Coins, Fishes and gold powders...
After reading Deepak's post on the coins people throw into water fountains and fish ponds, I had a theory!!
I do see the occasional quarter or nickel, other than the usual plethora of pennies. Incidentally I have a theory on why people throw pennies in the shopping mall fish ponds!
When we were in Waikiki a few years ago saw a mall with a fountain and lots of Coi fish. The bottom of the water was filled with pennies, international coins, but mostly coins which were a golden bronze color. The fish looked large and healthy.
Came home after that trip and got a fishtank! When the fish were sick, the PETCO dude gave me fish medicine. Guess what element the medicine contains ? Lots of COPPER!! So maybe the copper in the coins helps the fishes survive ??
This theory immediately made another connection in my head. My dad told me during my wedding that there is a reason why we wear a gold ring in our right had and eat on a silver plate. Apparently the gold rubs against the silver and we ingest trace amounts of gold and silver every day and these elements are good for us in trace amounts.
I knew that the film legend MGR was known to attribute his strength and complexion to "Thanga Baspam" and "Velli Baspam" (literally gold and silver powder) which he used to take as part of his diet. As a kid, I have taken these powders when I was really sick and the western doctors gave up on me. The local Siddha healers gave me these powders and a whole bunch of other concoctions which probably saved my life! But my dad's statement did raise some questions like :
1. If this is good, how come women dont wear the same ring and eat in the same plate ?
2. If this is good, then why wait till the wedding to give that gold ring and the silver plate ?
3. What about copper ? Is that why we drink water from copper vessels ?
4. What about lead ? Didn't we all drink rasam from our great grandma's "Eeya Chombu" which probably would have retarded us all with lead poisoning!? or maybe we need lead in small amounts too ?
Hopefully there are people out there who have answers to these questions, and who knows my theory for the pennies in the fish ponds may not be way off the mark!!
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