Fun

Tuesday 18 November 2014

For Babli!

It was dark and cold December night. It might be the night when everyone else was welcoming the new year. But this little girl had a problem. 

CURRENT SITUATION
In the daytime a beautiful girl, named Rani, had come to her small village. Rani's father was of this village but then he got a job in some big city. She stayed with them in a house in the city and she had come to visit her ancestral home with lots and lots of sweets. 

Babli opened her tiny little eyes and smiled as she remembered that beautiful Rani and her smile. Rani must be her age. But she was fare. She was wearing very beautiful dress and had the world best smile. 

It was dark, but there was some moon light. Babli got up slowly and tried to look into a small mirror kept on the trunk in a corner. She smiled. For herself. Her smile faded away. She held her tummy and sat there. 

PROBLEM
Babli had a bit too much sweets and she wanted to go to the bathroom.

Solution is quiet easy, isn't it? Go ahead, switch on the bathroom light and close the door and get done with your problem, go back to sleep.

It is not so for Babli. She tries to wake up her mother taking care that her father doesn't hear. She is ashamed that she needs to go to the bathroom at this hour. I wonder if it is a matter to be ashamed of? How many of us think twice before using the bathroom for n+1 number of times in day and night.

Anyways, here we are with Babli. So, she tries to tell her mother softly, "Maaa, Maaa, I want to go to the bathroom!"

Her mother opens her sleepy eyes, trying to understand what her daughter is trying to say in her hush-hush voice, she replies, "But you just went when we were going to sleep. Is it very urgent?"

Babli has tears in her eyes. She feels sorry that she had to wake up her mother. She knows how much hard work her mother has to do and waking her up at this hour is not fair. Her mother pats her and says, "It's okay! You go. But come back fast. Be careful. I am waiting!"

Babli smiles. Her mother can't accompany her cause of her kid sister and brother sleeping in the house. Plus, Babli doesn't has to go far. Her bathroom is just a mile away.

Babli opens the door as softly as she could. She shuts the door behind her. The air is colder than she expected. She could hardly breathe properly. She was shivering and trying to go to her bathroom in the moonlight. She passes her friend's house. The entire village seems to be sleeping. She was fast but careful not to make any noise. She think of Rani again and smiles. She thinks where Rani would have to go if she wanted to use a bathroom.

She reaches her destination. The pungent and intolerable smell is the key feature of this place. Open starry view above. Bushes as the wall. She tries to get a clean place to defecate. The sound of water flowing near-by, the cold breeze and thought of Rani, Babli didn't seem to be in any hurry.

When almost she was through, she heard footsteps. Someone was calling for her. Oh, it was her dad. She came running on the main road and almost collided with her father. Her father yelled at her, "Do you even know how cold it is and what time it is? You couldn't find a better way to trouble us in the night? Couldn't you wait till morning. Fool. Now hurry home. Silly girl!"

Babli just looked down. Tears rolling down her cheeks. Humiliated. Embarrassed. Just making a small promise to herself, "From tomorrow, just a sip water and half roti!"


This blog is a part of Indiblogger activity in association with Domex.

P.S.: Have been waiting for the SOLUTION, well I hope, we club with Domex and sooner before later, we have one. Your contribution to the solution::
You can bring about the change in the lives of millions of kids, thereby showing your support for the Domex Initiative. All you need to do is “click” on the “Contribute Tab” on www.domex.in and Domex will contribute Rs.5 on your behalf to eradicate open defecation, thereby helping kids like Babli live a dignified life.
Hope we do get the solution to Babli's and other kids' huge problem. Hope they all eat as much roti and drinks as much water, as much they wants to.     

HealthyMe! HappyMe!

Life doesn't turn out to be as you plan or think it would be.

Born to Indian working parents, I have always had 24 hours help at home. Life before marriage was as easy as falling in love with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. Be it getting housework done to food to anything else other than sitting, hogging, relaxing, studying or the basic natures tasks, every little thing  was done by the helps. The regular ones or the replacements.

When I got married, well of course, I was still in some dream land. I was not prepared to get into shoes of the home-care-taker. I just knew how to sit and relax.

Before I could actually enjoy my newly-wed life, there was a house looking at me with the expectation that I will take care of it. Household work, food, organising, decorating and what not.

"Hello, I just can't do it!" I tried not to be too melodramatic with my husband, whom I barely knew. It was an arranged marriage and I had clearly mentioned that I don't know how to cook. But the work was much more than just cooking. But he was cool about my attitude and we decided to delegate all the household work to the maid.

Like I said, life doesn't turn out to be as you plan or think it would be.

The maid search started and to my surprise, this time was as difficult as walking on heated coal. The real comedy/tragedy started after I fixed my maid!!






I gave few patience test, failed miserably. I tried to replace the maid, just to understand that the maids can be replaced but my problems can't be replaced. It's either DIY(Do-it-yourself) or be calm and bare with them.

Crying, complaining and struggling with them, I was somehow trying to cope up with life, when God planned to play some more games.

Well, I had to travel with my kid and husband to UK for six long months. UK...isn't it exciting! Going to UK means:

NO MAID.

Everything from cleaning to dishes to food to organizing to the kid, everything comes on my shoulder.

Excited. Me. Really!!!

I was scared more than I was while giving my board exams. I knew I will clear those exams, but this one, I was scared.

First week proved me right. It was ­­­­miserable. Bad. Sad. Work. Cleaning. My handmade bad food.
It was the first time I was forced to cook - breakfast, lunch and dinner. All week through. In India, if ever the maid didn't come, we managed a decent outside food or khichadi(rice-pulses cooked together). But eating the same khichadi for all the three meals was, of course, not possible.

So, my struggle started. I worked hard. I cleaned, arranged and with a toddler around, I rearranged. I cooked food, which was burnt or overcooked or undercooked. 

Slowly and steadily, I started making better food, which sometimes tasted just like my home-cooked food, which I craved for all these years. Oh, of course, my phone bills were on a high, but I needed some help, right!

Then I found about a health club which came as an accompaniment with my stay. Health club, me! Oh well, there was a fully equipped gym, a swimming pool, a Jacuzzi, a sauna bath room and steam bath room!

But obvious, a lazy bum like me, doing all the house hold work already, running after a super active toddler, I joined it. Well, I have never been to a health club which provides all these facilities and it was for free for me. Not joining this health club was just not an option.

I am, please note, just on a healthier side. Not Fat. Just on a healthier side. I am not much of a gym person. But I just love the pool and the hot rooms after a good swim.

And again like I said, life doesn't turn out to be as you plan or think it would be.

I thought I would die working. Here I was, waking up early at 6:00 AM every working day. Completing my household work by 9 and then taking my little one to the library or toddler groups and by evening going for a swim. Every day. Day after day.

People whom I met, saw me and couldn't help noticing that younger me. Happy, happy and very happy me.

The work was not the problem, my attitude was. Well, it sorted many entangled strings. I don't know how things will fall once I go back to my land, but right now, there is enough time for me to enjoy. I do all the work. I eat much better. I sleep much happier. I rise and shine day after day!

Healthy me. Happy me.


This blog is a part of Indiblogger activity in association with  Sunfeast.


Image Source: Creative Me :)

Wednesday 5 November 2014

Miracle Food!

Youngest child remains a child forever. Well, it is true. Me, being the youngest was not considered fit for the role of being mommy and I was given instruction at every breath I took. Well, not that I didn't enjoy that attention from my family, but it did make me feel that I am just a kid, how am I ever going to handle another one. 

Someone or the other was always there to help me throughout a year and a half. So far so good. But for me, that mother-confidence that I can handle her all by myself never built up. Amidst of all these confusions, I had to travel with my baby, to my home all alone. Plus, I had to stay at my place for a week. All alone.

It was a very big deal for me.

Somehow, I gathered all my courage and started my journey. Through the journey I took great care of her but from a nice looking restaurant at the airport, I fed her idlis, which no one in my family would have approved. I thought, big deal. It is going to be good.

Well, I didn't know what I did, until the very next day.

That night was fine, but next day was just a nightmare. My little girl started throwing up just everywhere. Even if she was eating medicine, she was throwing it out.

I had to take her to a doctor immediately. Got her admitted. A whole day. ALL ALONE.

The day was one of the toughest days of my life. This bitter experience did teach me a lesson. A lesson of being mommy.

The whole craziness for home cooked food, the greens in food, the balanced food, the organic food, good food, bad food, healthy food, unhealthy food. Whatever and whichever way you say, I knew that it needs to be sorted in my mind. My little girl can't pay because of my ignorance.

That day taught me to read. Read behind the packet, read the ingredient, read in detail on the web, read in day and in night about the healthy food. Just because a advertisement was great, that food didn't reach my home. It was well researched, read about and I was to be satisfied that, that packet will make my child - stronger, fitter and healthier.

I found one product which my mother always fed me when I was a little kid - Dabur Chyawanprash. It was a everyday ritual to have a spoon full of Dabur chyawanprash at my home. But in the drama of life, I forgot something that healthy, which increase your immunity, exist.

Well, it is never too late for anything. Although, Dabur chyawanprash is a time-tested formulae for good health, for my satisfaction, I researched it thoroughly.

Increasing Immunity
The growing allergies and powerful germs can't be avoided, but increasing your child's immunity to fight back these germs is in your hand.

Dabur chyawanprash has Ashwagandha and Guduchi for increasing the immunity.

Increasing Strength
In this era, even the milk is adulterated with water and what not. Hardly anything is in its pure form. There should be something to increase the strength.

Dabur chyawanprash has Bala which boost strength.

Improving digestion and related problems
Some of the packaged food, like chips, chocolate, jelly, pizza, burgers and what not has hit the market. Sometimes it is unavoidable to give to the kids. Of course, taking in account from where are you buying it. But they do a lot digestion problems.

Dabur chyawanprash has Amla, a fruit which is considered to cure any disease and helps in digestion process.

Vitamins/Minerals/High Fibre food
I wanted to feed my baby with a miracle food which is rich in all kinds of vitamins and has minerals like - iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper and many other goodness.

Dabur chyawanprash has Asparagus, which is a high fibre food with all the above mentioned vitamins and minerals and many others which are not mentioned. It is my miracle food.

Improving skin health
With growing number of cosmetic, there has to be something which keeps are skin balanced and makes you look beautiful and young. Of course, I always want to look 18.

Dabur chyawanprash has Vidarikand and Sesame oil, which keeps your skin good, healthy and rejuvenated.

These are just a few things from my findings. There are many many more benefits of Dabur Chyawanprash. Of course, it is a miracle product. I trust this product.

Just a spoon-full of Dabur Chyawanprash, makes me feel that it is going to protect my daughter when and where, I can't.
Thanks Dabur.



This blog is part of Indiblogger contest in association with Dabur Chyawanprash.

Photo Curtsey: https://www.liveveda.com/daburchyawanprash/3x_immunity.aspx