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Living with Multiple Myeloma in Hyderabad , India . Random musings .

Monthly Archives: April 2023


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Lord Ganesha and obstacles in our life..what’s the connection

Everyone comes across obstacles in their lives. In spite of many attempts, some of the tasks that we undertake or propose to complete remain unfinished. We face several hurdles, and the activities get post poned.

During such situations, our elders and wise men suggest that we worship Lord Ganesha.

Lord Ganesha is loved by people of all ages. Ganesh Chathurthi festival is celebrated with a lot of festivity. Different and creative forms of Ganesha can be seen during this festival.

There are several ways to interpret the form of Ganesha and the meaning behind them.

Hoeever, I always wondered as to why one worships Lord Ganesha or Lord Vighneshwara for clearing all the obstacles in whatever we undertake. ‘Vighna’ in sanskrit is obstacles, and ‘ishwara’ is Lord. As per Hindu custome ,during pujas, we first worship Lord Ganesha and then worship other God’s.

While trying to understand the concept of Ganesha ,I seriously pondered over the story of how Lord Shiva cuts the head of Ganesha when he refuses to permit him to go inside the house. Parvati devi ,the consort of Lord Shiva ,creates a boy using the dirt from her body and infuses life in him.This boy Ganesha is a conscious being and is blessed with free will too. Maa Parvati tells the boy to guard the main door and not permit anyone inside the house as she is taking a bath.

What i understand from this is that all creation is created by Maa Parvati, also called ‘Shakti’. Shakti is the power that creates all living and non-living things in the universe ,including the planets, the stars, the mountains, rivers,trees, animals ,insects, and humans. The creative principle of the Supreme is worshipped in the female form of Shakti, and the consciousness principle is worshipped in the male form of Lord Shiva.

Humans are the only animals that are blessed with consciousness and free will.

This boy Ganesha did not recognize Lord Shiva, who is the Supreme consciousness because of his ego and doesn’t permit him to go inside the house. The boy thinks that he is the most powerful. This is unacceptable to Lord Shiva and cuts off his head and replaces with the head of an elephant. An elephant has a big head, which symbolically implies being wise or intelligent.

The story is trying to convey that when we do not recognize the power of the Supreme Almighty and assume that we are all powerful, we will be punished. The punishment may also be in the form of all the hurdles that we come across in our day to day life.

When we worship Ganesha, we let go of our ego , become humble, and accept that there is a higher power, which is also present in everyone , in every being and everywhere. This Supreme consciousness knows what is best for us and also helps us in overcoming the obstacles in our lives.

Jai Ganesha !


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In search of Desi/Native cows..drive to the outskirts of Hyderabad

Please skip reading this post if you find this topic gross.

I have been growing plants using organic products for many years. I do not use any chemical fertilizers. Food grown using organic products is tasty, has more nutrients, and is free of poisonous pesticides. Whatever little i grow, I wish to grow organically.

I prepare pesticides at home using garlic,ginger,green chillies, asafoetida, turmeric powder, soap nuts etc. I sprinkle wood ash on pests. I use neem oil too to get rid of pests.

At times, I also buy natural pesticides and fertilizers like jeevamrutham, Ghana jeevamrutham,panchagavya, agniastram, etc. These are made with Desi cow products like urine, manure ,jaggery, Chana powder, etc. However, they are very expensive.

I also prepare compost using kitchen waste and dry/green leaves from the garden itself. This is an excellent fertiliser that takes two to three months to decompose.

Epsom salt and karanji powder also help in fertilizing the soil, and i add these once a month.

LAB, which is Lactic Acid Bacteria, helps in improving the fertility of the soil. I prepare LAB at home using rice water and cow milk.

Goat manure is now available in few stores which i add once in a while. This is expensive.

Desi cow manure is an excellent organic fertilizer but very difficult to find. ‘Desi’ means ‘local’ or ‘native’. I had this strong wish to procure Desi cow manure. Desi cow manure is the best fertiliser as it contains all the microorganisms that help extract minerals from the soil and provide them to the roots of the plants.

Plants, in turn, feed sugar to these microorganisms. They are in a symbiotic relationship. Isn’t this interesting. Only Desi cows have all such microorganisms in their gut.

A few years ago, I saw Desi cows in the outskirts of our city and decided to go in search of them. So, mom and I went with our driver.

As we approached a village ,we saw a cow and a calf in a shed. The cow was brown in colour.I was excited that we found a desi cow. But Srinu ,our driver, told us that it is not a desi cow but a jersey cow. It is easy to get confused between the two unless one knows the differences between a Desi cow and a hybrid cow. I looked at it once again and saw that it did not have a hump. The back was flat. I was disappointed.

We then came across a few cows grazing in the open. We looked around to see if a cowherd or a shed was nearby. We found a farm house with a shed. We drove closer to the farmhouse and met the watchman there and asked if they sold Cow manure. They did not have any dry manure and told us that they had applied all the dry manure in the fields. They had wet manure, which is no good.

We started driving further. We came across several farmhouses, cricket grounds , a few houses here and there.

We then came across big shed with several buffaloes resting. We drove closer and saw a few native cows. We saw the caretaker in deep sleep under a neem tree. We decided to go ahead with buffalo manure. It was lunchtime, and we were hungry. We decided to have lunch and hoped the caretaker would wake up. We packed lunch for the trip. The guy woke up and refused to give us the manure and told us to talk to the owners. We decided to look a little further.

Very soon, we saw lots of Native cows grazing freely. Native cows are always allowed to graze freely in the open. We drove closer and saw one guy lying under a huge tree. We saw a huge shed further up and started driving towards it. We saw another guy guiding the cows. Srinu signaled this guy to come near us. He then told him our requirements. This guy then signaled to the guy under the tree almost 200 meters from where we were.

That guy came, and Srinu discussed everything, including the price. Very soon, three bags were filled with dry manure and loaded in the car dikki. Meanwhile, we asked him a lot of questions about the cows. They looked very different from the native cows that are usually found here. Their horns were huge and thick , and their faces were short. Learned that they are kankrej cows from Gujarat,that they give 3,4,5 or 6 litres of milk per day, that one liter is sold for Rs 100.

Here are a couple of videos from the location.

Finally ,I successfully managed to get hold of Native cow manure.

Hope to revamp my garden with the best natural ferliser and reap good harvests.

Enjoyed the long drive out of the city and got some fresh air too.

I always look forward to such long drives, which energizes me.


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My symptoms before being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma

I was anemic since my teens. I always felt weak, and whenever I met a physician , I was advised to take a course of iron supplements as my Hb levels were always below normal.

My immunity was always very low, and I frequently caught a sore throat infection. Every few months, there was an episode. I was prescribed antibiotics every time.

Over the years ,I started having severe asthma attacks every time I had a sore throat infection. I had to depend on a nebulizer to clear my lungs.

During my early 40s , I began having severe pain in my feet as soon as I woke up. It was getting difficult to walk for a while before I felt comfortable to start preparing for the day.

I was 43 when I slipped down the stairs and suffered L5 compression fracture.

Very soon, I started having chills, and I got admitted to a corporate hospital. I was then diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

I have written a memoir about my diagnosis 11 years ago and how I overcame it and now leading a normal life.

If you are interested in knowing more , get your copy here:

During my journey ,I received help and guidance from several people who are god send. My wish to share my experience with others who might benefit is now fulfilled.

Change your thoughts and help your body to heal.

Take Care !


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Seasons in India , Offering to Dieties and Health

India is blessed with spring , summer, monsoon, and winter for equal duration every year.

Indian festivals, along with their traditional customs and rituals, are entwined with health and eating healthy food, which is prepared with the ingredients available during that season. The food is called ‘prasadam’, which is first offered to the dieties on the day of the festival and then eaten by all. These festivals coincide with the change of season , the phase of the moon , transitioning of the sun from the south to the north or north to the south. During these changes, the human body, too, undergoes some changes and is susceptible to diseases. Eating the right foods helps the body transition the seasons and prevents one from getting sick.

Panakam , Ugadi Pachchadi , Kudumulu, etc. are some of the offerings to Hindu dieties during specific festivals. These are mostly prepared in the Telugu states of India. Every Telugu home prepares these. Similarly, every state or region in India has their own set of offerings that are offered to the dieties during festivals.

Ugadi Pachhadi :

Telugu New Year is celebrated as ‘Ugadi’ and the date coincides with the onset of Summer. The offering to God is prepared using ingredients with six different tastes. This is called ‘Ugadi Pachhadi’. The six flavors are sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent, and spicy. The ingredients used are jaggery, salt, tamarind juice, neem flower, raw mango, and pepper powder. All these ingredients are mixed and taken as prasadam after offering to the dieties. The taste is delicious if prepared with the correct proportions. Each of these ingredients has its own health benefits.Raw mango and neem flower are available only during this season, and that makes the prasadam very special.

Panakam :

Panakam is a jaggery drink made as prasadam for the’Sri Rama Navami’ festival, which falls nine days after ‘Ugadi’. This, too, is a very delicious drink prepared with jaggery , water, pepper powder, holy basil leaves , cardamom, and a few drops of lemon juice ( optional). This drink is offered to Lord Rama , Sita , Lakshman, and Hanuman on this day. Again, all the ingredients help the body transition from winter to summer.

Kudumulu :

‘Vinayaka Chavithi’ is celebrated by worshipping ‘Lord Ganesha’ , the remover of Obstacles. ‘Kudumulu’ are prepared on this day and offered to the diety made with clay. ‘Kudumulu’ come in different varieties . Basically prepared with Rice powder and jaggery which are mixed well by adding water. The dough is shapped into balls and steamed. This festivals coincides with the onset of monsoons. Steamed food helps the body in transitioning from summer to the rainy season.

Nuvvula Laddu or Til Ke Laddu :

This is made with sesame seeds and jaggery, which are powdered and mixed well to form round balls. ‘Sankranti’ is a harvest festival that coincides with the Sun transitioning from south to north. This is the winter season in India. Seasame seeds generate heat in the body, and hence, when consumed, it keeps the body warm. Every home prepares these laddus and distributes to their neighbour’s.

Each part of India has its own recipes depending on the ingredients available in their region. These ingredients and the method of preparation have medicinal properties. In this post, I have mentioned just a few such recipes.

It is our responsibility to incorporate these customs into our lives and hand over these traditions and healthy food recipes to the next generations.