Of Saffron Milk, Orange Juice and Coconuts…
Mistake me not… I have a crazy sweet tooth and hence deep love for kesar badam milk, kesar pista rolls, Nagpur’s famous Orange Barfi and all things coconutty.
But Circa 2019, enjoying these delicacies and the said ingredients in their raw form was no longer a choice for me. It was a rather insisting recommendation from all well meaning, learned and experienced people. Coz thats when the “Good News” arrived…Bringing in joy, excitement and happiness galore for me and Anish and at the same time apprehensions for the new life ahead of us while preparing us for new responsibilities…
And then all the love started pouring in, literally from all sides. His parents, my parents, his office colleagues, my office colleagues, my maid, neighbour aunties, friends and even acquaintances. Not to mention, we felt truly blessed. Our little one is already blessed with so much love and care. Smiles…
But love as we know it, is scarcely based on logic. Top that with the Indian social beliefs about pregnancy and child care. And finally garnish it with society’s acceptance standards…
From this recipe, you get saffron milk every day. Not because milk is rich in calcium which is much needed when your bones are carrying another person besides you, but because the child has to be of fair complexion. That’s the topmost preference in this country of people with the most beautiful complexion, for the worshippers of Krishna and Maa Kaali, for the nation which is forever proud of APJ Kalam, a die hard fan of Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi’s acting brilliance.
And then there are regional variations…In north India, they recommend coconut (By this logic, all malayalis should have had the complexion of Tamanna Bhatia…), in South, orange juice and saffron milk... They tell you not to eat dark foods like Ragi, no matter how healthy they are, coz they can turn child’s complexion dark. All white colored foods are good, including cheese, no matter how difficult it is to digest.
Sigh! As you can imagine, and much to the disappointment of people who genuinely love me, I couldn't comply. My top priority remained nutrition, followed by cravings, followed by availability when it came to things I put in my mouth. And still, not even once did I feel like someone who is not making the best choices for her unborn child.
And so, that’s that people. Apologies for not conforming to your standards. But as far as skin is concerned, I own it… I love it… feel blessed to be sunkissed…and ultra comfortable in my lovely wheaty skin, I really love you all!
P.S. On a more generic note, and to quote Lakshmy Ramanathan, author of “For Bumpier Times: An Indian Mother’s guide to 101 pregnancy and childcare practices”, “Rules and regulations surrounding pregnancy, maternal and infant care in our country are varied and best reviewed before being pursued. Some of them are packed with ancient wisdom and logic and some others, not quite”.
