Hindu Marriage

/ Salim.E.I / Leave a comment
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor

Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor

As is common in India, in Kerala the marriage rituals differ in accordance with religious groups. Even within communities there are dissimilarities. In Hindu families on the day of marriage the bride and groom visit their respective temples and pay obeisance to family deities. Both are dressed in traditional attire, the boy in Kasavu Mundu and the girl in a Pattu Sari with matching blouse, bedecked with gold ornaments. The marriage ceremony is extremely brief, consisting only of an exchange of rings, garlands and bouquets, followed by the groom tying the taali (a sacred gold thread) around the bride’s neck; all these rituals are to the accompaniment of auspicious music. The ceremony ends with a purely vegetarian feast, the sadya (traditional meals) which is hosted by the bride’s  family. Continue reading →

Novague’s Electricity Chair

/ Organikos / Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This appears to be the only product of this design firm that has an ecologically sound intent–does it work? we wonder, so please let us know if you know–which you can read about by clicking in the rocking chair link in the “works” section:

Rocking Chair

It has triggered the media interest about me, my studio and our work. Continue reading →

University-Based Groups Worth Noting

/ Organikos / Leave a comment

syn-mosaic

An occasional feature, beginning here, will point to university-based groups–informal organizations, living arrangements, secret societies, etc.– we can relate to:

Co-operative societies bring forth the best capacities, the best influences of the individual for the benefit of the whole, while the good influences of the many aid the individual.

Leland Stanford
October 1, 1891
Stanford University Opening Ceremonies

Ecology’s Social Enterprise

/ Organikos / 1 Comment

ESA

 

This organization (click the banner above to go to the site), new to us but working its way to a centennial birthday (click the banner below to go to that section on the website)–

ESA History

 

A meeting was held at Columbus, Ohio, on December 28th, 1915, at which it was decided to organize the Ecological Society of America….The interests and activities of this society will be of the broadest character, embracing every phase of the relation of organisms to their environmental condition…–The Geographical Review 1916–

About the Ecological Society of America

1914: The beginning…

–is as modern and practical as one could want, including this section on its website titled Explore Ecology As A Career with a wealth of links and related resources:

Ecology As A Career

What Do Ecologists Do? Continue reading →

Flavours Of Kerala – Meen Curry (Fish Curry)

/ Salim.E.I / 2 Comments

Meen Curry (Fish Curry) is a hot and spicy fish preparation in thickly seasoned red sauce. Although the spice levels may be varied as per individual preferences, meen curry is one of the all-time favourites of every Malayali household. This preparition is best served with rice, but tapioca is also an extremely popular accompaniment. Continue reading →

Foodie’s Feature

/ Organikos / Leave a comment


NYT Food

Click the image for today’s Sunday New York Times, our annual favorite edition, dedicated to Food and as recently more and more is the case, particular attention is paid to the intersection between food and wellness:

The Food & Drink Issue

Time to supersize your bean burger and sweet potato fries.

Take A Walk In The Park!

/ Organikos / 1 Comment

Brain fatigue is reduced by strolling through a park, The New York Times reports:

Researchers have long theorized that green spaces are calming, requiring less of our so-called directed mental attention than busy, urban streets do, but it had not been possible to study the brains of people while they were actually outside, moving through the city and the parks. Continue reading →

If You Happen To Be In London

/ Organikos / Leave a comment

SensButterfly

 

Click the image above to go to the video at the website of London’s Natural History Museum, and click here to go to an excellent podcast of an interview conducted by the Guardian‘s Camila Ruz with the exhibition’s curator, Blanca Huertas.  The exhibition is now open:

 

In the exhibition, butterflies are everywhere, so take care… they may even land on you or on the paths where you walk. Continue reading →

Theerthakkulam – Temple Ponds, Kerala

/ Salim.E.I / 1 Comment
Photo credits: Shanavas

Photo credits:  Shanavas

Most temples in Kerala have  a sacred pond, or Theerthakkulam, outside the temple wall. Normally the pond  is located on the North- East corner of the compound. The sacred water is used by devotees to wash their hands and feet before going into the temple . Continue reading →

Willfully Contemplating

/ Organikos / 1 Comment
A Boat in the Sea by Arkhip Kuindzhi, c.1875. Oil on canvas.

A Boat in the Sea by Arkhip Kuindzhi, c.1875. Oil on canvas.

We tend to favor action as a general rule on this site, but without contemplation where would we be? Two choice paragraphs from a recent philosophical musing in one of our newly favored  and now reliably interesting online publications:

…After three years, I was no wiser than when I started. Did we choose freely? Or were we just victims of larger historical, social and biological forces? It was impossible to tell. What I did realise was that philosophers had been struggling with such questions for thousands of years, but were no closer to understanding the answer than they were when they started out. Continue reading →

Innovation And Toxic Hope

/ Organikos / 3 Comments
The Sabi Sand Game Reserve is injecting non-lethal chemical mixtures into rhino's horns. Photograph: David Smith/Sabi Sand Game Reserve

The Sabi Sand Game Reserve is injecting non-lethal chemical mixtures into rhino’s horns. Photograph: David Smith/Sabi Sand Game Reserve

We have only occasionally mentioned the facts surrounding the epidemic slaughter of rhinoceros, mainly because the stories are hopelessly hopeless almost (but not all) all the time. This one may be either another case in point, or a perverse example of innovation in times of extreme need. Click the image above to go to the story in the Guardian:

A game reserve in South Africa has taken the radical step of poisoning rhino horns so that people risk becoming “seriously ill” if they consume them.

Sabi Sand said it had injected a mix of parasiticides and indelible pink dye into more than 100 rhinos’ horns over the past 18 months to combat international poaching syndicates. More than 200 rhinos have been poached so far this year in South Africa, driven by demand in the far east, where horn ground into powder is seen as a delicacy or traditional medicine. Continue reading →

Beauty Of Kerala – Wayanad

/ Salim.E.I / Leave a comment
photo Credits: Nidhin Poothully

Photo credits:  Nidhin Poothully

The road leading to Wayanad is smooth and even and surrounded by greenery from deciduous forest to soaring bamboos. The sanctuary around Wayanad is rich in fauna and flora. Elephants are the most common wildlife sighting, sometimes even amidst the the thick bamboo groves flanking the road en route to the sanctuary. Continue reading →

Feather Hill Flowers

/ Salim.E.I / Leave a comment

Feather Hill flowers are hybrid orchids in the Cymbidium family. Up to 15-25 butterfly-shaped white flowers adorned with light pink spots hang gently on the strong stems. Cymbidiums grow widely in Kerala’s Western Ghats above 1500 meters. Continue reading →