I was sipping Assam tea while enjoying my favourite freshly-baked walnut brownie made by my sister Simran. The doorbell was answered by her maid and a miniature storm invaded the room as my 6-year-old nephew zoomed inside. He dropped the school bag on the sofa, kicked-off his shoes and socks, got rid of his neck-tie and then with an innocent smile, quietly sneaked into the kitchen.
Moments later, sporting a grin that extended as far back as
his ears, he seated himself on the chair next to mine with a big bowl of strawberry-banana
ice-cream.
‘Whoa!’ I exclaimed as I raised my eyebrows and stole a
glance at Simran. She smiled back placidly at him.
I couldn’t stay quiet. ‘It’s raining outside Adi. Wouldn’t you
rather have some hot chocolate milk with a sandwich or something?’
‘Come on mausi’, he made a face at me.
I turned to Simran in hope ‘You must not allow him to eat
all this during this weather Simmi. What if he falls ill? My neighbour’s
daughter is down with viral fever since a week and she’s gotten so weak.’
Simran teased me with her twinkling eyes, ‘He’s got a magic
wand to protect him. Something like a secret potion. Only that it’s not a
secret anymore.’
I was beginning to feel as if this was some conspiracy being
played out by the mother and son while I was the silent spectator. What’s worse
is that I was really feeling worried that Aditya might catch a cold soon. He was
close to emptying the bowl of the yummy ice-cream.
Noticing my restlessness, Simran came and hugged me from
behind as she put my worry to rest ‘Didi, I give him Dabur Chyawanprash every day. You obviously know about this time-tested, age-old
formulation for good immunity, right?’
‘Yes, I’ve heard about it but does it
really improve a child’s immunity?’
‘Of course didi. Thanks to the goodness
of a number of herbs and 40 natural ingredients, it actually strengthens the
body’s defenses and protects against illnesses.’
I was still skeptical as I recalled my neighbour’s
daughter, ‘But does that mean you allow him to eat and drink anything he wants?’
‘Didi. I have seen it work and that’s what
makes me resolute about its efficacy. Do you even remember the last time Adi
fell ill? Previously, he would keep catching cold every now and then from kids
in his school. But now, things have changed. His health his good.’
I slipped my hand over the corner of the
table while muttering ‘touch wood’ to myself.
She continued, ‘In fact, it’s so often
that his friends keep falling ill and he has no one to play with. Hence, I even
told his friends’ parents to start them on Dabur Chyawanprash.’
I happened to notice that indeed Aditya
seemed to be in good health. ‘If that is the case, I totally trust you, Simran.
Go Adi, eat whatever you want!’ I tickled him and his peals of laughter filled the entire room with a wondrous rapture!
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This post is a work of fiction for an Indiblogger Campaign ‘A
healthy child makes a happy home’
