Happy Feet

Kiran would look at her son and feel sad at his slow growth. Parth was born with weak liver and was always sick with one or the other reason. Regular dose of medicines had an adverse effect on his growth. Son’s health was a constant source of worry for Kiran. All the kids around his age were more active and happy. She would look at his walker and pray to God that he starts walking. Sometimes, she cursed herself for being a bad mother. She thought she must have neglected something important during her pregnancy. 

With each passing day, her worry led to a longer list of items she bought from stores. She would buy everything suggested to her, from a new tonic to a food supplement. But nothing seemed to be working and all that made her more anxious. ‘What’s wrong with me? I try everything and take utmost care and don’t even worry about money. I always buy products of known brands,’ she almost wept while sharing her misery with her friend. ‘Don’t worry, everything will be alright,’ she consoled her. 

One day when her son was sick for close to a week and her body and mind were dead tired, she called her mother. ‘Maa, I don’t know how you managed three kids. I can’t take care of even one child.’ She broke into tears narrating her problems to her mother. ‘Parth catches cold every now and then. His stomach is upset most of the times and he hasn’t started walking yet. What did you do Maa, when we were sick?' she wanted to know her mother’s experience. Her mother spoke reluctantly, ‘Beta, You never listen to us. You go to doctor for every small thing and buy costly medicines and tonic for your children. I used to tell you to give him adrak and honey for cough but you never paid attention. You should stop using strong medicines and use home remedies. Use age old traditional knowledge for Parth’s problems. Stop using chemically processed products,’ she replied. 

‘But Maa, doctors recommend these products,’ Kiran reasoned with her mother. ‘Few years back, nobody did yoga. Now you buy DVDs of big film stars who do yoga to maintain their bodies. Everyone is appreciating the benefits of our traditional knowledge,’ Kiran’s mother sounded much in command now and Kiran seemed quite in agreement. ‘Even beauty products are using aloe vera, haldi and chandan these days. Why can’t you use these things in pure form for your son’s health?’ her mother added. After her conversation with her mother, Kiran sat and pondered. I should try Maa’s way for sometime. What wrong it could do? I have already experimented with several costly products of big brands and also there is no side effect of ayurvedic products. She made up her mind to resort to her mother’s experience and wisdom.

Next day, she called her mother to ask for natural products and remedies and was ready with pen and paper.  Her mother suggested her to use adrak with honey for cough and cold. Instead of taking Parth to doctor every time he cries, first give him Gripe Water. Substitute fresh fruits for food supplements. Soak almonds, grind them and give it to Parth in the morning. Use products that are made from natural ingredients rather than buying costly chemically processed soaps and shampoos. Massage his body before bath. Take him out in the sun for sometime. It won’t do any harm, he needs sunshine for growth. It will give him Vitamin D and will make him happy. 

Not only Parth’s but you should change your lifestyle also. Stick to our natural herbs, drink milk with a pinch of turmeric. In summer, start drinking Amla Juice or Gourd Juice. Remember how healthy your grand parents were even in their 70s, they maintained a healthy lifestyle and used such traditional tried and tested knowledge for minor and frequent health problems. Though Kiran’s mother gave her similar tips earlier as well but till now she had never bothered to listen. Now taking recourse to the traditional method seemed to be the last resort to bring happiness in her messed-up life.

‘Rest, I will tell your brother, Alok, to e-mail you. I can’t recall everything now,’ her mother concluded. ‘Maa, which body oil you used for us?’ Kiran asked. ‘I used Dabur Lal Tail. Even for Alok’s daughter we use the same. It’s 100% natural and growth is 2 times faster. Why don’t you start using it on Parth?’ 

Kiran made a mental note of asking her husband to buy Dabur Lal Tail while coming back from office. She followed word to word her mother asked her to do. She started using Ayurvedic Products for Parth. She massaged him with Dabur Lal Tail and within few weeks, she saw visible changes in Parth. He became more active. While Urad, Shankhapushpi and Ratanjot gave nourishment to his muscles and prevented skin diseases, Karpoor increased his blood circulation. And with right amount of sunshine in the cold season, Parth started toddling. 

She discarded all the unnecessary medicines in her cabinet and substituted it with home remedies her mother suggested. Even she became more agile. Her husband, Ajay, too became more lively and played more with Parth after coming from office. Both Kiran and Ajay got a new wave of happiness in their home after using the traditional methods. With no chemicals and accompanying side effects, they enjoyed parenting more. After 2 months when Kiran’s mother came to visit them, her happiness knew no limits when she saw her grandson walking. ‘Maa, now he picks everything and runs towards the door whenever he hears the doorbell. I can’t rest for a minute. He has become that naughty,’ Kiran complained with a smile. ’Ah! Stop cribbing Kiran and look at those Happy Feet,’ her mother grabbed Parth and kissed him on the forehead.

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This post is written for ‘Traditional Knowledge, Natural Growth’ contest organized by Dabur Lal Tail.