In the modern world, everyone checks for compatibility between lovers by checking with their sun signs, moon signs, and numerology. Some people go to the extent of checking with their number vibration and their name numbers. Love for Spouse
The ancient Tamilians followed a simple method to check the compatibility and suitability between prospective young lovers and newly married couples. This is a small, exciting exercise that young people love to do during family functions, marriages, and other get-together functions.
Still, Tamil households that live in towns and villages, never allow their teenage girls and boys to have thamboolam. Thamboolam can be chewed only by married men and women. In every Tamil marriage, thamboolam takes an important role as it is auspicious.
Every guest after eating the wonderful lunch served at the wedding looks for the thamboolam. Middle-aged men and women sit together and talk about everything under the sun while chewing the thamboolam. Mixing for a thamboolam reflects the personality of the person who prepares the thamboolam. Everyone has a different way of preparing a thamboolam.
Some people may prefer to have more betel leaves, some may prefer to add more areca nut and some may prefer to have more white lime added to the thamboolam. The perfect combination of betel leaves, areca nut, and white lime or chunam helps to bring the perfect color. Depending on the color, love for a spouse can be found.
If a young girl gets the perfect red color, it shows that her spouse loves her more. If a young boy gets the perfect red color, it shows that his spouse loves him more. If both do not get the perfect color, the compatibility between the two will be a balanced one. A bride is much appreciated if she can prepare the thamboolam with a perfect combination of betel leaves, areca nut, and white lime.
In a Tamil household, a mother usually teaches her daughter how to make the perfect combination. City-bred mothers may not know all these things, but mothers who are bread in towns and villages are well aware of this tradition.
Let me share the secret of preparing a perfect thamboolam. It starts with the selection of tender betel leaves. If you select the betel leaves which are not tender, the thamboolam may taste sharper and can affect the taste buds of the tongue.
Areca nut is now available in small packets. The whole areca nut is broken into small pieces and mixed with different flavors. The amount of areca nut may differ from person to person. The same goes for the addition of white lime or chunam. It is always good to just add a small pinch of white lime. The correct addition of white lime brings the perfect color after chewing the thamboolam.
I remember how my grandmother prepared the thamboolam to eat after her lunch in the afternoons. Elderly people always have thamboolam after their lunch as it can avoid indigestion problems and help digestion. Choose the tender betel leaves. Turn the betel leaves and strip away the middle veins in the betel leaves. Arrange the betel leaves one by one. Apply a pinch of white lime to the last leaf. Place the sweetened areca nut powder on the first leaf.
Fold the leaves together into one or two folds. Put it into your mouth and chew. You must not chew and swallow the whole lot. Swallow only the juice. You can spit out the end paste of the betel leaves. This is the correct way of having a thamboolam. Too much chewing betel leaves with areca nut powder and white lime may induce mouth ulcers.
If you are going to have the thamboolam once a day, it helps you in the best way. Many people have the habit of adding sweetened tobacco along with the thamboolam. This can induce severe mouth ulcers which can finally end in cancer of the mouth. Too much thamboolam can also bring the appetite down. This habit can slowly develop into an addiction which may require proper medical treatment.
Growing up in an environment enriched with colours of nature adorned with sounds of machines, I enjoyed life with all challenges. Nature is always a great teacher that teaches empathy to live and let live others. Though I am now living in an urban environment, the lesson that nature taught me motivates and allows me to keep on writing. I will always remember the cool afternoons in the shades of trees that made me write more on love.