Thai Pongal treats

Preparing the Pongal rice is part of the rituals:

Thai Pongal, the harvest festival celebrated by Tamils across the world, falls on January 15. Pongal in Tamil means "boiling over or spill over". The act of boiling over of milk in the clay pot is considered to denote future wishes for the family.

Traditionally celebrated at harvest time, it's a celebration of the prosperity associated with the harvest by thanking the sun god, rain and the farm animals that have helped in the harvest.

In villages, new clothes are worn and people owning cows find this festival important.

The traditional Pongal rice (rice pudding) which is a dish of sweet concoction of rice, moong dal, jaggery and milk is prepared in the front garden. It is spread on a banana leaf and served with fruits like banana and mango. Later the Tamils share their Pongal rice with neighbours, friends and relatives.

The Thai Pongal menu includes a variety of traditional dishes from a variety of Pongals to side dishes such as vadai, payasam, aviyal and sweetmeats. Try out these recipes for your Thai Pongal 2011.

Heal your heels!

Get 'cracking' to rejuvenate your feet:

Without doubt, your feet are the most active part of your body, even more than your hands. Most of the time they are definitely overworked. Especially in today's day and age, the big metros are so widespread that one has to cover long distances to get from one place to the next be it for job or other work. Therefore it is very much essential that one must take extra care of their feet in order to avoid having foot problems Cracked, dry heels are a very common but painful foot condition. The cracks are caused by dry skin. The skin then thickens and calluses form around the edge of the heel making the problem worse.

It isn't hard to heal cracked heels and keep your feet looking and feeling good. Moreover it is better to take steps to avoid facing these problems by following the following guidelines.

* Do not expose your feet to extreme climate i.e., extreme cold or extreme heat.

* Wash feet daily in lukewarm water, blot dry without rubbing and apply a urea-based cream.

* If your heels are very dry, use a pumice stone to slough off dry skin, cover feet with petroleum jelly and put a pair of socks before going to bed.

* Pedicure your feet more often.

* Use hot-cold water technique. Dip your feet in hot water and then after five minutes dip it in cold water. Do this for 20 minutes. This method improves the blood circulation.

* Choose your shoes carefully and pick only the best quality.

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