VOL 3 ISSUE 5 TRADITION I CULTURE I FLAVOUR I BUSINESS I NEWS NOV 10, 2009

Homoeopathy: A special feature German volunteer:

on the benefits of homoeopathy Traits of a special
in an interview with Dr J A educator. Interview with
Helen Shanthi. p 13 Ms Heike Freese. p 16

A
eLocal
U N I Q U E P E R S P E C T I V E O F T H E N I L G I R I S
Next issue: Pasteur Institute

Special
attention

pic: Staff photographer

required. p 10
Nithyananda teachings. travel

How to break a habit,

like drinking?
Question: Swamiji, My husband
drinks ever so often claiming that he
drinks to forget his worries. What
do I do?

Swamiji: As I told you, this is a

common problem. Anyhow, if your
husband was here it would have
been helpful. If you analyze the habit
of drinking, you will understand how
self-contradictory you are. Let me try
to explain:
You drink to feel joyful, but you end
up becoming miserably miserable.
You drink so that you can be called
sociable, so that society will accept
you, but you land up becoming

The intrinsic beauty of Sim’s Park.

argumentative! You drink so that you
will look sophisticated but you end
up looking insufferable. You drink so
that you can sleep forgetting all your
worries but you wake up feeling more
exhausted than ever! You drink to
experience ecstasy and end up
feeling depressed! You drink to feel
confident but end up becoming afraid
of yourself. You drink to maintain the
conversation but end up becoming
incoherent. You drink to see your
problems dissolve but end up seeing
them multiply!
All these are the truth and you know
it better than I do! Now tell me
honestly, is it really worth drinking?
This is how self-contradictory you
are in not only this matter but in all
matters in life. If you clearly knew
what you want to do and spent every
ounce of your energy in that direction,
you will grow steadily and experience
Contd on p 14
Established in 1874 and named after J D here.There is also a map of the world at the
Sim, then Secretary of the Madras Club, far end of the park which shows the various
Sim’s Park is a beautiful garden with countries marked by diverse plants! The
delightful flower beds, lawns and trees, some Park slope ends in a mini lake circling an
of which were planted over a 100 years ago. island garden where small boating trips are
offered.
The lawns are interspersed with trees such
as the rudraksh, magnolia, pine, camellia, For a quiet afternoon with a book in hand,
phoenix... Most of the trees are exotic, having the park is just the ideal getaway. Some of
been introduced from different continents. the old world charm is retained with few of
A Botanist’s delight, many varieties of rare the original wrought iron-wooden benches
species belonging to eucalyptus, acacia, still intact, though many have been replaced
pinus, and cinnamomum are found recently.
Kurunji:The bright purple-blue, bell shaped Kurinji
flower is an atypical kind of flower, which grows
mainly in the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal, the two
famous hill stations of Tamil Nadu. Botanists take
special interest as it blossoms only once in 12
years unlike the other common flowers.
The botanical name for Kurinji, is Strobilanthes
Kunthianus. The Kurinji flowers grow on bushy
shrubs, which are about eight, or ten feet in height
on the hill slopes of the Western Ghats at an
altitude between 6000 to 7000 ft above msl.
During the blossoming season, the Kurunji flower
is seen carpeting the mountain slopes.
 travel Fundamental rights explored.
While in Coonoor. Students and teachers of CSI-CMM school, Ooty, engage
Popular tourist spots in Coonoor. with representatives of The Local in a recent journalism workshop.
Sim’s Park ‘A bout of cracker-bursting alongside the Journalism, the spirit of it, involves courage,
school campus in the heart of Ooty town a questioning mind, unbiased judgement
A couple of kms from Coonoor bus
disrupted the morning’s journalism and sensitivity to others said The Local
stand, Sim's Park is spread over workshop momentarily, but helped put in representative, in response to a student’s
12 hectares. It is situated at an perspective, the fundamental right of question on what qualifications one would
elevation of 1768 to 1798 m. students to a silence zone (which ought to require to become a journalist.
This beautifully designed park be maintained, by order, around schools, What if elders tell us not to question? ‘If
offers an excellent opportunity for places of worship and hospitals) and their your questions are non-rebellious or of a
walks along the winding footpaths resolve in bringing to notice the act of disruptive motive but sincere and forthright,
disturbance, however much out of then you will get your answers.’
all over the slopes of the park ignorance, to the perpetrators.
leading you towards the pictur-
esque lake below. A variety of
individual tree specimens brought
from across the globe, some
more than a century ago, add a
special charm tho this tourist
spot.
Lambs Rock
Is situated 8 km from Coonoor.
On a sunny day this view point
commands a fantastic view of the
entire surroundings, right down to
the Plains below. The walk through
the forests, towards the vantage
point is itself exhilarating.

e Dolphin’s Nose

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 4
local issue

R e s i g n e d t o f a t e.
 5
local issue
The warning signs for the ill-fated family
of the public transportation bus driver came
when water began to seep through the floor
of his house, this on the second day of
incessant rains that the district faced in the
earlt part of November. Nearby residents of
Achanagal village had, it seems, advised the
family to move out for the night and stay at
the community hall - an offer that they
declined. It was to be their last decision.
According to residents, water has always
been in excessive flow in this area, mostly
flowing down from the top of the mountain,
above Grant Duff road near Valley view.
Closer inspection along the top road shows
running water flowing in torrents all along,
almost upto Lovedale junction. Along its
path, near a school, the force of this water
had torn a portion of the road, taking with it
an electric post, a newly replaced and
allegedly heavier-than-permissible
transformer, fences and a cottage down
below, fortunately unoccupied. Resorts along
the road were virtually untouched by the
fury - the land and property alongside them
stood devastated. 3 people lost their lives,
crushed under piles of mud while the Devastating effect: Mud flowing with the help of gushing water has literally inundated this
neighbouring resort, ironically, played host home near Valley View. Three people perished in this incident. Pic left, show the rescue efforts near
to delegates of Life Insurance Corporation Achanagal village where an entire family was washed away along with their home.
of India. ‘We are shocked by this incident’,
said one delegate, who is based in Delhi. the broken highway with the recently laid As with the driver’s family of eight, who
The way water flows is deadly - voluminous, side-girders ominously dangling in midair. perished that night, none will ever know what
not properly channelised and uncontrollable. Below the road, the survivors argued about circumstances actually led to their untimely
Residents in the area trade accusations that apathetic local councillors - they, apparently demise. The rest of us have hints - excessive
everyone is blocking off natural passage by did not make adequate arrangements for road widening, unnatural species of trees like
creating little bunds, resulting in the heavy burial of the unfortunate. Whether the rest eucalyptus alongside arterial roads, lack of
force of the water along this old road. of the families residing below the road, in proper chanelling of running water,
Further on, the worst hit Ooty-Coonoor what looks like a tightly packed unplanned unchecked and unplanned commercial
road’s misery unfolds with a gigantic semi-urban outgrow, are brave or simply development on the upper regions leading
eucalyptus tree lying across what was once bullheaded, it is hard to say. Did they get to soil erosion, improper housing growth
a view point of the valley below. Houses enough evacuation warning or any warning below, lack of appropriate tree cover (shola
were submerged the night before, at at all is not the point. Why must they live in type), too much heavy vehicular traffic...
Manthada (a burgeoning settlement near such dangerous settings? (20 or more, people And now there is the new threat - climate
Valley View). Trunk boxes and kitchen died at a similar outgrow near Ooty - they change. 82 cms of rain was recorded in Ketti,
utensils lay on knee-deep mud piles upon were literally washed away). on that fateful night!

Indiscriminate building has been the

reason for the recent castastrophe that the
Nilgiris faced, was a strong opinion voiced
by a local, recently. He was countered by
another who pointed out that this could not
be entirely true, since a particular large tree
(eucalyptus), on a hill slope along the main
highway, came down without having a
construction or construction activity around
it. Road widening is therefore the cause
added another, who was overhearing the
conversation. Wherever large constructions
like schools and hotels were put up, land
had eroded, justified the first opinion maker.
Which of these assumptions and
allegations are true or baseless, how is the
It is time to stop talking.
lay person going to know? It is such
unfounded discussions that generate
opinion which may result in knee jerk
reactions by policy makers. When roads
were widened, it was lauded as tourism
friendly, when building were being put up,
each of it, educational, commercial or
residential were amply justified. And most
were built with due sanctions, a few even
going the extra mile by being environment-
friendly, particularly the leisure resort that
we wrote of in the previous issue (which,
apparently, for little fault of its own, suffered
major repercussions from the rains).
What the government must do is to have
experts, independent of any bias, to assess
the situation, engage local fraternity,
builders, educationists, citizen’s bodies and
welfare organisations alike and to jointly
come up with a future action plan that is all
inclusive. The time to relook the Master Plan
has also come.
In short, all round and responsible
leadership is the need of the hour even if
it must come from the least expected
source, the political class.
Our deep felt condolences to the families of
the bereaved. Editorial

Strokes, against odds
Artist-curator-gallery guide,
M Ravichandran’s life is his art,
despite constraints.
Special Correspondent
Within the first couple of years of
graduating from the Madras School of
Fine Arts, Mr M Ravichandran took on
the onerous job of managing and
maintaining the one and only Govt Art
Gallery in the State which had then been
recently commissioned in Ooty by the
Dept of Art & Culture.
What is the purpose of an Art Gallery?
‘It helps provide artists a platform to
present their work while introducing to
the public, the wonderful field of art and
its intricacies.’
The Govt Art Gallery, situated a little
beyond Charing Cross, enroute ATC
market, houses numerous paintings
depicting local traditions and the culture
of various communities belonging
mostly to South India. Some paintings
on local Nilgiri tribes are on exhinit too.
One painting that this curator-by-default
has done, is of an Irula musician
(background in pic, right). ‘It took me
around 4 days to finish this painting,’
says Mr Ravichandran. ‘I usually make
a lot of notes while on site, that is when
I am at a tribal settlement. Plenty of
observation is the key to a good final
output. It is important to project the
essence of the subject. Colour and design
Recipe: Maasu Neeru or Benguvae Udhakka (A Badaga preparation)
Ingredients
Dried Bean Seeds 1/2 cup
Coconut [grated] 1 cup
Ripe Tomatoes 4 nos
Small Onions
(peeled) 1 cup
Garlic 8 to 10 pods
Curry Leaf (as desired)
Big Onions
(finely chopped) 1
Oil 3 tsp
Mustard 1/4 tsp
Chilly Powder 2 to 3 tsp
Add salt to taste
are essential but the message is more
important.’
What made you take up art?
‘My parents did not think I will get too
far in school,’ admits the artist, laughing,
‘The art college was a chance’.
The move turned out correct - the young
M Ravichandran was awarded the
coveted ‘best artist of the year’ on
graduation.
There were bigger awards in store, one
being the President’s gold medal which
he received in 2007 - some of his
paintings adorn the Rashtrapathi Bhavan
chambers! Awards and accolades
notwithstanding, the conditions at the
art gallery are supposedly not very
encouraging. ‘I have to work against odds
here at Ooty, being the only employee
of this art gallery. It is crucial that the
Government gives more attention to this
unique facility but for several years now,
it has been a lone and uphill struggle
for me,’ says Mr Ravichandran, adding
Directions: Roast the beans till they
splutter and soak in water for 10 mins.
Grind the coconut, tomatoes, small onions
and garlic. Keep aside.Heat the oil. Allow
the mustard seeds to splutter. Add
chopped onions and fry till golden brown.
Add the coconut mixture, roasted beans,
chilly powder, salt and sufficient water. Let
it cook till the beans are soft. Garnish with
curry leaves. Serve hot with rice or
chapattis.
(Good for a bad cold!)
Recipe sent in by subscriber of TheLocal,
Mrs Shanthi Mani, Coonoor.
6
interview
that financial support for the place is also
meagre and he, more often than not, dips
into his own pockets to keep things
going.
Locally, several schools have shown
interest in sending their students to learn
the nuances of painting and the artist has
conducted numerous workshops to help
propogate the interest for art and
painting.
‘Visitors to the district must make it a
point to drop in. The gallery will give
them a deeper understanding of various
cultures.’
This timeless and rich form of human
expression that is painting, must be
sustained and passed on, especially in the
trouble torn times that beset us today for
art provides relief and hope. It also
inspires the human spirit to go beyond
both enforced or self imposed prejudices
of the world. It unifies.
Perhaps this is what keeps the gallery
and its guide going.
Spirited strokes:
M Ravichandran’s art
inspires. His conditions of
work do not. The artist
nevertheless, presses on
with self infused hope
and inspiration.
Relay Indu K Mallah
I have run my lap of the relay,
In the race for justice;
I want to hand over the baton,
but there is no one to take it.
It is not a level playing-field,
There are too many hurdles,
And insolent might still
holds sway
Over committed right.
I find myself batting against
The wind of Power Politics.
I have run my lap of the relay,
I am tired, and want to hand over
the baton,
Will somebody, anybody, take it?
7

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 pics: Staff Photographer

Deer Park.
Quietly tucked away at the far end of the Ooty
lake is the Deer Park, managed and maintained
by the Forest Deparment. The concept is simple:
a set of deer, of a particular species is brought
here from the wild, to be returned after a short
spell. The next set will be another type of deer.
The species in picture is the Samber Deer
(Cervus Unicolour). Its average height is 75
cm to 100 cm and weight is 175 kgs. They are
good swimmers and are more active at night,
taking rest during day. The Deer Park is 3 km
from Ooty town. Children will be delighted
at the up front and close experience.
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 cover story

pic Staff photographer

Special attention required. The Local Correspondent

Special education is yet to gain the momentum it

requires, inspite of enough laws covering rights of
children with disability. Efforts locally, by a clutch of
institutions and individuals are encouraging.
Involuntary joy: Volunteering, especially in the sphere of special education, brings a
great sense of fulfilment and happiness, feel long time volunteers like Mrs Mala Ramasamy
(inset) of Udhavi, a centre for children with special needs. ‘Enough hands are hard to come by nevertheless’, says the co-founder
of this successful centre. Pic above, shows the structured agenda for children with special needs, at a special school locally.
11
Isolation of children with special needs
(CWSN) was not uncommon until the 18th
century. Early efforts include the school for
the blind started by Valentine Huay in 1785,
in Paris. Fr. De L’epee developed an early
version of finger spelling for the deaf and
Jean Marc Gaspard Itard’s case study of ‘The
Wild Boy of Aveyron’ is a pioneering work
in the field of education for the mentally
challenged.
In India, the first school for the deaf was set
up in Mumbai in 1883 and a school for the
blind in Amritsar in 1887. Since then, there
are nearly 4000 schools today, that meet the
needs of special children. However, in trying
to provide a solution, the problem of
segregation became more stark.
How inclusive is society today? The question
has been raised time and again. For example,
at the governmental level itself, the principal
of a leading school in Delhi had noted in her
dissertation that while education comes
under the Ministry of Human Resource
Development, education for those with
disabilities comes under the Ministry of
Social Justice & Empowerment. ‘Nothing
can be a more telling statement of how
disability is perceived in this country,’ she
writes.
The culture of segregration of the disabled
is rather wedged in. Locally, the
repercussions of this culture is evident when
one chooses to see a little further than the
obvious, the obvious being children going
to schools, learning what they should and
scoring marks enough to compete and co-
habitate in the outside world. Ask, for
instance, the average rural inhabitant in the
Nilgiris if there are any children with special
needs in the vicinity and you will hear, after
much hestation, that there are indeed, cases
of CWSN to be found. Why do the parents
not seek assistance? From a more critical
standpoint, why is awareness lacking on
early detection (see section right) ? It is
related in large part to the stigma attached
to having a child who is perceivably, not
normal. The grandmother of a two and a
half year old special child, in a rural pocket
near Coonoor, hastily points out to this
correspondent that her two other grand
daughters are ‘quite alright and are doing
well in school’ . The bottom line here is
evident - the child is considered not
competent or is incapable of doing what the
so-called normal children do. But, on what
basis society decides to classify what is
normal or otherwise, is an elusive question.
‘When we try to fit the child with special
needs into a fixed agenda (curriculum) we,
as a society, are considered to be non-
inclusive. To be inclusive is to build
everything around the child’, states Mrs
Leela Krishnaraj, a veteran in the field of
special education locally. ‘ What is needed is
high levels of acceptance and a deep
understanding that there are those amongst
us who are, as is termed, differently-abled.
It is important to spot the abilities and hone
them. Otherwise, it is us who are creating
disabilities by making them conform to our
general practices and structures’, the senior
lady emphasises. Day care centres for special
children, like Udhavi in Coonoor, provide a
stepping stone to inclusion but with the
numbers of children managed by a clutch of
other special schools in the Nilgiris including
the 12 children here and the 27 resident
inmates of the school set up by the National
Trust at Ooty totalling barely fifty, there is
definitely much more that needs to be done.
‘We feel there are many who we need to
reach out to and support’, says Mrs Shrimati
Contd overleaf
Early intervention
Lik
Likee never before, we see today, amongst us, so
many children with difficulties. And we often
ask ourselves, “Is it only nowadays that so many
children are born with so many different
difficulties or is that they were always there
amongst us and we did not really think of them
as very different from us, probably because we
were not aware of disabilities then as we are
now?” While it is true that the incidence of
disabilities is increasing, it is also true that
there is more awareness (not enough though)
and therefore we are able to identify children or
people with disabilities more frequently.
A “Taare Zameen Par” is possible today. What
the movie showcases, however, is only a very
small percentage of the various neurological
disorders that affect our children today, the world
over. What is ironical is that with awareness
today, there is also greater expectation from
children about what they should accomplish and
when. This creates a deeper rift between children
with special needs and those without. There is
more exclusion now than inclusion.
While on the one hand, sensitizing society to
children or people with disabilities must take
place, children with special needs must be
equipped with the life skills they need to survive
in this world and help them overcome their
difficulties so that they may live an independent
life in future. This can only happen with early
intervention.
A child’s development is greatly influenced by
factors in his/her environment and the
experiences she/he has through their interaction
with the environment. This interaction both
stimulates and influences the pattern of
connections made between nerve cells at a very
early age. These connections in turn influence
the development in all areas – social, emotional,
physical, communication and in learning.
Children with special needs are deprived of this
enriching experience that promotes development
due to their disability. This results in an uneven
profile – lagging behind in some and doing well
in others. Research has shown that by age 6 most
of the brain structure is mature and it becomes
Contd on p 13

The Integrated Education for Disabled Children Scheme, launched in 1974, to admit children with disabilities in regular schools. * The District
Primary Education Programme, 1985, which acknowledges the fact that universalisation of education is possible only if it includes children
with disabilities. * The National Policy on Education, 1986, which promotes the integration of children with mild disabilities into the mainstream.
* The Project Integrated Education for the Disabled, launched in 1987, which encourages all schools in a neighbourhood to enroll children
with disabilities. * The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, which recommends
making changes in assessment and curriculum, and removing architectural barriers, to support inclusion. It also recommends providing free
books and uniform for children with disabilities. * The National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Retardation and Multiple
Disability, 1999, which recommends promotion of inclusive education. * The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA, 2000), which pledges that the "SSA
will ensure that every child with special needs, irrespective of the kind, category and degree of disability, is provided education in an
appropriate environment". * The Amendment to the Constitution in 2001, to make education a fundamental right for those in the 6-14 age
group, which covers children with disabilities.

Special attention required...
Sridhar, social worker and experienced
volunteer at the Coonoor centre, who, it was
evident, took a lot of effort to reassure the
parents of the little girl from the rural pocket
near Coonoor, who has a severe disability,
that the child and the family will experience
a certain level of alleviation through the
various activities at the centre and that they
must be regular to their therapy sessions.
On further querying, the mother of this
special child had disclosed that there were
two other children with special needs that
she knew of, near her place of residence!
Laws governing this sphere are numerous
(box, previous pg). However, in reality,
legislation hasn’t seemed to have helped.
The National Sample Survey Organisation's
2002 report on 'Disabled Persons in India'
and the draft policy for persons with
disabilities, prepared by the Ministry of
Social Justice & Empowerment, stated that
55 percent of those with disabilities are
illiterate. This is a ‘very large and
unacceptable percentage,’ said the draft.
A study conducted by the National Centre
for Promotion of Employment for Disabled
People disclosed shocking facts of
discrimination against those with disabilities.
In a survey of 89 schools across the country
it was found that a mere 0.5 percent of the
total number of students were those with
disabilities, though the Persons with
Disabilities Act recommends a reservation
of three percent seats in institutions funded
by the government. Twenty percent of the
schools polled were not aware of the 1995
Disability Act at all.
The special school in Ooty, set up under
The National Trust for the Welfare of Persons
with Autism, Cerebral Retardation and
Multiple Disability, under the purview of
local bodies, supervised by the district
Collector is a move in the right direction.
With a strength of 27 children the facility is
manned by a special educator and trained
Contact details of some of the schools and organisations featured in this article: Udhavi
C/o Havakal Estate, Kotagiri contact Mrs Krithika Jayaraman, (04266) 271756, National TTrust
disability, Garden Road, Ooty, contact Mrs Arul Mary, 94887 66616. Tiny TTotsots Nur sery & Primary School - Centr
Krishnaraj, (0423) 2231076.
Contd from previous page
staff (incidentally mothers of two resident
children) and is a model school for other
regions, it is stated.
But the line of demarcation is growing.
Inclusion is a philosophy built on the belief
that all people are equal and should be
respected and valued as an issue of basic
human rights. It also means an ‘unending
set of processes’ in which children and adults
with disabilities have the opportunity to
participate fully in all community activities
offered to people who do not have disabilities.
It is also widely accepted that children with
special needs learn better in the company of
common school children. Mrs Krishnaraj’s
school is an inclusive model. 14 of her
teachers are trained special educators who
are continuously innovating and adapting
their approach and internal systems to match
the evolving needs of all children. ‘It is a
constant challenge but it is fulfilling’, says
the Principal. She adds that a lot of effort is
usually required to help parents come to
terms. Mrs Krithika Jayaraman who started
Maanas, a day care centre for special children
in Kotagiri, agrees, pointing out that most
parents of special children still don’t see
themselves as part of the solution, instead
placing too much dependence and
expectation on the schools. ‘Special
education is a joint effort which includes the
parents and their immediate society too. It
is the preconditions that the family and
community places on the child and its
parents that is overwhelming,’ ,’ she reiterates.
On the occasion of Children’s Day the key
shift in our minds must come from one of
the ten-points found in the Declaration
from Disabled Peoples International.
It states; ‘We call upon the world’s media to
recognize us as equal members of our own
societies and to portray us as such and not
as passive objects of charity!
vi, Darlington Bridge, Coonoor, contact Mrs Shrimati Sridhar, 94436 09669. Maanas
Udhavi
rust School for Welfare for Persons with Autism, Cerebral retardation and Multiple
Nursery
12
Early intervention
Contd from previous page
difficult to make significant changes in growth
and development after this time. So the need
for early intervention.
Parents (prospective parents included), must
be familiar with the standards in the growth
and development of the child – to be alert to
signs that may indicate delay in development
in any of the areas mentioned above.
As parents, if we are interacting with our child
closely enough as required at any stage in
infancy, we are bound to sense this delay. Why,
for instance, is my baby not exhibiting that
smile of recognition when she sees me? Did
my child skip the crawling stage? Why is my
boy not using both hands during play? Is there
a pattern in my child’s behaviours? Why is he
not babbling? My child was speaking at least
10 words at 1½ years. Why has she stopped
speaking them now? Parents must be proactive
Why is my baby not exhibiting that
smile of recognition when she sees
me? Did my child skip the crawling
stage? Why is my boy not using both
hands during play? Is there a pattern
in my child’s behaviours? Why is he e
not babbling? My child was speaking
at least 10 words at 1½ years. Why
has she stopped speaking them now?
in their interactions with their pediatrician.
They must not rest when they have doubts;
they could go for a second opinion, read up
information from books, the Internet (authentic
sources are available)... If we find that our
children are not doing what they ought to, at a
particular stage, we must offer stimulation that
will help them achieve required skills, quickly.
Professional help can and should be sought if
parents are at a loss. The earlier the
intervention, the better will be the chances of
helping children acquire the skills they lack.
Lakshmi Satish
The writer runs a special school In Chennai.
She can be contacted on her telephone, 98840 86940
ADVERTISE IN Local
Call 97905 90570 or email your
queries to thelocaleditor@gmail.com
Maanas,
Centree for Inclus
nclusiive Education
ducation, Coonoor, contact Mrs Leela
13
promotional feature
“The highest ideal of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of the health, or removal and
annihilation of the disease in its whole extent, in the shortest, most reliable, and most harmless way, on
easily comprehensible principles.” - Dr Samuel Hahnemann, German scientist & founder of Homoeopathy.
Dr Helen Shanthi BHMS, FCIP, trained
at Father Muller Homoeopathic Medical
College, Mangalore. Her association with
the discipline began at an early age itself
due to her father’s influence (a staunch
believer in homoeopathic remedies).
Dr Helen, in a recent interview, responds
to key questions on specific areas such as cure
for diabetics, child health and ailments in
the elderly, like arthiritis. Clarifications on
misconceptions regarding the discipline were
also addressed during the interaction.
Some excerpts:
How would you explain homoeopathic
treatment to a lay person? Homoeopathy
is scientific, logical, safe, quick and an
extremely effective method of healing. It
offers long lasting to permanent cure for most
of the ailments. Homoeopathy does not treat
superficially by just driving away the
symptoms but heals the patient from within.
It works on a clear understanding of the
individual, using remedies that are
homogenous to the person’s physiological
nature, hence the term homoeopathy.
At what age and upto what age, can one
resort to homeopathic treatment ? Every
age group responds well to homeopathic
treatment. It works well in little children as
well as it does in the elderly. In fact, expectant
mothers can also take to homoeopathy
treatment to bolster the child’s immunity. In
the case of any untoward infection in the
mother-to-be, homoeopathic remedies work
best since there is no adverse impact on the
foetus.
Is homoeopathy treatment very stringent?
What about side effects? I would certainly
say homoeopathic treatment requires
discipline on the part of the individual. There
are strict timings of dosage that need to be
followed. The important aspect to note
however, is that homoeopathy treatment
reduces over time and the ailment
progressively cures. As for side effects, there
are none.
Are there any specific diet restrictions?
There are no diet restrictions except for coffee
intake, which is discouraged. Caffeine in the
coffee has a negative reaction on the
treatment.
What if an individual is already on
allopathy treatment? If the individual is
under allopathic treatment, stopping the
treatment and adopting homoepathic
remedies will not have any adverse influence.
I must add here that homoeopathy also helps
avoid surgery. Many diseases which are
labelled as ' surgical' can be cured through
homoeopathy. Some such ailments are
tonsilitis, piles, fissure in ano, fistula,
appendicitis, vocal cord nodules, kidney and
Biliary stones, small size uterine fibroids,
ovarian cysts, warts, corns, varicose veins and
non-healing ulcers.
Homoeopathy is excellent also for
psychosomatic ailments like migraine,
asthma, acidity and peptic ulcer. As I had
mentioned earlier, treatment is based on the
patient's mental make-up and the remedies
act at the level of mind and body together.
What type of conditions are best suited to
homoeopathic treatment? Homoeopathy,
being a near complete system of medicine is
applicable to all kinds of ailments and
diseases, including even new age disease
such as H1N1. One can resort to
homoeopathy for any ailment from cold to
cancer though in the case of chronic ailment,
it is essential to treat in the early phases. At
the later stages, when the disease advances
to an incurable level, homoeopathy can offer
little for cure but even then, it can help
alleviate the pain.
What are the most common types of cases
you encounter in the Nilgiris? Here, in the
Nilgiris, I come across chronic conditions of
arthiritis, diabetes and hypertension. We also
encounter several cases of asthma. The
fulfilling aspect of being a homoeopathic
doctor is that there is the confidence that
every case can be treated and cured,
provided it is not in an advanced stage.
Tell us about diabetes treatment through
homoeopathy? Homoeopathy is best for
diabetes, where the medicines rejuvenate
the body cells to maintain normal blood
sugar, stimulate pancreas to secrete insulin

Legal Provisions regarding
Contd from p 2
removal of a liquor shop
Nithyananda teachings.
from a locality.
joy. You will then never be self-
contradictory.
Every time you drink, drink with
complete awareness. Let me
explain: Every time you drink,
drink consciously, slowly, watching
every movement of yours, tasting
every drop of the drink, watching
the reaction of your body to it.
Make it a process filled with acute
awareness. I assure you, if you do
this every time you decide to
drink, you do not have to drop
the habit, the habit will leave you
forever.
Addiction to anything is an
unconscious or mechanical
process. It is not just addiction to
drinks or tobacco. It is addiction
to even religion. People who pray
unconsciously and mechanically,
following a routine, will find it very
hard if they miss even one day’s
prayer. For them, it is an addiction
and so it causes anxiety when
missed. Just like when an
alcoholic misses his evening drink,
he starts trembling in insecurity,
the mechanically religious person
will feel a big void if he misses his
routine prayer.
The key is to understand the
difference between doing things
with awareness and doing things
mechanically and out of fear.
Doing things in the former
fashion will never bring you under
any sort of binding. It will not bind
you in space and time. You will
be a master. Doing things in the
latter way will bind you and cause
misery to you. You will be a slave.
To drop an addiction, flood it
with awareness; it will transform
in the right way. Remember:
Never think that you need to drop
an addiction. Anything that you
resist will persist. You simply need
to transform it by deep awareness,
that’s all. When you understand
the language of transformation,
you are on the right track; you
are on the path of openness.
To watch video clips of
Paramahamsa Nithyananda’s
talks, log on to http://youtube.com/
lifeblissfoundation. You may also log
on to www.nithyananda.org for
meditation program details.
Sister Edward passes away
Pic, courtesy: Little Sisters of the Poor
Homeopathy questions answered
and prevent diabetic complications. At first
detection of diabetes, resorting to
homoeopathy rightaway gives quick results.
Even if the person is under any other form
of treatment, the homoeopathic remedies can
be administered alongside it. If allopathy
treatment was being given, it will be
gradually tapered off. One important benefit
of homoeopathy is that it can be stopped for
long durations after sugar levels are brought
down and may be resumed when necessary.
Regular check ups are essential, however.
Diet and exercise is also key.
What is contained in homoeopathic
medicine? Homoeopathy is the only system
with the ‘magic of minimum dose’. It has a
unique approach of the method of
preparation of the drugs in which the end
result will contain only the 'dynamic curative
power' of the drug. The over 2500
homoeopathic medicines, despite being
prepared from sources such as vegetables,
minerals and chemicals, among others, are
devoid of any original crude substance by a
mode of preparation called potentization.
Hence homoeopathic remedies with its ultra
14
tribute
‘Sister Edwar
Edw ardd was the kindest person I have
met,’ says Mr Augustine, one of the oldest
residents at The Little Sisters of the Poor -
Home for the Aged, in Coonoor. ‘I believed she
was a saint. To be in her company was to have
been blessed,’ says Mrs Suarez, long time donor
and well wisher of the Home.
‘Even as she got older, Sr Edward was very
observant; she would instantly know when
anyone at the home was not alright. “Something
is wrong with him”, she would tell us. “He is
unwell”... Sr Edward would know everything
about every body at the home,’ recalls the
present Mother Superior.
An American national, Sr Edward first came to
India in 1950 where she began her service at
the Little Sisters of the Poor in Chennai. As a
Provincial (a highly senior position within the
Order), the senior lady travelled to several
countries in the region, ably guiding the various
Homes for the Aged in these places. Always
ready to listen to and comfort people, Sr
Edward’s services at the Home for the Aged in
Coonoor, where she spent her final years since
2002, will be remembered with deep gratitude.
Sr Edward passed away at the age of 88.
She died on October 27, 2009. Special Correspondent
Contd from previous page
minute dose are non-toxic, absolutely
harmless and bring about safe and sure cure.
What is the key element in the patient-
doctor relationship? It is very important, in
the initial interactions, for both the doctor
and the individual (in homoeopathy we
genreally do not refer to anyone as a patient)
to communicate freely. As I mentioned
earlier, it is vital for the doctor to not only
understand the physiological condition of the
person but to also assess the psychological
aspects. Likewise, the person must clearly
understand the concept of homoeopathy.
I would like to add here that once the doctor
understands the individual thoroughly, in
the event of any future ailment, the
diagnosis and treatment is much quicker
and more effective now that the person’s
unique information is readily available and
is understood by both!
Dr Helen Shanthi has a homoeopathy
clinic in Coonoor. She may be contacted
on her telephone no. 98420 48070. To
visit: Redeemer Homoeopathy Clinic,
ISSU Building, Bedford, Coonoor.
15
local issue
enterprise

History, if we don’t learn from it, can repeat itself.

‘The book will especially help our younger generation to understand the magnitude of that event (Partition of India), allowing deep
introspection and comparisons into the strife that besets the globe today with the glimmer of hope that the human spirit kindles...
Do people care about history?
‘I believe that if we don’t learn from it,
history has its way of repeating itself,’
says the visiting writer from the US,
Punjabi-born, Mrs Neena Kahlon.
Her recently launched book, Juice
Mango, is based on the collateral damage
that the partition of India caused to
thousands along the present borders of
the nation. The perspective is that of a 9
year old Sikh girl who comes to terms
with what is happening around her
during that terrible period, without quite
knowing why it is happening. She has
responsibilities to fulfill amid her
personal loss and tragedy.
‘The book will especially help our
younger generation to understand the
magnitude of that event, allowing deep
introspection and comparisons into the
strife that afflicts the globe today.
On an individual level, hope is the
underlying essence of Ratna’s story.
Calamitous times and pain is an integral
part of life. Not everyone has to see
suffering of this kind but if it must come
upon us, the human spirit is capable of
coping and conquering. It is the spirit
that prevails, himmat, as they say in
Punjabi,’ says the scholarly lady,
emphatically.
Did it take a lot of research to put
together this gripping work (an NDTV
newsreader, based in Delhi - where the
writer had visited a week earlier, to
launch the book, is said to have sat up
till 2 in the morning to finish it!) ? ‘So
much of the examples and episodes of
everyday life, in rural Punjab, are etched
in my own memory as a little girl,’ says
the writer. ‘I would frequently dip into
that reservoir of memories. The ‘mango
parties’ that we would have is one of
them.’ The metaphoric effect that the
juice mango has, right through the book,
is rather evident. It has a leading effect.
It conveys hope amid strife.
What type of leadership is essential
today? ‘I think change is vital for all of
us to comprehend and facilitate in our
lives. I see, for example, many deep set
cultural aspects in our society which are
being followed just because they have
been followed. It is time to shrug off the
yoke of unquestioning acceptance and to
change. It is what the world is inspired
by today. In all the strife and struggle
that is around us, leadership that believes
change is not only imminent but in our
own hands, is to be upheld. There must,
at the same time, be a consensus and
deep sensitivity to the concerns of others.’
In her own quiet storytelling way, the
writer has shown leadership through her
writing. ‘Sheer advice goes unheeded.
Information and interpretation based on
historical events and episodes will
engage the reader.’
Juice Mango, by picking up the pieces of
our history, deliberately reconstructing
the travails and its triumphs, is bound
to go a long way down in history.

A miracle
a day.

Happy home:
From left, Mr ‘ever ready’
Maria Das, the Mother
Superior Sr Maria Goretti,
Mr Augustine, Sr Odile,
Mr Kandaiah.

‘AA miracle happens every day’, says Sr Maria Goretti, head of the Little Sisters of the Poor, Home for the Aged, Coonoor. With 75 inmates and 12
little sisters, the Nilgiri wing of this worldwide organisation founded in France in the late 1700s, by Saint Jeanne Jugan (recently cannonised) is a fine
example of efficiency, where everyone pitches in to keep the wheels moving. Donors keep the engine running. The Home runs on collections that the
sisters tirelessly collect from generous locals, following the example of their foundress, centuries ago. ‘Some benefactors land at our doorstep and
make a contribution. That’s our miracle of the day!’, says Sr Goretti with a smile.. To know how to make a donation: Call: (0423) 2206738

Special educators constantly innovate.
A green sock and a red sock is what Heike
Freese, special educator from Bremen,
Germany, wore one day to the special school
Udhavi that she is volunteering at in
Coonoor. ‘I drew the attention of the young
children to my odd socks and there was great
amusement all around’’, says the spirited
lady, adding ‘but there was a bigger purpose
to my actions.’ The next day when this six-
and-a-half footer walked in to the day school,
it seems the young lad at the entrance,
Aashiq, focussed his sight on her feet and
wouldn’t look up until Heike lifted her
trousers slightly to reveal the green-red!
‘Children with special needs are a lot more
intelligent than we realise. Only that their
comprehension of everything around them
is different from what larger society believes.
Which is why inclusive methods of teaching
and guidance must be woven around each
child and not the other way around.’
Heike’s unusual approach took many by
surprise, including the neighbouring
shopkeepers and passers-by on the
Darlington Bridge road in upper Coonoor
where the day school is situated. ‘People
found it odd to respond, I could tell, when
Prakash (one of the older children at the
centre) would say namaste on some of our
initial walks outside the centre. It’s the
getting used to, that matters. The challenge
is with society and its acceptance.’
What does it take to be a special educator?
Definitely, an open mind, one that is
constantly identifying the needs of the child
Advertisement
Published on behalf of The Local Media Publishing Co,. by Edwin David from 10/363-Y-1, Indiranagar; Avk Post, The Nilgiris. Printed at Satya Press, no. 50 Kariappa Street; Purasaiwalkam, Chennai - 7. Editor: Edwin David
special education
and thinking up innovative ways to reach
out’. How long does it take for a child to
develop trust? ‘Sometimes a couple of days
but sometimes even a few months!’
‘I recall when I first began work with the
children, Mrs Latika Rao (the chief
counsellor and special educator at Udhavi)
would encourage the children to point out
to signs, words and diagrams on the specially
constructed boards helping them
understand where I come from. Aashiq,
who likes to communicate with us in English,
pointed to the ‘where’ chart quite easily. I
then gestured with my arms wide open,
moving up and down to show a plane to
explain that I am from overseas. We are yet
to introduce him to an atlas but that will
happen soon enough!’
Ms. Freese’s community work back in
Germany involved working with large
sections of society towards a ‘violence free
environment’. It was a decade long collective
objective in Bremen and other parts of the
world. From here, the volunteer leaves for
South Africa to work with children living
with HIV.
‘I find working with children here fulfilling
and it is of course a huge learning for me.
Some of the challenges that the special
children face here are tremendous.’
The special educator also taught maths- contribution and support from society for
music-sports at a German school in Mumbai special education is the need of the hour,
years ago, which marked her first visit to both in the form of donations and helping
India. Parting message from this multi- hands. More attention needs to be paid to
talented individual for locals? Greater these wonderful people amidst us.’