KATTI (WEIGHING) 

Dear friends, 

The word KATTI is used with manymeanings mainly as weighing more, and thicker. 

VEPPILAKKATTI, is a consumable product prepared using Vadukappuli leaves(A 
Lemon type).  

KATTI VARAHAN, is a valued compliment. On earlier days VARAHAN,gold coin with 
thickness was complimented. Our sasthrikal uses the wordKattivarahan during 
aseervadam starting with “Rojano rojamansya…. “Whether thecompliment has 
varahan or not. Now a day the recitation of the manthram is only for a few 
compliments fromVIP relatives like   Mamma, Periappa,Chitthappa, and rarely 
from INNOCENT ATHIMABAR. Athimbar is mostly neglected. 

For reasons not known, the“PANAATHOTTI PANAM” is not given now a day in most 
functions.  Poor Athimbar may be expecting after giving a good compliment 
oncompulsion of Atthai, at least some amount as Panathooti panam.  I am not 
sure why the sasthrikal do notinstruct (?) about the complimenting of 
Panatthotti panam to Athimbar. 

Other invitees have to simplyhand over compliment. How many times the 
sasthrikal can recite Rojanorojamansya..? He will smile telling KUDUTTHUKUNGO… 
(You may give). 

As the practice of Panathootipanam is   not mostly in vogue, now a dayAthimbar 
too just compliment in hand and leave. Panatthotti panam is not only a 
compliment, but arespect too to Athimbar during the time of function. 

We can see what an atmospheremami creates if Mama is not given THOZL PANAM, and 
mama too expresses in theface. 

The only exemption to the rule ofreciting “rojano rojamansya “is while VVIPs 
comes to compliment. While VVIPsappear surely the sasthrikal will recite the 
manthra seeing the smile in theirface and creating smile in his face. The 
videographer would change focusing tohim, photographer would get ready. 

Katti is associated with WEIGHT as wellas used in place of weight also. When 
size increases, weight too would increase.The thickness is preferred in certain 
items. Thickness is less preferred in certain items. Medium thickness 
ispreferred in many items. 

A coating of paint can increase the size of door making it not closingsome 
times with that millimetre increase of thickness. Anapplication of cement to 
close a small hole near the bottom frame of the doorcan make the closing of 
door difficult. Or better for opening the same also. 

A limited look in to KATTI(THICKNESS) from a variety of thickness cases. 

Sincerely,

Gopala Krishnan  

1. Question paper bhayankara kattiyayirunnu. (The Questions are tough inthe 
examination) 

The tough nature of questions isreferred as KATTI. Not only students, teachers 
and parents too very often usethe word Katti for difficulty in answering. 

A learnt parent can understandthe toughness of questions given in examination 
of his children- Similarly manyteachers too would judge the toughness of 
questions. 

During my High school days theQuestion Papers for the various standards were 
set in different institutionsevery year. In the bottom of the question paper 
there would be  printing like  - “Questions set by Krishnan Nair, NSS 
highschool Vazhappali or Elsamma Mathew NSS high school, Harippad or 
RamanathaIyer, NSS High school, Vadakkedathukavu”... This was later followed in 
middleschools also. 

If the questions were simple butintelligent many times parents used to send 
compliment letters and the otherway if tough, many students used to send post 
cards in their own language tothe teacher set the Question paper. I had a 
neighbour Vasudevan Nair who wroteand showed me a letter he wrote once - Iyyate 
arrivellam kanikkano question paper? (Is thequestion paper is to show your 
knowledge?) 

The secret side of this- Manyused to write with false names and false school 
names!! 

Afterwards the practice wasstopped for some reasons.  In fact it was a credit 
for the person settingto see his name printed and talked – The “I” is there 
with most of us in someform or other. All sorts of arguments are having “I 
“behind. 

2. Katti in kitchen 

I think the word is very oftenused in Kitchen. KATTICHATNI is used as side 
dish. It could be 95% solid 

Our caterers now a day supply Kattimor (Thick buttermilk)instead of curd. 

For preparing morkkootan werequire Kattimor, but for Thayir pacchati, we 
require curd.

Our women folk while purchasingvessels first look at their weight and thickness 
at bottom. For boiling milkessentially our women folk require pan with thick 
bottom. Now a day stainlesssteel pan is used for preparing in Induction stove. 

Most of us require homemade dosaor iddali with medium thickness. We would 
suggest- Adhikam katti Venda. Even adadosa is tastier ifthickness is less 

Katti payasam is an easy preparation for occasions or foroffering to Gods. 

Katti pidikkuka is used to tell for loosing of water content morewhile 
preparing dishes. 

If poori is thicker it will not blow up. If chappatthi is thicker it willnot 
boil properly. 

3. Tholikkatti 

I was thinking more about “Tholikkatti” not to misswhile writing- Thickness of 
skin. There is a saying Kanda mrigathintaetholikkatti (Thickness of skin to the 
size of rhinoceros) frequently used inMalayalam meaning leastbother of any sort 
of insults. 

If thickness of human skin wasmore, what would have been the type of syringe 
for an injection? At the sametime whether we would get so many injuries? Even 
our predecessor apes have morethick skin. 

Humans have very soft skin. Evenwe can create an injury with our own nails in 
the skin. Sometimes eveninterested scratching of itching creates bleeding due 
to injury of the skin. Wecannot imagine a person without skin though it is a 
covering above flesh. 

We cannot apply either ice orsteam over the body, if skin was not there. There 
could not have been identifications with moles etc.Sweating glands are provided 
on the skin. 

4. Vegetable skin and Katti 

Vegetables and fruits have skin.Some have skin thicker, some thinner. Skins of 
some vegetables and fruits areto be removed for use. The white cucumber 
(Kumbalanga) can be used afterremoving its thick skin. 

For some removal of skin is notpossible. The best example is bitter guard. 
Snake guard still some try toremove skin. 

Easily removing skin can be pealed from fruits.Some fruits/vegetables can be 
used with skin. The best example is raw bananaand tomato. Still in some jams 
the skin of tomato is removed. 

For removing skin, somevegetables have to be just boiling a little. Easily the 
skin called is peeledof. Example is potato. Sweet potato skin is removed after 
boiling easily. 

The raw mango is mostly used withskin. For pickles the skin is not removed. 
However for preparing curries, theskin is removed using knife. For eating in 
many varieties skin has to beremoved. 

The easiest removing of thickskin is from orange. 

Chickkoo (Sappotta) skin cannotbe used, but removal is difficult since flush 
too would come, so many eat theflush alone using teeth and tongue and skin is 
thrown out. 

The external coverings with skinare more for coconut. Further the shell also is 
hard. I do not think any otherfruit has such an arrangement. 

I have very often felt thethickness on the skin of apple. Though many proteins 
and vitamins are on skin,it is difficult to chew for aged with teeth problem. 

5. My toilet soap. 

Unless medium thickness is there,we cannot hold. As the soap becomes thin many 
leave in dustbin. The humantendency is to take the slipping soap, and it may 
create a slip to the personhimself in bath room.  

6. Ladies prefer more thickness. 

While purchasing jewellery itemsfrom shop either gold or silver, there is no 
lady not liking thickness. 

7. Blanket and bed sheet. 

In the hot summer no body like tosleep under the fan with a thick bed sheet. 
But if AC is switched on thickblanket is required.  Or instead of onetwo bed 
sheets!! 

I will continue in part 2 

Reposted on 12-2-2021 after editing. Posted earlier on 7-5-2013. R.Gopala 
krishnan 

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