Last week began with my coming down with a sudden and severe cold, and consequent absence from office, which meant an unplanned snatch of idleness. Images, I believe, are indexes to one’s memory; why else would folks frame their photographs? As I looked into the mirror and greeted Mr. Red Nose, I was reminded of a few ‘recommended’ remedies to the common cold.
The first comes from the kitchen. Presumably, it was bequeathed to my grandmother – pati in Tamil – who is now passing it on to her future generations. The recipe is simple. Powdered turmeric and pepper, and a couple of saffron strands are added to a glass of milk. The milk is then heated to a near boil and sugar added in the interim. The hot and spicy beverage is then ready to be sipped. The piquant liquid expunges the cold for a few moments, at the least, before numbing the palate. Thus, the concoction is not a quick fix. The intake is to be repeated twice, or thrice, a day, till the cold abates. But, as pati points out, the treatment has no adverse effects!
My cousin, C1, a sweet tooth incarnate, was never charmed by pati’s potion. Only something sweet could ever make him feel better. So, as a kid, he too patronized an alternative form of medicine – Homeopathy. Cold was only a pretext to consume the wee globules of sugary prescription. Again, the healing is a long-drawn, harmless process. Recently, drawn into the bustle, he trusts a capsule. Under the best conditions, he claims, it can relieve one of the inflections in a couple of doses.
Another cousin, C2, believes rest is an important part of the recuperation. He swears by a tablet that is to be specifically consumed at night due to its sleep inducing tendency. The tablet, resting on its ‘back’, has a longer edge of about 1.2 cm and width equal to half the length. The thickness is appreciable if not formidable. The corners are all rounded and the edges along the width curved. That is the best description I can provide! Swallowing such medication is always finicky. A lapse in concentration is sure to leave a bitter after taste. That was treatment number three!
As I scoured for more cures, my reminiscence was interrupted by my relentless cold. I could not sense any other symptoms of a URT infection and reached for the anti-histamine hoping to avoid a deluge. It worked and I evaded a visit to my doctor. I must admit I would have preferred pati’s potion if my cold was tolerable! Also, speaking to pati on the off-day, I found, that lately, she too relies on C1’s trusted capsules for acute colds!
All this disparity in dealing with the cold, coupled with my inactivity, fomented a thought. If people are so diverse, how wise are the intellectuals, erudite thinkers and liberal philosophers in trying to prescribe a panacea for all the purported and perceived ailments of the society? Like pati preferring the capsule, the society will only change its ways when convinced of the need for it. The reformers would do well to lay out their vision as an option rather than wanting to fully revamp the belief system since reconciling everyone to the 'lofty' ideas, liberal or traditional, is as likely as siring the Aryan race. Why should I swallow C2’s cherished bitter pill, or C2 stop doing the same, as long as each of us is rid of the cold?
The first comes from the kitchen. Presumably, it was bequeathed to my grandmother – pati in Tamil – who is now passing it on to her future generations. The recipe is simple. Powdered turmeric and pepper, and a couple of saffron strands are added to a glass of milk. The milk is then heated to a near boil and sugar added in the interim. The hot and spicy beverage is then ready to be sipped. The piquant liquid expunges the cold for a few moments, at the least, before numbing the palate. Thus, the concoction is not a quick fix. The intake is to be repeated twice, or thrice, a day, till the cold abates. But, as pati points out, the treatment has no adverse effects!
My cousin, C1, a sweet tooth incarnate, was never charmed by pati’s potion. Only something sweet could ever make him feel better. So, as a kid, he too patronized an alternative form of medicine – Homeopathy. Cold was only a pretext to consume the wee globules of sugary prescription. Again, the healing is a long-drawn, harmless process. Recently, drawn into the bustle, he trusts a capsule. Under the best conditions, he claims, it can relieve one of the inflections in a couple of doses.
Another cousin, C2, believes rest is an important part of the recuperation. He swears by a tablet that is to be specifically consumed at night due to its sleep inducing tendency. The tablet, resting on its ‘back’, has a longer edge of about 1.2 cm and width equal to half the length. The thickness is appreciable if not formidable. The corners are all rounded and the edges along the width curved. That is the best description I can provide! Swallowing such medication is always finicky. A lapse in concentration is sure to leave a bitter after taste. That was treatment number three!
As I scoured for more cures, my reminiscence was interrupted by my relentless cold. I could not sense any other symptoms of a URT infection and reached for the anti-histamine hoping to avoid a deluge. It worked and I evaded a visit to my doctor. I must admit I would have preferred pati’s potion if my cold was tolerable! Also, speaking to pati on the off-day, I found, that lately, she too relies on C1’s trusted capsules for acute colds!
All this disparity in dealing with the cold, coupled with my inactivity, fomented a thought. If people are so diverse, how wise are the intellectuals, erudite thinkers and liberal philosophers in trying to prescribe a panacea for all the purported and perceived ailments of the society? Like pati preferring the capsule, the society will only change its ways when convinced of the need for it. The reformers would do well to lay out their vision as an option rather than wanting to fully revamp the belief system since reconciling everyone to the 'lofty' ideas, liberal or traditional, is as likely as siring the Aryan race. Why should I swallow C2’s cherished bitter pill, or C2 stop doing the same, as long as each of us is rid of the cold?
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