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We all the the basic four taste sweet, salty, sour and bitter!

Did you know that there is now a fifth taste!

In fact it is so popular now that it has a whole science and followers behind it!

This new popular and trendy new taste is called the umami!

It is a savory, brothy, or juicy flavor that coats the tongue and lingers in the throat, creating a deeply satisfying sensation.

Umami was officially isolated and named in 1908 by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda, who determined that the rich savoriness of seaweed (kombu) broth came from glutamates.

In effect Umami comes from the Japanese word for “a pleasant savory taste”.

This rich savoriness is seen in foods like:

Aged and fermented products: Parmesan cheese, soy sauce, and miso.

Cooked meats and broths: Stews, soup, and dashi.

Vegetables: Ripe tomatoes and shiitake mushrooms!

Which is why the shiitake mushrooms and Parmesan Cheese are now the go to choice for the culinary trends!

Apparently Specialized taste receptors on the human tongue detect L-glutamate, an amino acid found in proteins.

Combining glutamate-rich foods with ribonucleotides (like the ones found in mushrooms) multiplies the perceived savoriness!

How Umami Pairs with Other Tastes is may be your next question! Well it pairs so well!

Sweet: Deepens complex profiles, like adding aged cheese to fruit pairings.
Sour: Softens harsh acidity, making sharp dressings taste smoother.
Salty: Enhances perceived saltiness, allowing you to use less overall sodium.
Bitter: Masks unpleasant bitterness, which is why mushrooms pair well with bitter greens!

Some common High-Umami Ingredients include  Soy Sauce or miso paste or tomato paste into stews and sauces!

You can also use toppings and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast over dishes!

So the next time your food is dull; try awakening the Umami!


Then again imagine the life of a person who spent 27 years in jail just for being right!
Just having any food is heavenly then! Now that Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela! He makes actual SENSE! Not only Umami!

Think about that when you think only about food!

Shubh ratri…

This word derived from Sankrit has been used by even Charles Dickens and R  L Stevenson!

Later on it has also been used in marvel comics!

Sounds like German but it is actually Sanskrit!

The word is JUGGERNAUT!

A juggernaut by definition is a massive, unstoppable force, campaign, or object that crushes everything in its path!

The term can refer to a literal heavy vehicle (like a large freight truck) or a metaphorical entity, such as a dominant corporation, political movement, or sports team!

If you know many famous authors have used this term in their most famous novels!

Mary Shelley used the term in her novel The Last Man, published in 1826, to describe the plague: “like Juggernaut, she proceeds crushing out the being of all who strew the high road of life”.

Charles Dickens used the term in The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, published in 1844, to describe the love-lorn sentiments of Mr. Augustus Moddle, the ‘youngest gentleman’ at Mrs. Todgers’s: “He often informed Mrs. Todgers that the sun had set upon him; that the billows had rolled over him; that the Car of Juggernaut had crushed him!

Robert Louis Stevenson used the term in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, published in 1886, when describing the violent Edward Hyde as “like some Juggernaut!”

Did you get the Sanskrit original?

You have to get it today since it is the day of the ORIGINAL JUGGERNAUT!

Yes! JAGANNATH! After witnessing the Puri Jagannath Yatra and others today you may not forget both the word and the impact of the word!

The word is derived from the Sanskrit/Odia Jagannātha (Devanagari जगन्नाथ, Odia ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ) “world-lord”, combining jagat (“world”) and nātha (“lord”), which is one of the names of Krishna!

The term though is specifically in reference to the massive ratha (chariots) used in the Rath Yatra festival in Odisha!

Early European travelers heard exaggerated tales of worshippers sacrificing themselves by throwing themselves under the wheels of these heavy carts, leading to the modern English metaphor for an irresistible, crushing power.

The Jagannath Rath Yatra is an annual Hindu festival held in Puri, Odisha, where the deities Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra, and his sister Subhadra are pulled in massive wooden chariots by millions of devotees along the grand avenue to the Gundicha Temple.

The three massive chariots travel a distance of about three kilometers to the Gundicha Temple (often referred to as their aunt’s home).

After a stay of about nine days, the deities return to the main Jagannath Temple in the same chariots, an event called the Bahuda Yatra!

The pulling of the chariots symbolizes the divine journey of the soul and a devotee’s longing to bring the Lord into their heart!

Of course the sight of the huge rathas which gets pulled by a sea of devotees make a definite POWERFUL impression! The sheer size and strength of the huge chariot and the ropes would make you realise that this is nothing but small! Its huge! It is a JUGGERNAUT!

That’s the ratha of Bhagwan Krishna! Then you have one named after him who won the Dada Saheb Phalke award! Ravi Kishan!

Now let the sleep come without a pull!

Shubh ratri…

One of the words in the NYT yesterday was Quixotic!

Do you know the connection of that word with a country which just got into the finals of the FIFA2026!?

Now about the former I can go on and on! But please do not ask me about football! I don’t think I even know the full form of FIFA properly!

In fact the full form is related to the country which unfortunately could not make it to the finals! And was the team defeated by the country which is related to the word Quixotic!

Ok now that is a complicated play!

Lets TACKLE that one by one!

FIFA of course stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association which is translated from French and it means the International Federation of Association Football!

The answer of the country which could not make it to the finals even though FIFA full form is in its langauage is FRANCE!

Then the country which is into the finals and related to the QUIXOTIC word is SPAIN! Of course only a dud like me needs these references to know that! Then again you only concentrate on what you like!

Now before you know about Quixotic, you must know about Don Quixote!

This is of course a masterpiece Spanish novel written by Miguel de Cervantes and widely recognized as the first modern novel in literary history!

Originally published in two distinct parts in 1605 and 1615, it is a foundational work of Western literature that brilliantly satirizes the chivalric romances popular during the Spanish Golden Age!

The story in short is about Alonso Quijano, an aging, lower-tier Spanish nobleman living in La Mancha!

After devouring countless books about medieval knights, he loses his grip on reality and renames himself Don Quixote de la Mancha!

He sets out to resurrect the code of knight-errantry, righting the world’s wrongs on his feeble, bony horse, Rocinante!

His adventures or rather mis adventures form the crux of the story! But the more interesting part is that the story has inspired many words in English and Spanish like the one above!

Like the one which started the blog; Quixotic! This is an adjective describing someone who is extremely idealistic, unrealistic, and impractical.
It directly mirrors the protagonist’s habit of chasing noble, unreachable goals without regarding the real-world consequences!


Then you have an idiom which goes like this, “Tilting at Windmills”. This means fighting imaginary enemies or wasting energy combating invented wrongdoings. It stems from the iconic scene where Quixote mistakes giant windmills for menacing beasts and charges them with his lance!

Then you have the noun Dulcinea which is used to describe a sweetheart, mistress, or an idealized woman for whom a man undergoes great trials. In the novel, Dulcinea del Toboso is a plain peasant girl whom Quixote transforms in his mind into a flawless, royal lady love!

Finally you have Rocinante which is a term used to describe a broken-down, decrepit, or unreliable horse. It comes directly from the name of Quixote’s thin, weathered, and clumsy horse!

So do write a novel which makes Satire and imagination a tool for putting your point across and adding words to the language!

Now imagine if ENGLAND had entered the finals! Then I would not be Quixotic or would I!? Don will know!

With all the football talk it’s time for hockey also once in a while! Which reminds me of Dhanraj Pillay!

Now quit being toxic! And sleep!

Shubh ratri…

Do you remember the COVID!? Of course as a doctor we remember the ASTRONAUT ensemble! The mask and the PPE!

There was another costume which was famous and used for a similar purpose!

The Beak Mask costume!

In the famous game called the Assassins creed; the doctor is often shown in this costume!

When you dissect the costume then you would realise that it had lot of similarities to the COVID doctor ensemble!

The get up or costume was also called the plague doctor costume!

The plague doctor costume, famously associated with 17th-century European epidemics, was an early form of personal protective equipment designed to protect physicians from “bad air” or miasma.

The Core Components of a Traditional Costume with a historically accurate plague doctor ensemble typically includes the following items:

The Beak Mask: The most iconic piece, featuring glass eye openings and a long beak. Historically, this beak was stuffed with aromatic herbs and spices like lavender, mint, cloves, and rose petals to filter out foul smells!


The smell taken with the most caution was known as ‘miasma’, a noxious form of “bad air.” This was thought to be the principal cause of the disease. Doctors believed the herbs would counter the “evil” smells of the plague and prevent them from becoming infected.

Then you have the Waxed Gown or Robe which is a long coat made of heavy fabric (like linen) or leather, often coated in wax or animal fat to prevent bodily fluids or “miasma” from reaching the skin.


Then you have the Wide-Brimmed Hat which is typically made of leather, identifying the wearer as a medical professional!

Then you have the Leather Gloves and Boots which are Essential for preventing direct physical contact with infected patients!


The garments covered the body, shielding against splattered blood, lymph, and cough droplets, and the waxed robe prevented fleas (the true carriers of the plague) from touching the body or clinging to the linen!

Finally you have the Wooden Cane or Stick which was used by doctors to examine patients, take pulses, or remove clothing without having to touch them!

So these doctors used to PROTECT themselves with armour and even a stick! With all the events happening; do we also need similar protection!

Hopefully not!
Then again no need to take any chance!

Everytime Pullattuparam Brahmadathan Namboothiripad will not help you!

Who’s that!?
It’s for me to know and you to tell! Do let me know!

Shubh ratri…

This is actually a deformity but considered to be a mark of elegance!

So much so that one of the most recognisable structures in the world; the statue of Liberty has this deformity!

Now you may say ‘My foot’! And you will be close!

Now did you know that the Statue of Liberty has a longer second toe; sculptor Frederic Bartholdi studied Greek and Roman sculptures, modeling the statue’s feet to define her heritage from the earliest days of civilization!

This ‘deformity’ is called the Metatarsus Atavicus which medically is also known as Morton’s toe or Greek foot!

This is an anatomical variation where the second toe is longer than the big toe. While today it is often associated with foot pain, historically and culturally, it has been revered as a highly prized, classical symbol of beauty, elegance, and nobility!

Ancient Greek sculptors idealized the long second toe, often incorporating it into statues of gods, goddesses, and heroes!

The aesthetic standard persists in famous works like the Venus de Milo and Michelangelo’s David. Even the Statue of Liberty features toes of these proportions!

In certain ancient societies, the longer, narrower second toe was thought to create the illusion of delicacy and grace, making it a highly desirable feature!
Then again the medical reality is not so beautiful!

The appearance of a long second toe is actually caused by a shorter first metatarsal bone. Because the big toe is shorter, weight is shifted to the ball of the foot and the second metatarsal!

You may also end up with Footwear Challenges! Finding well-fitting shoes can be tricky. Experts recommend sizing shoes to the length of the second toe rather than the big toe to prevent crowding and nail issues!

The uneven weight distribution can occasionally lead to calluses, metatarsalgia, or even neuromas!

So being beautiful according to the Roman and Greek standards is not so easy! Now did you really put your FOOT IN MOUTH by saying MY FOOT!?

Then again the first Jurassic park movie was the standard and it went literally done the drain after that! Which reminds me of
Sir Nigel John Dermot “Sam” Neill!

He will be missed…
Heartfelt condolences…

Shubh ratri….

Have you heard of the term Retrouvaille?

We will get to it!

The number one discussion in most WhatsApp group after all the nonsense about politics and well everything else is REUNION! Or even simply a meet!

The final aim of most whatsapp group can be summarized in one line; WHEN WILL WE MEET AGAIN!


The joy of meeting is the supreme joy!

If you are meeting some of your friends after a long time and there is a strong possibility that you may meet him or her only very rarely then the joy is apparently more!

Which is when you understand the term Retrouvaille!

Retrouvaille is a French word meaning “rediscovery” or the joy of a joyful reunion with someone dear after a long time apart.

This concept connects deeply to relationships with friends and family. It captures the emotional magic of picking up right where you left off, even if years have passed!

Retrouvaille and Reunion are similar but the emotions in a Retrouvaille are much more deep and long lasting!

So while a Reunion is simply the act of coming together again (like a school or family event); the Retrouvaille describes the feeling of happiness and deep love during that reunion. It is the warmth of finding your connection again!

Real friendships survive physical distance. A retrouvaille moment happens the moment you hug your best friend at the airport after months or years!

It is also the excitement of sharing life updates while realizing the core of your friendship is still exactly the same!

No wonder the term Retrouvaille is also the name of a famous worldwide program for struggling marriages!  Though I am sure you will not need it since you keep reading my blogs!

Eventually you may become a super star! Like our Jogi!

A true blue Bangalorean would get it immediately!

Did you!?

Lemme know!

Shubh ratri…

A fruit company controlled a country which is why such an arrangement is name after a fruit!

In the late 1800s, American fruit companies, most notably the United Fruit Company (now Chiquita), began buying up huge amounts of land in Central American countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.

Their only aim was to use the land to grow fruit and make profit!

The railways, roads and even the ports were only designed to make transport of materials for the company!

Similar to what East India did to India! All the so called development were only to make things easy to TRANSPORT wealth from India to their own country!

The United fruit company thus acquired massive lands at throwback prices and since they used to control everything they in affect controlled the government!

These companies built railroads and ports to effectively control the local economies and shipping their fruit to North America.

Because the fruit companies held so much economic power, they often interfered with local governments.

So if a leader tried to tax the companies or give land back to the local people, the corporations would use their political influence to help overthrow the government. This resulted in unstable, corrupt leadership that catered to foreign interests!

The country had an economy of state capitalism, where the country is operated as a private commercial enterprise for the exclusive profit of the ruling class.

Typically, such a country would then have a society of extremely stratified social classes, usually a large impoverished working class and a ruling class plutocracy, composed of the business, political, and military elites!

The ruling class controls the primary sector of the economy by exploiting labor.

Such exploitation is enabled by collusion between the state and favored economic monopolies, in which the profit, derived from the private exploitation of public lands, is private property.

At the same time, the debts incurred thereby are the financial responsibility of the public treasury!

All this because such a country was controlled by a fruit company! Did you get the name!? It is BANANA REPUBLIC!

The term banana republic is thus a pejorative descriptor for a servile oligarchy that abets and supports, for kickbacks, the exploitation of large-scale plantation agriculture, especially banana cultivation!

So we all know fruits are good for you! But now you know how they can be bad for a whole country!
Now now! Do not go bananas thinking about it!

Then again if you do want to think something nice then you can think about Sistla Sreeramamurthy Janaki…

What a great loss
A big tragedy indeed but an amazing life none the less…

She will be missed

Heartfelt condolences
Om shanti…

In the novel Memoirs of a Primate by Robert Sapolsky; he ends by narrating a sad story which could have been prevented.

This story shows how the greed of the man can even lead to the eradication of a whole species! Of course it is now new!

Time and again we know that the average Homo Sapien is the most dangerous species! He or she has the brains to save the universe and uses it to destroy it as and when he or she can!

Plus you tend to give responsible position to the person who has the LEAST capability of using it or who has only GREED in his or her mind!

So after two decades of bonding with the baboons, a tragic disease strikes!

The first signs are those Baboons who are strong and get the best share of the food! They are the ones who start getting weak and sometimes simply collapse!

When Robert researched them he used to frequently find how the Lung would have simply melted away! You do not need much thoughts to know that it is TB!

In humans it is a chronic debilitating disease but in Baboons it is an acute and dangerous disease which can spread like wildfire! Now before you do could anything you need to know where it came from!

That story is sad and sinister. The Masai tribes rear cows and they have lots but then they are the first to know when the cow is infected with TB. They would then silently take the cow to the hotels and sell the contaminated meat!
The meat inspector would be sufficiently bribed and the obviously infected parts would be thrown on to the garbage dump. The other ‘safer’ lookin meat would then be ‘served’ to the guests! The infected meat thrown on the garbage dump would be eaten by the baboons especially the males who are strong and lazy!

They get infected and it spreads like wildfire! Many would die and Robert cannot do anything since they are all well connected  and tourism is the chief industry in Kenya! He dreams of doing stuff but they all remain a dream!


So you know the cultprit but you cannot do anything! Each and everytime though we know the cultprit is your average Homo of the Sapiens!

Then again that same species is responsible for some memorable things also! Like the movie love story starring Manoj Tuli!

You may know him as …let me know…

Shubh ratri…

In the novel memoirs of a Primate by Robert Sapolsky at one point is simply frustrated with things happening around him!

He then speaks to the wise elders of the Masai tribe who have so much suffering and challenges but then they simple listen to him and say, “That is DUNIYA!”

That word had an intant connect with me since we know Duniya! Since it was the audio book I actually went back couple of times to recheck whether I heard the word correctly or not!

The word is similar in many dialects including Arabic, hindi and Urdu!

The Science of “Duniya” or the the Universe or the world is that human free will is an illusion.

Robert actually then states that that our choices, actions, and entire lives are pre-determined by two main factors over which we have no control!

One is the Biology or the genetics we inherit, the environment in our mother’s womb, and our brain chemistry!

And the other is the Environment! The experiences, culture, and social conditioning we face from the moment of birth!

Every action you take is the result of what happened a split second before, which is the result of what happened an hour before, all the way back to the day you were born.

Therefore, your brain simply “determines” what you will do before you are even consciously aware of it!

Which is when inspired by how DUNIYA operates Sapolsky realises that  we Should live understanding the world this way changes how we treat each other.
Three things are important in this! First is to Eliminate blame; then is to
Treat rather than punish and finally the most important is that we must Reduce judgment!

We should recognize that our successes and privileges are the result of luck (in our biology and environment), not just hard work which is also important! But for everything we have we must also thank our luck!

The life we lead right now with all the struggles and challenges may be a dream for someone else! That is DUNIYA!

Like you can have only have one Sunny cricketer in a Duniya! Of course that’s Sunil Manohar Gavaskar!

Now think about your Duniya and sleep!

Shubh ratri…

You may have seen beautiful family portraits especially those royal places with lineages going back several years!

Each one more beautiful and grand and royal than the other!

But have you heard of a family where each person was more ugly than the other!? Now beauty is a matter of your eyes but this is according to potrait artists!

Let me tell you two chief things which determines the beauty as a potrait artist!

If the nose is good then the face is really beautiful! And if the jaw is bad then the face looks bad!

This whole family turned out to be ugly because of a famous jaw deformity! So famous that there is a name for it and studies done to prevent such ‘complications’!

The jaw is called the Habsburg jaw which is clinically called mandibular prognathism! This is a pronounced genetic facial deformity characterized by an extended, jutting lower jaw and severe underbite.

It is famously associated with the House of Habsburg, a powerful European royal dynasty, and was the biological consequence of centuries of intense, inbreeding to retain political power!


To keep wealth and power concentrated within their lineage, the Habsburgs frequently married close relatives, including first cousins and uncles to nieces!

In 2019, an extensive genetic study published in the Annals of Human Biology confirmed a direct link between the Habsburg’s degree of inbreeding and the severity of their jaw deformities.

This intense level of consanguinity drastically reduced genetic diversity, increasing the rate of recessive gene expressions that caused the physical anomalies!

While mandibular prognathism is the primary trait, many members of the dynasty exhibited a collection of related facial abnormalities all named after Habsburg! Now is that a thing to be proud of or not is your choice!

Apart from the Habsburg Jaw, you also had the Habsburg Lip with a thick, everted (protruding) lower lip and the Habsburg Nose which is a prominent nose featuring a dorsal hump and an overhanging tip!

The trait was heavily documented by portrait artists for over 200 years!

One of the famous person from this family was Charles II of Spain who was also known as El Hechizado or “the bewitched” and he was the last of the Spanish Habsburgs.

His inbreeding coefficient was incredibly high, and his jaw was so severely deformed that he had difficulty chewing, swallowing his food whole, and speaking clearly!

All because of the inbreeding coefficient! Which means that when they say opposites attract, it is very true!

The person who you marry and eventually have kids must having a very less inbreeding coefficient which means that the more you are not related to him or her, the more are the chances that you will have beautiful or at least healthy kids!

Now that’s a fairy tale wedding! Fairytale though were a far cry when it comes to the movies by Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone! But all his movies are cult classics now!

Do you know who that is!?

Lemme know!
Of course don’t lose your sleep over it!

Shubh ratri…