Turmeric and Covid 19

I wish to be there in lock down time as long as possible. The declaration of lockdown throughout the country on March 22, 2020 brought in panic, uncertainty and agony for most of the people. The ailing father was awaiting the daughter to arrive at home- but alas! They could never meet each other as the father passed away and the daughter got stuck up in her workplace. The son was awaiting home cooked food but his home visit got uncertain for long period of time. The stories of lock down period are never ending. Many students at hostels, many workers at their workplace , many at their tourist spots got stuck up. Many worried about their day to day earnings, many people fall sick with the virus. Many got worried about stuffing food for many days. The life inside home became chaotic but outside it was clam, a complete silence. No cacophony, no noise, no smoke, no dust, the serene look of nature at every morning was bringing in so much joy. The birds from unknown place surfaced with their chirping, the unnoticed flowers of everyday life was showing off, the tress looked greener, the wind became pleasant- suddenly the environment surrounding us greeted us with much love and patience. Amazing mornings were crawled in to thank us for slowing down, bringing in more peace!

At home, it was the time to fight against the virus. Mornings were full of rituals of having a glass of warm water with a lemon squeezed in. Then a cup of tea with “kadha”. Kadha is a mixed powder of spices- cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper etc. The spicy tea boosts immunity. The morning breakfast included healthy fresh food along with fruits and egg. We were trying to enhance our Vitamin C and D intakes. The lunch contained protein and green leafy vegetables, salads and lemons. The dinner was simple but nutritious. As I was at home, I took care of all the things which ensured an effective fight against corona. Reading of articles, watching news, food channels, going through Facebook pages- all had a connection with corona. I wanted to keep myself well aware about the techniques to keep corona at bay. Trying out new recipes was a daily affair. Doing household chores was a fun. And the online classes were a new experience. The online platforms are many. I learnt to handle few of them to conduct classes from home. Preparing soft notes was hectic but enlightening. My students were happy with my efforts which brought in peace.

While getting enlightened about the fight against the virus, I realized that the Indian food habit itself is beneficial for our immunity system. The main ingredient of Indian food is turmeric which is a great immunity booster. I remember, my father used to crush fresh turmeric pods everyday morning to collect its juice to be poured into my empty stomach. I used to consume it with great difficulty though but later I realized why it was so important! Now the fresh turmeric pods are not available in modern city life, but consuming turmeric milk helps in boosting immunity. During that lock down time, every night, after dinner we were having turmeric milk as a means to fight against corona. A pinch of turmeric powder must be added to a cup of milk, boil, cool and consume that warm turmeric milk. The effect is amazing- no cold and cough, no body ache and a sound sleep. Wish to go back to that life of self care, self love and spiritualism. With the lock down lifted in June, again I got busy with my work life and now hardly getting anytime for self and family care. Now the mask and the sanitizer are the only weapon to fight against corona.

The memories are precious, the new experiences of lock down are indeed valuable!