One Aspect I Want To Change In Chennai – The CBC Tablog 2

This post is the part of  'Chennai Bloggers Club’ super initiative “CBC Tablog-2”. The exercise is where few bloggers write about a common subject and tag each other posts as a chain-blog. The subject for this Blog Tag is ONE ASPECT I WANT TO CHANGE IN CHENNAI. I’m middle of the list. Now the baton was passed on to me from Gokoulane Ravi - my college senior who blogs at gokoulane.wordpress.com which has a collection of his inspirations.  Hereby I'm wishing all the participants of this tablog good luck. keep rocking CBC !!!

Hereby I thank CBC for this wonderful initiative of tablogs. This time the theme has inspired me a lot to participate. Amidst of hectic schedules, people took their time to share their views in a wonderful way.

Madras aka Chennai - being my native, I love the place more than anything. From my childhood, I have always admired nature and its creatures more. It was one of the vital reason for loving villages more than cities. Chennai -a city which has 'N' number of beautiful heritage buildings, malls and IT infrastructures , also has a wonderful environment to live on. Chennai is well known for its traditional culture and heritage, integrity of people from various places, traditional foods, Marghazhi festivals, beaches etc., But still there is one thing I miss in my lovable city. It is nothing but the greenery look. There are some places in Chennai, where we can still witness the greenery look which are not just a treat to our eyes, but also an advantage to our environment. There places like Alwarpet, Gopalapuram, Pondy bazaar, Periyar nagar(near perambur), Adyar , scenic theosophical society(Adyar) and IIT Guindy where there are 'N' number of trees can be found. It was always a pleasure to travel through these areas due to the presence of greenery. It not just makes the place cool, but also helps in controlling pollution. There is a study that trees have the power to reduce noise and air pollution. The change I would like to see in our lovable city is that it would be great if trees are planted on both the sides of the roads. It would help in reducing the pollution as well as makes the place cool (so that even while we are struck in a traffic, it would reduce the pressure, I hope :P ).

Here sharing an image of Theosophical Society , Adyar :
Image Source :
flickr.com/photos
Photography - Chandrasekaran Arumugam 

Let's make our city a peaceful place to live on !!! Hereby, I'm wishing all the CBC members and all readers a very 'Happy Madras Day'. Though we miss little aspects in our city, I'm proud to be a chennaitie where many good initiatives and good things are round the corner !!!


Now I pass on this baton to a young aspiring girl 'Gayu Venkat' who blogs at sindhanaichidharalgal and marudhanivizhigal. Her blogs are well known for her beautiful art and wonderful usage of words. Rock on girl :) 

Once again I thank CBC for this wonderful tablog in this special month of Madras !!! Keep rocking CBC :) 

Have a colorful and blessed week ahead :) 

Blueberries - A Treat to eyes as well as to your health !!!

Hi all !!! Hope everything going good around you all. In this post, I gonna share about one of the fruits that I have admired the most , not just for its taste, but for its wonderful color !!! Oh God ! What was your creation ! I wondered and loved it much :) There were none other than Blueberries :) 

Blueberries are available in various colors such as green, greenish pink, bluish pink and also available in my favorite color purple / indigo color.  

Nomenclature : 

Scientific Name   :  Vaccinium corymbosum

Tamil Name        :   அ வு ரி நெ ல் லி  @ நா க ப் ப ழ ம் 

Hindi Name        :    Nilabadari @ Feera

English Name     :    Blueberry


Blue berries are said to be native to North America, Europe and Asia. Blue berries were highly ranked among other fruits for its antioxidant property. They were known as perennial flowering plants.

Lets look on to some colorful blueberry images that I have collected from web :

 










Blueberry Cultivation in India :

Blueberries are cultivated at many places around India as well. Most popularly and successfully it was grown at a firm called Abonna Plants located at Siliguri of Darjeeling District. Siliguri is loacted at the banks of Mahananda River and the foothills of the Himalayas(One of the Nature's paradise in the world) !!!

You can check about the agriculture practices of Blueberry in India through these links below :

abonnaplants.com
agriculturalproductsindia.com/fruits/fruits-blueberry
Facebook page : BlueberryPlantsInIndia


Astonishing Health Benefits of Blueberry :

        *Blueberries are said to be rich in manganese, magnesium, iron, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K , riboflavin, niacin, folate and  fiber.

          *As per some studies, blueberries are said to have various phytochemicals which are believed to reduce the risk of cancer and inflammations. A well known University in U.S, has made a study which says that blueberries helps to block the growth of tumor cells.

           *Amidst, all its properties, Blueberry juice was said to have numerous benefits. It was believed to improve memory power and enrich brain. Moreover, it also helps in reducing blood sugar and symptoms of depression.

           *It helps against skin wrinkles which helps to make your skin to stay stable always. It was believed to soften your dry skin.

           *It was believed to reduce the risk and severity of allergies. Moreover, they help to preserve vision power, reduce digestive problems.

            *Blueberries such as cranberries , are said to contain some compounds which helps to prevent harmful bacteria affecting the bladder.

            *As per the study in New University of Michigan, blueberries are believed to reduce your belly fatness and reduces the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.

References :

health.com
care2.com/greenliving
Wikipedia

Here's the picture of BLUEBERRY JUICE taken in my office :)

It was a wonderful experience to try them for the first time and most importantly it was a visual treat(due to it's mind-blowing color)  !!! To be honest I enjoyed more watching it rather than drinking it !!!

Hope you all would try this treat as well !!!
Have a Blessed & Colorful week ahead :) 

The Pulpy - Bubbly Tomato

Hi all. After a quite long time, here I'm back to post on TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicum) - one of my all time favorite ingredient. Lets have a look over its use, origination and its multi-purpose values here..Tomato the red pulpy fruit as well as vegetable is a species that was said to be originated from South America. But now it is quite commonly cultivated throughout the world. The word Tomato was derived from the Spanish word 'tomate' and it was said to be first appeared in 1595. The average weight of a Tomato was said to be 100 grams approx.

As per some statistics, India ranks second in the top production of tomatoes in the world. Tomatoes are said to be rich in Lycopene which has many health benefits. Lycopene is a pigment present in almost all red fruits/veggies. It is believed that there are nearly 7500 varieties of tomatoes available all over the world which includes Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, Roma/Bangalore tomatoes, Heirloom tomatoes etc.,

The Tomato plant can be grown at almost all seasons in India. The plant can withstand upto 27 degree Celsius but they can't withstand frost. But their peak season is said to be from June to September.

Tomato is one of the prominent ingredient used in the form of both as a veggie and a fruit. Tomatoes are available in different colors , sizes and flavors. It is one of plant which is mostly welcomed by kitchen gardeners, since it can be grown at any moderate temperature zones. Due to its high acidic content, tomatoes was said to be the most canned fruit or vegetable.

Astonishing health benefits of Tomato :

            ~* Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin A, C and K. They are fat-free.
            ~* Just a single serving of tomatoes is said to give you 2 grams of fiber and they have rich water content.
            ~* Among all other fruits & vegetable, tomatoes were said to provide best ever protection against ihgh blood pressure, high cholesterol , heart diseases and strokes.
            ~* Tomatoes are widely used for protecting the skin and making it healthy. Beta-carotene enzyme present in tomatoes helps in protecting your skin against sun light damage and UV light damage.
            ~* The 'Lycopene' enzyme in tomatoes, helps in strengthening your bones.
            ~* Since tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C, they are the best antioxidants and helps to fight against cancer.
            ~* Tomatoes which are rich in folic acid, helps against depression .
            ~* Tomatoes helps in digestion .
            ~* Due to its high acidic content, tomatoes helps in curing pimples, rough skin, oily skin and aches.
         
A single post is not enough to explain all of its benefits. Lets check more about tomatoes in upcoming posts.
Lets check out some tomato face masks that gives you a healthy skin ..

Tomato Face Masks

For sun damage: Take 1-2 fresh tomatoes and mash them to form a pulp. Add a tablespoon of curd along with some oatmeal. Apply this mixture on your face, leave it for 5 or 10 minute before washing it off with cold water. This face mask will not only cure your sun burnt skin but also make it glow.

Against acne: Mix mashed tomatoes with a tablespoon of lemon juice and apply it on your face. Leave it until it gets dry. It is a very effective face pack to obtain glowing skin, remove skin oiliness and get rid of acne.  Most of all it helps in curing premature aging signs.

For fairer skin: Add a tablespoon of sandalwood powder to a mixture of tomato juice and lemon juice. Blend it until it becomes a paste. Apply this mask on your face for at least fifteen minutes.
Face Mask Courtesy : lifestyle.yahoo.com

I hope this would have helped us. Besides the above values, there are much more beneficial & astounding facts behind this plant but we are aware of only few of them.

By then next, lets check out my mother's one of the best delicious recipe made out of tomato...!

Tomato chutney :

Ingredients :

Tomato - 10
Fenugreek seeds - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 2 pinch
Red chili powder - 2 & 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil - as per your need


Method :

Take a pan, fry the mustard and fenugreek seeds without oil. Let them cool for a while and grind them into powder using the mixer jar. Slice the tomatoes and grind them separately in mixer to make a puree. Now heat oil in a pan, add the tomato puree, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Stir it well and let the puree to shrink until the raw smell of tomato vanishes. Then add this mustard-fenugreek powder to the gravy, cook it well and serve hot. Try out this delicious tomato chutney and share your comments.

 Finally after a series of hurdles, I had a chance to post it today. Hope it would reach many. Lets keep on spread the awareness on nature.

References :

timesofindia

beliefnet.com

huffingtonpost.com

lifestyle.yahoo.com

Images Source : Internet 
Thanks for reading.
Have colorful and Blessed days ahead :)