goes is funny but not really relevant...read Vivekananda on jokes! In the end Shakespeare said the there is neither right not wrong but thinking that makes it so.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Dear thank you for your comment! in ramana michael you know, this was my first "feeling" when meeting unloving highbrowsed "vegetarians" while buying bio-food more than 30 years ago and lecturing others than following an esoteric way they MUST be vegetarians. Its always the same - not the form counts but the content! in ramana michael - Tony OClery Saturday, January 19, 2008 7:46 PM Re: Happy Pongal! pongal vazhthukual! , "Michael Bindel" <michael.bindel wrote:>> Dear Harsha> > during this lifetime is met a lot of "pure" vegeterians who have been a wonderful example of how not to be.> Their dogmatism was full of unloving behaviour.> In complete contrast to our beloved RAMANA> > so even this wonderful attitude of being an vegetarian IS NOT the "right attitude" if not accompanied by MUCH MORE in dephts...> > a terrible example is ADOLF HITLER who was - so it is said - a strict vegetarian> > looking forward for your comment> > > all the bes to you and all> > > michaelNamaste,My point is that Ramana advised it, and that should be noted by anyone who calls themselves a devotee. Yes there are vegetarians who are barbarians also, but what Ramana is talking of is people on the yogic or spiritual path combining that path with vegetarianism. This is becaus of vibrations and the path of Ahimsa.........Tony.The statement about what comes out is more important than what goes is funny but not really relevant...read Vivekananda on jokes!In the end Shakespeare said the there is neither right not wrong but thinking that makes it so.... Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.7/1233 - Release 19/01/2008 18.37 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Dear Harsha wish you good luck for your traveling and awaiting your more in dephts answer michael - harshaimtm Saturday, January 19, 2008 1:10 PM Re: Happy Pongal! pongal vazhthukual! Dear Michael,I am currently getting ready to travel and can't write in detail. Butyou are right brother. What matters most is what is in our Heart. Someone once quoted J.Krishnamurti, who apparently said, "It is less important what goesinto your mouth than what comes out of it.".I thought it was pretty funny.Overall, Sri Ramana said and it is stated in the Bhagavad Gita in someform as well that a nutritious diet in moderate amount is best.Will say more later.Namaste and love to allHarsha , "Michael Bindel"<michael.bindel wrote:>> Dear Harsha> > during this lifetime is met a lot of "pure" vegeterians who havebeen a wonderful example of how not to be.> Their dogmatism was full of unloving behaviour.> In complete contrast to our beloved RAMANA> > so even this wonderful attitude of being an vegetarian IS NOT the"right attitude" if not accompanied by MUCH MORE in dephts...> > a terrible example is ADOLF HITLER who was - so it is said - astrict vegetarian> > looking forward for your comment> > > all the bes to you and all> > > michael> > > > > >-------------------------> > > > > Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.6/1230 - Release Date:17/01/2008 16.59> Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.7/1232 - Release 18/01/2008 19.32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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