Canes for Support

When my doctor suggested that I use a walking stick to prevent further deterioration of my knee joint I was aghast and rebelled at the idea of using a stick even before turning 60. Three years later after quite a lot of damage was done to my knee, I realized the error of my ways when a young friend told me “When you did not hesitate to wear spectacles why are you hesitating to carry a stick both are aids after all!”

Inspired by the wisdom of that little girl I began to use a walking stick and from the word go there was no dearth of reactions. The shopkeeper, who had known me for long, refused to sell me the usual orthopedic sticks with tripod or quadri-pod support. Instead he convinced me to buy a foldable stick, which would not make me look too disabled. Everyone from my family members to acquaintances was shocked, and continue to be shocked, when they see me with the stick. I did appreciate their concern but it also made me feel a bit depressed and wallow in a bout of self-pity. Once I emerged from the trough of despair my academic curiosity was kindled and I decided to research the walking stick or cane as it is often called. It made a very interesting study and made me realize that behind the lowly cane rests a saga of glory and grandeur unmatched by other aids used by human beings.

The history of walking canes or sticks, as we know it today started when humans walked the earth. The use of walking stick or "cane" has its roots in the "big stick" wielded by prehistoric man as a weapon of self-protection as well as belligerence. To the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks staffs, carried by rulers and gods, symbolized their authority and during the Middle Ages these staffs became the scepters of kings. While the pilgrims used the cane as an aid to travel; shepherds and cowherds used theirs as support as well as a device to herd the animals under their care. Travelers usually used heavy wooden sticks about five feet long with secret compartments on the top for carrying valuables or for smuggling contraband. Records show that silkworm eggs were smuggled into Europe in a hollow staff as were the first tulip bulb introduced into Holland.

The walking stick evolved into a dress accessory in the 11th century France, where women carried slender sticks made of apple wood but it was not until the end of the 15th century, however, that the walking stick was adopted as a general accessory to dress, this time as a masculine rather than feminine fashion. From the 18^th to the early third of the 20^th century, cane was an indispensable part of the Western gentleman's formal attire. It was popular not only among the old but also the young who used it as a means of defense or as functional support over uneven terrain since paved roads were not very common.

While in the West they were presented to the oldest member of the town in India it was commonly presented at the time of superannuating from a career or at the time of shastiabathapurthi. Canes, necessary for ceremony and ritual are usually ornately decorated with insignias, symbols, or life events of important people. “Bragging Staffs” intricately carved with details of the life of its owners are coveted by many museums for their historic value.

My advice to people who need support to walk is the Japanese proverb that says “Depend on your walking stick not on other people.”

Dassera - A Feminine Celebration of Creativity, Spirituality & Sustenance

Dassera the Indian festival glorifying the goddesses of Energy, Wealth and Intellect has come and gone again. Celebrated all over the country, this is truly a feminine festival except may be in the Northern states where greater importance is given to Rama’s victory over Raavan. In the Southern states (except Kerala where it is not as popular) it is a celebration of femininity in its full glory of creativity, spirituality and nurturing. The glorious golu (doll’s display) in Tamil and Kannadiga households provides an outlet for their aesthetic inventiveness and their resourcefulness finds full expression in setting up innovative displays of not only religious images but becomes also a statement of their social consciousness when they put up themes of social relevance. Women in all the states from Kashmir to Kanyakumari perform several rituals that are typically indigenous to their region but resemble others, during this period of nine days of joy and exuberance. The nava(nine) ratri (nights) is also the time when the culinary skills of women come to the forefront as they compete with each other to prepare special recipes to tickle the palates of their near and dear ones. This festival has a special significance because it comes just after the rains when the whole countryside is fresh and green, filling every soul with enthusiasm and ecstasy.
This Dassera has been a special one for me because for the first time in my life of six decades, I enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship of women, who were not my professional colleagues. My social circle has been limited all these years to women in academic profession and though there were neighbours and other relatives, I rarely found time to interact with them as I did during this Dassera. I enjoyed the company of these young and not so young ladies, who live in my apartment complex. As long as I was in service it was only “Hi” and “Bye” in the corridor or the lift but these nine days when I joined them for the Lalitha Sahasaranamam and other religious recitals, I enjoyed a sense of peace which I have never experienced earlier and was exposed to the immense amount of good will and amity they possess. I am truly grateful to Maa Durga for having brought these people into my life! They made me realize how truly empowered women can become if they want to be! Women do not have to go out and conquer the World. All they need is a sense of achievement and contentment with whatever they do – that is truly liberating!

Are you a Knitter?

Knitting season in India usually begins in September usually just after Dassera when the weather begins to turn cool in the Northern parts of the country. So you will wonder why talk about it now - the very thought of knitting makes us feel hotter! Well for one thing the thought of knitting reminds me of the cold weather and that helps me to tide over the summer knowing that cooler months will come once again and also because the very word "knitting" makes me visualize the lovely colors of the wool and the soothing skill of knitting.
I have always been an avid knitter having learnt it from my mother (who was a knitting enthusiast right up to her grave and more important who knitted even in summer) as a preschooler. My first stitches were on a pair of smoothened sticks from the coconut broom. I graduated to knitting with four needles, circular needles et al over five decades and still continue to knit though the local weather does not really warrant woolens even in December.
When I was in high school the character of Madame Defarge, knitting the names of her victims fascinated me in the "Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. Till then I had not even thought that knitting could be used for any purpose other than making warm clothing to protect one from the winter. When I entered college as a fresher I met this smiley pleasant nun Mother Aloysia who also was very busy with knitting - her hands were never still and she perpetually knitted dainty baby sets in lovely pastel colors. Then I realized that here was another lady who used knitting for a different purpose - she knitted "Hail Marys" into her knitting in order to bless the child who would wear it with health and longevity. These two characters influenced me to view knitting from a different perspective ( I began to incorporate my affection into the pieces I knitted.
I did not think about knitting too deeply in the intervening period though I continued to knit and tried to make the girls and women in my circle take up this art or skill. I recently came across this lovely book "Zen and the Art of Knitting" by Bernadette Murphy (Publisher - Adams Media Corporation) which made me realize that knitting is not just a frugal craft but something much more than that. I realized that people knit for several reasons - from bonding with their earlier generation or future generation to the spiritual and meditative aspects.
What attracted me most was Rudolf Steiner's (1861-1925)philosophy on knitting.He postulated that knitting as also other handicrafts are integral to the educational process of children. He instituted the Waldorf system of Schooling. According to this program the first graders learn to knit prior to learning to write or learn numbers as a method of developing fine motor sills and numerical understanding necessary for the acquisition of the three Rs. Recent researches in Neurology confirms that mobility and dexterity of fine motor skills especially of the hands stimulates cellular development in the brain thus strengthening one's ability to think and make intellectual connections. Rudolf Steiner has rightly said "Thinking is cosmic knitting".
So what are you waiting for? Take a pair of needles and start knitting. If you do not know how to knit find someone to teach you and experiment with it until you begin to enjoy the benefits of knitting as a method of enhancing your intellect while reducing your stress!

Do you show your appreciation?

An article by Ms Bharathi Bhaskar in the Tamil fortnightly Aval Vikatan set me thinking. She says that appreciation for women's achievements is rarely forthcoming. She avers that people around a woman tend to take her for granted and do not take the trouble to express their appreciation of her qualities.
At first I tended to dismiss the idea thinking - "What nonsense! We have too many people trying to flatter us and what is this lady saying?" But further thinking and analysis of the experiences of various people made me realize that not only women even men often go unappreciated and their valuable actions do go unheeded and unrecognized.
The recipes prepared with so much care by the homemaker, the tidiness of the house maintained by the daughter, the sacrifices made by the elder brother to look after the family after the demise of the father, the teenager's 95% in his /her examinations, the mother-in-law babysitting so that the son and bahu can go for a movie and so on the list is endless.
We rarely take time to compliment and recognize the little acts of kindness that people around us are performing all the time. Many of our spiritual literature urges us to live an 'attitude of gratitude' - to be thankful for every blessing that we receive. This also means that we express our gratitude by expressing our appreciation of the people who make value additions to our life.
Take time to appreciate everyone from the watchman in your apartment complex to the top executive in your office and see the difference. Shakespeare has said that the quality of mercy ... 'blesseth him that gives and him that takes" - the same thing applies to compliments too - it makes the person, who receives it, feel cherished and it makes you happy when you see the pleasure on someone's face. Smile at the waiter who serves you tea, thank your spouse for being supportive, praise your little son/daughter who tries to help you in their own way, show your appreciation and endorse the many acts of loving kindness that you encounter everyday.
You will find that you add a ray of sunshine to someone's life while experiencing a warm glow in your heart!