Traditional Knowledge, Natural Growth

It seems only yesterday that I was lying on the hospital bed inside the operation theatre. My mind was fully conscious while anesthesia had numbed the lower part of my body. My eyes were covered. Suddenly I pricked up my ears. Was that…a baby’s cry? “Sangeeta,” I heard my doctor say. “Congrats. You have a baby boy.”  I shall never forget those precious words till my dying day. 

Two years have passed since I held the little bundle in my arms and looked with joy and apprehension at my son. I remember those initial days, filled with advice and anxiety. One tiny sneeze and the husband and I would panic and reach the doctor’s office who would laugh and shoo us away. Our parents provided us with age-old remedies, their roots entrenched in Ayurvedic backgrounds, while the doctor prescribed modern medicines. We decided to listen to both. 

As the husband and I endeavored to cope with the deluge of ‘baby tips’, one thing we agreed upon was to massage the baby with warm, garlic infused mustard oil every night before his sleep. It would be raining all through those nights, lending a chill in the air. We did not want our baby to catch cold, the mere thought of any sort of discomfort to the tiny creature brought tears to our eyes. And so, every night, mustard oil would be heated in a little pan that I had bought originally as a ‘tadka pan’ with a few unpeeled garlic cloves in it. The sizzle and aroma of the garlic would bring back childhood memories. I remember clearly those wintry nights when Ma would heat the same garlic-mustard oil and apply on the soles of my feet. “So that you don’t catch cold,” she would reply to my questioning glance, as she crushed the garlic cloves in between her fingers and rubbed the oil on my sole, dabbing a little on my nose as well. 

The husband had similar memories, too, though the story was slightly different in his case. He remembered waiting for his mom to turn her back so that he could flick a few hot crispy garlic cloves for himself. Not for massage, but to eat! 

And thus, after two years, I can vouch for the Ayurvedic properties of this homely concoction. Not only does it keep cold at bay and helps in strengthening the bones and muscles, it also lends warmth to the baby and aids him/her to ‘sleep like a baby’. Meanwhile, I give equal emphasis to products such a Dabur Lal Tail. I trust a product from the house of Dabur since it believes in a perfect blend of adapting modern medicines and age-old Ayurvedic ingredients and methods. 

I have a long way to go as a mother. Every stage of growth and development of my son throws a curve-ball at me. But it pleases me to think that we are at an information age where we have come to appreciate the benefits of Ayurveda and the advancement of modern medicines. I hope that my little boy grows up strong, intelligent and compassionate and learns the goodness of both the worlds.

(This post is my entry for the contest held by Indiblogger and Dabur Lal Tail.)