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Radha’s* Lament SADHU VASWANI In her lonely room, she sits— Radha— A Prince’s daughter, fair beyond compare. She sits: she weeps: she cries! “I have not seen such a thing,” she says. “I have not seen in all my life! “How sweet is He when He takes up his flute! And how sweet is He when He sings on the flute! He wears a simple garland Of wild flowers which in the Forest grow; And when He has His Flute on His lips— He looks surpassingly beautiful! “I gaze at His fair, pure face And I weep and weep: and I say: “Behold! a great Charmer! This piper is a seer too: He sings: He sees into the hearts of all Who hear Him on the Flute! And looking at His curly hair, I say— “How lovely art Thou! Beloved of my heart!” “Yellow is the robe Thou dost wear, And dark blue is the colour of Thy complexion Rich in beauty as heaven’s dark clouds! Thy smiling glances are as arrows: they smite my heart. A thrill passes over my body: My very robes tremble And I forget to fill my pitcher: And my sleep is full of dreams! I dream the one only dream of love That no water of Mother Ganga can quench! *September 6 is sacred as Radha Ashtami day.
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I LOVE YOU, GOD! J. P. VASWANI
To move onward, forward, Godward we need to get up and open the door and set God in. This happens only when we realise the need for God. Out of the very depths of our heart, wakes up the cry: I need you, God!
Life is like a river, ever full, ever flowing. The river is a symbol of life. The voice of the river, as Tennyson reminds us, is: For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever! The river of life “goes on”, moves forward. To live in the right way is to move on, ever onward, forward, Godward! Let us never forget that the goal of life is God. And God is to be realised, not talked about. Long have we chanted hymns and recited from the scriptures and rung temple-bells and offered long, unending prayers while our minds have strayed afar. Long have we kept God out of our lives, ‘Tis time to call Him in.’ There is a beautiful picture by a great artist Holman Hunt. In the picture, Christ is seen standing in a garden holding a lantern in one hand and with the other,
knocking on a door. A friend of the artist said to him: “Holman, you have made a mistake. The door you have painted does not have a handle.” “It is not a mistake,” answered the artist. “For that is the door of the human heart and can only be opened from the inside!” To move onward, forward, Godward, we need to get up and open the door and let God in. This happens only when man realises the need for God. Out of the very depths of his heart, there awakes the cry: “I have need of You, Lord! I cannot live without You!” This is known as “spiritual awakening”. Something happens deep within you and your life becomes new. You are filled with light and warmth, joy and peace. You realise that the life you had lived until then— a life of creature-comforts and pleasures, of pride, pelf and power— was
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no life at all. You exclaim with Tolstoy: “To know God is to live!” In this connection, the following suggestions may be found helpful: (1) The secret of the new life is love of God. This love must grow from more to more. Love is a gift of God to man. Therefore, pray as often as you can: “I love you God! I want to love you, more and more! I want to love you more than anything in the world. I want to love you to distraction, to intoxication. Grant me pure love and devotion for Thy Lotus-feet, and so bless me that this world– bewitching maya may not lead me astray.” “If we keep on repeating the words, ‘I Love You, God!’ Will not God be tired of listening to our words?” a young man said to me. And I asked him: “How many times did you tell your girl-friend today that you loved her?” “Many times,” was his answer. “And how many times did you tell her that yesterday?” “Very many times.” “And the day before?” Once again he said: “Times without number.” “Does she not feel tired of listening to the same words, again and again?” I asked him. “No,” he answered. “She rejoices to hear those words, everytime I tell her.” “You have answered your question,” I said to him quietly. (2) There comes a stage when we realise that we cannot serve two masters at the same time.
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A decision has to be made— either God or the world. We can’t have both. There must be no compromise. The seeker after God stands up for Truth-in thought, in speech, and in all his dealings with others. Truth—though she take me to the gallows! Truth! though she lead me through the flames. A lawyer said to a businessman who had incurred debts amounting to Rs. 40,00,000: “Give me Rs. 50,000 and I shall clear you of all your debts.” “You insult me,” answered the businessman. “I have incurred those debts and I must pay back every single rupee!” (3) If you have wronged a person, do not waste time in making amends. Have you hurt someone? Have you cheated him? Have you spread scandal against him? Have you exploited him for selfish purposes? Then waste no time in setting right what has gone wrong. Guru Nanak had himself sold in a slave-market. A Rohela Chief purchased him in exchange for two Iraq horses. The Chief was called a Mir and was a Sufi. Soon he found that Nanak was a holy man. The Mir said to him: “Be merciful to me, O man of God!” Guru Nanak answered: “You have captured so many men and women and tortured them. You have forged chains for yourself. Heavy is your burden!” “Forgive my trespasses,” said the Mir. “And tell me how I may be saved!”
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Guru Nanak said: “You have set the house on fire and are asleep in the house. Spend all you have gained by evil means in the service of the poor and release all your slaves. The slaves were freed. The Mir became a new man. (4) Has someone wronged you? Forgive him even before forgiveness is asked. And your mind will be at peace, and the world around you will smile. Of Hussain, the martyr of Karbala, it is said that one day as he was eating his dinner, his slave, by accident, let drop a hot dish on Hussain’s knees. The slave felt nervous and recited a verse from the Qur’an: “Paradise belongeth to him who restraineth his anger.” “I am not angry,” said Hussain. The slave continued: “Paradise belongeth to him who forgiveth his brother.” “I forgive you!” said Hussain. And the slave finished the verse: “For God loves the benevolent!” Immediately answered Hussain: “I give you liberty! No longer are you a slave: and I give you four hundred pieces of silver.” (5) Whatever you do— it may be a lowly act such as sweeping a room or a noble deed such as saving a life— do it wholly for the love of God. “Whatever you eat, whatever austerity you practise, whatever you give in charity, whatever you do, do it, O Arjuna, as an offering unto Me,” says the Lord in the Gita. Can there be a simpler way of communing with
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God than this, that we offer unto Him every little thing we do, every thought we think, every word we utter, every aspiration we breathe? (6) Establish more and more points of contact with God. This will give you soul-rest. And out of you the joy of God will flow to many. Be gentle with all who come to you: they have been sent by God to your door, not without a purpose. There was a time when if, in the midst of work, someone came and disturbed me, I felt upset. Now I try to accept every interruption as His appointment. And I know how light and happy feels the heart that rejoices in the Will of God. Several other suggestions there be, but let these suffice. A stage comes in the life of every seeker when, in the midst of his daily work, his mind is centred on God. With God he communes, driving out of his mind all that is not God. He becomes like the lotus. Silently it blooms: silently it spreads its fragrance: silently it grows in beauty. And its face is ever turned towards the Sun. So, too, in the shouts and shows of life, in all the changes of this ever-changing world, the seeker is not disturbed. His heart is ever at peace. He grows in beauty and blessedness. He loves silence. He speaks not much. Whenever he opens his mouth, he speaks to help and heal. He has heard within him the Call of the Spirit: “Onward, Forward, Godward!”
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WOMAN:
MISSIONARY OF CIVILIZATION S. RADHAKRISHNAN*
Indian tradition has generally respected womanhood though occasionally we find derogatory references to women. Even God is regarded as half man, half woman, ardhanarishvara. Manu declares that where women are honoured, there the gods are pleased; where they are not honoured, all works become fruitless.
drama of the flesh and the spirit, of finitude and transcendence takes place.
Women are human beings and have as much right to full development as men have. In regard to opportunities for intellectual and spiritual development, we should not emphasise the sex of women even as we do not emphasise the sex of men. The fact that we are human beings is infinitely more important than the physiological peculiarities which distinguish us from one another. In all human beings, irrespective of their sex, the same
In early times education of women was encouraged. The goddess of learning is Saraswati. The Mahanirvana Tantra says: “A girl also should be brought up and educated with great effort and care.”
Women cannot do some things that men can. Their physiology prevents this. That, however, does not prove any inferiority on their part. We must do the things for which we are made and do them. well.
The Devi Mahatmya declares: ‘All forms of knowledge are aspects of Thee; and all women throughout the world are Thy forms.’ We hear of great women like Maitreyi, Gargi, Arundhati, Lilavati, and others.
*September 5 is Dr. S. Radhakrishnan’s 131st Birth Anniversary.
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In the Vedic age women enjoyed equal opportunities for education and work. They were eligible for upanayana or initiation and brahmacharya or study of Brahma-knowledge. While spiritual life and social service are open to women, marriage and motherhood are treated as the normal vocation for them. Modern anthropology brings out clearly that marriage and family are found in one form or another as fundamental institutions in every human society, primitive or civilised. It is difficult to imagine a social organisation in which these institutions are not found. The relation of man and woman is the expression of an urge for duality. Each is a self which requires the other as its complement. The division of the sexes is a biological phenomenon, not a historical event like the division of races and classes. Male and female constitute ordinarily a fundamental unity. The institution of marriage was exalted in the Indian tradition. Women were free to choose their husbands. The freedom of women is evident from the account of the popular festival called samana, where men and women met and mixed freely. There is an interesting passage in the Saptashati, where Durga, who is Kumari, virgin, tells the Asuras who aspired to marry her: ‘He who conquers me in battle, he who humbles my pride, he who is my equal in this world, he shall be
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my husband.’ Women were not the bond slaves of pleasure. The end of marriage is spiritual comradeship. The Mahabharata says: ‘Let this heart of yours be mine, and let this heart of mine be yours’. Yet sex life was not despised. Its importance for human development was recognized. It has been the tendency of man to use woman as an object of amusement and pleasure. Woman is asked to look upon man as the meaning and justification of her existence. This is in line with the well-known saying, ‘He for God only, she for God in him.’ It is often said that the Oriental woman is a slave. It only means that self-assertion is not her quality. The Oriental woman is not very different from other women in her innermost nature. She remains essentially feminine on account of her social and religious culture. She gives and not takes. They dare to suffer where men would shrink. In both men and women, especially in women, there is a deep desire to reproduce their kind. This is not a product of social conditioning. The satisfactions and creative opportunities of motherhood are well known. A woman bears the suffering caused by the pains of labour, but she forgets them in the joy of creation. She is essentially not the object of man’s lust, but is the mother, the maker, the leader. It is the privilege of a mother to bring up her children, to help them to develop their distinctive gifts,
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physical and mental, ethical and spiritual. Matru devo bhava— treat your mother as a Goddess— is the advice given to the young. Again, Manu says: ‘One acharya excels ten upadhyayas in glory; a father excels a hundred acharyas in glory; but a mother excels even a thousand fathers in glory. Marriage without motherhood is incomplete.
The spirit of Indian culture does not deny to individual women the opportunity for spiritual development or intellectual eminence. Those who are inclined towards saintliness or scholarship become Sannyasinis in spirit though not always in form. Undivided allegiance to their aims is demanded of them.
The weakening of the union of marriage and so of the family is causing widespread concern. It is no use congratulating ourselves that things are not so bad here as in some other countries. For the deterioration is increasing gradually in our country. To check it we have to adopt higher standards of education and moral instruction, not merely for women but also for men. A successful marriage requires personal adjustments, which are not easy to make. They are possible only when we accept certain ethical and religious standards.
The large majority of women, as men, however, prefer marriage and motherhood to the life of saintliness, science, or scholarship. They are the great conservators of our culture. Even in families where they have received modern education, they adhere to the household ritual, cradle song and popular poetry. A definite philosophy of life is bound up with these. By the very quality of their being, women are the missionaries of civilisation. With their immense capacity for self-sacrifice they are the unquestioned leaders in ahimsa. They will yet teach the arts of peace to the warring world.
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RAM MOHAN*: THE HERO-SOUL SADHU VASWANI
I crossed the seas; I saw thy face, O Builder of a nation new Who still the sword of Spirit drew: O Hero of an ancient Race! I saw thine eyes so tender, true, So patient, steadfast, still were sad! In a world bewildered, mam mon-mad Thy mind and soul in God’s love grew! In far-off Bristol stands thy shrine: And there my flow’rs I offered thee And prayed: “Speak thou thy word to me!” Methinks, I saw a Light Divine! A bird sang in that lonely vale: “I still am lonely!” so I thought I heard thee speak, and I forgot That foreign Land, the seas, the gale! Ram Mohan! Thou lonely art! For we are still not true to thee! We still are creed-bound, not yet Free; And th’ Heart from Truth still sits apart! How sad thy face! How sad thine eyes! But they behold the radiant stars: Thy Soul shall guide, ‘spite strifes and wars, Till Ind the One God glorifies!’ * September 27 is sacred as Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s death anniversary.
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THE MESSAGE OF
THE FUTURE SADHU VASWANI
I believe we stand on the threshold of a New Age— an Age destined to witness important reconstructions in world-relations. In these reconstructions East and West should make their presence and power felt. The East should turn to the West to learn arts and sciences, to study the spirit of her culture, to assimilate the message of her poets and prophets of Freedom. The West should turn to the hoaryheaded East to learn her Ancient Wisdom, to develop the mystic sense, to recognise nature not alone as the laboratory of the scientist but as a sanctuary of the Spirit, to receive training in the school of meditation, to grow in the spirit of idealism, to practise the presence of God in practical life. The message of the Future! It must reconcile the world of empiric reality, the world of thought and the world of ideal values. It must unify experience. It must satisfy the mystical need, calling man to direct communion with the Atman.
It must satisfy the rational need, recognising the claims of culture, accepting the scientific method and the deliverances of reflective consciousness. It must satisfy the moral need, vindicating the veracity of moral consciousness and the moral obligatoriness of dharma, the Law of Right Living. It must satisfy the social need, recognising the vital value of the great secular movements of the age aiming at social and political progress. It must satisfy the deep spiritual need, giving a new synthesis of nature, man and God. It must satisfy the aesthetic sense of harmony, reconciling science and faith, work and worship, communion and action, the spiritual and the secular and all religions and all races and all scriptures and all prophets in the One whose Vision is Beauty, Truth, and Love.
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WHAT DO YOU WISH TO BE? J. P. VASWANI
Several children were playing together in the School compound. They saw me from a distance and some of them, leaving their games, came running towards me. They held me by my hands: they pulled me by my arms: they clung to the ends of my shirt and would not let me go. “Tell us a story,” they said to me. In the hearts of the little ones is eternal hunger for songs and stories. And their pure, guileless hearts can understand the hidden meaning of words and the deeper significance of stories and parables far better than do so many of us who claim to have grown up. Together we sat ourselves down on the marble steps. The gentle, innocent faces of my little friends beamed with joy. Not knowing what to say to them, I began in the usual, simple way: “Once upon a time there was a king...” One of the little boys interrupted me with the words:
“A king! I want to be a real king when I grow up. I shall own a big army equipped with aeroplanes and atom bombs, and I shall conquer the whole world and make everyone happy!” His chest was swollen in right royal pride. “So you want to be a King, do you?” I said to him. And turning to the others, I asked: “What do you want to become when you grow up?” Quick came the answer from one of them: “I want to be a big landlord. I want to possess huge buildings—as big as our school building—with beautiful gardens and flowing fountains.” Another said: “I want to be a big engineer like my father. I specially want to build bridges.” I said to him: “My little one! Would you not rather build a bridge between East and West than build these bridges of steel and stone?” He did not answer. A little girl, with a musical voice and glamorous eyes said:
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“I want to become a cinema-star like Nargis!” A little boy said: “I want to be the best cricket player in the world!” Yet another said: “I want to be the first man to reach the moon!” These little children who all looked alike were so different in their plans and preferences! One simple, little boy spoke: “I long to be a servant of my people. Alas! they suffer and they starve! I aspire to verify in my life the ideals which our dear Sadhu Vaswani has placed before us— the ideals of simplicity and service, of purity and prayer.” The words were uttered in such sincerity that they went deep into my heart and I gave gratitude to God that there was in our midst at least one simple soul who, in some measure, had imbibed the teaching of the Mira School. The best was yet to come. In a corner sat a little goldenhaired girl who had not spoken a word. Her face was radiant with the light of adoration and love; her eyes seemed to rest on some far off vision. I said to her “Dear child! Why are you silent? Speak to us of the dreams that lie locked up within your heart.” She hesitated before she spoke. “I want to be a true child of St. Mira’s,” She said. “I want to be a devotee of the Lord. I want to see Him as I see you. I want to touch His Lotus Feet, to speak to Him and to hear Him
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speak!” In her speech was a fire which the written word cannot express. “And how may that be?” I asked. And she answered: “After I have completed my studies, I shall set out in quest of a Teacher— someone like Sadhu Vaswani, a Sant-Satpurkha, a Friend of God, one who has seen God and known God and who lives and moves and has his being in God. Having found such an one, I shall follow him and he will lead me to the Goal!” I listened to her in mute wonder. And in the presence of this little wise one I felt as a glow-worm before the full moon. I bowed down to her and asked her to bless me.
He who loves, lives! He who lives, gives! He gives,—and forgives! He forgives and forgets! He forgets himself,—his petty self, his “ego”— and he gets God! He who gets God, gets everything! And he gives everything to every one in need! — Dada J. P. Vaswani
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THE SPIRIT OF THE HINDU FAITH SADHU VASWANI
We are in a transition period. There is the capitalist civilisation. It is breaking down under its own weight. There is the countercapitalist civilisation. Its theory was given by Marx. The theory is being translated into practice in Russia, the experiment having been initiated by the great mind of Lenin. Both the capitalist and the counter-capitalist civilisations are dominated by the idea of industrialisation. Will industrialisation solve the Indian problem? Industrialisation aims at building up a big machine for making much money. Such a machine will always be controlled by a few. A communist state is, also, supported by a bureaucracy.
Will a bureaucratic state, either of the communist or imperialist type, solve the Indian problem? Distinct at once from the capitalist and the countercapitalist civilisations is the Rishi type of civilisation. This type was, I believe, a glorious reality in India, in the long ago. To understand it, we must try to understand the Hindu outlook. Some Western critics of the Hindu Faith say: “A Hindu is one who believes in caste.� The critics confound varna with caste. It is true, Hindu society was, in the days of its decline, infected with the un-Hindu caste-spirit. But the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita know no
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“caste”. Their supreme teaching is that reflection, selfless action and devotion to the Lord is the triple path to Life immortal. A Vedic mantra says: “The Eternal hath no caste.” And the great prophets of India, like Kabir, Nanak and Chaitanya, repeatedly urged: “Nor caste nor creed is asked in the Court of the Highest.” What is caste? Denial of brotherhood. Varna ashrama is not caste, but a practical attempt to organise society on the basis of the sociological truth of “differentiations”. Dr. Hujer, the Czechoslovakian astronomer, said to me: “In the West we have castes.” There is caste wherever there is denial of brotherhood. The Hindu Faith enshrines the great truth of brotherhood in the doctrine of karma. There are three broad aspects of the Hindu Faith: (1) darshana, (2) dharma, and (3) marga. Viewed as a marga, the Hindu Faith points to the way of Attainment. The Hindu Faith is not credal but eminently practical, not a dogma but a path— a threefold path. For men have different temperaments according to diversities of experiences and stages in evolution. The Hindu triple marga is well indicated by the three words— karma, gnana and bhakti. The Hindu Faith as karmamarga is based on two principal thoughts: (1) upasna and (2) rina.
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What is upasna? Upasna, literally, means “sitting under”. To do upasna is to “sit under” influences of the Spirit. Hence the value of silence. We have talked too long. Form silence-circles, and sit under influences of the Atman. We shut them out by our shouts and shows. Tolstoy said, and rightly, that if men and women would go into silence for five minutes every day, the world would be different. What is rina? Debt. There is, firstly, the debt we owe to God. A true Hindu should pour out his aspirations to God, everyday. Secondly, there is the debt we owe to the rishis, the great builders of the Hindu civilisation and to the heroes of Hindu history. Study their lives and teaching. Spread their message, O ye, that are young! Build your lives in hero-worship! Thirdly, there is the debt we owe to our ancestors. The injunction is given in the Hindu books: “See that you maintain the thread of the race!” The Hindu Faith does not bless the bane of “birth-control”. True birth-control is self-control, not self-indulgence. Fourthly, there is the debt we owe to fellow-men. This debt reminds us of the duty of hospitality as a virtue of a high order. Today, under the pressure of new economic forces and on account of appalling poverty, hospitality is declining. Service of the poor is a debt we owe them. Let us not serve as though we do them a maharbani, kindness. True
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service must be done in a spirit of duty and fellowship with the poor. Fifthly, there is the debt we owe to sub-humans— the birds and animals. They, too, are our brothers and sisters. I think of them as our earth-companions of whom, indeed, we may learn the supreme lesson of life— the lesson of compassion. Every bird, every animal, every creature is a child of Sri Krishna. Holy, holy, holy are all creatures. Look on them with eyes of reverence and love! Harm them not! But serve them in deep humility! There is space only to make a passing reference to the gnana and bhakti aspects of the Hindu Faith. Two truths emphasised on the gnana side are: (1) Train your thought-power. You must reflect. Religion is not a dogma to be swallowed. Investigate and hold fast to what is true. (2) Practise concentration. Therefore, learn to be still. Learn to spend, sometime everyday, in silence, and you will know that in silence is strength. Bhakti is love, devotion, selfsurrender to the Lord.
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Much would I say of the Hindu Faith as dharma and darshana. But space fails me. One thing only I may say that karma, dharma, and darshana, all the three culminate in sacrifice. Darshana is, firstly, consciousness of the Atman as immortal; and, secondly, recognition of the One Atman in all. This supreme darshana— vision— glows in the Gita and the Upanishads and the Sant-bani, wisdom of the Saints. With this vision in the heart, how can one stand aloof from the poor and the distressed? We hear, again and again, of socialism. Let me humbly ask: Has the world produced greater socialists than the saints? Have they not deep reverence for the poor as children of God? The Hindu Faith pleads for something more than service. The Hindu Faith pleads for reverence for the poor. This reverence is the very heart of the new rejuvenated Hinduism which will, I believe, help in building up the Fellowship of races and religions.
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Laugh Your Way To Health
Boss: Where were you born? Ramesh: India. Boss: Which part? Ramesh: What ‘which part?’ Whole body was born in India. *** Teacher: How can we keep our school clean? Student: By staying at home... *** Two men were fixing a bomb in a car. Man 1: What would you do if the bomb explodes while fixing. Man 2: Don’t worry, I have one more. *** Lalit: What is the name of your car? Lady: I forgot the name, but it starts with ‘T’. Lalit: Oh, what a strange car, starts with Tea. All cars that I know start with petrol. *** Teacher: What do you call mosquitoes in your language? Student: We don’t call them, they come on their own... *** Mahesh: You cheated me. Shopkeeper: No, I sold a good radio to you. Mahesh: Radio label shows
‘Made in Japan’ but radio says this is ‘All India Radio!’ *** Teacher: One day our country will be corruption free. What tense is that? Student: Future impossible tense... *** Tourist: Whose skeleton is that? Yasin: An old king’s skeleton. Tourist: Who’s that smaller skeleton next to it? Yasin: That was same king’s skeleton when he was a child. *** Teacher: Which is the oldest animal in the world? Sita: ZEBRA Teacher: How? Sita: Because it is Black & White. *** Pavan attending an interview in Software Company. Manager: Do you know MS Office? Pavan: If you give me the address I will go there, sir. *** Suresh: Doctor! My Son swallowed a key. Doctor: When?
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Suresh: 3 months ago. Doctor: What were you doing till now? Suresh: We were using duplicate key. *** Teacher: Our topic for today is Photosynthesis. Teacher: Class, what is photosynthesis? Student: Photosynthesis is our topic today. *** Sujit made a call to airport “How long is the journey from India to America?” Girl: One second sir. Sujit: Thanks! *** John laughing behind Robin in an ATM counter. John: Ha… ha… ha... I have seen your password. Robin: What is it? John: It is four stars (****) Robin: Ha… ha... wrong... it is 3384. *** Teacher: How does the hen come out of the egg? Nita: That is not a big question, Madam. The big question is, how the hen went inside the egg! *** Teacher: Name the nation, people hate most? Student: Exami-nation... *** Nidhi: Vidya, how was your exam? Vidya: It was OK... But I couldn’t answer the past tense of ‘THINK’. I thought and thought
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and thought... and finally wrote... THUNK! *** One tourist from USA asked: Any great man born in this village? Naveen: No sir, only small babies! *** Ganesh was driving a jeep in a jungle. Tourist: If a lion comes against us, how can we escape? Ganesh: So simple. Give RIGHT turn indicator and turn LEFT! *** Teacher: John is climbing a tree to pick some mangoes. (Begin the sentence with Mangoes) Student: Mangoes, John is coming to pick you... *** Rahul: Doctor, in my dreams… rats play football every night. Doctor: OK... no problem. Have these tablets from tonight. Rahul: Can I start from tomorrow? Doctor: Why? Rahul: Because, today is FINAL! *** Teacher: Construct a sentence using the word ‘sugar’. Pupil: I drank tea this morning. Teacher: Where is the word sugar. Pupil: It is already in the tea! ***
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RECIPES FOR THE MONTH CHICKPEA CURRY
SLOW COOKER VEGETABLE CURRY Ingredients: Light coconut milk........................................ 400 ml Mild curry paste..............................................3 tbsp Vegetable bouillon powder...............................2 tsp Red chilli, deseeded and sliced.............................. 1 Finely chopped ginger....................................1 tbsp Garlic, sliced................................................3 cloves Butternut squash (peeled weight), ................. 200g cut into chunks Red pepper, deseeded and sliced........................... 1 Aubergine (about 250g), .............................1 small halved and thickly sliced Coriander, chopped............................................ 15g Frozen peas, defrosted.................................... 160g Lime, juiced, to taste............................................. 1 Wholemeal flatbread...................................to serve Method: 1. Put 400ml light coconut milk, 3 tbsp mild curry paste, 2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder, 1 deseeded and sliced red chilli, 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger, 3 sliced garlic cloves, 200g chunks butternut squash, 1 sliced red pepper and 1 small halved and thickly sliced aubergine into the slow cooker pot and stir well. Cover with the lid and chill overnight. 2. The next day, cook on Low for 6 hrs until the vegetables are really tender, then stir in 15g chopped coriander and 160g defrosted peas. The heat of the curry should be enough to warm them through. 3. Taste and add a good squeeze of lime juice, if you fancy extra zing. Serve with a wholemeal flatbread.
Ingredients: For the paste Oil...................................................................2 tbsp Onion, diced........................................................... 1 Fresh or dried chilli, to taste.............................1 tsp Garlic (approx 1 small bulb of garlic).........9 cloves Ginger, peeled........................... Thumb-sized piece Ground coriander...........................................1 tbsp Ground cumin.................................................2 tbsp Garam masala................................................1 tbsp Tomato puree.................................................2 tbsp For the curry Chickpeas, drained.......................................... 800g Chopped tomatoes........................................... 400g Creamed coconut............................................. 100g Coriander, chopped, plus extra to garnish..................................½ small pack Spinach............................................................ 100g To serve.........................Cooked rice and/or dahl Method: 1. To make the paste, heat a little of the 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add 1 diced onion and 1 tsp fresh or dried chilli, and cook until softened, about 8 mins. 2. In a food processor, combine 9 garlic cloves, a thumb-sized piece of peeled ginger and the remaining oil, then add 1 tbsp ground coriander, 2 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp garam masala, 2 tbsp tomato purée, ½ tsp salt and the fried onion. Blend to a smooth paste – add a drop of water or more oil, if needed. 3. Cook the paste in a medium saucepan for 2 mins over a medium-high heat, stirring
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occasionally so it doesn’t stick. 4. Tip in two 400g drained chickpeas and a 400g chopped tomatoes, and simmer for 5 mins until reduced down. 5. Add 100g creamed coconut with a little water, cook for 5 mins more, then add ½ small pack chopped coriander and 100g spinach, and cook until wilted. 6. Garnish with extra coriander and serve with rice or dhal (or both).
KIDNEY BEAN CURRY
Ingredients: Vegetable oil...................................................1 tbsp Onion, finely chopped............................................ 1 Garlic, finely chopped..................................2 cloves Ginger, peeled, finely chopped...thumb-sized piece Coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly shredded...................... 1 small pack Ground cumin...................................................1 tsp Ground paprika................................................1 tsp Garam masala..................................................2 tsp Chopped tomatoes........................................... 400g Kidney beans, in water.................................... 400g Cooked basmati rice....................................to serve Method: 1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a low-medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to colour. Add the garlic, ginger and coriander stalks and cook for a further 2 mins, until fragrant. 2. Add the spices to the pan and cook for another 1 min, by which point everything should smell aromatic. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and kidney beans in their water, then bring to the boil. 3. Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 mins
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until the curry is nice and thick. Season to taste, then serve with the basmati rice and the coriander leaves.
CAULIFLOWER CURRY Ingredients: Fenugreek seeds...............................................1 tsp Coriander seeds................................................1 tsp Cardamom pod, seeds only................................... 1 Dried curry leaves.............................................1 tsp Sunflower oil..................................................2 tbsp Turmeric.......................................................... ¼ tsp Ground cumin...................................................1 tsp Chilli powder....................................................1 tsp Finely chopped ginger....................................1 tbsp Garlic, crushed.............................................4 cloves Green chillies, deseeded, finely chopped............... 2 Red onions, diced................................................... 2 Whole cauliflower, including stem and leaves, chopped into bite-sized pieces............................................. 1 Large tomatoes, cut into wedges........................... 2 Coconut milk.................................................. 250ml Lime, juiced........................................................... 1 Method: 1. Heat a wok over a high heat. Add the fenugreek, coriander, cardamom seeds and curry leaves, and toast for 2 mins or until starting to brown and release their aromas. Remove and grind to a powder using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. 2. Return the wok to the high heat and add the oil. Add all the spices (including the ones you just ground) and cook for 1 min, then add the ginger, garlic, chilli, onion and 1 1/2 tsp salt, and stir-fry for 5 mins. 3. Add the cauliflower, toss with the other ingredients so it’s well coated, then stir-fry for 7-10 mins or until it starts to soften. Add the tomatoes and stir-fry for another 3-5 mins or until they start to break down. 4. Pour in the coconut milk and cook over a medium heat, stirring, for 15-20 mins until the cauliflower is tender and the sauce has reduced. Squeeze over the lime juice and check for seasoning. Can be made a day ahead – pour in the coconut milk, reduce by half, then leave to cool and keep in the fridge.
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SIMPLE RULES OF HEALTH FOUR TYPES OF HEADACHES AND IT’S CURE Do any of these headache descriptions sound like you? Tension Headaches If you’ve ever had a headache, it’s probably been a tension headache. It feels like it covers your whole head with a dull, aching sensation. Although it doesn’t throb, your head, neck, forehead, scalp, and shoulder muscles often feel very tender or sensitive. Cluster Headaches Cluster headaches are the ones you never want to experience. They’re touted as being the most excruciating type of headache, characterised by severe burning and piercing behind or around one of your eyes. They may also be accompanied by flushing, redness, swelling, and sweating. Lasting, on average between 15 minutes and three hours, people with cluster headaches can experience many throughout the day. Sinus Headaches Usually, sinus headaches are triggered by a sinus infection or an allergic reaction. Unlike tension headaches, sinus ones are more localised around the sinus area and can spread to the front of your head. Migraine Headaches Surprisingly, migraine headaches are often misdiagnosed as sinus headaches. People with this type of headache can experience an intense pulsing
or throbbing within your head that lasts for days. Like cluster headaches, migraines make daily tasks near-impossible to complete (depending on their severity). People with migraine headaches usually feel them on one side of their head and are accompanied by light and sound sensitivity, as well as nausea and vomiting. Other types of headaches can include: • Hormone headaches that are linked to hormone imbalance (e.g., menstruation, birth control) • Caffeine headaches which, after having too much, can affect your brain’s blood flow • Exertion headaches can be spurred on by (sudden) physical activity (e.g., weight lifting, running) • Hypertension brought on by pressure
headaches high blood
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• Rebound headaches linked to using too much medication and feels similar to a tension headache • Post-traumatic headaches which can develop after any type of head injury and can last up to a year (or become chronic) 5 SAFE NATURAL ALTERNATIVES TO EASE MIGRAINES Feverfew Feverfew is one of the oldest herbal remedies for migraines. You can make a tincture or eat it raw. The reason that Feverfew is able to ease migraines is a powerful chemical called parthenolide, which has been known to ease migraines. Feverfew can be purchased in tincture, tea or tablet form. However, it’s the best when used fresh. Butterbur Butterbur has been recently discovered to reduce the intensity of migraine headaches. It does so by reducing inflammation and stabilising blood flow to the brain. It prevents spasms in the capillaries and stabilises blood pressure. If you decide to try butterbur, make sure it’s labeled PA (pyrrolizidine alkaloids) free. This indicates that the liver toxic alkaloids normally in butterbur plants have been removed. Ginger, Peppermint and Cayenne This combination of herbs is known as the natural pain relieving trio. To make a herbal tea, mix the three herbs together. Mix together a pinch of cayenne pepper, a little piece of fresh
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ginger and a teaspoon of dried peppermint. Put the mixture in two cups of boiling water and let it steep for 20 minutes. Strain the herbs and add raw honey to taste. Lavender Essential Oil In 2012, for the first time, a placebo-controlled clinical trial confirmed that lavender essential oil aromatherapy is effective at relieving migraine headaches. Lavender essential oil has been known for centuries for its analgesic effect on migraine sufferers. Lavender helps reduce the inflammation that occurs in blood vessels during a migraine. Lavender essential oil possesses pain-killing, nerve calming, and sedative properties. Just make sure you’re using a pure essential oil. Magnesium Magnesium is known as the master mineral. It activates over 300 cellular metabolic processes in our body. It affects our nervous system, muscle tissue, and cardiovascular health. Unfortunately, many people in the world and especially America are magnesium deficient. One of the studies found that daily consumption of magnesium supplements reduced the frequency of migraines by 42 percent, compared to only about 16 percent in patients given a placebo pill. Magnesium relaxes arteries and muscles in the body, which helps to get rid of headaches and ease migraines. I personally use magnesium oil daily. It can be sprayed or rubbed onto the skin wherever it’s comfortable.
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Children’s Corner RIDDLES 1. Why do some cricket players never sweat? 2.
What is in middle of India?
3. What is always coming, but never arrives? 4. What is the major difference between a bird and a fly? 5. Imagine you are in a sinking rowboat surrounded by sharks. How would you survive? 6. If you are in a dark room with a candle, a wood stove and a gas lamp. You only have one match, so what do you light first? 7.
Bay of Bengal is in which state?
8.
How can a man go eight days without sleep?
9.
If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become?
10. What can be broken, but is never held? 11. What breaks and never falls, and what falls and never breaks? 12. Three men are on a boat. The boat sinks but only two people get their hair wet. Why? 13. What does everyone need, want, and ask for but never take? 14. If a plane crashes on the border between the United States and Canada, where do they bury the survivors? 15. It goes all over the world, but always stays in a corner. What is that? 16. What do you sit on, sleep on, and brush your teeth with? 17. Where was the fortune cookie actually invented?
ANSWERS: 1. Because they have huge fans!; 2. Yes, correct, it is ‘D’ (IN ‘D’ IA); 3. Tomorrow; 4. A Bird can fly but a fly cannot bird!; 5. Stop imagining; 6. The match!; 7. Liquid; 8. By sleeping during the night; 9. It will become Wet; 10. A promise; 11. Day breaks and night falls; 12. The third man was bald; 13. Advice; 14. Survivors are not buried; 15. A Stamp!; 16. A chair, a bed, and a toothbrush; 17. America.
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