INNATTHE PATTU (MUSIC OFTHE DAY) Dear friends,
I had a colleague by name Damodaran potti in Trivandrum training Centre. Wewere earlier working in Tamilnadu. We applied together for training centre, gotselected at the same time and joined He was senior to me by two years. Till such time he was lecturer weshared same room as our office room. He was warden mess and I was wardenadministration of the Hostel as additional jobs. After finishing the two or three classes of the day he used to say-Innathe pattu kazhinju. He meant today’s classes are over. He can concentrateto hostel mess functioning. Today’stopic is about ovens in the recent past and now and accessories. So with this topic, I am completing my postings to the groups today. Sincerely, Gopala Krishnan 21-11-2021 1 Homa kkuzal and Visiri For firewood and Kummatti aduppu blowing of fire was necessary for makinggood flames. For this mostly a small hollow cylinder of iron or brass or bamboowas used. It had one foot length andabout 3/4” in diameter. It was called Omakkuzhal. I used to think it derivedits name from Homa kkuzhal as a slant. Now also brass Omakkuzhal finds its use to burn fire in the Homakundaprepared during sraadha. In Chennai at Mylapore brass shops near temple sellthem. Stainless steel is also available. But sasthrikal prefers brass one. Mosthomes in earlier times had at least twohomakkuzhals. In my student days if ruler was misplaced, homakkuzhal was usedas the ruler. Now use of the ruler has much. Formaking lines most use scale. Earlier we had only wooden scales. Now in plasticand stainless steel are freely available. I have heard a legend that one Brahmin participated in a yanja, secretlybrought a bamboo homakkuzhal to his wife. It was the beginning of homakkuzhalin homes. Till that time mouth was used to blow on fire to increase the flame. Another item used to blow fire was a hand fan called visiri. This is madeof palm leaf. Such visiri is availablein stores where danam items are stocked.Palm leaf visri is still hold by bride groom during Kasi yathra in marriage. Ifnot available plastic hand fan is used. Electric hand fan operated with switch and using a mini motor operated usingtorch battery was popular with sasthrikals at one time . Now also many use itand charge for battery. 2. Kerosene stoves. While in Kerala kerosene was through ration shops mostly till 60’s, itwas freely available through vendors in Chennai. I think later it was availablethrough merchants also in Kerala. However by 1965’s kerosene stoves werefamiliar in Kerala also. In Chennai local merchants used to sell kerosene through handcart.Kerosene was filled in a drum with tap. It was a common scene to see Kerosenemerchants announcing “Krishnail, Krishanail” (For Chennai people kerosene isKrishanil.) Kerosene was stored in tins and transferred to bottles for dailyuse. I think Indane too appeared by thetime with their LPG but huge waiting lists were there. Probably there was somefear with people to use LPG stove initially. A plain paper application with address was sufficient. It was entered ina register of waiting list and later, the waiting list number was given toapplicants. Now LPG connection is available in a week, submitting the requireddocuments. 3. Electric stove. I still remember demonstrating electric stove while studying in highschool during 1960’s. It took years for getting market and used for emergencyuse in kitchen. People had fear of shock and breaking of heating coil was common. Present day induction stove isalso not preferred much. 4 Wick stove The most safety form of Kerosene stove was the wick stove. It was morepopular in homes. Each home had at least three wick stoves. The wick stove had a bottom container to hold kerosene, a wick stand that may hold about 10 wicks (Thiri) andenclosure similar to burner (Burner- helper for burning) The wick holder wasabout 3” high and 2.5 “ wide. It had the provision to hold the burner alsothrough a groove. There was an outer frame to hold the stove and the frame had a topcircular frame to keep vessels. The stove used to appear in two sizes- medium and large. The bottom roundcontainer could hold about one litre of Kerosene. Kerosene could be poured fromthe top of container. Provision was alsothere to fill through side. The wicks could be either cylindrical threads orribbon type as used in lantern. Wick raising and lowering arrangement wasthere. Putting through the wicks in the wick holder was time consuming. Oncewicks are inserted it was sufficient for a fortnight or more. It was thekerosene burn after absorbed through the wick which passes through wick framein cylindrical holes for about three inches. Cleaning of stove was done once a week. It was advised unless the flame is put down oil shouldnot be added. The stove was lighted after thewicks are raised inserting a small flame and touching the wicks. This flamerwas available in markets. Otherwise match stick was used. Only one or two we had to lit. Others willautomatically start burn from the fumes. Just blowing the tip by mouth, flamer might go off after lowering the flame. I wasusing wick stove for more than 6 years after marriage. 4.1 Pump stove. The Pump stove I have not used,but used by many. 5 Tahsildar issuespecial permit When I was in Kodaikknal charcoal was not much available but firewood wasavailable in plenty in 74’s. ( LPG wasnot available). Firewood was wet mostlydue to climate. I approached the Tahsildar. He issued me a special permit of 20litres of Kerosene. I used to collect it in parts. I never used oven - usingfirewood later. When I came later to Tutucorin also based on it I was given a specialpermit. 6. Appearance of LPG Gasstove. The gas connection I booked while in Tutucorin got transferred to Nagerkovil and in 1979 Ireceived the long waited gas connection. We purchased a stove fromthe dealer. Single gas cylinder was given. For re-booking we had two alternatives- either book before the cylinderexhaust. Or for about three or four days cook in kerosene stove. I resorted to2nd for the high cost of LPG gas!! Gas in the container is in the liquid form and when coming out throughvalve it becomes gas was new information. Hence the name liquefied petroleumgas. LPG. Actually LPG hasno smell, it is introduced to detect leakage. The regulator of those days was different from the present days. Thedelivery person connected and disconnected the regulator. 2ndcylinder a person had to apply again on those days. We started lighter from the very beginning, of course slight fear when moreflame appeared. Automatic stoves came very late. I got 2nd cylinder onapplication after five years or so. 7. Rubber tube,Connecter problems The rubber tubing used to give slight smell. It was replaced once a year. I recollect a real incident told in Doordarsan channel. A doctor complained of LPG smell more in his stove. Thetechnician when went for attending found the gas tubing was not replaced for years andhad insulation tape pasted in three places. Doctor detected leakage in thoseplaces and he himself put insulation tape tightly!!! Today with metal braided tubing and best regulator and simple operating switches which are sturdy,gas stove has practically no problems other than very rare valve leakage. Weask delivery man to check new cylinder before paying. The gas stove was earlier of tin sheet painted. Later came chromium plated stainlesssteel stoves. Now glass top stoves have come. Really the glass top stove fromVidiem which I use is found excels other makes from Prestige, butter flies etc. 8 Four burner stove. The four burner and three burner stoves were rare in earlier days. Normal stoves had two burners one big and one small. Normallyafter years of experience, now we keep two gas stoves, if one goes for anycleaning the other can be used. While I was in Trivandrum I had an Asst engineer. Once I found him takingmeals from the canteen, even after having own car and house near to office.This got repeated. Finally he said, sir, I am having a four burner stove. Mywife is a hurried in nature and want to prepare everything within an hour.Somehow I got her a four burner stove. Now, everything prepared in 45 minutes, and she goes to her mother’s house close to my house. If Igo, everything would be ice cold. So Iprefer the canteen hot meals. I did not tell my wife about the availability of 4 burner stove.Sometimes she may become elder sister to my AE’s wife. 9. Automatic gas stoves. These gas stoves have two or three burners. While we operate the knob toput on stove, the inbuilt lighter too ignites making the gas to burn for amoment and RELEASE. Lighter operate for a moment. Three burner stoves are available from somemanufacturers in the market. The old iron body painted is not available now. Forlong time manufacturers made stain lesssteel body. For the last five years or so tough glass top has become morecommon. With modular kitchen the gas stove is placed in a cutting of the graniteplatform in the same level. Ignition is by electric spark. If there is powerfailure lighter can be used. My electrician provided an electric point below the platform, to use for electricspark, if I install such a stove. I conveniently provided a CFL there toprovide light to the shelf there. After seeing the electric spark usage to the stove in my daughter in law’sflat, she put to me a question- Because of fear, you provided a CFL? I felt silence was best. 10. Gas stove stand Earlier the gas stoves were placed on a stand. Now practically the standhas faded out. The body is sturdy of the stoves placed over the platform. Placing over the platform is safer in myview. Now for the burners additionalplates provided and stand to keep vessel is fitted to them. These plates getfitted to the plate surrounding the burner. Cleaning of the plates have becomeeasy 11. Second cylinder With an additional deposit later the gas companies issued a secondcylinder. So the second cylinder could be put through and no difficulty ofcooking. Within 10 days new cylinder came.Now with Indane on automatic booking, within 2-3 days new cylinder isdelivered. 12. Electric stove Not for the current charges, somehow electric stoves got least popularity. While I was in Kodaikknal I washaving an electric stove for emergency. In Trivandrum too for some time I hadan electric stove. Coil breaking and replacement was a common thing. Probablyno in takers the field was not developed and improved . However electric ricecookers have become common. 13. Sadya and firerequirements For sadya fire wood and bigger aduppu were used till about 1998 . All theovens like Kari aduppu, Kummatti; kerosene stove could be used for onlydomestic use. Fire wood was commonly used till 1998 in many of the Kalyanamandapams. Now commercial cylinders for large ovens have come for preparationin in small restaurants and special gaspipes and LPG connected to large size ovens in platforms in Kalyana mandapamsand restaurants. 14. Gas stove kitchen I have seen special kitchen arrangements while I came to Trivandrum inRTTC Mess. In 1991. About 4 or 5 cylinders were put on. Special tubes of ironwere extended to stoves carrying thegas. Such arrangement was rare in small restaurants and I was seeing it forfirst time. The stoves burners were very big; two times the size of the normalstove. Special frames were fixed tokeep the vessels which had more strengthand special vessels were there to cook rise, prepare iddali etc which willfirmly fit to frame, slide, tilt for removing and cleaning etc. Today most ofthe hotels having the same type of kitchen in still sophisticated form. All new Kalyana mandapams are equipped with modern kitchen; cylinders arereadily connected and kept. Only thing charges for gas cylinders are very high,but very less comparing to the cost of many other things. Having modern kitchen, dosai is prepared after people take seat, servedhot, appalam prepared just before sambar is distributed etc. 15. Buffet arrangement In buffet, special arrangementsare made under the buffet table to give burner under each vessel, giveslightest heating as required without spoiling the cooked item. No more coldcoffee and tea. 16. Induction stove The latest in the field isinduction stove. Here the cooking vessels are just placed above the stove topsurface. By induction heat is applied to bottom of the vessels. Electric Poweris required. Only things copper, aluminium or brass vessels cannot be used. Onlystainless steel bottom can be used. The bottom of the vessel has to be with inthe circle provided. Now many kitchen items come which can be used both inordinary and induction stoves like pressure cookers, iddali cooker etc. In many flats of 12-15 stories, pipe connection is provided to LPG stoveand LPG is distributed through pipes from a common place. Meter is provided inthe pipe. 17. Keeping kitchen,stove, sink neat. It is told when evening lamp is Lighted Lakshmi will enter. Oven is Lakshmi. Ifkitchen is kept neat Lakshmi will bless that home. Similarly in the night beforekitchen is closed. All vessels in sink must be light cleaned. Neat cleaning canbe done by servant lady in the next day morning. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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