My experiment with fasting....

PushpavalliSrinivasan · Dec 17, 2011

Dear Mindi,
Your experiment with fasting did achieve two things. No 1. soul cleansing for you 2. a a nice enjoyable read for us.
I enjoyed your write up thoroughly.
Waiting for more experiments and more write ups,
Love,
PS

Cheeniya · Dec 17, 2011

My dear Mindi
To me, a faster is one who eats his food very fast, like the ravenously hungry train passengers who get down at wayside stations where the train will halt for two minutes and gobble up whatever they can lay their hands on. It is to help hungry people who are in a tearing hurry that fast food joints have sprung up all over the globe. Fast food joints serve only food that can be consumed fast so that eating does not delay the meetings that the customers may have to attend. They never sell any food items that may sew up their mouths like glue. So fast should logically mean eating fast and not eating nothing. I really do not know how fasting came about to imply eating nothing. I looked at all three of my trusted dictionaries which just mentioned it as old English. If the old English had to go without food for any reason, why did they have to call it fasting? Was it because of their ruing on how fast they would run to catch up with their feasting at the end of this self imposed denial? According to me, even the term ‘breakfast’ would have arisen from the fact that people turned to the east every morn to pray to Sun God to break free from the last vestiges of the night as fast as possible so that they could resume their eating without any further delay.

Fasting cleanses the soul through all the salivating about the thoughts of food at the conclusion of the fasting. There was a cat which used to fast twice a week and to make it look authentic would even wear a ‘rudraksh mala’. On the days the cat fasted, the rats would roam about in its vicinity without a care in the world thinking that they had no danger from the cat which was engaged in its biweekly soul-cleansing operation. The cat on the other hand would survey the rat population through an imperceptible slit in its closed eyes and make a mental note of the dwelling places of the rats so that when its fasting ended, its feasting could commence. My maternal grandma was like this cat. She would observe fasting on ‘Pradosha’ days during the whole day and would eat only after having the darshan of Lord Shiva in the evening. She would keep chanting Shiva’s name during the hours of fasting keeping the count with her Rosary. At the end of each round of chanting, she would ask my mum what she would be making for the dinner!

I may appear to be derisive about fasting but please be assured that I have no reservations whatsoever about it. I really love fasting. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than watching fasting people and their antics. They never fail to bring a smile on my face.
Sri

kkrish · Dec 17, 2011

My Dear Mindi
That was hilarious!:rotfl:rotfland :thumbsup!
I was very happy reading it and the many feedbacks! You see I may not be a good speller, but never make a spelling mistake when it comes to spelling feast!
The 'e" for eating is always there! And fast is bad word when it comes to food!

Never have I fasted, and everytime I try to, the whole world conspires against me touting delicious food in some way or the other!

Remember my policy, " you only live once"! So I want to live it well and full (pun intended) with my food friends and with my foodie friends too!

Many years ago I used to feel bad that I don't fast at all! My relief knew no bounds when one of my friend's mother declared that the lady of the house is considered "Lakshmi" and Lakshmi should never be hungry. If hungry, she gets upset and that will do no good for the betterment of the family!

Need i know more! I decided then and there that is going to be my motto and my generations to come!

Well today is Margazhi and I have Pongal, Kothsu for morning tiffin (after Sri sir's explanation I am avoiding the word breakfast); Sambar and curry and appalam or lunch, and hot steaming idlis for supper. My younger son is home so planning on sojji appam, his favorite and masala vadai for evening snacks. Would you like to join us?

A very nice article in the subject of my heart! Thank you my dear friend!

Mindian · Dec 17, 2011

Dear viji,

Yes I too was thinking of the maharashtrians only when I was writing this how often they used to fast and I used to always laugh and tell them we only know to feast for all our festivals.

Going to work and fasting is something I just can't do. I try out all these experiments only because I am at home

Mindian · Dec 17, 2011

Thanks bhargs

It gives a sense of achievement and self-control.....
I would not deny that I crave for chips,pasta more on that day than any other day....but, it is a thrill to control my cravings......

Exactly! ! I too like to feel that way and frankly for me, it is easier to control my eating than sleeping.

And, Ganeshji had been lavish in blessing me too......
I get at least one improvement,one change towards . betterment after every Sankatahara chathurthi...

That's great! I hope you continue to feel that way

But you didn't share your fasting Diet?

Sriniketan · Dec 18, 2011

Mindi,
My mom used to fast on Thursdays in those years..
So after marriage I thought let me have a day of fasting and chose, Saturdays that goes well with Thirupathi Balaji.
You know, it had become a test to me, to see whether I do continue to do that, because, those were the days, families here would call for a party or for any other celebration :-( I don't know what to do..my cousin, gave me this idea..Pray to the Lord that you would fast during the day and later in the evening have my way :biggrin2:
Thought it was a good idea and followed it religiously.
Nowadays, I fast on Tuesdays as instructed by my Aunt for health issues..
My mom said do not have 2 fasting days, otherwise you would feel weak and tired and could not look after anything.
So I gave up the Saturdays and started on Tuesdays, which I am comfortable with tea, oats, some upma and fruits.
You know after this change of fasting to Tuesdays, no family is calling us for the party or celebrations :biglaugh:

sriniketan

knbg · Dec 18, 2011

Mindian said: ↑

Thanks bhargs

But you didn't share your fasting Diet?
Click to expand...

Hi Mindi.....
My diet on the day of fasting.....Just milk.....thrice...:crazy...
People advice to take fruits, but, some how, i never felt like taking anything else.....after all, it's just for a day in a month....and I just hog on the remaining days....

ambika04 · Dec 18, 2011

//I do NOT belong to a family of fasters. They were more a family of feasters .//Haha Mindi what a way to start..

My mom always believed in serving food for somebody who is hungry on a day to day basis.I have seen the joy,the fulfillment they derived after having the food.So what Im trying to say is I don't need to fast to understand that.Oh ya even I can call myself a feaster as there were times when I queued up in line to eat puliygare & thats how I became a devotee for Lord Balaji .Jokes apart the very purpose of fasting is to understand the difficulties faced by needy.My heart really aches seeing people aren't educated naturally about this.Many see it as a mere ritual which is not the case.Your fast ended in soul cleansing is really laudable.

Mindian · Dec 18, 2011

So you ended up with bread and butter...hahaha

yes aruna dear, now when you feel dizzy with hunger you cant even make something to eat so I had no other option.LOL

We will have to have a strong will to fast at this age...hehehe[/QUOTE]

chalo, thoda experiment ke baad bathathi hoon how strong a will I have.

Mindian · Dec 18, 2011

Dear pushpa mam,

thank you !!! of course you will hear about all my experiments. after all where else can i get a patient listener.
but don't you have any tips for me to go about it seriously .