Immunity, here we come!!

‘Buzz!! Buzz!’ the alarm went. “Rohan, wake up!!” Rohan’s mother called from the kitchen. “You have to go to school!!”

“I can’t ma. I’m so sick!” His mother came in. Must be one of his naughty tricks, she thought. But as she put her hand on his head, she noticed he had a fever. He was really sick. “Maybe you’ll have to take the day off, Rohan.”

And he lied down, all covered up in his bed.

  Sounds familiar???

It's a fight.
A long haul.
we have reached a standard- many have too, but this is us.
India.
And one thing, I know for sure, about MY NATION, is that once we NEED something, we WON'T stop.
Why worry about that common cold we get every month??
Why get less admission because of your vulnerability to a flu??
Why  be taken away from temptation- because you are sensitive and prone to catching fever or cold????

Here is an  example we are familiar with:

       next

next 


 next   because of





NOW THESE ARE  PROBLEMS!!

This post is in association with dabur chyawanprash at indiblogger.in

 Chyawanprash, a time-tested, age-old formulation has a number of herbs like Amla, known to be one of the best antioxidants, Giloy (Guduchi), known to have immuno-modulatory properties, and has more than 40 other natural ingredients.Dabur Chyawanprash has anti-oxidant properties and helps to strengthen your body's internal defence mechanism - the immune system - thereby protecting you from day to day infections such as cough, cold etc. It is scientifically proven to provide 3 times more immunity that helps fight virus, flu and infections

Follow on twitter!!! 

immunity all packed!!

Writing this post was not very easy but was worth it, because it fully got me thinking. 

And I started thinking so much, the solution to the problem came out just like that.

It was fun writing, though, and it was a good experience. 

Also, something new happened that I would love to share.

One of my beloved readers aka my relative read this post, and she made a few changes regarding the health and practices of my young cousin, for a better and fitter life (for the kid)!!

The problem

The problem might be a little complicated to understand. 

It is a clear fact that children have less immunity than adults.

There are many ways to explain that, but the easiest way is : logic. 

Kids are small, and their immunity is still developing. 

Because of that, as compared to adults, 

they are much more vulnerable to fall sick. (:().

Another problem lies is that in 

India, many illiterate people have no clue about how to  fight diseases, and how to prevent them. 
The condition of their children is much, much worse. 

 Childhood memories should be about playing and having fun, school stuff and laughter. What if it becomes something like falling sick, and skipping important days of school or not going to some trips because you are so vulnerable to falling sick?? 

When Rohan's Mother read this she was shocked.

She remembered Rohan had a debate on the topic of immunity. But he himself was falling sick! And the scholarship...he was supposed to have at least 90% attendance! Now WHAT???

The solution

The solution is different for many. For example, premature kids tend to have immature immune systems, so they sometimes need a different type of diet for their growth. 
Solutions:
* Give fruits and vegetables
They have vitamin C and antioxidants, and both boost the immunity system. 

*Less sugary food 

now that's too bitter!!

This is extremely important since sugary food does not give a boost in immunity and sometimes even decreases the chances.







*take care of the lungs
To boost immunity, it's good to take care of the lungs because they make the child susceptible to infection. Quit smoking. And keep smokers away from children. 

*Exercise a lot!!
This makes the white blood cells more efficient and also makes your child fitter and healthier.


 *Guard against Germ spread
Yes, we've seen it in 

millions of advertisements.
The main tough drawback is that when the child interacts with his/her friends, he/she is also interacting with germs.
Germs are everywhere, and we can't really 'destroy' them. But, we can always help our child not to be affected by them.
Sanitize your hands or wash them well. Stay away  from others who have a cough/ cold. 
After all, you know how the cycle goes on.....

...........................................................................................................
Tip (Expert advice by me!)
Food given to children should be Cabbage, chicken soup, honey, lemon, mushrooms and oats.
............................................................................................................

We are a nation, and it is our duty to create an environment which is safe and immune for our generation so that they can do the same later!!
            {Lets cheer for a better India!!!}
[APPLAUSE]

Rohan's mother  showed this to her son, and they vowed to stay fit and healthy and have a strong immunity, by following these few easy steps.

Akshita Gupta's ABC for a more                 
immune India

A aware


B be healthy yourself


C continue to make the world a better a better place with more immunity. 

If everyone follows this ABC, 

imagine how easy it would be.

How immune and beautiful our nation would be.

In the end, after a rest, Rohan was 
much better. And he always would be. Everyone was impressed with the
young boy's debate as he stood for 
the responsibility of the family and how immunity your immunity was.
And from that day, Rohan 
was not only a very immune child- 
so was the audience -the ones who were enthralled by his speech.


Oh yeah, The chyawanprash worked for Rohan!

and that's what did the magic!

                                  THE END 

                          THE IMMUNE END

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! 

what our nation can be---- and what it will be!!

An introduction: Every mother wants the same: A good, healthy baby. 
The baby is the responsibility of the parent, and naturally, the mother and father always want the baby to grow into a strong little child. 
But, how do they help in the development? What should they do? 
And other few questions are always on their mind. Maybe get a powder, but which one will not give rashes?
Which electric heater will give the right temperature? Which....??

It sometimes is quite amusing, to see how different products make a different difference. Amusing , yes, but sometimes, the case is pretty serious too. It absolutely nurtures a young child!

Picture this: 

The baby: It has no clue about his/ her life. It just can't do anything.

His/ her parents have to take the utmost care.

                          

                                      TO

                          

The infant: Young, it starts getting memories, can have slow thinking abilities. It uses the products it is provided with. 

This is the start of the time it's mind is 'centered', you could say (age - 2 years)

                 

The child can now talk properly and has full understanding. Most vaccines have been taken, and the health, atmosphere,  nurturing, education he/ she has been provided had made him/ her what he/ she is.

The child becomes a teenager, and is now either healthy, weak, strong, anything.

And then the adult

                                  

The child has become an adult. 

What sometimes goes unnoticed, is that the value the products that helped in the growth, were a crucial part in what the child is now.

When I was young, I remember hating drinking milk!! It felt like the worst thing ever!

But, soon, I noticed, every milk powder was the same!

One promised that I would be sharper and stronger and I took it before any exam, another said I would be taller so I took during the time I felt other girls were taller than me (guess that actually, now that I'm this tall). Another just tasted good. 

While talking to my grandfather, he told me they, as kids, were given cod liver oil, not for any particular reason, just because it was healthy, everyone thought. Different thoughts raced in my mind. That's like chawanparash, I thought. Just the fact that I liked it, unlike the taste of whatever my grandfather got.

My late grandfather even taught me the power of choosing. While shopping, he used to always examine everything, the toothpaste, the pulses. He called it examining.

He took all brands of the same thing, and not only checked prices, but brands, the qualities, pros, cons. No wonder my mom never sent me shopping on my own ever!

Parenting and taking care of a child is a first experience. You are always so careful, so ready.

So which product do you get? Which one are you sure will really help your child?

I took a survey. First, the one on the speed dial, my mother. 

Me: How do you buy products, mom?

Mom: ?

ME: How do you choose?

mom: Well, it should be a good brand.

me:that's a start...

mom: it should give the right results and should provided the criteria I need. Now let me bake the cake. 

As I watched her bake the cake and choose her ingredients  I noticed something. What if she used a different product for the baking powder, flour and vanilla essence? Would the cake change completely? Sort of. 

A story comes alive only with- characters

All the photographs and sketches nave been made by (hello, me) Akshita Gupta.

I love reading books. I love reading books that are good  so interesting that you just have to, no matter what happens have to finish it- even if an earthquake comes, or an alien invasion or maybe even the morning cup of tea being boiled over. Okay, that's an exception.

And now, the book which can fit into the category and my shelf of satisfying books- Jacob Hills. Check the book out.

Ismita Tandon Dhankher with the book

 Jacob Hills got this one point in my head which I had not realized earlier. What runs the story? A plot. What runs the plot? The story. 

That was the typical thing I had in my mind since I came into some 'book club' in fourth grade.

But this book got a new thing in my head- I tell you, the best things happen over a great cup of hot coffee. Why was I so desperate to finish the book? Why was I praying that everything should go good? Why was I believing this book? Why did I treat it as real?

Simple. It had characters. 

Great characters. Intense, graceful, bold, adorable characters. 

You wanted to interview the villain. You fell for the hero. From the ankle to the attitude, everything was happening right in front of you. The imagery created was 'awe- stonishing'. 

Another book, was the Hobbit. It had a lot of description about the characters  so well created and written.

And that's what has kept inspiring me. The characters. 

You wrote a book? 

Hmm. 

It's got good characters? 

What?                                                                   

Good characters, hello, do you have any? 

Dunno. nope.

Gracias.

And hereby, the unique character herself, Akshita Gupta, presents you a set of fresh characters, all ready to amuse or mystify or upset or depress or anger or happy you. It's showtime!

yes, made by me. (I added coffee powder for that brown smokey look)

1. Stan the man. Just kidding. REKHIMP THE GREAT 

REKHIMP THE ROBBER

He robs. Chains, gold and your business company right in front of you.

But, there's a flashback...he robbed someone's heart.
By that, there are two meanings.
He let go of a lover, and he killed someone.
And both are connected in one very common way......
Now they just call him the robber.
No one pays attention. One day you can't see him, or maybe no one noticed, and the other day he is just sulking behind the bar. He does not even want to get fast money, it's just that there is a reason he has to.
There are five main points in his life, the can be depicted like this:

Satisfied and glad,
With everything he had.
A roof, a girl,
but then someone just made it twirl.
There was a promise,
and someone not of his word is not a man,
another won the heart,
and his, injured,
in a fraction of events, everything blurred.
The promise was still pending,
The heart was not mending.
But he stuck up to being brave,
he had to do what he could save.
Blood and anger flew past,
faster than light, the urge was fast,
in a second, a heart darkened.
And another stood by the end of the road.
And she had to take up another load.
For it is more painful to witness something you have lived not to see.
But maybe life makes you ready for something you did not want to be.
He had fallen somewhere...
You might have called it love,
Well, After that, no one saw a dove.
But everything that falls has to break,
if you have to give, you have to take.
So he had to compensate,
his love was now just his hate.
He fled, he did not want to make anything worse,
He left the place with a curse,
He returned back, but depressed,
He knew he could not mend what he had messed.
And now, he sits by the bench,
smoking his merciless pipe,
thinking about those days that would never come back....
but his soft heart still had this lack....

loved the way I drew her!

2. Bella Diable 
In the Catalan language, she means 'Beautiful Devil'.

And she is one.

Slowly, swiftly she makes her move. Her advantage is her looks. She attracts people- no one's ever seen someone like her,  and then

she does what she wants to. She does not commit small crimes like robbery, instead she aims at the big things that have a good value. She's broken hearts, cheated suitors of their money and murdered dealers. 

She is the bella diable. What's in a name? 

3.  Crimscar
Crimscar is not as beautiful as Bella Diable, but she is good enough.
She is rather dumb, and thinks of her being the opposite.
And this foolishness lands her in trouble, for herself, always.....


4.  

4. Breohk 
Breohk is young and lively, but she has an annoying habbit that makes people tag her as the 'I'm ready girl'. That's just the polite version of what she's called. What they really say is 'unnecessary phobia creator'. 
She's scared that something will happen to her, something, she's not sure what. 
So she has hidden cameras, air pressure tubes, skate-cum-shoes, snorkeling equipment, water proof T-shirt, a hiking and trekking rope, a pepper spray with her - all the time.
She is comical and makes people laugh without exactly making a fool out of herself.
But she's scared, all the time. Nothing even happens to her.
Though in the end, something does happen....

5. Miyantra- the extremist

Beauty has changed it's meaning over the world.
But Miyantra is very beautiful; without make up, without fancy clothes. 
However she is an extremist.
And that's the problem.

6- You know them- they're all part of the Cliche

THIS ILLUSTRATION STARS....

Minnie, Natasha, Vini (left to right)

Natasha rules these girls. And that's how their cliche is formed.

Minnie and Vini are less cooler (or whatever adjective you want to add) of Natasha.

These three characters can come of use in any kind of story.

A one with high school drama fits in perfectly.

A romantic genre can also work.

Otherwise, maybe some very girlish book. You get what I mean, don't you?

Had to paint the background and then do the drawing. Anyways, it was worth it  

7. Jasmine- a (desperate) desi housewife. Or maybe just a wife. 
Sometimes, not even a wife.

Parties, boyfriends. money gambling girl. Money spending girl.
A little- dumb. And also, very cunning- a little smart. 
Marries for money. Breaks a marriage for money.
She is rich. She is crazy.
An Americanized version of the typical modern bahu.

  8. The Loner
Mysterious, dark woman. She is not scary, but she is not someone who makes people smile either. 
She roams around at night, often when the stars are bright.
No one has really seen her face. 
And she always wears a blue dress, with grace.
 Seen her around? 
She's easy to spot. She is one of a kind, you see.

9. For the fiction lovers, I present to you....

Hisavah, the- oh well, just add on something

This one is for the fiction lovers. You might just want to watch another Scary Movie.

By that, The 'Scary Movie (s)', are not exactly scary, unless and until you are a person who gets spooked by the smallest cobweb. A lot of irony, huh?

Hsivah has got that crackle in his laughter that makes people want to cry.

His smile makes people nervous.

His paleness makes people freeze.

His eyes make people hypnotized. 

His stupidity make no one make fun of him.

His intelligence makes no one praise him, either.

10.Not exactly on the wanted list....

No one really knows him, but it is alleged that his name is XXX (Identity cannot be given).

But many people, instead call him Sam. 

Funny name for a typical Indian street roamer who spends his time on cheap bikes and teases girls.

Okay, not very sure about the latter, this man is pretty busy- does some strange work..

11. That's the dream.

She's actually: (somewhat) 

People really expect and anticipate a lot. 

But deep in, they anticipate with practicality. 

And by practicality, I mean the attitude or the correct sensation of:

I know it's never going to happen.

And that's exactly what Anita is. 

Dreams of being a dramatic queen- hold on she is one! So I guess, it's just a queen.

poor girl. (Yes, financially and sympathetically)

Maybe, Dreams never come true.

Well, to get some hope, hop on to the next character.

Not exactly how she looks.  But yes, it's the feeling she emits...



12. Smita ....
Heard that song by the boy band You don't know you're beautiful!"
That's what Smita is.
She makes everyone smile, and spreads laughter.
She has a good sense of humour,
and she loves playing the guitar.
She is not pretty, but her bubbly face and heart filling smile makes everyone gaze at her with amazement.

13. (The unlucky number..)

Now, shouldn't there be a good setting for our characters.....??

14. The man who comes and goes...
Profepest- (With the Past, Present and Future)
According to me, the sketch has been made exactly like this character. The background shading represents the past, shady, dark, and over. His fingers are in the direction of the present form, where he currently is and he walks into the future. This man does not keep the trust of people- not dishonest, but not to be sure of either. And neither does he trust anyone else. He is dark and cynical- two words that actually define him. 

The weird teacher

She is always angry. It's creepy when she suddenly gets a smile on her treacherous face. She pulls kids by her ear, and treats herself as being very important, but kids really don't care about the french teacher. Her name's xxxx (sorry, cannot tell that, her identity has come out of my experiences..)

She makes the class laugh. Not because she's got some awesome sense of humour, she is- you know what. The teacher. Good bye, scary, gloomy and boring ones who remember to put on their lipstick. 

17. Nerdy Naina
She's a nerd who lives to study and studies to live. And that  too not only textbook based. She's incredibly intelligent, of course, but also fun. 
The sad fact is, people only like her  when they're alone with her. They act as though they're out of her league to hang out with her but they all know how interesting it is to be with her- to never get bored.


THE LAST AND FINAL CHARACTER- DRUM ROLL, PLEASE

That's right.
IT IS YOU.


You are the next character. It is you, only you, who can be YOURSELF.

You are different, you are great. 
Some people love you, some people hate.
You have someone, you're all alone,
Some just love your tone.
You are different, better than the rest,
And that is proved in the, 
life test.
You always light up,
like in a fest.
And you are sure that...
you are the best. 






This contest is in association with The Jacob Hills contest by Indiblogger.



Don't Forget to read Jacob Hills! And tell me what you feel about the characters in the book!
And mine too!!!



Need some help, guys? These characters are great, (I know, they're created by me, that's why!) but how do we start with a story? Hmmmm....according to me, it can go like this.....


No one likes a 'once upon a time' start anymore. It's dark and faded like pages gathering dust, and not appreciation. Gadreston town was a place everything seemed to happen and nothing too. If you were an insider, you would know everything, in and out. But if you were someone like a tourist, this place would be incredibly boring. 
The wind started a conversation about the season. A man sat on a bench, smoking his cigar. He looked into the sky. What he was thinking nobody knows. Luckily, this dark and cynical man is not a hero in our story. Moving on, a young girl was walking through the lane. She was insecure and looked introvert. She wore an indigo top, and black jeans with her spectacles. With hardly any make- up on, she looked pretty. She was carrying a bag full of papers, files and documents. And if you would check it, you would be able to see an effort to make a visa- for Europe, it seemed so. Her name was Naina. She smiled at Profepest and walked away.
..................
He sat next to Rekhimp, and patted him. He took a cup of tea from the chai walla and nodded. "Long day, huh?" No reply.
"How's everything? Oh, stop smoking that poor pipe and get some self esteem back!" Finally, Rekhimp stood up. "Profepest, I would appreciate it if you left me alone for some time. I have some thinkin to do." He had a fair complexion, but his dark circles outlined that away. It all looks so easy, life. People teach about how to marry, raise kids, go to college, but who taught you, at the start about how to live?? 
.................
It's funny how lives connect with each other. Cases might be incredibly different but in Gadreston town, everything was possible.
Everything.
....................
The lights were on and a woman entered. She walked swiftly, gracefully. She wore a long, red dress. She had dark curly hair, and only wore a necklace with a pendulum of an oyster.  It was attractive, extremely. She had a glass in her hand, a quarter of her champagne was left. She was la bella diable. Beware. As she walked on, she held tightly to her purse, as though it was more important than a person's life. A person's life....
......................
Jasmine tried her best to not look stupid. She could not cook even one thing, she cursed herself. She was feeling low lately, ever since her second marriage did not seem to work out. It was extremely painful. She wanted to show the world she had feelings. That for her, her life mattered, and it was not like just another trip home. It was painful, extremely. She picked up the phone, ready to call in some food. And she dialed.....
......................
Come on, Mini, Vini. How long are you going to take, she thought. She wore a lot of gloss, and hoola loops. Her hair was hazel and brownish, with purple highlights. Finally, two girls arrived. "Natasha, where do we go now?"
She cursed under her breath. "I need a new makeover. Lets go."
And they went around, sat in the car, and switched on the radio....
................
"How long will you continue this crap, Miyantra?" 
She sighed. Women wore long earrings and boots.They also had long, beautiful hair. She was a lady in black, forced like that. Oh how she longed to break free!!
 OR ???
......................



So well, that's about it!!!!
Be a good character yourself, don't be influenced, and remain an original  forever!!!!!

Those little things...

 

                    

So recently I was chatting with my friends at their house when I smelt some very delicious dish being cooked; with tangy spices and an addicting and breath taking taste towards it. Instantly, I was reminded of my grandma's,or my dear nani, and her sweet little snacks.

It was a like a black and white flashback that brought back a smile to my face when I remebered being chased by my cousins after eating the cake because 'it was smelling really good'.

What do we classify smells and fragrances with? Perfumes and deoderants, of course.

To be truthful, hardly any perfume actually makes you say, "It smells great".

To me, many of them smell the same. A fragrance has lost the things it linked with itself. They're random variables now.

Now that I'm driving and drilling into the topic, I remember butter being part of my childhood memories. Why? It smelt exactly the way it tasted.

When it melted, that frothy, beautiful, tangy, lip-smacking butter gave a smell that stayed on your head forever.

I am getting teary- eyed now,so teary eyed. Since when did I get so emotional???

You are part of some things; but some things are part of you.

Where do you live?

In a hostel?  I remeber 'the hostel'; while making yummy two minute noodles, you never want anyone to catch the smell and come crawling to your room, thanks to the 'I couldn't help it-it smelt awesome' smell!                                        

Our house always smelt of  a mixture of peppermint and mango. A weird combination, I know.

And rain, ah, of course. Who can forget that??

The first drops of rain on the ground always gave an enchanting smell. It was heavenly, I know, but it was even better to have the smell of dhokla or momos in the air with the rain.

And there's one more smell I loved, that brought me back to childhood. Remember your mother saying, "Wash your hands...? I always sanitized mine. Three drops, and then just drown in the smell. Ahh...that strong, great smell.     

Haven't any of you ever been somewhere, anywhere, but by the smell of the place, just felt as though you were home?

And of course, who could forget your room. "Oh my, how old are these socks"??? my mom would say. What would you do? One smell in the air, and- "Exactly two days 5 hours old".

And that would then bring that perfume, one whiff of it, and a sigh of relief.

So I guess this is the end of my great post- the memoir of your smells- leading to a flashback.

Thanks to AmbiPur and https://www.facebook.com/AmbiPurIndia , I was able to think and well, escape into a whole new world.

Sob, sob. A happy, teary eyed, end.

Why are you so happy?

I just remember my home.

How? Why?

I smelt my old socks.

Your old socks.
Mom's favourite lip gloss.
Dad's shoe polish.
the food of your fish.
Hot soup (tomato and hot & sour).
Apple tart.
cream for skin wart.

This is a post in association with AmbiPur smelly to smiley contest.

Something to change- for new change

I'll start with an introduction. Did you just curse your extra heavy bag today? We are part of the city, the urban life. And what needs to change?
Many things in the mega city too, but the countryside part, our villages, need a massive change.
Have you ever passed through a village?? Or can you just imagine one? There'll always be one picture of, say, a little girl with, maybe her mother, carrying a bucket of water on her head which is three times the load of maybe your daughter's school bag.
And they don't carry luggage. They carry water, on their head and water is heavy. They carry this for kilometres and kilometers.

A huge problem

 Another problem is, it is time consuming. I thought, maybe this is the reason women limit themselves at home. And hence the water wheel was introduced.
This idea was by Cynthiya Koenig and I must say- it was a very good one indeed.
Girls can go to school, women can work, they get 35 more hours every week! Isn't THAT great?
Yes, it is. 
It is also convenient, hygienic and durable. Most of all, it takes up more amount of water, and it saves women and girl from that awful pain in the back.   
Thanks to Cynthiya Koenig, I do think that a very big problem has been solved. 
We will now have:
- women working, girls studying
-less load
- more water
-more time 
-and guess what, the water wheel is affordable too!


How long will this go on? Faith does not die...

And- the water wheel is introduced!

The problem- and the solution! Four pots in one !

I think that this idea is very inspiring.  And thanks to Franklin Templeton Investment, it could be shared with the world.And we can reach new heights,  of course.Economically, women can now work and help in the growth of  money in their family and can be breadwinners too. Socially, women and girls can be educated. They will no more be looked upon as 'family workers' or people who are only limited to their house. Practically, since they have a lot of time left.  And of course, it is easier and much more advisable to not carry such a load on their shoulders everyday.This idea, according to me, can change one whole image of the way women and girls are portrayed, especially in the villages.Hope+ Change+ Ideas+ implementing them+ Smart movements= something better than what something was

     Franklin Templeton Investment

 partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3Dn868I8RQ&feature=player_embedded

This is a post in association with 'The Idea Caravan'  by Franklin Temlpleton Investment which partnered the TEDx Gateway In Mumbai in December 2012. 

                                                          Cynthia expressing her idea