National Geographic photo
Vedaranyam is a town in
Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu. The
town is named after the presiding deity of the Vedaranyeswarar Temple. The
recorded history of Vedaranyam is known from medieval Chola period of the 9th
century and has been ruled, at different times, by the Medieval Cholas, Later
Cholas, Later Pandyas, Vijayanagar Empire and the British.
Salt is a mineral
substance composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound
belonging to the larger class of ionic salts; salt in its natural form as a
crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast
quantities in the sea where it is the main mineral constituent, with the open ocean
having about 35 grams (1.2 oz) of solids per litre, a salinity of 3.5%. Salt is
essential for animal life, and saltiness is one of the basic human tastes. Salt
is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous of food seasonings, andsalting is an
important method of food preservation.
picture credit : Dinamani
84 years
ago, the journey from Trichinopoly (Trichy)ending in Vedaranyam played a great part in our
freedom struggle… it was the salt satyagraha or taking out salt directly from the sea- the marchers broke the salt law. Dandi March of Gandhi is famous and down South
the campaign occurred at Vedaranyam led by Rajaji. It ended on 28 April 1930 when the
participants were arrested, following which Rajaji was imprisoned for six months.
Do You Sardar Vedaratnam Pillai ? - Sardar is a title of Persian origin – Sar
would mean head while dar means holder.
Sardar is a title in use for
Indian Princes, noblemen and aristocrats. Sardar Vedaratnam Pillai (1897
- 1961) was a great patriot and freedom-fighter. He was a leader of the Indian National
Congress and a famous philanthropist who served as a MLA for three terms over a
period of 14 years. He is known for his
heroic contributions in the salt march of Vedaranyam in 1930, alongside C.
Rajagopalachari. In the year 1931
Vedaratnam was conferred with the title of ‘Sardar’ at the meeting of the Tamil
Nadu Agriculturists and labourers at Tirunelveli, for his exploits in the
Vedaranyam Salt March.
Remember that
in our younger days, we used to buy salt in crystal form – there used to be
gunny bag containing salt outside every grocery store… now check in your kitchen
whether such salt exists … no – you find ‘free-flowing iodised salt’ packet…. Iodised
salt is table salt mixed with a minute amount of various salts of the element
iodine. Suddenly came the campaign that ingestion of iodide prevents iodine
deficiency. It was widely advertised that Worldwide, iodine deficiency affects about two
billion people and is the leading preventable cause of intellectual and
developmental disabilities ! …. Slowly marginal players were driven
out of the market by big Private firms which now sell iodised salt only. Interestingly
India today reports that the shift in Kashmir from rock salt of Pakistan to
iodised salt, had resulted in remarkable reduction in iodine deficiency among
schoolchildren of the Valley.
Back home in our State,
Tamilnadu Salt Corporation is a fully owned enterprise of the Government of
Tamil Nadu, established during 1974 at Valinokkam. Salt is cultivated in an area of 5524 acres
of land and the project is called Mariyur Valinokkam Salt complex (MVSC). Salt
is in news thanks to Amma’s announcement ………. after low-cost canteens and drinking water, the
Jayalalithaa government in Tamil Nadu is launching "Amma Salt" on
Wednesday. Chief minister Jayalalithaa
will inaugurate the sale of the "Amma Salt", a product of TNSC under the State Industries Department,
according to an advertisement released by the government on Tuesday. The salt would be available in three varieties
— double fortified, refined free flow iodized and low sodium, the release says.
With "Amma Canteen" offering tiffin and
lunch at low cost and "Amma Water," packaged drinking water costing
Rs 10 per one liter bottle being big hits, the TNSC – ‘amma salt’ also is
likely to be a super hit.
Road salt
used to clear snow-covered roads in the United States is creating beefier monarch
butterflies, a new study in National Geographic says. When snow melts, road
salt runs into nearby soil and into the roots of common plants, which are in
turn ingested by caterpillars. Then, as they become adult butterflies, their
brains and muscles develop abnormally: The females develop larger eyes and
brains, and males develop more muscle. …………. Sounds interesting.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar.
10th June 2014. @ 20.44hrs
