Indian Recepies & Travel Blog - Vankipuram, Gods Country

This has found its place in a mantra and so needless to say how important it is! Open sesame!

We are talking about our own sesame (ellu in tamil, till in hindi) – the seed that flavors Indian cuisine. In olden days when the fashionable sunflower oil or olive oil was little known, sesame oil and coconut oil where the oils primarily used for South Indian cooking. Why even today, cold pressed sesame oil remains the most preferred oil among many south Indians. Interestingly, in Tamil sesame oil is called “nallennai” which means “the good oil”. Nothing beats the combination of idli podi and sesame oil. Sesame seeds are also roasted and consumed – mixed with jaggery and shaped into little spheres, it makes the perfect “ellu urundai”. I do not know if the flower has any significance, except in one old Tamil song, where the heroine’s nose is compared to the beauty of sesame flower. 

Studies show that sesame seed oil is a powerful antioxidant. In the tissues below the skin, it neutralizes oxygen free radicals. It penetrates into the skin quickly and enters the blood stream through capillaries. This helps maintain good cholesterol and a lower bad cholesterol.

Sesame oil is also known to reduce body heat upon external application – it is still a custom to take sesame oil bath once a week. Where to get in Chennai: Organic coldpressed sesame oil and sesame are available at Dhanyam organic super store.

For more information, please call 044-28157654 or email to info@dhanyam.in. Now you can buy organic groceries and vegetables online at http://www.dhanyam.in/onlinestore

What is the time value of Money? Right, its the value that your money holds during a certain time. Numismatics is my hobby. Having said that, here is the display of my collection that I collected from my school days. 

These coins are starting from 14th Centuary AD to till date that are used in India, Nepal and Pakistan.

These Coins are usually metal or a metallic material and sometimes made of synthetic materials, usually in the shape of a disc, and most often issued by a King or a Democratic government.

Coins are used as a form of money in transactions of various kinds, from the everyday circulation coins to the storage of large numbers of bullion coins. 

Historically, a great number of coinage metals (including alloys) and other materials have been used practically, artistically, and experimentally in the production of coins for circulation, collection, and metal investment, where bullion coins often serve as more convenient stores of assured metal quantity and purity than other bullion.

These coins lose their value as the time passes by but their value is still high for the hobbyists.
Happy Hobby of Collecting Coins!

Love you All...

It is the final day of Brahmotsavam at Madhuranthakam called Vadaithi at Sri Rama Temple in Mathuranthakam 75km from Chennai on the NH47. As I mentioned in my previous visits on my blog posts such as Vadaithi 2006, Vadaithi 2007, Vadaithi 2008 and Vadaithi 2009. But, I forgot to add Vadaithi 2010 pics.

However, I take a pleasure in this post adding a picture taken during Vadaithi Festival in Maduranthakam in 2010 and a picture during this year's occasion as on 21 June this year, 2011.

This short video will tell you a few facts that many of us ignore. It is all about Meditation, finding inner peace and the power of visualization. Check it out and implement for the people around you, your family, friends, near and dear ones etc.