Can we take time to appreciate?

Many have prayers before they take food thanking God for giving the daily bread but what we miss is we don’t thank the ones who have prepared those food for us! Isn’t it?

When we step into the shoes of the women and men who prepare daily food 3 times or more without any fuss, we would then only know the hardships they under take. The hardship doesn’t matter to them because they feed the hungry. Humans are created in a way that for every 4 hours; they get hungry and crave for food for energy and to prevent starvation. Before the sun rises, the daily mundane chores are done and they are ready for the preparation of food. They prepare, for the children and for the office going house head and at last for them.

They prepare food, near the flame, seeing the new born baby crying, feeding them, and to prepare and serve food for the entire family. Very tiresome but they do daily for the love of the family.

There is an old Tamil saying of Avvaiyar* “Pasi vanthaal pathum parakum” means “A hungry man is an angry man, who loses all his 10 important characters, Qualities and disciplines of life, all due to hunger”.

1.மானம்- Pride.

2.குலம்-Caste.

3.கல்வி-Education.

4.வண்மை-Hardness

5.அறிவுடைமை-Wisdom.

6.தானம்-Donation.

7.தவம்-Penance.

8.உயர்ச்சி-Elevation.

9.தாளாண்மை-Tolerance.

10.காமம்-Lust.

*Avvaiyar was a female poet of the 9^th century and regarded as an old and intelligent lady by Tamil people. It is believed that Avvaiyar did not die a normal death. Instead, she was transported bodily to Kailasha, the abode of Lord Shiva, by Lord Ganesha Himself.

Humans lose the qualities when the Hydrochloric acid is secreted every 4 hours is not diluted. The hunger is mitigated by the food he / she prepares till they are in their death bed. This Herculean task seems simple for her/him.

The other interesting part is the way the food is prepared to satisfy our taste buds. We are slaves to the taste buds and crave for tasty foods in our lifetime every now and then.

Women, who were expected to serve their husbands, are known to be cooks. Sita and Draupadi are famous as cooks and as hosts. Nala stands out as an exception. Nala was the king of Nishadha Kingdom. He marries princess Damayanti, of the Vidarbha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata. He was also a great cook and wrote the first-ever book on cookery, Pakadarpanam. It is said that he was able to cook delicious and mouth-watering food. His cooking skills played a crucial role in him winning the heart of his lover Damayanti. They got separated for years, then they got united only identified by the food Nala prepared. It is said that after getting his food prepared, King Nala would wave his hand over the food he had prepared. This wave would impart special taste and flavor to the food. Even today in some regions a very good cook is refered to as Nala.

It is also said, if the mind is free and happy, the food prepared by that mind becomes delicious.

The world today has many Nalans in millions of homes. There is a saying in the Villages, after a good meal, the husband would say that “He will present a gold ring for the hands that had prepared the delicious food”. So, it is time for us to appreciate the role they take up daily.

As you pass through the market, get her a rose or get him a small gift what he likes. This blog goes out to all in this world irrespective of the gender, to say “Thank you very much” for the food that you prepare daily not only mitigates the hunger but also stays for a healthy living in this world.

Thank you Nalans….

Note-The images given for representation in this blog are taken from Google Images. Many thanks for Google.