AVIAL

(A special mixed vegetable curry of Kerala)

Avial is a special dish of Kerala. It is a mixed vegetable curry and invariably is a must for all feasts in connection with marriage, birthday etc.

The legend behind the origin of Avial is as follows- In connection with the marriage of the daughter of  Maharaja, there was a grand feast. After the feast, lot of vegetables were left over. The Maharaja who saw these left over vegetables, asked his chief cook whether he can prepare any curry with it. The cook then used all the left over vegetables and prepared a new curry and called it Avial.

Ingredients (for 10 persons)

Carrots                      3

Beans                        10

Raw banana               2

Drum stick                 2

Ash gourd                  200g

Yam                           200g

Snake gourd               200g

Coconut (small)          1

Green Chillies             8

Curd                            1 cup

Turmeric powder        ¼ tea spoon

Salt                              1 tea spoon

Coconut (Refined) oil  1 table spoon

Curry leaves                3 sprigs

Water                           1 cup

Preparation

*Wash thoroughly all the vegetables.

*Cut them into small pieces of approximately 40 mm.

*Put these cut vegetables into a pressure cooker, add

 Water , salt , turmeric powder and mix it.

*Boil these vegetables for 10 minutes with out keeping

 the weight of the cooker.

*Grind the grated coconut and green chillies into a thick paste.

*Add curd to it and mix.

*Take out the cooker , open the lid and add the coconut - curd mix.

*Pour the oil over it and add the curry leaves.

*Mix thoroughly and Avial is ready.

                                                *********

NB: Since Avial contains lot of green vegetables and is prepared without much

masalas it is  specially recommended  for diabetic patients.

The  Role of Railways in the Development of the Nation

16 th April 1853. Early morning hours. People in Boribunder village as usual weres engaged in their morning chores. Suddenly they heard a shuddering sound. They looked around to see what was happening. At a distance away, they a saw a train

rolling  over the track. They could not believe it. They had not seen a railway train before that.

It was the beginning a new era in the transportation  history of India. The train composed of 14 coaches and three steam locomotives. The journey started fro Boribunder (Bombay) and ended in Thane.   The distance covered was 21 miles( 34  kms)and it took approximately 45 minutes. It carried 300 passengers. Credit goes to Lord Dalhousie , then Viceroy of British India for taking initiative in introducing train service in India.

Present position of Indian Railways

India’s  rail network is the third largest in the world.

Route                                     69,182 kms

Track                                    1,21,407 kms

Number of stations          7,349

Administration

The railway ministry is headed by a cabinet minister assisted by a Minister of state. The minister is assisted  by a Board comprising a Chairman and 7 other Members . There  are different directorates in the board and the administrative head is the Secretary, Railway Board. The railway board monitors the overall performance of the system.

 Zones and Divisions

The railway network is divided into various  zones, each headed by a General Manger. There are 18 zones. The zones are divided into Divisions and Sub divisions.

Rail Budget 2019-20

For the financial year 2019-20, capital expenditure for Indian Railways has been pegged at Rs 1,60,176 crore. The amount is 20% higher than that of the previous year. According to Finance Minister, the infrastructure of Indian Railways would need an investment of Rs 50 lakh crore between 2018-2030. The capital expenditure for 2019-20 has been kept at Rs 1,60,176 crore, which is 20% higher than the previous year. The minister also proposed the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for faster development and completion of rail tracks, rolling stock production and delivery of passenger freight services in her Union Budget speech 2019. The salient features of the budget are:

1) Indian Railways will invest more in suburban railway systems through Special Purpose Vehicle structures like RRTS (Rapid Regional Transport System) proposed on the Delhi-Meerut route.

2) Complete elimination of unmanned level crossings on Broad Gauge network has been achieved in 2018-19. Now, the national transporter is aiming to eliminate all 2,568 manned level crossings, present on Golden quadrilateral and diagonal routes in mission mode by building ROBs/RUBs.

3) The electrification of Indian Railways’ broad gauge network will be completed by 2021-22. In 2019-20, 7000 route kilometres has been targeted for electrification. Also, for 2019-20, the target of new lines, doubling/tripling, gauge conversion, etc. is 3750 kilometres as against 3596 kms in the last financial year.

4) The two Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) are targeted to be completed by 2021 in phases. The Rewari-Palanpur section on Western DFC and the Khurja-Bhaupur section on Eastern DFC are targeted for completion this year.

5) The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project is progressing well and is scheduled for completion by the year 2023.

6) In a bid to enhance safety, create additional capacity and increase train efficiency, n Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system is proposed to be introduced.

Other Organisations

There are some other oganisations which are working in tandem with the operation of railways.

Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO)

This organization is situated at Lucknow. It is headed by a Director General. There are a number of directorates each under an under Executive Director The main purpose of this organization is to develop new designs, standardisation of existing systems, monitor the condition of of railway track , test the efficiency of running staff etc. Chittaranjan Locomotive WorksChittaranjan  The production in this factoryac was  started on 26th January, 1950 the day when India became Republic. The initial product of Chittaranjan Locomotive Works was Steam Locomotive .  Subsequently Diesel locomotives were  manufactured. Now  electric locomotives are  being  manufactured. here. Diesel Locomotive Works(DLW) This factory is situated at Varanasi. Disel locomotives are manufactuted. Maintenace of locomotives are also done here. Locomotive manufactured here have been exported to Srilanka,Malayasia, Vietnam, Bangla desh, Tanzania etc. Now electric locos are also manufactured here. Integral Coach Factory (ICF|) The factory is situated in Perambur, Chennai. Passenger coaches are manufactured here. The factory  was inaugurated by the first Prime Minister of India Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru on 2nd October, 1955. Spread over nearly 473 acres, it has about 11,095 workers. About  2,1000 coaches are manufactured every year which includes conventional and self propelled coaches. Rail Coach Factory (RCF) RCF is situated in Kapurthala, Punjab. This was established in 1986. At present more than 36,000 RCF built coaches are traversing the length and breadth of  the country. Every year RCF is making more than 1600 coaches, which includes AC and Non-AC coaches for Broad Gauge. Rail Wheel Factory ( RWF) Rail Wheel Factory, Yelehanka (RWF)  (also known as Wheel and Axle Plant) is a manufacturing unit of Indian Railways, producing wheels, axles and wheel sets of railroad wagons, coaches and locomotives for the use of Indian Railways and overseas customers is situated at Yelahanka, Bangalore in ... Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) Limited ) Earlier It was known as Rail India Technical and Economic Service. It is an engineering consultancy company, specializing in the field of transport infrastructure. Established in 1974 by the Government of India, the company's initial charter was to provide consultancy services in rail transport management to operators in India and abroad. RITES has since diversified into planning and consulting services for other infrastructure, including airports, ports, highways and urban planning. On-shore WDS6 Diesel Loco Leasing service has been introduced. It was awarded the status of MINIRATNA in 2002. It has executed projects in over 62 countries on every major continent. As of 2011, it was executing projects in over 30 countries. IRCOIN International Ircon International Limited, formerly Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON), is an engineering and construction, spcompany specialized in transport infrastructure. This was established in 1976, by the Government of India under the Companies Act 1956. IRCON was registered as the Indian Railway Construction International Ltd., a wholly (100%) owned entity of the Ministry of Railways. Its primary purpose is  the construction of railway projects in India and abroad. IRCON has since diversified into other transport and infrastructure segments and with its expanded scope of operations around the world, the name was changed to Indian Railway International Ltd. in October 1995.  Ircon has completed over 1250 major infrastructure projects in India and over 200 major projects across the globe in more than 31 countries. Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS) CRIS designs, develops, implements and maintains information systems for Indian Railways. It has also developed, implemented and maintained IT systems for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands ship-ticketing system. The number of projects handled by CRIS has increased from three in 2000 to more than 80 by 2018. COA (Control Office Application), which assists train controllers (despatchers) in planning and tracking the movement of trains across the network, shares its data with applications such as NTES (with which passengers can obtain a train's location and expected movement) and FOIS. Train punctuality reports are generated through ICMS (Integrated Coaching COA. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Development Corporation Ltd(IRCTC) The Indian Railway Catering And Tourism Corporation Limited also popularly known as IRCTC was incorporated in the year 1999 under Ministry of Railways to upgrade and professionalise catering services over Indian Railways and also to promote Railways as a kaleidoscope of tourism across the country.    Special Projects Metro Rail System The increased traffic on roads especially in metropolitan cities has led to severe congestion leading to traffic blocks. Metro rail systems are operational in 10 cities. These are Kolkota, Delhi, Mumbai , Chennai ,Bangaluru, Gurugram,Jaipur, Kochi, Jaipur and Lucknow. Kolkota metro is the oldest in the country. Metro rail systems have led to ease the traffic congestion to a limited extent. Konkan Railway This railway connects Mangalore with Mumbai. Previously passengers had to go through a very circuitious route taking more time. The 741 km track passes through Karnataka, Goa and Maharshtra. The first train on this route was flagged off on January 26, 1998. During the monsoon period at several location land slides take place and traffic has to be diverted through other routes. Enginelessss Train ( T 18) Vande Bharat Express , also known as Train 18, is an Indian semi-high speed intercity electric multiple unit. It was designed and built by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai under the Indian government's Make in India initiative over a span of 18 months. The unit cost of the first rake was given as ₹100 crore (US$14 million), though the unit cost is expected to go down with subsequent production.[ At the original price, it is estimated to be 40% less costly than a similar train imported from Europe. The train was launched on 15 February 2019,] by which date a second unit will have been produced and readied for service. The service was named 'Vande Bharat Express' on 27 January 2019. The Rail University The first railway university of the country has  started functioning from Vadodra, Gujarat. The university will primarily offer two courses, Bachelor of Science in Transportation Technology and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Transport Management. Till now 103 students have been shortlisted for the undergraduate course.

Bread Pokoda

Ingredients

Bread slices

Gram flour ( Kadala mavu/ Besan)

Oil

Salt

Preparation

*Cut the bread slices in triangular shape

*Take the gram flour in a bowl

*Put salt

*Add water slowly and mix thoroughly to  get a thick batter

*Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high  heat

*Dip the bread slowly into the batter one at a time

*Drop the slice slowly into the oil in the frying pan 

*Fry both sides until it is brown golden colour

*Take it out and keep it in a plate

* Have it with chutney or sauce

Optimum Nutrition

Optimum Nutrition for a Healthy Living

Tags: nutrition, balanced food, processed foods, metabolic diseases

It is very essential to maintain optimum nutrition for sound health. Actually to a large extent our food habits depend on the environment in which we are born and brought up. It is conditioned by our parents and society.

With the knowledge available about food and the nutrition values, we can design our food style based on scientific principles. For maintaining sound health, a healthy nervous system, healthy glands and organs, arteries free from too much fat are required.

Tips for Optimizing Nutrition

The following steps will help in optimizing nutrition.

Balanced Diet: Have a balanced diet with sufficient vitamins, fat and minerals. The diet should include plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Fat and Sugar: Reduce the consumption of fat and sugar to the bare minimum. More fat causes the clogging of blood vessels resulting in various diseases and premature aging. Excess sugar causes different metabolic diseases and tiredness.

Processed Foods: It has become a tendency to consume more processed foods. This leads to many diseases such as high blood pressure, cancer, arthritis and dental decay. The fast food in general contains too much fat, sugar and preservatives.  As such avoid processed foods as far as possible.

Eat Slowly: Chew the food properly. This results in thorough break up of the food particles and release of more nutrients.

Combination of Different Foods

It is not advisable to eat lot of different foods at one meal as it puts too much strain on the digestive system because different foods require different enzymes for digesting.

More Intakes of Fibers: Try to include more fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet. Fiber reduces cholesterol and blood sugar.

Aerobic Exercises: Aerobic exercises such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling etc help in increased blood circulation to all parts of the body including digestive glands. This helps in better assimilation of food nutrients.

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Air Pollution - Its bad effects

Air Pollution and its bad effects

The other day there was a  report in the  news paper –

“Air pollution is the largest cause for strokes, says a study.”

There are different types of pollution – Water pollution, air pollution , soil pollution etc. The causes and effects of pollution are many. In good olden days our ancestors led a calm and peaceful life. They breathed fresh and pure air, drank pure water from streams and raised crops from unpolluted soil. Now it is very difficult for us to even imagine such a situation.

What is pollution?

 It is the contamination of the environment due to introduction of different contaminants and causes various ill effects on humans, animals and existing structures. Pollution happens in different forms, types and  intensities. The main causes for the pollution are large scale industries and the ever increasing number of vehicles on the road. Burning of fossil fuels like coal and petrol emits sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere.

The effects of air pollution are different types of lung problems like asthma, cough and, burning of eyes. But as per the above mentioned  paper report air pollution is a major contributor. for stroke leading to death and different disabilities. The other factors contributing to heart problems are smoking, poor diet and lack of physical exercise.

The control methods of air pollution are: Use of public mode of transport, reduce the use of electricity and follow the 3R principles of Reduce Reuse and Recyle.

Vishu – The Malayalam New Year

April 15 is being celebrated as Vishu, the Malayalam New Year (First of Malayalam month Maedam). As for the Bengalis it is Pohela, for the Tamilians it is Puthandu and for Kannadigas it is Bisu. Celebrations may vary slightly depending on the regional flavor.

                           
                                

On the previous night (April 14), vishukani will be arranged and kept ready in the Puja ( prayer)room or in the Sitting room. For this, in a circular flat bottomed bronze vessel (uruli), different items – vegetables, fruits, rice, jewellery, betel leaves, coins, sacred book like Bhagavad Gita, Photo of Srikrisha etc- are decoratively arranged. On the wee hours of April 15, lights are lit and kept by the side of  vishukani at the prearranged place. Each member of the family is brought to this  place , closing their eyes. They are then asked to open their eyes, see, touch and feel each item in the vessel and pray to god for having sound health, a happy and comfortable year ahead. The senior most member of the family then gives cash (coin) to each member.(kainettam) Fire crackers are burst and sparklers are lit. All the family members have their bath and  may visit the near by temple. At midday, there will be a feast with special dishes including payasam (sweet porridge). The festival is being celebrated on a large scale at Guruvayur temple and other temples.

Water Conservation

Water conservation – the steps to be adopted

Water conservation refers to the preservation, control and development of water resources, both surface and groundwater, and prevention of pollution.

Water is very essential for humans as well as other living beings for their sustenance.  It is also required for irrigation and for different industries. Water is a precious natural  resource and it should be used cautiously. We have to depend on rain for the water. The wastage of water should be minimum  and at the same time the possibility of using recycled water should be explored.

Water saving Tips

·         Check all faucets, pipes and toilets for leaks.

·         Install water saving shower heads and ultra-low-flush toilets.

·         Take shorter showers.

·         Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.

·         Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator.

·         Rinse vegetables in a full sink or pan of water.