Author: Dr Biju Dharmapalan
The Sun has a very important place in the life of every organism on this planet Earth. The Sun is the star at the centre of our solar system. It is a massive, luminous ball of hot, glowing gas primarily composed of hydrogen (92.1%) and helium (7.9%). Trace amounts of other elements (0.1%), such as oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, silicon, magnesium, neon, iron, and sulfur are also present The Sun holds 99.8 percent of our solar system’s mass, and its gravitational force is responsible for retaining all celestial bodies within it, including small Mercury, the gas giants, and the distant Oort…
Spices are intertwined with Indian culture and civilization. Since time immemorial, India has been considered the ‘Spice Bowl of the World’. Many foreigners came to the sub-continent in search of the highly valued Indian spices. Spice trading was an important economic activity that brought people from Arabia, the Netherlands, Portugal and eventually the United Kingdom, to India, who colonised the whole region given the potential of its natural resources. For thousands of years, Indians have employed spices and herbs like black pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, and cardamom for culinary and health-related reasons. Cardamom and turmeric, native to India, were cultivated as…