Holiday season over, I already feel like gaining a few pounds. It brought me some fond memories from past.
In the year 1996 I came back from a stint in England after adding a few Pound Sterlings to my wallet and a few pounds to my waistline. Everybody back home suggested me to shed some flab except my mother who disputed the idea. She firmly put down her defense - "MO PUARA TIKE SWASTYA HEICHI JAICHI, TAKU MOTA KAHIKI KAHUCHA", my son has become healthy not fat. Like all mothers from our generation gaining weight by their son is a matter of pride.
A chubby chap is known as KHAIBA PIBA GHARA PILA(in Odia) or KHANE PINE KA GHAR KA LADKA (in Hindi) meaning a boy from a well to do family who liberally spends on food. A slim trim guy is considered as a DHAIN (in local slang it means nincompoop), also often alludes to someone being stingy and a miser(able)one.
A SWYASTAWALA or healthy son earns accolades for the daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law for feeding him so well. (Normally relationship between these women in family is viewed as friendly as one harbored between a Snake and Mangoose). On the other hand a slim husband can earn the wrath of the mother-in-law.
Very soon I was to lose much of those SWASTYA I gained. One fine evening I gobbled up a dozen GUPCHUP (Odia term for GOLGOPPA or PANIPURI) washed down by LASSI (sweetened yogurt) from a road side stall. Next couple of days I spent controlling the floodgates which opened from both top and bottom end. After the recovery, I felt a lot lighter. My jeans felt no more tight. The road side food did wonders in so less a time which no diet for exercise can do. Now I have to go an extra mile to melt the Holiday fat.
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