Every year, in the month of November, people celebrate Amla Navami, a day dedicated to the worship of Amla or the Gooseberry tree. Also known as Akshaya Navami, this festival falls in the month of Kartik, as per the Hindu calendar.
According the various legends in the Skanda Purana, Padma Purana and Vishnu Purana, the Amla tree has been associated with Vishnu. It is believed that this tree is very dear to the god and has also been said to be another form of Vishnu himself.
On Amla Navami, devotees observe a fast throughout the day. After a pooja, they break the fast while sitting under an Amla tree. Sitting or meditating under the Amla tree on this day is believed to remove sins and diseases. People also circumambulate the tree and eat amlas to seek good health and prosperity.
Did you know about the deadly female assassins of ancient India? These women were called ‘Vishkanya’, which literally translates to ‘Poison Maiden.’ These assassins were said to be used by kings and ministers to administer poison to their political rivals, in various ways. Read on to know more these mysterious figures.
Historical Mentions
Many ancient texts contain mentions of Vishkanyas and their operations in ancient courts. One such text is the Arthashastra, an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft written by Chanakya, a strategist and royal advisor to Chandragupta, the first Mauryan emperor. In addition to this, some local Marathi sources such as the Marathi book, ‘Samrat Akhbar’ and a Persian source by historian Abdul Qadir Badyuni from the period of Mughal Emperor Akbar, also point towards the existence of the Vishkanyas. Similarly, some Ayurvedic texts on toxicology mention Vishkanyas and their dangers. There is also a lot of anecdotal and oral evidence surrounding the legend of these assassins.
Illustration: Bhavani Nadgonde
Training
According to legend, young girls who were chosen to become Vishkanyas had to undergo rigorous training. A major part of this training included a practice known as ‘Mithridatism’. Mithridatism was method to protect oneself against various poisons by gradually consuming them in small doses daily, to develop immunity against them. Unfortunately, Mithridatism was not effective against all kinds of poison. Hence, many young women died during the process of becoming a Vishkanya. Those who survived were said to become insensitive to poison, and the immunity they attained was beneficial in killing their targets.
Once they were fully trained, most Vishkanyas would disguise themselves as dancers or courtesans and approach their victims thus. In many stories, Vishkanyas appear to be able to poison others simply through touch or exchange of bodily fluids. Their blood would also be deadly to those who came in contact with it. However, some other texts suggest that the Vishkanyas weren’t physically poisonous. Instead, they would poison the food or drink of their enemy. They would then consume this food in front of the target to gain their trust. Since the Vishkanyas were immune to poison, they would not be affected, but the target would soon die after eating or drinking the poisoned items.
The Legends of Vishkanyas
Once, a Vishkanya was sent, disguised as a dancer, to the court of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. Suspecting her real identity, Chanakya sent her to the emperor’s enemy, King Parvathak. The very next day, Parvathak was found dead, and Emperor Chandragupta was saved.
Some records mention an incident where the Greek philosopher Aristotle warned Alexander the Great against such dancers gifted by Indian kings to their guests.
Information on the Vishkanyas is found in very limited amount of historical texts, which is why it is difficult to differentiate between fact and legend surrounding these assassins. Perhaps that is why these mysterious and fascinating figures have captured public imagination, turning them into common archetypes even in modern literature.
By Srinidhi Murthy
Read more about fascinating Indian history, only on the ACK Comics app!
Arati Saha was a swimming legend, who created history when she became the first Asian woman to swim across the English Channel, at the young age of 19. Read on to know more about her life.
Childhood
Arati Saha was born in 1940 in Kolkata, West Bengal to a middle class family. She was brought up by her father, as her mother had passed away when she was still a toddler. After her mother’s loss, her elder brother and younger sister were sent off to live in their maternal aunt and uncle’s house, while Arati was left to be brought up by her grandmother in North Calcutta. Panchugopal Saha, her father, would take little Arati along with him and his brother to the city’s popular bathing grounds – Champtala Ghat.
Almost immediately Panchugopal was able to recognise that his daughter had an inclination towards swimming, even at such an early age. He decided to enroll her for proper training at the Hatkhola Swimming Club. As luck would have it, India’s first Asian Games gold medalist, Sachin Nag noticed her one day. He too, immediately spotted her talent and decided to take her under his wing and began training her. After this, Arati dived right into her professional swimming career.
Illustration: Prakash Sivan
Accolades
After starting training at just 4 years old, Arati won a gold medal for 110 yards freestyle at the Shailendra Memorial Swimming Competition of 1946, only a year later. With exemplary determination and discipline, she went on to win more than 22 state competitions in West Bengal over the next 6 years. Her game-changing recorded time for her laps allowed her to take part in the 1952 Olympics at the mere age of 12, but unfortunately she did not manage to win a stand on the podium. This did not stop her, but only encouraged her to go further.
The Dream
As she was pushed harder and harder to train, she started to gain more confidence. She soon began to harbour a challenging dream — to attempt swimming the intimidating English Channel. Although a few women had attempted this before her, it was still a highly male dominated area at the time. Arati’s own participation is what changed this for future female swimmers.
Brojen Das, the English Channel’s first Asian finisher (not just once, but six times!) proposed Arati’s name to the organisers for the event that year. Even Mihir Sen, another accomplished English Channel finisher, encouraged this idea. With the motivation of many other supportive men and the financial aid of the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, and the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, the English Channel dream began to take shape.
In 1959, she attempted the feat for the first time but was unable to finish. She made her second attempt just one month later. This time, Arati came back and completed the entire length at the impressively young age of 19. This won her not just a Padma Shri, but also a place in the history of swimming, as the first Asian woman to swim across the English Channel.
Arati passed away at the age of 54, unfortunately losing a battle to jaundice and encephalitis. The Government of India honoured her by releasing a postage stamp in her name. She is remembered not just as a swimmer, but as a woman who changed swimming for every Indian girl who dreamed of the same things she did.
Read about more such legendary personalities from Indian history, only on the ACK Comics app!
According to Ayurveda, there are six tastes known as the ‘rasas’. Each rasa plays its own role in boosting health and influencing the taster’s mood. Thus, the perfect meal has to contain all six rasas: salty, sweet, pungent, sour, bitter, and astringent.
Astringents, the last of these, are peculiar. More sensation than taste, their effect on the tongue comes from tannin-heavy foods. The cooling numbness of tulsi, the gritty sweetness of paan, the ashy burn of tobacco, the dry bitterness of wine—all of these are astringents at play. In Sanskrit, the sixth flavour is called ‘kashaya rasa’.
Khar in the style of Sattriya painting—practised in Assam; Illustration: Anjali Narendra
Khar
In ancient times, the landlocked state of Assam had no access to sea salt. The common folk needed a strong condiment and a cheaper way to preserve food—thus came about khar. This brown liquid, filtered from the ashes of sun-dried banana peel, has an earthy smokiness that makes it the soul of Assamese cooking. An all-in-one ingredient, khar is used as a palate cleanser, digestif, antiseptic, shampoo, and even detergent!
Did you know?
Being an alkali, khar cannot be added to sour dishes, which contain acidic components like vinegar or tomatoes. This is because alkalis and acids neutralise each other.
According to Ayurveda, there are six tastes known as the ‘rasas’. Each rasa plays its own role in boosting health and influencing the taster’s mood. Thus, the perfect meal has to contain all six rasas: salty, sweet, pungent, sour, bitter, and astringent.
Bitterness often gets a bad reputation as the smell of burnt spices and the taste of medicine. However, the ability of bitters to balance out sweetness, cut through rich foods, and add depth of flavour, makes them integral to Indian cuisine. In the hands of a skilled cook, even the dreaded bitter gourd can be transformed into the crunchiest pakoras!
Sundakkai in the style of Thanjavur painting—practised in Tamil Nadu; Illustration: Anjali Narendra
Sundakkai
Also known as turkey berry, this marble-sized fruit grows in thorny shrubs all through the year. Rich in iron, it is said to prevent anaemia, and has a sharp, metallic undertone to its bitterness. These little flavour bombs are used in South Indian chutneys and gravies. They are also sundried, fried in ghee or oil, and eaten as an accompaniment to rice.
Did you know?
In Siddha, one of the five alternative systems of medicine in India, these berries are used to treat gastrointestinal issues. So great are their digestive properties, they are often eaten to break a fast.
According to Ayurveda, there are six tastes known as the ‘rasas’. Each rasa plays its own role in boosting health and influencing the taster’s mood. Thus, the perfect meal has to contain all six rasas: salty, sweet, pungent, sour, bitter, and astringent.
‘Sour’ is a combination of the first three—it has the brightness of sugar, the tang of salt, and the intensity of spice. Be it the tamarind that lends richness to sambhar or the mango pickle that completes a thali, the fourth rasa is irreplaceable. Souring agents like vinegar also aid in fermentation and preservation, extending the shelf life of many foods.
Kokum in the style of Kaavi—practised in the Konkan region (Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra); Illustration: Anjali Narendra
Kokum
Kokum trees are native to the Western Ghats of India, rarely straying afar. As such, the clusters of purple fruit dangling from their branches do not have an English name. Bite into a Kokum fruit and the tart explosion of flavour will taste like berries. Versatile, they can be at home in the sweetest of sherbets and the spiciest of curries.
Did you know?
Kokum butter, extracted from the seeds of the fruit, is used not only in cooking but across cosmetic products like moisturisers, lipsticks, and face creams.
Did you know that Kadambini Ganguly was the first woman practitioner of western medicine not only in India but in all of South Asia? She was also the first woman speaker in the Indian National Congress. Read more to learn some interesting facts about this inspiring woman.
-By Srinidhi Murthy
Illustration: Prakash Sivan
Early Life and Education
Kadambini Ganguly was born on 18 July, 1861, in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency (present-day Bihar). She was the daughter of Braja Kishore Basu, a well-known champion of the Brahmo Samaj. He was the headmaster of Bhagalpur School and co-founded ‘Bhagalpur Mahila Samiti’ in 1863, the first women’s organisation in India. Kadambini received her early education at the Brahmo Eden Female School, which later merged with Bethune School in 1878. She and her classmate Chandramukhi Basu from Dehradun became the first two women graduates in British India when they graduated from Bethune College in 1882.
Pursuing the Dream
Kadambini married Dwarakanath Ganguly in 1883. Her husband supported Kadambini’s dream to pursue medicine. With his support, she became the first woman to be admitted to the Calcutta Medical College (CMC) in 1884. When she completed her studies at CMC, the then-principal Dr J.M. Coates awarded her a Graduate Medical College of Bengal (GMCB) diploma that allowed her to start a private practice as a doctor in 1886. Along with Anandibai Joshi (who studied at the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in the United States), Ganguly became one of the first Indian women eligible to practice medicine in 1886. During this time, Kadambini’s achievements were praised by British nurse and social reformer Florence Nightingale, and British socialist Annie Besant.
Life in England
With her husband’s unfailing support, Kadambini decided to further her medical studies in London. She arrived in London on March 23, 1893. In July, she received the Triple Diplomas, i.e., Licentiate of the College of Physicians, Edinburg (LRCP), Licentiate of the College of Surgeons, Glasgow (LRCS), and Licentiate of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Dublin (LFPS), from the Scottish College after training in Dublin, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. She was the only woman among the 14 successful candidates who graduated that year.
Medical Career
When she returned from England, Kadambini joined Lady Dufferin Hospital in Kolkata as a senior doctor and started her career as a gynaecologist. Kadambini once correctly identified a pregnancy that had been misdiagnosed as an abdominal tumour. She not only corrected the initial misdiagnosis but also safely delivered the child. She later started her private practice.
Social Worker
Kadambini was involved in several social and freedom movements and was a champion of women’s rights and education. In 1908, she supported the Satyagraha movement and encouraged people to raise funds to support the cause. Ganguly was part of the first ever female delegation in the Fifth Session of the Indian National Congress, where women were invited to vote. In 1922, she visited Odisha and Bihar to help women miners. Until the day she died, she never refused to attend to any of her medical appointments. Kadambini Ganguly breathed her last on 7 October, 1923. She was truly a pathbreaker who proved to be an inspiration to many.
To read about more such inspiring figures, download the ACK Comics app now!
According to Ayurveda, there are six tastes known as the ‘rasas’. Each rasa plays its own role in boosting health and influencing the taster’s mood. Thus, the perfect meal has to contain all six rasas: salty, sweet, pungent, sour, bitter, and astringent.
India has been invaded time and again for its greatest treasures: gold and spice. The masala dabba holds pride of place in our kitchens, but did you know it once belonged in the medicine cabinet? Mughal physicians believed that pungent spices could destroy bacteria within the body. Even today, ginger tea and pepper rasam are go-to home remedies for a cold.
Raja Mirchain the style of Angami weaving—practised in the state of Nagaland; Illustration: Anjali Narendra
Raja Mircha
Indian cuisine is synonymous with spice—the king of which can be found in Nagaland,as flaming-red crescents of ghost pepper. Raja Mircha, as it is known by the locals, was the world’s hottest chili pepper from 2007 to 2010. It has since been dethroned by artificially-bred contenders butremainsone of the few naturally grown chili peppers on the list. People who have dared to try it say that its fruity heat blooms into an intensity that sets the tongue ablaze.
Did you know?
Clocking in at over 10,00,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units, a measure of the heat of chilies and peppers), Raja Mircha is smeared on fences and infused into smoke bombs to keep wild animals away.
According to Ayurveda, there are six tastes known as the ‘rasas’. Each rasa plays its own role in boosting health and influencing the taster’s mood. Thus, the perfect meal has to contain all six rasas: salty, sweet, pungent, sour, bitter, and astringent.
India, known for its festive sweets as much as its strong spices, is the world’s second largest producer of sugarcane. From the sugarcane bow that Kamadeva wields as a weapon, to the dahi-cheeni mixture eaten before starting something important, sugar is considered a divine ingredient that brings about good luck.
Jaggery in the styles of Warli (Maharashtra), Sanjhi (Uttar Pradesh), and Kalamkari (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana); Illustration: Anjali Narendra
Jaggery
Long ago, in the days before white sugar, our teeth knew the crunch of jaggery. This gravelly, brown sugar is made from sugarcane juice and the sap of palm trees. With its minimal processing and earthy sweetness, jaggery proves that health and taste can go hand-in-hand. Be it creamy payasam, rich halwa, or simple black tea—a crumble of jaggery can elevate just about anything.
Did you know?
Jaggery has many names: ‘gul’ in Marathi, ‘bellam’ in Telugu, ‘gur’ in Hindi, ‘sharkara’ in Malayalam, and the list goes on. Truly a pan-Indian treat!
