Friday, April 16, 2010

THOPUKARANAM or Super Brain Yoga

Thopukaranam
When my friend sent me this youtube attachment, I was awestruck but it also brought back very fond memories of my child hood schooling  in rural Tamil Nadu schools.
Our teacher  will punish us with Thopukaranams depending upon the severity of mischief.
Talking in the class      10 thopukaranamas
Late arrival                 20 thopukaranams
Not doing home work    30 thopukaranams
winking at a girl          100 thopukaranams
    I still remember how after my friends prodding I decided to wink at Jayalakshmi, a brahmin girl who always stood first in our class and a small angel in looks according to me.
But it is realy difficult to catch her eye which was always downcast though those  girls of our times used to know what anyone is doing with their side vision.Lo behold
I could catch her eye one day and winked hard but to my utter disappointment she did not report to the class teacher. I just could not do that 100 thopukaranams. It is only
later I used to wonder why she did not report my winking !!!!!
    But to call our village school punishment Thopukarnam as Super brain yoga by Yale researcher? I know left and right brain function and also read
somewhere that ear lobes has that something which can even stop a brain stroke. Did our ancient teachers punished us with thopukarnams so that
we can learn better by doing SUPER BRAIN YOGA? Hope our youngsters  punish their children with superbrain yoga or THOPUKARANAMS (Tamil) in future.
This also brought to my mind the THOPUKARANAMs which most of Tamil devotees do in front of Pillaiyyar(Lord Vinayaka,Ganesha) as we Tamils call may 
be a sort of confession before the Lord. Our Tamil Deity Pillaiyar is also fond of KOLUKATTAI, a type of sweet which is normally offered on Vinayaka Chathurthi.
Anyhow look at Super brain yoga  below in YouTube.
                                       
                                      Super Brain Yoga or Thopukarnam

                                      Right or Left brain? 
                                      Brain cascade