We are all flu-ed!!

It was five in the morning as I woke up to start my day. After a little bit of breathing exercise, I made my way to the house to have my daily morning bottle of water. Something was wrong with it. Something terribly wrong. It was green! Green water. I waited for amma to finish her nature chores and come to the kitchen. As soon as she did , I burst open.

" Amma! Water is green ma. "

" Theriyum. I know."

" Naa kaarthalendhu paccha (quite literally) thanni kuda kudikala. Enna ma. What is happening? You know last sem, somebody found a roach in the hostel water cooler! Bwaagg. I don't even go near it now."

" hm.... Ok. So?"

" I want water. And not some green, algayish water"

" Hmm... You know all this swine flue chakkar everywhere."

" Ya, that is in Poona. We are in Nagpur! But, why is the water green?"

" You know vilva maram ?"

" The one at the back of our house, no? Enna ma, pudhir podara?"

" Your college has people from everywhere. Its scary whom all you share the air with!!"

" Huh?"

"Besides, In ayurveda such flue viruses can be fought with vilvam leaves. I have boiled the water with vilvam leaves in it. Its good for you only. By the time it is time for appa and me to return back , you will have a strong anti-flu bubble around you."

"It tastes like omam thanni" as I gulped a glassful of the slightly greenish water.

The mother, whom we shall henceforth call Superwoman without a cape (SWAC), is a non-practicing Ayurvedic doctor and extremely wordly wise. Later in the day, I read up about it and our monk who sold his ferrari says the same. I have always been fond of natural sciences, ways and means. Nature, I think, has most answers. To the ones nature asks us and for questions that come up anthropogenically.

Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.
-William Wordsworth