DRINK COFFEE RIGHT, ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE

Let me go back to our days at Munnar in the 50s, 60s and 70s of the 20th century.

Papa was an employee of the KDHPCoLtd. He had to be present at the KDHP Workshop before 7 am. 

He would get up before 6 am in the morning, prepare black coffee with Jaggery and wake us up at 6 am sharp and serve the hot coffee. The routine still sticks on with me. I wake up before 6am every day, no matter however late I go to sleep the previous night. 

Munnar was very cold those days. We would be shivering as we were forced out of our sound sleep. 

Once coffee was over, Papa would herd us to the sitting room. It was prayer time. We would sing together a song. The rest belonged to Papa. He would read the bible and pray. Our role was to join when the Lord's prayer came up.

Papa's faith in God was rocklike. It stood with him at all times. 

6.40 am, he would leave for the Workshop. Once the job there was done, he would move on to the Head Quarters of the KDHPCo. A segment of his job was at the Engineering Department there.

Hardwork rewarded him, though the going was tough. He was a B Covenented official of the Company when he retired. His job profile had been varied. It covered all the estates and factories of KDHPCo and its  establishments along with the buildings and roads in and around Munnar, and at times at the Anamalais. The private estate at Kolugumalai too was in the armoury. 

When I went through the article in the newspaper on Coffee, memories sprouted.

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Coffee could add years to your life, if only you drink it right

Dr.S.K.Sarin, liver specialist, speaks to Durgesh Nandan Jha in Times of India of 3rdJuly2025

1.   Drinking 1 - 2 cups of coffee daily (black coffee and low sugar/fatcofee) lowers all cause mortality risk by 16%

2.   Drinking 2 - 3 cups of coffee daily lowers all cause mortality risk by 17%.

3.   Black coffee reduces mortality by 14%

4.   High sugar/ fat coffee has no mortality benefits.

5.   Moderate intake of coffee produces 35% reduction in cardiovascular episodes.

6.   Those drinking 1 - 2 cups of coffee daily were found to have reduced risk of death due to cancer and cardiovascular causes.

7.   Drinking more than two cups of unsweetened coffee daily reduces incidence of new cancers and cancer related deaths.

8.   Coffee can be considered a drug for metabolic liver diseases. It is not an antidote to smoking, alcohol, sugar and fat.

9.  Consumption of two cups of cofee reduces risk of death due to liver cirrhosis.

10.Each extra cup of coffee reduces depression risk by 8%

11.Drinking coffee helps mitigate the ill effects of metabolic syndrome - hypertension, obesity, diabetes, high lipids

12.Coffee changes the gut bacteria for good and has anti inflammatory and anti cancer compounds.

13.Coffee counteracts fatigue. Moderate consumption lowers the risk of stroke and dementia.

14. While coffee's main ingredient, Caffeine, is addictive and psychoactive if consumed in excess, Caffeine has potent antioxidant, antifibrotic and anti lipid properties if taken in moderation.. It suppresses adenosine - a molecule that causes sleepiness -  and stimulates the nervous system,releases hormones dopamine, and serotonin that lift mood, energy levels, alertness and memory.

15.Coffee raises levels of adiponectin, an insulin sensitising hormone linked to fat burning.

16.Coffee is a beverage, not a drug. It should be consumed like one, in moderation and at a proper time.

17.Milk and sugar add to the calorie count. That's why drip cofee or regular balck coffe is most beneficial to health. 

18.A spoon or two of milk in coffee may reduce acidity.

19.Milk is not for those with lactose intolerance.

20.Milk reduces absorption of chlorogenic acid which is anti inflammatory and anti oxidant.

RTC - Ready - to - Cook // RTE - Ready - to - Eat

 When we succeded in our efforts to locate a maid to assist the home maker, the maid to be, enquired the jobs she had to undertake at our place. When she was told she would have to make just six chappathis for the two of us she exploded. She said she didn't know how to make chappathis. No one  was making chappathis at home, she went on and added that she herself had been buying half cooked chappathis every day from the  neighbouring shops for her own needs at home. Fortunately for us, she lasted just one day.

Yesterday we were taking our grandchild to the paediatrician who was 12 kms away from our place. The child had severe cough. We could observe several restaurants and take away counters that were doing brisk business on the entire 12km stretch. The homemaker remarked, the finest business today was nothing but eateries because no one cooked anything at home these days.

We could only concur among ourselves  because we were already familiar with  demands of the clientele for RTCs and RTEs at our son's shop.

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Rupali Mukherjee writes in Tmes of India of 3rd July 2025.

RTC is the only catgory in packaged foods that has doubled its business volume over the last two years in India.

While packaged goods witnessed single digit  growth  of 8%, RTC category recorded 58% increase in 2024.

From Dosa batters to curry and cake mixes, shoppers are not only embracing ease, but have doubled their anuual trips to purchase the category.

Urbanisation, the rise of dual income households and a busy evolving lifestyle  are driving the trend.

However RTE category is losing relevance. Customers show a greater interest towards semi cooked options that offer convenience without compromising the home cooked experience compared to fully cooked meals.

RTE, which includes products that can be served straight from the pack - such as, heat and eat pulaos, heat and eat curries, where the packaged foods need to be warmed before eating - has lost half its volume in the past two years. 

Convenience is the king. But the landscape is evolving.

Consumers want speed, but they also crave freshness, health and control over their their meals.Brands that innovate along these lines stand poised to capture the next wave of growth.

Capitalising on the trend, packaged food companies are expanding their offering. According to them, these products tend to be more popular, as they cater to the consumers' desire to feel involved in the cooking process.

Another reason for the demand in in the RTC category is on account of the increase in the disposable income and the accessibility boosted by the recent rise of quick commerce along with the convenience and the innovation in the product portfolio.

It makes the Indian consumer  add RTC in their grocery portfolio on a larger scale.

My journey as a dyslexic adult

 From confusion to confidence, my journey as a dyslexic adult

K.Vaishali, an award winning author writes in Times of India of 3rdJuly2025.

As a dyslexic adult, I possess a unique cognitive toolkit that sets me apart. My mind excels at interconnected reasoning and abstract thinking, allowing me to quickly discern hidden connections and intricate patterns within complex, evolving systems.

This enables me to leverage my dyslexic creativity to solve challenging problems with innovative solutions. 

Dyslexia also fuels my ability to be an empathetic storeyteller. 

I can craft vivid narratives and deliver clear, engaging messages that resonate with others. Navigating an ableist world has made me resourceful and flexible, which makes me an effective team player. (Ableist - refers to discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities, based on the belief that typical abilities are superior)

My professional achievements  - a fast paced career in tech and winning the Sahitya Akademy Yuva Puraskar for my book 'Homeless' -  are a direct result of dyslexia, not in spite of it.

Dyslexia is not a reflection of a person's intelligence or effort. Many highly intelligent and creative individuals, including successful entrepreneurs, scientists and artists are dylexic. 

Dyslexia is not something a person can 'grow out of.'

Early detection and remedial education help dyslexic individuals learn strategies to improve their writing and reading skills. 

Dyslexia is a learning disability that primarily affects reading and writing skills due to difficulties in processing language.

The effects of dyslexia are not confined to the young in the schools or colleges. Adults too are affected by dyslexia. 

Being a dyslexic adult means adjusting to awkward, embarassing and at times frightening situations. You don't remember names. You have difficulty in reading. You find it difficult to catch the right bus and proceed correctly to your destination. 

It's harder to get diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult. Mind you, at the age of 20, you could legally drink, drive and consent to sex, you can't take the dyslexia assessment without your parent's signature in a Govt. Hospital.

Attritional Challenges

 When Ashwin started off with his shop Travancore Fresh Supermarket he very well knew the days ahead would be tough. There were people around who spread the word that the shop would not last even six months. There were people who had requested the owner of the building to lease it to them once Ashwin had closed it down. 

Six years down the line Ashwin  thought he had managed the difficult days well.

Challenges in business never abate.

Just as the business has grown and as the clientale has expanded, just as he tends to feel there has been an all round acceptance among the public for his store, he has come across attritional challenges.

True, Ashwin has  now migrated from those tough days to attritional challenges of the day.

One thing, he is certain.

Rain or sunshine he will have challenges that threaten to beat him to pulp.

But resilence strengthens him  to counter and resist it into submission.

Three Generations of Vaniamparambil Family

Three Generations of Vaniamparambil Family 

Mathaikutty, the patriarch, ordered his son, Kuttayi  to buy the property adjacent to the family property in the interior of Pandanad. Kuttayi, who never disobeyed Mathaikutty, dutifully bought it availing advances. It made life tough  for Kuttayi and his family. 

Soon, Kuttayi,  bought another property at the behest of Mathaikutty in five tranches at Pandanad Junction. Life became extremely difficult for the family as the debt mounted.

Mathaikutty, then encouraged  Kuttayi  to construct a  building at the Pandanad Junction . Kuttayi, a clerical hand in a private hospital at Chengannur, took a loan from Vijaya Bank , Mannar submitting a plan for a two storeyed building  with seven shops  on the ground floor and the residence for the family on the first floor. It was envisaged to rent out the shops and repay the loan with the rental income.

When the first floor was not built the Bank initiated the recovery process. Kuttayi met the Regional Manager of the bank at Kottarakkara who was good enough  to cancel the recovery procedure as Kuttayi had been prompt in meeting the EMI schedule. 

Later, Kuttayi  built  a two room extension to the shop building. The family   of four - Kuttayi, his wife, Rahel and sons,Shaji and Bejoy -  stayed there for a while. as there had been a critical shortage of funds to complete the construction of the house that had already been half way.  The family stood together and sailed through the difficult days. It was a place of laughter and happiness despite the plethora of adversities.   At last Kuttayi managed to source the funds for the completion of the construction of the house that had been stalled through selling 40 cents of landed property  he had  at Budhanoor. The  house Vaniamparambil stood there waiting eagerly for the occupants.   It was a great relief for the family when they shifted from the two room facility to the three BHK luxury.

Happiness never stay long. Kuttayi's wife, Rahel, suddenly fell ill. It was cerebral hemorrhage. Rahel passed away in no time, leaving the rest of the family in distress and sorrow.

Mathaikutty had passed away by then. As time wore on, Kuttayi had aged and he suffered a heart attack.  Though Doctors wrote him off, God didn't. It was in 1973. Doctors said he won't get up. He got up. Hale and hearty he lived upto 2012. Then calamity struck again. An innocuous fever took Kuttayi away.

When he was convalescing  at Parumala at the residence  of  Shaji in 1973,  it was Shaji who suggested it would be good if Kuttayi could write a will to obviate legal wrangles if he died intestate. 

Kuttayi had no disagreement.

He said he wished to bequeath the Vaniamparambil House and the adjacent shops to Bejoy. Bejoy was employed at Chennai at that time.  He said he would bequeath the property in the interior of Pandanad to Shaji . This property had a very negligible value in comparison with the former.

Kuttayi said he wanted to pass on  20 cents of his riverfront property at Parumala  to  Bejoy,  and  the rest, 40 cents, to Shaji. The hitch was the whole property had no documents that had  reduced its value to a pittance.  Further, Kuttayi's  rights to the propety had been disputed by a few of his relatives who were threatening to drag the issue to a civil court.  At the end, Kuttayi   had to sell off the property at  a  lower value. Kuttayi disbursed the proceeds among the sons without holding anything for himself. The gain, however, was paltry.

 

Shaji, a clerk at the College at Parumala,  told Kuttayi  to do whatever he deemed right.

Bejoy, by this time, managed to obtain a transfer to Chenagnur. He was with the Postal Department.  Bejoy stayed with Kuttayi. He continued to do that even  after his  marriage. 

Recurring flooding of the house made Bejoy shift his residence to Mavelikara.

Kuttayi was both at Pandanad and Mavelikara . Shaji would visit Kuttayi and stay with him for a few days whenever he was at Pandanad. 

It was  the prayers of Kuttayi and Rahel that had carried the whole family through even after the parents were gone. Whatever the children had become could only be attributed to those prayers from deep within the hearts of Kuttayi and Rahel. They never prayed for themselves. They prayed for their children and everyone in their orbit.

While Shaji and his family  were at Pandanad, they had always listened to Kuttayi  praying  fervently with tears flowing for Vaniamparambil not  to fade  away from the face of Pandanad. 

 
The electrician  Ranjith, after Kuttayi's demise, revealed to Shaji  that Kuttayi had told him he would have renovated both the shops and the house eliminating the prospects of flooding if he had access to some funds. It was not to be. Unfortunately he had no pension or better retirement benefits like his children. He had given away everything he had for his wife's treatment  and the children's  needs. There was nothing left.

In the course of time both the Vaniamparambil House and the shops had fallen into disrepair. They had begun to crumble. Bejoy had no idea to renovate them. According to him, he was disinterested in spending even a single Rupee on their maintenance. It was as if he rued  he  had been saddled with the prime property at Pandanad against his wishes.

However better senses prevailed after a few years of total neglect of his own property, and Bejoy went ahead with the renovation of the building that housed the shops. 

They look suave now. 

Shaji is happy Bejoy has fulfilled Kuttayi's wishes for  the shops.

Vaniamparambil remains dilapidated in the prominent junction at Pandanad.   The people around poke fun at the deliberate neglect of the house that Kuttayi and Rahel had built with their own blood and toil.

The pertinent question is, if the one who owns it wouldn't renovate it who would ? 

EVANA 7 YEARS

                        EVANA ON 30TH JUNE 2025

                              EVANA ON 6TH JULY 2025

Delete Aarthi and Paca from your life //Joseph Annamkutty Jose // Rev Prof. Dr C I David Joy

  Rev. Prof. Dr. C I David Joy, Principal of KUT Seminary, Kannammoola, Thiruvananthapuram revealed to me that on his recent travel to Kolkata, to partake in the Syllabus Committee meeting of the University of Serampore, Kolkata,  he had purchased  a book by Joseph Annamkutty Jose, celebrated Malayalam author and RJ,  at the airport.

The book was so good he phoned the author. Though it was not picked up, Joseph Annamkutty Jose, returned the call later.

The Principal said, they conversed for sometime.

He reflected, when had  queried the author how he had developed the philosophy he conveyed through his writings, pat was the reply. 

" I was not like this earlier. Then I learned that if I wanted to do well I had to drop Aarthi and Paca from my life forever. I did that. My life is now pleasant. I am happy. I am able to do well."

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The Malayalam word "aarthi" (ആർത്തി) translates to "greed" or "avarice" in English. It can also be interpreted as "craving" or "longing" depending on the context. In some contexts, it can imply excessive desire or an insatiable appetite. 

The Malayalam word "paca" (പക) generally translates to "revenge," "retaliation," or "enmity" in English. It can also imply feelings of hostility, hatred, or malice.