haikaiTALKS: saturday gathering _ under the banyan tree
host: Kala Ramesh

A warm welcome to you, you and you!

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In a relatively central spot in all the Indian villages we find the banyan tree becoming the place for friends to meet over a cup of masala chai or a cup of kapi – the banyan and the stone benches are the markers for simulating food for thought! THI is trying to replicate this fun place, where our members are encouraged to post topics and participate in discussions relating to the reading, writing, researching and critiquing of Japanese short-form poetry.

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You must be knowing about the cow and how she digests the food that is given to her. The cow has four stomachs and undergoes a special digestive process to break down the tough and coarse food it eats. When the cow first eats, it chews the food just enough to swallow it. The unchewed food travels to the first two stomachs, the rumen and the reticulum, where it is stored until later. When the cow is full from this eating process, she rests. Later, the cow coughs up bits of the unchewed food called cud and chews it completely this time before swallowing it again. The cud then goes to the third and fourth stomachs, the omasum and abomasum, where it is fully digested.

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Let us mull over the thoughts that are exchanged here.

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