Photo Speaks
Getting ready for Ramadan 2015
Shops displaying items at an Abu Dhabi shopping mall for Ramadan 2015.
Parking with Play facility at Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is all set to get a parking with play facility. Great news for kids and car owners.
Summer holidays are over!
Summer holidays are over!
Remembering the childhood days. This fallen cashew fruit with nut reminds me of my childhood days when we children gather together and walk around and scan the plantation areas. Cashew nut is one of our first choice as the fruits are tasty to eat and the nuts collected brings in our extra source of pocket money. A kilo of nuts collected will earn a good money those days sufficient enough to cater a group of children either for a cinema or buy a new football or hire a cycle to ride for a few hours!. Probably few of the luxuries we could opt for those days.
Gone are those days and these days pocket money is not a problem for kids. This whole thought came around when I was having a strawberry fruit which tasted almost similar to a cashew fruit of those days.
If you have not experienced this during your childhood, take your mind during your free time and travel around to those old days when small luxuries gave great feelings compared to the great luxuries of these days which doesn’t even last for the next hour or so!
Best wishes to all those students who are joining the new academic year.
Nepal Earthquake Relief coordination
Nepal Earthquake Relief coordination activities at Nepal Embassy Abu Dhabi A very satisfying day where I was able to join a group of members from Volunteer in UAE and assisted in sorting and repacking the relief aid materials presented to the Embassy of Nepal, Abu Dhabi. Great team work, all those who came in showed sincere devotion and dedication and worked selflessly.
Items to be considered for donation:
URGENT (Non-Medical):
Baby Foods Tarpaulins/Tents
Blankets
Floor Mats
Packaged or canned food items
Water purification tablets
Masks and gloves
Hand sanitizer
Clothes
Cleaning supplies such as shovels and buckets
Solar lights
URGENT (Medical)
Paracetamol
Bandage / Cotton
Cetamol
Prodine Iodine Ointment
Amoxicillin
Ranitidine
Medical supplies
PLEASE NOTE TO BUY ITEMS WITH LONG EXPIRY DATES. Those less than 6 months or nearing expiry will not be accepted and used.
#ItsCoolToCare
#WithLoveForNepal
La Femis Gulf Film Programme 2015 – learn film making in Paris at La Fémis
If you know any UAE national student interested in Film making, kindly share it with him or her to apply for this scholarship.
Daily Passionate Photography Thoughts – Do you hear the tinggggg?
Daily Passionate Photography Thoughts – Do you hear the tinggggg?
Dear Friends,
I am thrilled today because my memories are taking me to my childhood days, when I lived at my ancestral home at Oorakam near Trichur within a big joint family amongst a group of children of various ages within the family and surroundings. Not like these days, gifts and pocket money were occasional and we had to wait for either Onam, or Vishu to get a pair of new dress or some money within our pocket for utilising for our own dream requirement. Money those days remained within the boundaries of maximum of a one rupee coin, which was by itself huge. It came to us only during Vishu when we get Vishu Kai neettam (gift of coins by eldest member of the family).
At our home, it was the right of Appettan, who is my grandmothers brother and eldest male member of the family to give this customary gift to all other family members including children. He keeps several coins with him of various denominations within the boundary of one rupee and distribute it to all according to age and his liking. Whatever the denomination we were all thrilled to get that precious gift from him on that auspicious day and very happily wait for it after our daily religious rituals.
Once we have this gift, all the boys group themselves and then go and get a rubber ball or a smaller football, to replace the existing old ones for us to play with. Those days, we used to get a medium 8 to 10 cm diameter sized for a nominal amount, and mostly, it was the only luxurious play item we all shared.
On some odd years, we had special appearances during these Vishu season by other senior male members of the family who were working outside of Kerala. So, as a mark of affection, they also discretely gave us additional coins of bigger denominations, even one rupee itself. This made a huge difference to all of us. We will then group ourselves and run to Devassy’s shop which is in the nearest town, that is Cherpu for a bigger ball, say about 25 cms diameter in size. The generous contribution means a lot. Bigger in size, bigger in temper, and the more reach it has. The “tingggggg” sound it produces when hit makes a huge thrill to all of us and the thrill of it keeps us grouped and cheerful for many days to come.
I am experiencing that odd gift and that tinggg thing in my mind today, by the visit of three little princess who came to see vishukani and get vishu kaineettam from us.
Education in all fields is mainly a self interest process. Many times due to various reasons, we do not get time to study a subject. But a systematic self learning process will take us to greater heights in those fields interesting for us. It is our responsibility to share and teach the new generation what we experienced.
Let them learn to observe the characters, the nature, and be self sufficient to progress in life ahead.
God bless you all and enjoy your week ahead by liking what you do and doing what you like.
Ramesh Menon
15th April 2015
Photo Speaks : Home is where the heart is. A curry tree from Kerala.
Home is where the heart is. A curry tree from Kerala.
The curry tree (Murraya koenigii or Bergera koenigii) is a tropical to sub-tropical tree in the family Rutaceae (the rue family, which includes rue, citrus, and satinwood), which is native to India and Sri Lanka.
Its leaves are used in many dishes in India and neighbouring countries. Often used in curries, the leaves are generally called by the name ‘curry leaves,’ although they are also literally ‘sweet neem leaves’ in most Indian languages (as opposed to ordinary neem leaves which are very bitter and in the family Meliaceae, not Rutaceae).
Description
The small flowers are white and fragrant.
It is a small tree, growing 4–6 m (13–20 feet) tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm (16 in) diameter. The aromatic leaves are pinnate, with 11-21 leaflets, each leaflet 2–4 cm (0.79–1.57 in) long and 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) broad. The plant produces small white flowers which can self-pollinate to produce small shiny-black berries containing a single, large viable seed. Though the berry pulp is edible — with a sweet but medicinal flavor — in general, neither the pulp nor seed are used for culinary purposes.
The species name commemorates the botanist Johann König.
Uses
The leaves are highly valued as seasoning in southern and west-coast Indian cooking, and Sri Lankan cooking ( කරපිංචා), especially in curries, usually fried along with the chopped onion in the first stage of the preparation. They are also used to make thoran, vada, rasam and kadhi. In their fresh form, they have a short shelf life and do not keep well in the refrigerator. They are also available dried, though the aroma is largely inferior.
The leaves of Murraya koenigii are also used as an herb in Ayurvedic medicine. They are believed to possess anti-diabetic properties. [unreliable medical source?]
Although most commonly used in curries, leaves from the curry tree can be used in many other dishes to add flavor. In Cambodia, Khmer toast the leaves in an open flame or roast it until crispy and then crush it into a soured soup dish called Maju Krueng.
In the absence of tulsi leaves, curry leaves are used for rituals and pujas.
Propagation
Seeds must be ripe and fresh to plant; dried or shriveled fruits are not viable. One can plant the whole fruit, but it is best to remove the pulp before planting in potting mix that is kept moist but not wet.
Stem cuttings can be also used for propagation.
Chemical constituents
Girinimbine structure. Some of the primary alkaloids found in the Curry Tree leaves, stems, and seeds are as follows: Mahanimbine, girinimbine, koenimbine, isomahanine, mahanine, Indicolactone, 2-methoxy-3-methyl-carbazole.
A 2011 study of girinimbine, a carbazole alkaloid isolated from this plant, found that it inhibited the growth and induced apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma, HepG2 cells in vitro.
#ClicksandWrites #PassionatePhotographers
Text source: Wikipedia
Photo by Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
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