Olai Chuvadi

by Venganoor Balakrishnan

Olaichuvadi verbally means palm leaf. All the traditional lore of ancient India used to be kept inscribed on chemically processed palm leaves, handled with piety and devoid of impurities. Thus Olaichuvadi began to represent the lore of ancient India passed over from generation to generation, which included codes of ethics, instructions on the observances and practices and the tradition at large, to be followed.

The title used for the book here, is quite relevant, for, it is nothing but an exploration on the worth and value of India's customs, practices and belief systems, which are seasoned by a highly ethical and philosophical approach.

Every entry in this book is in its essence, the legacy of Indian cult presented in subtle, vet simple tongue. Dr. Venganoor Balakrishnan's Olaichuvadi that originally appeared in Malayalam soared high in its massive appeal in a short time. Its translations into other Indian languages also turned out to be best-sellers in no time. Hence we bring out the English version for the benefit of the whole world for the ardent readers as well as the seekers of India's soul in her rich and varied heritage, in the sagacious rishi-dominant past, and highly scientific, yet saintly-looking tradition.

Genres: Hinduism

325 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Ashish Iyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explore the worth and values of India's customs, practices and belief systems. This book give answers to those old practice we follow. It is important to know such things. For our generation of reasoning mind, this book has been written with scientific justification of their virtues. Those traditional deeds had very good impact for their survival which was not made aware those days. Thanks to my friend for recommending this book.

[Saran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read book. As time passing, we do the customs as rituals and forget the original meaning of why we do. I strongly recommend to knew these age old hindu customs and the scientific proof behind it.

Thanks to the author for making this book.

[Shreyansh Thakur · Rating 5 out of 5]

विज्ञान और हमारे संस्कार किस प्रकार जुड़े हुए हैं, इस बारे में यह पुस्तक स्पष्ट दृष्टिकोण देती है। प्रत्येक को एक सटीक व्याख्या के साथ दिया गया है क्योंकि मानव जीवन के इन आधुनिक दिनों में कभी-कभी हम कुछ आध्यात्मिक गतिविधियों को यह जाने बिना करते रहते हैं कि हमारे पूर्वज इसका पालन क्यों कर रहे थे।

[Kiridaren Jayakumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great explanations over why some culture,rituals and ceremony hold some meaning and there is a reason for it. Some are totally funny and nonsensical, but the author done his research. Does not mean any religion, in this case Hindu can be saved from criticism.

[Tamilvanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going to read

[Kaar Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Dinesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Lasic · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book. There is always a logic behind everything.

[Peter Warshaw]

I wrote "Read", because "I read enough!" Wow, if you are looking for a new twist on books of humor, do try this one. Am I dissing the writer's Indian religion? Absolutely! In the same way I diss the ones I grew up with. You have to be really gullible, and unable to see obvious contradiction and hocus pocus, to take this stuff seriously. I have a dear friend, NOT Indian, who got his PhD in East Asian languages, specifically doing his learning and research in Sanskrit, and in Hindi and Urdu (which orally are similar, though he can also read the separate scripts of the two), but even moreso in Tamil. On top of that he is hardcore to the point that he studied Carnatic singing, learning about 60 songs in that South Indian classical style of singing. He is the one who lent me the book knowing that I would get a huge kick out of it, which I most certainly did. Funny as heck, but also a strange dive into the bizarreness of a culture you may not know much about, covering topics that you never even knew existed!

Also, I do NOT know if the author wrote the book in English himself, or if it was translated into English from one of India's many, many languages, but the English is pretty poor in many passages, at times beyond comprehension. Whose fault that is -- author, translator (if the was one), typesetter, publisher -- I have no idea, but the occasionally completely incomprehensible passages, too, were a gas.

If you are one of the many in here who grew up with the silliness of one of our western religions, try borrowing this book from a library -- I would NOT suggest spending money to buy a copy -- so as to get a kick out of a silliness and humor with which you may not be familiar. Better than many a standup comic I have heard! But, a question: how does one give 5 stars for humor, but 0 stars for...reality? Peace out.

[Ritumbhara Ashish Iyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has significance/reason behind hindu rituals which had been taught by our ancestors.
It is very important to know and value our age old practices and definitely way better following them by knowing why we do so!

[Kavitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to order book olai Chuvadi English

[Balaguru]

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