Taste of Medicine

I am sick. Yet again. And that brings me to this post. Sickness brings with it memories of long queues at the Doctor’s, endless doses of medicine, and a chance to stay at home, though not under circumstances you would have preferred.

As a child, I used to suffer from regular bouts of wheezing, and this guaranteed me 2-3 days off from school every month. This would begin with a visit to Dr. Subhash who had a clinic near Tiruvanmayur. Even earlier, there was Dr.Alate in Pune. A man who has contributed significantly to my upbringing, considering I used to be a regular visitor at his clinic. He was the man who first introduced me to Asthalin, a drug I continue to turn to whenever I’m sick. Dr.Alate, I wish you very well, and thank you for all you have done for me.

Back to what I was talking about, there would be the interminable wait for my turn, and it would be hell, considering I would be in pretty bad shape. Visit done, Mom would take me back home armed with tonnes of medicines.

One of the simple home-made recipes Mom made to make me feel better was hot milk flavoured with turmeric, pepper & a dash of sugar. This simple and easy to make drink was a great relief to a throat ravaged by incessant cough. I was reminded of this just a few minutes ago, when similar circumstances forced me to make this brew myself. It is after a long time that I’m having this, though I would have preferred a healthier outlook to indulge in this bit of nostalgia. (Though the colour of my concoction sowed a seed of doubt in my mind, the taste was exactly as I remember.)

I also remember having trouble with tablets as a kid. I could not quite master the trick of putting the tablet on my tongue, and holding it there till I could take a sip of water to wash it down. I have spat out several tablets due to the bitter taste. I really do not understand why tablets cannot be sugar coated (except for the ones that diabetics take). As an alternative to this, Mom used to powder the tablet, mix it in a spoonful of honey and make me have it. However, my problem was solved when, one day my Uncle suggested that I first have a sip of water, hold it in my mouth,toss the pill in, and swallow both. This avoids the hassle of the tasting the bitter pill. A simple solution, that I continue to follow to this day.

Over the years, these bouts of wheezing have become more sporadic and less intense. I am able to walk about, while previously I used to be confined to bed. However, they do attack me now and then, and now is one such occasion.

More recently, my sister-in-law has soothed my throat with steaming chukku-kaapi which is made from crushed dry ginger. A hot mug of this brew gives my throat a rest for a while.

I am also reminded of dinners with rice (half the amount I usually eat) , dal and a small piece of pickle which would be eaten half heartedly only to welcome the next tablet. Now these have been replaced with bread and ready-to-make soups.

Being sick is an unpleasant experience. One I do not like. And I’m sure everybody else shares the same opinion. However, it is a part of life and must be endured. The shorter the illness, the better.

Hopefully I will be back to my old self in a day or two.

(A little less) Cheers!

Note: I am not a medical practitioner. Please consult a Doctor before you attempt to try out any of the remedies/medicines mentioned in this post. These are only my experiences. I do not prescribe them to any one.

The Festival Of Lights

Its here again. Its the time of the year when the air smells of gun powder, the flies in Mambalam market fly to Saidapet because there is no room for them in T Nagar with the shopping rush, and when you get to eat all the sweets you want. Its Diwali!

According to a very long email sent by a colleague, Diwali was celebrated for the first time when Lord Rama returned victorious to Ayodhya after vanquishing Ravana. Since the people then didn’t have Xbox-es & TVs for entertainment, apparently they had fun by bursting crackers to welcome their returning King. It also had a detailed step by step manual to perform Lakshmi Puja – Light 6 ‘diyas’ made of Pillsbury atta and what not. Interestingly, about 10 recipes followed, starting with sweets you can prepare for Diwali and ending with a pulao made by a lady for her diabetic husband with a vegetable found in Peru. I fail to understand how its relevant to Diwali. Apparently, the one who composed the email trawled various blogs for recipes, and when he got to No.10, he really didn’t care if it was a sweet, or if it could be made in India. It ended with a brief lecture on how not to burst crackers. Other emails I received included one in which a rocket zoomed around my desktop.

Well, enough about emails. Its the festive season. Arguably the most awaited festival & the one celebrated almost all over India (except in Kerala where it has a rather small fan following). Diwali appeals to people of all ages. It is the festival of lights. Deriving from this, is an expression regularly used in my family when somebody forgets to turn off the lights when they leave the room – “What do you think this is? Diwali?”.
I came home from work today to find all the lights on, and I was at a loss for words.

It IS Diwali!

When I was a kid, Diwali was all about getting 4-5 days off from school,bursting loads of crackers, eating tonnes of sweets, wearing new clothes, and tearing around the neighbourhood with other kids. Now it has come to mean a brief one day holiday from work but it is anticipated with no less interest. The charm of buying new clothes has waned, as has the thrill of bursting crackers. But the appetite to eat sweets remains as strong as ever!

Mom & Dad are home for Diwali this time round, and it has saved me a dash to the station through the mother of all traffic jams. Mom has made some Besan Laddus already and has hidden them somewhere. She’s planning to make Nankatai. Nankatais were a mainstay of our Diwali menu about 15 years ago. Sadly, none have been made for the past 15 years.

Diwali is the time when the house is cleaned, painted & made to look good. The household rises at dawn on Diwali day and the children are made to eat Neem leaves with sugar. Atleast I was. It is supposed to signify that life is bittersweet. After the puja, the kids run off to finish off the crackers before breakfast is served.

The firecrackers when I used to be a kid had imaginative names like Lakshmi Vedi, Saraswathi Vedi, Kuruvi (sparrow) vedi, hydrogen bomb, atom bomb and what not. Apparently the nomenclature is still the same as I confirmed with my nephew. So much fuss about India’s thermonuclear capability when ‘hydrogen bombs’ were hawked on the streets as far back as 20 years ago!

Diwali is also the time when everyone gets new clothes. Hence, T Nagar resembles a can of sardines for about a month preceding the festival. Shopkeepers try to outdo their competitors with discounts. Kids proudly wear new clothes on Diwali day. But most of them are too impatient to wait so long and try it out at least three times when Mom isn’t looking.

Apart from the food, the new clothes & the crackers, Diwali is about sharing. It is the time when kids first compete and then share crackers, mothers share sweets and there is a general feeling of camaraderie around.
It is this which makes it so eagerly awaited. (Ofcourse, there are the sweets too).

There is a lot to be said about Diwali, but right now, Mom is beside me wanting to use the computer.Perhaps you can read the mail my colleague had sent if somebody has forwarded it to you.

Wish you all a very happy and safe Diwali.

Cheers!