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James Walvin is professor emeritus in history at the University of York. He tells Times Evoke about the complex past that explains theremarkable expansion of sugar around the world:I am a historian and in the 1960s, I started studying the history of a sugar plantation in Jamaica which was founded in 1670. That grew into a broader study of the extraordinary impacts of sugar on demography — I’ve researched the huge movements of humans pushed into slavery and transported from Africa to produce sugar across the Atlantic. More recently, I have been working on the impacts of sugar on global health.Sugar is a very distinctive product since it moved very quickly from being considered a great luxury to becoming an extremely cheap everyday necessity. There are physiological factors underpinning this — scientists have conducted research where they have found that if you give an infant a bit of sugar, they like it, which is the opposite reaction they have to salt. It is as if we are hardwired towards sweetness. In recent times, and particularly since the Second World War onwards, the great global commercial empires of food and beverage manufacture have used this factor to promote their products. But the world should think more deeply about the history that underpins this desire.A STORY IN EVERY BITE: Sugar's journey from being a royal and special indulgence to a common everyday treat has an extraordinary antiquity. (Picture source: iStock)

Western European powers moved more than twelve million Africans across the Atlantic to grow sugar, later expanding the use of slavery into tobacco and cotton cultivation. Then, after having constructed this brutal system, in the 19th century, the British started to get righteous and decided that slavery was wrong. They turned to another form of less than free labour — indentured labour. They introduced huge numbers of Indian indentured labour into the Caribbean and other locations to cultivate sugar. Initially, sugar was very expensive and people in the West used honey for sweetness. But once inexpensive labour in the form of slavery was linked to sugar, its price began to fall.What in the Middle Ages was a luxury only aristocrats and royalty could afford became the daily commodity of the common person. By 1750, the price of sugar had fallen dramatically even though it was still shipped across vast distances. Ordinary people across Western Europe and North America began to mix sugar daily into their food and beverages — the phrase ‘sweetened to taste’ became a part of the Western vernacular. Interestingly, sugar became a theme in the lives of working people in the West just as the need for cheap labour was expanding there. Sugar helped the physically demanding labour that was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution — for people whose lives were dominated by hard labour, sugar provided a form of energy at a low cost. The commercial manufacture of sugar-based common products began to intensify in the late 18th century with the mass production of candies, sweets and confectionary like biscuits and cakes. By the 1880s, the skylines of cities in Europe and the Americas were dominated by huge factories producing these goods.Sweetness started to get embedded into cheap diets which became a part of everyday life in the Western world — by export and migration, this way of eating spread. This worked so well that adding sugar to other products in the wider world of food production became common. While this practice began with beet sugar, in the 20th century, this grew to include many forms of chemical sweeteners in almost every consumable product. By the 1960s, scientists began releasing findings on the health impacts of the excessive consumption of sugar with dental science, for instance, finding deleterious effects on children’s teeth and physiologists observing marked rises in obesity. This was once thought to be a Western phenomenon but today, obesity is everywhere also because artificially sweetened food.

Divine Grace Is The Highest Gift Of Them All

By: Kamlesh Patel

Dec 23, 2021, 15:08 IST

It’s the season of gifts and giving all over the world, from Deepavali, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year, to Pongal and Sankranti, and it continues until spring.  Actually, the timing of the gift really depends on the call of the giving heart or the hour of need of the receiver.

The best gift is one which has the intention of purity behind it. That would show the state of joy or peace of the receiver, which matters most. A cup of cool water to a thirsty man in a desert is more precious than gifts of jewels or millions of dollars to a wealthy man.

Now, how do we evaluate a gift? The capacity of the giver is more relevant than the material value of the gift. Saints like Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, Babuji, admired a few rupees donated by a needy woman more than millions from billionaires.

What gives life to the gift? It can only be love! The intention and attitude associated with the thought and the gesture are equally valuable., there is the story of Shabari, the tribal woman who gave half-eaten fruits to Ram and Lakshman, the sons of King Dashrath. This old woman would bite into each fruit to ensure that it was sweet and safe before offering it to them. Her loving hospitality worked as a balm to relieve some of their pain of separation from Sita.

In the Mahabharat, when Krishn chose to stay with Vidur, instead of Duryodhan, Krishn happily ate the banana peels offered by Vidur’s wife. She did this because she was so lost in love and adoration for Krishn. When Vidur pointed out her absent-mindedness, Krishn said, “The superb taste of these banana peels is not present in the banana.”

O'Henry’s ‘The Gift of the Magi’ is also very inspiring. The wife, Della, sells her beautiful hair to buy a gold strap for her husband Jim’s wristwatch. Jim sells his watch to buy a beautiful comb for Della’s luxuriant hair. Neither of them could use the gift received from the other, but it filled their hearts to the brim with gratitude.

Isn't forgiving the best gift? Miraculously, it turns out to be a double gift, it works for the giver and receiver. It has the potential to usher in a new heaven on earth by saving the world from hatred. Babuji Maharaj, the founder of the Heartfulness movement, adds that besides forgiving, if we also express our gratitude for the lessons learnt, perhaps that is the greatest in gift giving. However, only the one who has received divine grace can do it easily.

The Divine’s grace is the highest gift. It can happen in the presence of a divinised personality and not because one is deserving, meritorious or has earned it.

While planting a sapling today is a splendid gift to future generations and there are other noble ways to give, like contributing to your favourite charities or performing acts of service, we need to continue aspiring for the highest, too! That’s my wish for you. May that grace from the Divine descend on you in your act of giving and gifting.

The writer, also known as Daaji, is the Heartfulness Guide.

By Neil Vimalkumar

In the biblical narrative, we read about the wise men from Persia who brought gifts to baby Jesus. They brought Him gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts hold a lot of significance and meaning.

Gold represents royalty. This is evident because these wise men came looking for a king and they went searching in a palace. In fact, their query in Herod’s palace was: “Where is he who is born king of the Jews?”

While this unsettled King Herod, the biblical account of Jesus’ kingship is subversive. This ‘king’ was born in a borrowed manger. The kingship ascribed to Jesus is not political power. Just before Jesus’ crucifixion, the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, asked: “Don’t you realise that I have the power to release or crucify you?” Jesus replied: “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above.” Jesus’ kingdom is spiritual, and not geographical or political. A quote attributed to the French emperor and General Napoleon Bonaparte is insightful: “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon sheer force. Jesus Christ alone founded his Empire upon love; and at this hour, millions of men will die for him.” This is rare royalty.The second gift placed in obeisance before the baby was frankincense. The resin-like material is fragrant and is obtained from Boswellia trees grown and traded in the Arabian Peninsula for about 5,000 years. This gift reminds one of the practice of the high priest, who went before the altar of God to burn incense. The role of the high priest was to plead on behalf of the people. Jesus comes across as one not only to represent God to humankind but also to represent humanity before a holy god. The Bible underscores this role of the Messiah that was born: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet he did not sin.” Truly, a pleading priest.

The third gift that was offered to the baby was myrrh, which is also a sap like substance taken from certain trees, has medicinal value and is also used in embalming. Myrrh, symbolises death. Jesus was introduced at the start of his public ministry as “a lamb who would take away the sin of the world”. From Abraham to the Passover in Egypt, these Jews had sacrificed a blemish-less lamb for forgiveness. The blood of a lamb was only a shadow of the ultimate sacrifice that God Himself would offer.

Gandhiji once observed: “Jesus, a man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.”

As the adage goes: “What you are is God’s gift to you, what you become is your gift to God.” This Christmas season, no matter who you are, by His grace, you could be a gift to someone else. Let’s make sure the gift goes on.

The writer is a trainer with Life Focus Society.

The immunology speaks:. "I represent the defence system of the body; Mainly composed of B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes; Designed to eliminate invading microbes and moles; My memory can distinguish self, and non-self."

The universe and humankind do not exist as God’s playthings. It is rather the outpouring of the eternal Self in an endless self-giving. The whole of creation exists in God. It follows then that all forms of life and the eco-systems within which they exist are interconnected. The Book of Genesis in the Bible portrays human beings as the crown of creation. Everything created is ‘entrusted’ to them, to be cared for and looked after.

As human beings, we know that we have betrayed this trust. Climate change is now upon us and we are reaping the fruits of our irresponsibility. We will have to make drastic changes to save this planet

But restoration means more than just working to cut down carbon emissions or scale down our use of fossil fuels. There is a growing awareness that we need to have a changed mindset to sustain our efforts to combat climate change. Among other things, COP26 made one significant decision that provides us with a sense of hope. For perhaps the first time a gathering of such magnitude and importance was blessed with a ‘contemplative presence’. In seeking to access the wisdom of spiritual traditions, there is the subtle admission that the restoration of the outer ecology can only happen if the inner ecology of the individual is restored in the first place.

The occurrence of Christmas at this time seems to be Godsend. In its essence, the celebration of the birth of the Lord of the Universe is all about restoring what was lost. It may be noted that in the Creation story the Garden of Eden is an ecologically balanced phenomenon. Everything is in harmony. This balance between the inner ecology of human beings and the outer ecology that exists outside of us is characterised by non-duality. It is the absence of the feelings of separateness, desire and self-consciousness. It is essentially an ‘Un-Self-Consciousness’. The transitoriness of life is not disturbing; death is not a fearsome event but woven into life itself. To the awareness that we, human beings, share with the animal kingdom, we bring the quality of attention and with it a sense of compassion. This is the key to ecological balance.Our hope of restoration, therefore, lies in a return to a non-dualistic approach to life. This is essentially what Christmas is all about. God dwells in and among us. Precisely because of this we are being invited to discover our interconnectedness with one another and with all creation. The ecological disaster that we experience is the result of ‘self-consciousness’, a complete antithesis of the ‘un-self-consciousness’.

Contemplative practices have the capacity to change our way of living, making it more ecologically sustainable. At the heart of meditative practice is the return to silence, stillness and simplicity, all characteristic of that first Christmas morn. As Fr Laurence Freeman, the Benedictine monk who addressed the delegates at COP26 says, “We will see emerging a new consciousness which will be defining for our self-understanding and for our environmental behaviour.” This Christmas may we take just one small step into contemplative prayer and in so doing make it a giant step for the Restoration of humankind to its original innocence.

Celebrating the Light that Overcomes Darkness

By: Janina Gomes

Dec 20, 2021, 10:19 IST

In the account of creation, in the Book of Genesis, in the Old Testament of the Bible, we read that God created light and dispelled the darkness and the chaos there was on earth. Then he created the lights in the sky, the sun, the moon and the stars. Light is a metaphor for goodness and righteousness. Darkness signifies evil and sin.

Light represents life. Without light everything would die on this earth. Jesus is the light of the world. His birth, which is now celebrated as Christmas every year, is not the whole story. Our celebration can only be complete when we embrace what the baby went on to do, what he did in his life, why he did it and what it means to us. Jesus’ birth was in humble circumstances, in a manger. In his early boyhood, he was a refugee. He had a three-year public ministry when he performed great miracles, healed many and nurtured his disciples. This culminated in his self sacrifice, when he moved from adulation by the crowds, to betrayal, torture and execution, a path he willingly accepted. Three days after his death and burial, he rose again. This was a triumph of light over darkness and death that holds out for us the promise of eternal life.

This is the message we also hear in the Gospel of John in the New Testament which says, “God is light, in him there is no darkness at all”. Similarly, in the Gospel of Matthew, there is again a reference to the light, when describing the transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor, before three of his disciples: “There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and his 

clothes became as white as the light”.

When the light fails in our homes, even a candle can light up the darkness and we are able to move around in the dark. A Christian journal tells us that God’s light gives us spiritual insights and understanding that enables us to see far enough to take steps forward.  Faith in Jesus, in the same way, may not help us to see miles before us, but it helps to light up our path, enough to continue forward, even if it means taking one step at a time.

 Light is also associated with truth. The light of Jesus exposes whatever exists, both good and bad. We cannot hide our transgressions. He knows and sees all. As Rev Michael Van Sloun says, the symbolism of light is a rich symbol. It can represent sacredness, blessedness, purity, innocence, goodness, perfection, glory, wonder, intelligence, enlightenment, wisdom, divinity, joy, truth and the presence of God.

God does not leave our side in every season of darkness that we might experience in our lives. We know that someday morning will come. Night never lasts forever. In the meantime, as we continue our journey on this earth we have ‘Immanuel” or ‘God who is with us’. And as an American pastor famously says that means we can return to the dark again and again, rejoicing and praising God for the light we have and the one who loves us enough to remain with us all through our lives.

One fine day, ants started flying in the sky. They swarmed across space and bit any human who came along the way, harder than mosquitoes. They attacked all sweets, there was nothing beyond their reach.

The bees started crawling. They could sting your feet without your knowing it. You would not scream with an ouch only if you happened to be watching the giraffe. The giraffe had taken to hopping on its head while its four legs faced the sky. “You will get a headache,” screamed the fox by way of caution. But with foxes one never knew whether it was out of concern, or just a cunning trick to make the giraffe stop. But the fox walked the talk and ran behind the giraffe with a balm and an ice pack. But in just a minute, it was difficult to tell who was running behind whom.The tigress could not care. She was painting her nails. Red, she thought, was a good colour or else a bright orange. The crow liked pink for he felt that made him noticeable as the leader of the band. Of course, he was not singing. Everyone knew he did not have a great voice, but he was playing the piano and what music he made!

The only one who did not hear that music was the donkey, for he was listening to a podcast on rebirth. The cat was delivering the podcast. Nine lives they say, the donkey mused.

The earthworm was watching all that was happening with wonder. Not wanting to be left out she wiggled the earth off her and decided to glide into a salon. A little makeover and given her figure, she would be able to wear one of those figure-hugging dresses she had seen in the showroom window the other day. The beautician was happy for though she loved her job as the beautician she was still not humble enough to clean the feet of lowly animals. So the lioness was happy the earthworm did not require a pedicure or a manicure.The elephant was looking for a backpack. She had decided to scale Mount Everest. So what if she weighed a few extra pounds, she wanted to use her strength and make headlines. The horse was of no help for he was drunk. Totally.

The cuckoo was sad. She wanted to join the army and they were not hiring any longer. She had spent many hours practicing her salute and building muscles. She went to the hyena who was engaged in worship. He was also a clairvoyant. “Will i ever be able to carry a rifle on my shoulders and march on?” asked the cuckoo. The hyena looked into the crystal ball.

The crystal ball was not clear. Smoky, hazy…high pollution…hazardous to look in, it said.At that moment, an early morning walker turned the turtle who had been lying helplessly on her back. Once again on her belly, the turtle exclaimed out of relief, “Ah! Things have come back to normal again.”

Sometimes it is our own vision that must be adjusted. Get your perspective right, the world will be right too.

The holy season of Advent has begun. Advent is the time to open our hearts to welcome Jesus Christ in simplicity and humility. It’s a preparatory period of four Sundays, leading up to the Nativity at Christmas. It is marked by a spirit of expectation, waiting, preparation, and longing.   

The word ‘Advent’ is derived from the Latin word ‘adventus’, which means ‘coming’. It is the solemn preparation for the arrival of Jesus with prayers, fasting, spiritual exercises, good works, and holiness of life. This sacred period is observed as a time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas, December 25.This long waiting period of four Sundays and weeks, helps the faithful to reflect upon the Word of God, sacred mystery, devotion, and ceremony. It is waiting in expectation of Jesus, the Son of God, who comes as a human being to love, forgive, and share with humanity his divinity. He is the image of God’s love to humankind.

The tradition of preparing an Advent Wreath is significant during this season. It consists of evergreen branches with five candles. The advent wreath with candles connotes Jesus as the Light of the world. The wreath made of evergreens with candles placed on it means continuous life, and its circular form depicts everlasting life. Fruits like nuts, cones, and seedpods that are used to decorate the wreath imply the nourishing and cherishing fruitfulness of Christian life.

The symbolic candles on the wreath signify virtues of faith. The first candle denotes hope, the second candle represents love, the third candle indicates joy, the fourth candle signifies peace and the fifth candle symbolises Jesus Christ, called the Christ candle. During the Advent season, one candle is lit on every Sunday. Prayers are recited and songs are sung. The fifth candle is lit on Christmas to remind us of the light Jesus brings to the world.

Another wonderful practice is to sing carols in churches. The choir groups also visit the faithful and sing carols to them. Santa Claus brings gifts and Christmas presents to people. It gives them the joy of the season and the message that Jesus is coming soon. Their hearts jubilate and make merry because the long waiting is going to end on Christmas.

This is also a time to get ready with external decorations of homes, making a crib, and cooking cakes and desserts. More importantly, the internal decoration of one’s own heart is significant. In this regard, spiritual practices help Christians come closer to each other. It is a good deed to do charity and

help someone in need. The Advent season gives an opportunity to mend one’s old self into new self and change wrong actions into right ones.

The hallmark of the celebrations of Advent is transforming oneself into a better person. It is journeying into the deeper realms of intrinsic and extrinsic areas within. This opens a way to Self-realisation and greater spiritual benefits. The joy of Advent is doubled when we receive Jesus as the Light of the world in our lives.

By Stuti Malhotra

Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikh religion, was an apostle of peace, unity and love. He taught us about the brotherhood of mankind and gave the universal message of equality, mutual respect, and wellbeing for the whole of mankind.

Nanak Devji was a pioneer of interfaith dialogue of his times. He was in continuous dialogue with people of other faiths throughout his lifetime. The Siddha Goshti is an example of such a dialogue that is enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib. It gives in detail the interaction between Guru Nanak and Hindu Siddhas, in which the ascetics ask many questions pertaining to God, life, spirituality, salvation, renunciation, truth and meditation and Nanakji patiently responds to the same.

By Stuti Malhotra

Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikh religion, was an apostle of peace, unity and love. He taught us about the brotherhood of mankind and gave the universal message of equality, mutual respect, and wellbeing for the whole of mankind.

Nanak Devji was a pioneer of interfaith dialogue of his times. He was in continuous dialogue with people of other faiths throughout his lifetime. The Siddha Goshti is an example of such a dialogue that is enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib. It gives in detail the interaction between Guru Nanak and Hindu Siddhas, in which the ascetics ask many questions pertaining to God, life, spirituality, salvation, renunciation, truth and meditation and Nanakji patiently responds to the same.

Guru Nanak Dev travelled to various religious places of diverse faiths with his associate Bhai Mardana, a Muslim bard, and preached that we should share our views and ideas throughout our lives. The Guru Granth Sahib quotes him as saying: “Jab lag dunia rahiai Nanak kichh suniai kichh kahiai,” meaning, as long as we are in this world, O Nanak, we must listen to others, as well as express ourselves to others.

There is an incident mentioned in his Janamsakhi, biography, about the time when Guru Nanak Dev was travelling to Multan and was greeted by Sufi saints. The Sufi saints had already heard about the popularity of Nanak and were insecure about how easily the Sikh guru brought solace to people. The Sufis wanted to keep Nanak away from Multan knowing that he had followers at various places. A gift was brought for Nanak with extreme care. It was an earthen bowl full of milk to the brim. Any awkward step would have spilt the milk. When Guru Nanak Dev looked at the gift, he understood the allegory behind the pot full of milk. He went and brought a jasmine petal and placed it on top of the milk and returned the bowl. Bhai Mardana was surprised to see all this and asked Nanak the reason behind the jasmine petal. The Guru explained that the pot full of milk signified that there were many religious teachers in Multan and the Sufis feared that adding one more would result in the displacement of another.

But Guru Nanak wanted to tell them that he had no intention of displacing anyone; he only wanted to add the fragrance of his teachings. Just as jasmine brought fragrance to milk, similarly his teachings would add to the teachings of the Sufi saints. The message was that there was always the scope for living in a multi-religious society and one needed to be open-minded to accept things. We should spread goodness around us so that people may accept us.

Today we see that people of all faiths, caste and nationalities visit gurdwaras and partake of the langar, which is an embodiment of the teachings of Nanak.

Guru Nanak foresaw the future and initiated the process of inter-faith dialogue and cooperation in his times and his teachings are relevant for this contemporary world.

(The writer is a research scholar at Department of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala)

Guru Nanak Jayanti is on November 19.

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