Keshara

Saffron has always held a very special place in our Indian rituals,ceremonies and food. It is applied as tilak on the forehead. It has also been documented to have been used as a versatile medicine since ancient times. In 2004 researchers studying 3,500 year old frescoes at Thera, a Greek island in the Aegean, found depictions of a goddess presiding over the collection of saffron. Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that 50,000 year-old depictions of prehistoric places in northwest Iran contained saffron-based pigments, indicating the human relationship with saffron is as old as time itself. It is called Keshara in Sanskrit. 

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. One gram of pure saffron can cost between Rs 350 to Rs 550 ! So what makes it so expensive ?

Well, saffron is derived from a flower called Crocus Sativas. It has been estimated that when approximately one acek of purple crocuse are harvested, it will yield approximately one kilogram of saffron. This is because each crocus flower only produces 3 threads of saffron. About 14,000 threads (actually the dried stigmas of the crocus flower) equals to about 28 grams of saffron.So you can imagine the labor intensive process that goes into harvesting saffron threads. In India,saffron is mainly grown in Kashmir. Though saffron is produced in many countries of the world like Iran,Greece,Spain etc but the saffron grown in Kashmir, India is the most superior and expensive.

The skin benefits of saffron are well known for ages. But it has several other health benefits as well :

Improves Memory: Crocin and crocetin are powerful antioxidants found in saffron which help in improving memory of a person. Diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s can be kept away by its intake. 

Saffron acts as an Antidepressant: Saffron contains 5-hydroxytryptophan which helps in the production of serotonin which helps in elevating the mood. It helps in receiving blood into the brain and helps in reducing depression and apprehension.

Saffron Prevents Cancer: Crocin and Safranal in saffron inhibit the growth of tumor in the body. The Carotenoids in saffron possess chemo preventive properties. It has been found to help protect against colon, liver and ovarian cancer. 

Skin Benefits: Saffron has anti-bacterial properties and can is very beneficial in reducing acne. it can be directly applied on the affected area. It acts as a natural scrub and aids in removing dead cells. Saffron can also be applied along with milk to lighten the skin and remove pigments.

Optimum health: The overall mineral content including calcium, vitamins, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin-C, proteins etc present in Saffron ensure the maintenance of optimum health.

Cold remedy: Saffron has been found to be beneficial against flu and cold. Glass of warm milk along with saffron is recommended

while sick.

Healthy Kidneys: It helps in protecting kidney related diseases and reduces kidney stress. 

New studies are being conducted worldwide to understand the true potencial of saffron in medicine.It is found to be helpful in preventing and fighting cancer.

So lets add a little bit of saffron spice to our life !

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110822091617.htm
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/saffron-takes-cancer

Poonam Patil Kalra

Exiled from paradise

Couple of year ago, I visited Switzerland, and like a typical Indian, who has had an overdose of Yash Chopra / Karan Johar movies, I believed that I have seen the most beautiful place on earth and all the beauty that nature has to offer ! But this summer, everything changed, during my first ever visit to Kashmir. I don’t have words to express the beauty of the place. For the first time in my life, I realised that true beauty, in its supreme form, can actually move you to tears.

While I was there, I came across places like, Srinagar, Anantnaag, Chandanwadi, and wondered, that why would a predominantly Muslim state have such beautiful Hindu names for their towns and cities? And it occurred, of course the Kashmiri Pandits! For the rest of the journey, there was a nagging thought, all the time, at the back of mind – What exactly happened to the people who belonged to this beautiful place? They have been here for a long, long time and suddenly they vanished, leaving behind traces of their past.

In the months that followed, I read so many, many tales of horror. Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits were selectively killed and others were massacred. Women were kidnapped, killed, raped or converted. Men were killed in the middle of night. Even children were not spared. There was a campaign of intimidation and harassment against them by militant outfits. By 1990, about 3,50,000 Pandits were driven away from their homes and homeland. Many of them had to stay in refugee camps under inhuman conditions for years. But because, it was a small community with no vote bank, nobody bothered and nobody cared. It is unimaginable for most of us to leave our homes and the place where our family has lived for generations and live like refuges, homeless and ignored, in our own country. As of now, only about 4000 Pandits are living in the valley.

For the first time, in so many years, the present Indian government has promised to make efforts to ensure that the Kashmiri Pandits return to their homeland, the land of their ancestors, with full dignity, security and assured livelihood. And I really hope, that this time, we as a nation, stand up for them.

And by the way, let me tell you this, our very own Kashmir is way more beautiful than a thousand Switzerlands put together !!