JUST ANOTHER DAY IN CORONA TIMES
It was not the chirping of the birds on the Gulmohar tree, that woke me up, rather, a loud newsreader on a popular channel explaining the benefits of ‘Neem ka Pani’ to fight off the Covid 19 virus. And thus, the highlight of the day was decided, my hapless ‘parivaar’ was going to get a taste of a very bitter medicine.
After a totally Punjabi breakfast of Alu Pranthas (since we could not get any bread on the farm) which I kept justifying to the already over stuffed family “This is our original diet, it will help boost our immunity”. “No mom! For the hundredth time Alu Pranthas, Gobi Pranthas for that matter any pranthas cannot fight a viral infection. They will just help boost our already expanding size,” came the exasperated reply. But of course, mom knows best and I didn’t want to cook Poha, so Pranthas it was.
Next came the mandatory pep talk- do not throw your socks on the floor, the towels can’t walk themselves to the drying stand, please stop putting relatively clean clothes into an already brimming laundry bin and to end the conversation came the obvious “I’m not your maid, my whole day finishes picking up after all of you and I am sick of it”. I saw a lot of eye rolling and lip syncing, but then I’m a seasoned mom of two boys and I don’t bristle easily.
“So, they are saying drinking water boiled with Neem leaves keeps the virus at bay, it may taste a little bitter but, we can add a bit of honey to the mixture. It’s better than getting a deadly infection and what’s the harm in trying a natural remedy?”
“Who is the ‘they’ please enlighten us, where are you getting your information from, ‘The University of What’s app’ stop making us your guinea pigs” protested the husband. But I had the upper hand, with the house help on leave, no one wanted to upset the one person who could cook a decent meal, at a time of no-takeaway.
A trip to the citrus orchard ended with me getting my hands on some precious cargo- a Neem branch. This was then boiled in a pan of water till the colour changed to a sickly green (an indicator of things to come). Lunch was an interesting mixture of matar paneer, and last night’s leftover mushroom pasta, I even allowed the kids to have the last bit of the vanilla ice cream, before bringing out a cup of the frog -green concoction. The husband had the first go, after all he had to lead by example , two spoonfuls later his face began to resemble the stuff he was drinking .My younger ones eyes began to brim with tears of worry looking at his dad’s reaction, the first spoon went in, he gagged a little, and genetics came into play – both father son started to get the same greenish skin tone. “I don’t think he is looking too well, his face is like when we drive up in the hills,” said the first born. Before I could respond there was a run to the bathroom, but midway, the contents of lunch and my homemade medicine were barfed out , so now I am stuck with the whole family giving me the cold shoulder, a stinking room that needs to be mopped and cleaned, and a bowl full of a green liquid, available in case anyone is interested.
Written by
Jasveen Sekhon Ahluwalia.
