What a sublime day. Time spent with good friends; swinging like we were little kids, cooing over baby ducks, watching silent lightening strike over a churning lake from miles away, comparing Urdu/Bangla words over hummus and turkey sandwiches, tongues stained purple from jamun fruit.

It was so nice to remember what it felt like before I had a cellphone, before I had a car, before I had a Facebook, before it became de rigueur to see friends only on special occasions, before we grew up and got “busy.”

(Hmm. WordPress put a little red squiggle under “rigueur,” but not “jamun.” I feel, in a sense, a small but poignant victory. Indo-Aryan: 1, Romance: 0.)

Jamun, jamun, I just wanna jamun with you...

No “workout” today, just, well, playing. Walking along the lake, sliding down slides, swinging on swings, stretching in the grass while herons fished for their dinners, sipping green tea with lemon and honey, eating food made with love and barakah (blessings).

The most important things in life are right in front of us. Sometimes they’re just hard to see, is all.

(There’s a red squiggle under Facebook, too.)

Jamun, a very popular seasonal fruit being sold everywhere in India, has immense health benefits.

Jamun, a very popular seasonal fruit being sold everywhere in India, has immense health benefits. It is understood with different names in different regions in India: these names are java plum, black plum, jambul and Indian blackberry. The botanical name of Jamun is Eugenia jambolana or Syzygium cumini L (myrtaceae family). It is usually planted as a roadside avenue tree. …

The fresh seeds of jamun fruit (avoid dried seeds) has more varied uses than any other part of the tree. The seeds reduce blood sugar levels and glucosuria in diabetic patients. The seed is also used in various alternative healing methods in Unani. …

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Health Properties of Jamun

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A strong inclination towards gardening, particularly of the organic variety may draw smirks from friends these days. Maintaining close links with nature is unfortunately seen as a sign of approaching geriatric obsolescence. So be it.

My near-obsession with the natural way of life finds expression in different ways. Last year, I told Mr. M.B.Nirmal of Exnora that it would be a good idea to germinate mango saplings from the seeds of expensive varieties that people throw away, after eating, say, an Alphonso for anything between Rs. 20 and Rs. 35.

I suggested that his organisation launch “Mango Magic,” which could produce saplings for the outlying panchayats that would bring fruit and wealth in coming years. That would be something on the lines of what Anna Hazare did in Ralegaon, with the simple idea that if there are many fruit trees around the village, hunger would not be a problem.

This year, I have germinated not merely an Alphonso, but Jamun (or Jambul), that heavenly fruit about which many city-dwellers know little. As this story in The Hindu narrates, Jamun is thought to have diabetes control properties. Regardless of whether it can do that, there can be no argument against this great-tasting fruit from a tree that can outlive the person who planted it. Also, all fruits are natural tonics, full of good vitamins and perhaps a lot more that modern medical science has not yet explained. Besides people, birds love the fruit.

A successful germination programme, in my experience, involves using vermiwash, and vermicompost. Merely saving the Jamun (Syzygium cumini) seeds in a plastic cover, liberally sprayed with vermiwash will ensure their germination in about a fortnight to three weeks.  A similar treatment given to the mango seed, and potting it in a compost-rich mixture will produce a sapling in about ten days.

All this seems so low tech in today’s world, although a scientist will readily recognise the breathtaking botanical processes spurred by biochemicals that are at work. Such is the state of our civilisation that most people are looking for artificial delights all the time, and think of nature as dull and boring. This piece in the Times of India captures some of that feeling. The naturalist E.O.Wilson worries that children are spending more time with computer monitors than experiencing nature.

My earlier experiment with Jamun (also known as Java plum in some parts of the world) led to the smart growth of half a dozen saplings three years ago, of which four were donated, one of them to the Kuthambakkam Panchayat near Chennai. With some luck, there will be more to give in coming months. After all, living in a matchbox apartment in the centre of a crowded, nature-averse city, there’s not much else you can do with the saplings yourself.

The Jamun tree is found mainly in India and we can find this fruit in the market in the month of June.

Jamun can be eaten raw and good quality Jamun can be used for making sherbat. This fruit reduces the sugar in the blood and is very good in the control of diabetes.

Jamun seeds are used as a remedy for diabetes. Jamun seeds reduce urine sugar quickly and have been effective in controlling diarrhoea.

This fruit is rich in carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins.

I prepared this juice with a combination of lemon and Jamun to enhance the taste.

Here comes the recipe

Ingredients (serves1)

• 10 Jamun
• One tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sugar free powder
• 1/4 tsp Black salt

Method

1. Remove the seeds from the Jamun and cut into small pieces.
2. Grind the pieces in the mixer and strain the mixture by passing through sieve.
3. Add lemon juice, sugar free powder and black salt.
4. Stir well
5. Serve chilled

Note: Sugar free powder and black salt can be added according to your taste

மூலிகை மூலை: ‘நாவல்’ இருக்க பயமேன்?

நாவல் மர இலைகள், பட்டைகள் எல்லாம் துவர்ப்புத்தன்மை கொண்டது. உண்ணக் கூடிய கருஞ்சிவப்புக் கனிகளை உடையது. இதுதானாகவே வளரும் பெரு மரவகையைச் சேர்ந்ததாகும். இலை, பட்டை, பழம், விதை மருத்துவக் குணம் உடையது. தமிழகம் எங்கும் பரவலாக எல்லா மண்

வகையிலும் தானாகவே வளர்கின்றது. இதன் பட்டை, சதை, நரம்பு ஆகியவற்றைச் சுருங்கச் செய்யும், பழம் சிறுநீர் பெருக்கும், பசியைத் தூண்டும் குணம் உடையது.

வேறுபெயர்கள் :
தூறவம், நம்புலி, நேராடம், ராசசம்பு, மகாபலா, சம்பூகம்.

ட்
Syzygium Jambolanum DC

இனி மருத்துவக் குணங்களைப் பார்க்கலாம்.

நாவல் இலைக் கொழுந்துச் சாறு 1 தேக்கரண்டி, ஏலரிசி 2, இலவங்கப்பட்டைத்தூள் மிளகு அளவு எடுத்துக் கலந்து 2 வேளை சாப்பிட்டு வர செரியாமை, பேதி, சூட்டு பேதி உடனே நிற்கும்.

நாவல் மரத்தின் பிஞ்சு, மாதுளம்பழத்தின் பிஞ்சு இரண்டையும் ஒரே அளவாக எடுத்து அரைத்து சாறுபிழிந்து ஒரு சங்களவு எடுத்து 1 டம்ளர் பசுவின் மோரில் கலந்து 2 வேளை குடித்துவர சீதபேதி நிற்பதோடு நீரிழிவு நோய் இருந்தாலும் குணமடையும்.

நாவல் இலை, கொழுந்து, மாங்கொழுந்து ஆகியவற்றைச் சமஅளவாக எடுத்து அரைத்து நெல்லிக்காய் அளவு எடுத்து 1 டம்ளர் தயிரில் கலந்து 2 வேளை சாப்பிட்டு வர சீதபேதி, இரத்த பேதி, கடுப்புடன் போகும் நீர்த்த பேதி உடனே நிற்கும்.

நாவல் மரத்தின் பட்டையோடு, மகாவில்வ மரத்தின் பட்டை இவற்றைச் சமஅளவாக எடுத்து நிழலில் உலர்த்திக் காயவைத்து இடித்துப் பொடியாக்கி, காலையில் வெறும் வயிற்றில் அரை தேக்கரண்டி பொடியைப் பசுவின் பால் 1 டம்ளரில் கலந்து குடித்து வர நீரிழிவு நோய் குணமாகும்.

நாவல் கொட்டையை நிழலில் உலர்த்திக் காய வைத்து இடித்துப் பொடியாக்கி 2 கிராம் எடுத்து நீருடன் 2 வேளை குடித்து வர மதுமேகம், அதி மூத்திரம் குணமாகும்.

வெண்மர நாவல் மரப் பட்டையின் உள்பாகம் எடுத்து கழுநீர் விட்டு இடித்த சாறு 100 மில்லியளவு எடுத்து, தென்னை மரப்பூவின் சாறு 50 மில்லி எடுத்து, உரசிய சந்தனம் 5 கிராம் எடுத்துக் கலந்து காலையில் குடித்துவர பெரும்பாடு குணமாகும். அத்துடன் ஆடாதொடைச் சாறை 50 மில்லியளவு சிறிது தேன் கலந்து குடிப்பது இன்னமும் நலமாக இருக்கும். இதனால் பெண்களுக்கு மாதவிலக்குக் காலங்களில் தீட்டு அதிகமாக இருக்கும். நாட்களும் அதிகமாகும். வயிற்றுவலி, இடுப்பு வலி, எரிச்சல், இரத்தப்போக்கு, உடல் பலவீனம், நெஞ்சு படபடப்பு, இருதயம் பலவீனம், பசியின்மை, ருசியின்மை, களைப்பு போன்றவை அனைத்தும் தீரூம்.

நாவல் வித்தைக் கைப்பிடியளவு எடுத்து பாலில் அரைத்து நெல்லிக்காயளவு 2 வேளை சாப்பிட்டு வர கிராணி, நீரிழிவு, மூலச்சூடு நீங்கும்.

நாவல் பட்டையைப் பொடியாக்கி 1 தேக்கரண்டியளவு எடுத்து 1 டம்ளர் எருமைத் தயிருடன் கலந்து 2 வேளை சாப்பிட்டு வர கிராணி குணமாகும்.

O que é esse sentimento a que chamamos vida? Nós o controlamos? Ou somos controlados por ele? Como acontece na vida de qualquer ser humano, eu senti fome, diria até que estava faminto. Então, fiz o que era conveniente: dirigi meu carro, meu meio artificial de transporte, até um restaurante de comida indiana. Chamei a atendente e disse:
- Saí de casa com um desejo, uma ânsia, por comer Tali. Porém, parece que meu estômago mudou de idéia. Não é disso que se trata o caminho da vida? Não saímos ao mundo para obter o que desejamos, para adquirir o produto de nossos anseios? E, quando os satisfazemos, não sentimos a falta de alguma outra coisa? A humanidade sempre busca algo mais. Mais terras, mais comida, mais riquezas. Até mais tempo de vida para poder consumir mais coisas. E, como todo ser humano, no momento eu quero algo. Vi uma foto ali de um Gulab Jamun frito em água de rosas e senti vontade de degustá-lo, pois me parece mais apetitoso que comer apenas o Tali, mesmo sendo este o que me trouxe até aqui. Ele foi o catalizador que me conduziu ao meu destino, mas apenas para eu chegar aqui e mudar de curso e escolher o Gulab.
- “Um Tali e um Gulab Jamun saindo! Deseja mais alguma coisa?”
- Certamente! Sempre haverá mais o que desejar. Nunca cessaremos de querer algo, mesmo com toda a abundância e plenitude deste mundo. Não importa o que aconteça, há sempre algo que procuraremos ir atrás de conseguir. Seja comida, romance, ou papéis toalhas depois de derramar chá no carpete. Parece ser o nosso destino estarmos presos à gula. Será culpa nossa? Não pedimos para ter fome. Mas também não pedimos para viver num mundo tão cheio de objetos adequados para preencher-nos e satisfazer nossas necessidades e caprichos.
- “OK, já volto.”
Eu então esperei pelo meu cálice do santo Graal, o benefício último e próspero da minha fome. O Gulab seria minha Excalibur, o desejo que me permite continuar na minha busca. Sem ele, eu não poderia seguir pela noite e continuar a pesquisa de meu pai.
- “Aqui está, senhor.”
Por que, entre tantos indianos no mundo, era eu quem estava na América, tendo que ir a um restaurante típico de pratos indianos para comer o que na Índia seria-me muito mais barato de obter? Ou será que o destino me mandou a aquele lugar? Se Deus cria o destino e o conduz, então Deus é um Tali, pois o anseio por sorvê-lo foi o que me levou até lá. E é este mesmo Tali que me sustenta enquanto escrevo isto. Ele preenche minhas necessidades e anseios. E o Gulab me faz seguir adiante com o meu destino. Portanto, se é assim, então estou preparado para o desígnio de Deus em comê-Lo.