Roses - Symbolizing the stark reality of life

A stroll into the garden this morning and my mind became cheerful - roses of five different colors greeted me.

I love roses - they are so good to look and beneath the surface, they symbolize the stark truth of life . These beautiful flowers with soft colorful petals growing cheerfully in the midst of sharp thorns - just like how to attain success in life, we need to strive hard and literally walk on a path filled with thorns. Our whole life resembles a collection of hard work and some failures, interspersed with some beautiful successes and joys.

Tamilnadu is a state with a very short winter - its cold only towards the end of November and upto early February. Somehow, these rose plants seem to love the cold conditions and there are several flowers in all the rose plants. The plants are also booming with buds. Each day, I await the morning stroll in the garden to catch a glimpse of the roses and count the numbers of these beautiful flowers. Among the different varieties, I love the 'Paneer Rose' - it gives such a beautiful aroma. Its called Gulab in Hindi and Pale Rose in English.
Beyond its beautiful looks and fragrance,  the soft and shiny petals of the paneer rose have medicinal properties. It cures stomach aches and clears the intestines from parasites as well. The petals are crushed to make a beautiful scent called Rose Water, which is offered in Abhisheka to the deities in Hindu Temples. 

Some beautiful flowers

Photos taken during a recent trip - Flowers in full bloom

Trimming the rose plants have produced wonderful results

My rose plants just kept growing- a few roses once in a while was a disappointment. Due to increasing insects & reptiles, I trimmed many plants including the rose plants. And wow, its a fortnight since then and several green leaves and many buds have made their appearance. I am now eagerly looking forward to the flowers.

How google is polluting the earth

Web giant Google revealed what had been one of its most closely guarded secrets: how much power it uses to fulfil its mission of organising the entire world’s information.

In a blog posting, Urz Hoelzle, the company’s senior vice-president of technical infrastructure, said that the company used 2.26 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2010 — the equivalent of some 200,000 U.S. homes. The company also emitted 1.46 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the yearly emissions of 70,000 Americans. 

For those of us who are worried about polluting the environment, keep this in mind - every time you are on the web(how ironical, I am right now polluting the environment), you are contributing to spoiling the earth! 

Some interesting facts about recycling

Recycling is easy... and see the benefits

RECYCLE..SAVE NATURE

• It is believed that a ton of paper that is recycled saves 7000 gallons of water, 380 gallons of oil and as much electricity to electrify an average household for 6 months.
• One aluminium can recycling can save electricity needed to run a TV for 6 hours.
• Recycling one glass bottle saves as much electricity as to power a 100-watts bulb for 4 hours, so calculate the amount of energy one would save by using an energy saving bulb.

Natural beauty - Preventing hair-loss - a homemade garden product

Hibiscus hair oil is believed to help make ones hair grow nicely - thick and strong. It prevents dandruff and hair-loss.
How to make homemade hibiscus hair oil
Get five flowers. You can use fresh as well one day old flowers. Take 3 fresh leaves also. chop these ingredients into small pieces. Using a mixer/grinder just crush it. No need to make it a paste. You can get 1/2 cup of it, accordingly add more flowers if needed.Then put this mix into a heating bowl or pan. Add 1 cup of your favorite oil which you uses on hair. May be you can choose coconut oil. Mix well. Heat it in low flame. Now when the fumes starts coming add three leaves of tulsi if you have. And add few grains of corn or rice or fenugreek and see it pops up. At that time switch of the flame. Allow it to cool. Sieve the homemade hibiscus hair oil into a glass bottle.Before bathing warm the oil and apply on hair and scalp and do a massage. Wait for 10 min. and take a bath. If you use this homemade hibiscus hair oil at least once in a week consistently that will hep your hair to grow well.
Tips:

• Do not add water to crush the leaves and flowers. If you use mixer/grinder then add little oil to if you need to ,make a paste.
• The more you boil, the longer the oil can be preserved. 

The 3000 years old Mango tree - The miraculous wonder of Kanchi

The Ekambranatha temple in Kanchipuram is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is believed that Goddess Kamakshi performed penance to the Lord here under a Mango tree. One can see the Mango tree till date inside the temple complex. The age of the tree is estimated to be more than 3000 years old. Another amazing feature of this tree is that it bears fruits of four different tastes each season.
Right under the tree, there is a shrine of Lord Ekambranatha and Kamakshi.