CHENNAI:The two-day Arogyam Health and Fitness Expo by The New Indian Express and Apollo Hospitals got underway on Saturday at Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam with 80 stalls put up by various institutions covering both modern medical system and indigenous medicine systems like Siddha and Ayurveda besides traditional medicines.
The exhibition for which entry is free, was inaugurated by industrialist Nalli N Kuppuswamy Chetty. The expo is open from 10.30 am, to 8.30 pm.A large number of visitors thronged the exhibition and many of them had their health checked at various stalls put up by leading healthcare institutions. Many stood in queue in front of Almaa Herbal Nature Pvt. Ltd, which provided traditional ‘varma’ check up (ancient art which is used to heal by focusing on the 108 vital pressure points in human body). Representatives of Pasumai Pathai, an organisation from Coimbatore, is hosting ‘Self-reliant Swadesi festival’ in which people are taught how to produce 20 household items at their homes. Many attended this session where the instructor explained to the audience the ingredients required for making these household items.
The products include bathing powder, tooth powder, bathing soap, shampoo, face wash powder, kumkum, hair oil, mosquito repellent, sambar mix, rasam mix, herbal tea etc., Besides a special session will be conducted on the uses of aloe vera and how to make food products and medicines for external uses. This will continue on Sunday too.
Another stall from Chennimalai showcased prickly pear (sappathi kalli fruit in Tamil, the fruit with thorns). Though this fruit is available on the roadside in plenty in villages, no one cares to eat it. The representative of this stall instructed how to eat this fruit after removing the thorn.This is used to strengthen bones and teeth and for many other purposes.
The stall by ‘thaen’ provides varieties of honey --Honey from Acacia trees in Kashmir, from The Nilgiris (pondhu thaen), collected by mosquito bees, from Thalli hills etc. Some other stalls also sell different varieties of honey, including the honey extracted from Kolli hills. The stall put up by Jaggeerys also was the cynosure of many eyes as it displayed many varieties of sugar and sugar candy made from palm tree and coconut tree. Of the 80 stalls, a sizeable number of stalls are selling ‘marachekku oils’ (oil extracted using traditional method) and herbal powders.
Traditional knowledge
Another stall from showcased prickly pear (sappathi kalli fruit in Tamil, the fruit with thorns). Though this fruit is available on the roadside in plenty in villages, no one cares to eat it. The representative of this stall instructed how to eat this fruit after removing the thorn. This is used to strengthen bones and teeth and for many other purposes