WHEN WATER, MILK AND AIR CHANGE

    

Travel is not just about changing places. It is also about adjusting to changes that we cannot always see or immediately understand.

When we travel to a new destination, three things we often take for granted—water, milk and air—can suddenly feel different from what we are used to at home. The taste of water may change, milk may have a different flavour or texture, and even the air may feel different on our skin and in our breathing.

These small changes are part of the travel experience. How do we enjoy them without constantly comparing them with what we have back home?

 

 

Water – the first change we notice

Water is perhaps the easiest difference to notice. The taste of drinking water can vary from place to place because of its mineral content, source and treatment methods. The water we drink at home may have a familiar taste, while the water in another city can taste completely different.

Even the water used for bathing and washing our hair may feel different. Instead of immediately saying, “This water is not like our water,” perhaps we can look at it as one of the little things that tells us, “I am somewhere else.”

Of course, drinking water is one area where we should not compromise on safety. When travelling, use safe, treated or bottled drinking water as appropriate for the destination.

Milk – a familiar food with a different taste

Milk is another interesting one. The milk available in different places may differ in taste, richness and consistency. Depending on whether it is fresh, pasteurised, homogenised, toned, full-fat or locally sourced, our morning cup of tea or coffee may not taste exactly the same. And for those who are particular about their coffee or tea, this can become an instant topic of discussion!

But isn't that also part of travelling? A cup of tea prepared in a different place may not taste like the one we make at home—and that is perfectly fine. We can enjoy the local version for what it is instead of expecting it to reproduce our familiar taste.

Air – something we cannot carry from home

And then comes air. We cannot see it, pack it or carry it with us, but we certainly notice it. The air of a coastal town can feel very different from that of a hill station. A dry region feels different from a humid one. A city surrounded by traffic feels different from a quiet village or a forested destination.

Sometimes, the first thing we say after stepping out of a vehicle is:

“The air feels so different here!” That difference can actually become one of the most beautiful parts of travel. Take a slow breath. Notice the temperature. Feel the breeze. Observe the fragrance of trees, soil, flowers or even the sea. Instead of asking, “Why isn't this like home?”, we can ask: “What is this place telling me through its air?”

Don't make every difference a problem

One of the joys of travelling is discovering that our way is not the only way. We may have a particular kind of water at home, a favourite milk for our morning coffee and a familiar climate that our body is accustomed to. When we travel, our surroundings change—and our body may need a little time to adjust. So, rather than resisting every difference, we can give ourselves time.

Drink safe water.
Eat sensibly.
Stay hydrated.
Dress according to the climate.
Allow yourself to slowly adjust.

And most importantly, don't spend the entire trip comparing everything with home.

Travel is also about adaptation

Travel teaches us many things without announcing them as lessons. It teaches us that food tastes different in different places. Languages change. Customs change. Weather changes. Water changes. Milk changes. Air changes.

And yet, we learn to live with these differences—sometimes for a few days, sometimes for weeks. Perhaps that is one of the quiet lessons of travel:

We don't always have to make the new place become like home. Sometimes, we simply have to learn to become comfortable with the new place.

So the next time you travel and notice that the water tastes different, your coffee isn't quite the same, or the air feels unfamiliar, pause for a moment. Don't rush to judge it. Taste it. Feel it. Observe it. Adjust to it. And enjoy the experience. Because these little differences are not interruptions to our journey. They are part of the journey.

 

Custard Apple: The Fruit That Announces Its Season

  

    

Yesterday, there were so many custard apples in the market that it felt as though a whole farm had been placed right in front of me. The season has started, and these greenish-white fruits, with their distinctive knobbly appearance, are everywhere—ready and waiting for customers to buy, take home and enjoy.

A fruit that is different

Custard apple is one of those fruits that cannot really be compared with many others. It has its own appearance, texture, aroma and way of eating it.

In India, it is popularly known as sitaphal in many parts of the country. In Tamil, it is commonly called seetha pazham. The fruit has a greenish skin made up of many segments. When ripe, the flesh inside is soft, creamy and sweet. And that is perhaps where its English name comes from—the flesh is almost like a custard in its softness and texture. The fruit may look a little unusual from the outside, but once opened, it is quite a different experience.

Custard apple in South India

Custard apple is grown in several parts of India, including the southern states. It does particularly well in warm, relatively dry regions, and Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are among the important growing areas. In South India, the fruit is familiar in local markets when the season arrives. Depending on where you live and the local climate, the availability and timing can vary.

For many of us, seeing piles of custard apples in the market is itself a reminder that the season has arrived. There is something lovely about seasonal fruits. They don't remain available throughout the year in the same way. You wait for them, notice them when they arrive and make the most of them while they last.

The pleasure of eating a custard apple

Eating a custard apple is not like eating an apple, banana or orange. You cannot simply take a bite and finish it. First, you have to open the fruit and separate the soft flesh from its numerous seeds. The seeds are hard and should not be eaten. What remains is the delicious, creamy pulp. Its sweetness is distinctive—rich, soft and almost melt-in-the-mouth.

Some people love eating it chilled. Others simply scoop out the flesh with a spoon and enjoy it as it is. And perhaps that is enough. Not every fruit needs to be turned into a smoothie, dessert or elaborate recipe. Sometimes, a seasonal fruit is best enjoyed just as it is.

More than just sweetness

Custard apple is also known for its nutritional richness. The edible pulp provides dietary fibre, vitamin C and several minerals, along with natural carbohydrates that contribute to its sweetness. Like other fruits, it can be part of a varied and balanced diet. But beyond nutrition, there is something else that makes this fruit interesting. It is a fruit with character.

Its appearance is different. Its texture is different. Its seeds make eating it different. Even its name—custard apple, sitaphal, seetha pazham—changes from place to place.

A seasonal sight in the market

Yesterday, looking at those many custard apples in the market, I couldn't help thinking that they looked almost like a whole farm had arrived there. Rows and piles of greenish-white fruits were waiting for customers. Some were still firm. Some were beginning to ripen. And some were ready to be taken home and eaten.

This is one of the small pleasures of visiting a local market—the sudden appearance of a seasonal fruit reminds us that nature has its own calendar.

Custard apple season has begun.

And for those who love this unusual, creamy, sweet fruit, it is time to enjoy it before the season moves on to the next fruit.

Have you started seeing custard apples in your local market? And what do you call this fruit in your language?

World Animal Day: Making It Fun and Interactive for Children

       

World Animal Day is celebrated on October 4 every year. It is a day to remember the animals with whom we share our world and to create awareness about their well-being.

But when children gather together at school, at home, during a family function, or at any celebration, instead of giving them a long talk about animals, why not make the occasion fun, interactive and memorable?

Here are a few simple activities that can be organised with very little preparation.

1.    Guess the Animal

Start with a simple guessing game.

Tell the children:

“I am thinking of an animal. I will give you some clues. You have to guess.”

For example:

I have four legs.
I am very big.
I have a long trunk.
I love water.
I use my trunk to pick up food.

Answer: Elephant!

The child who guesses correctly can give the clues for the next animal.

2.  Make the Animal Sound

Divide the children into small groups. Give each group an animal secretly.

They have to make the sound of the animal, while the other children guess.

Lion, dog, cat, cow, elephant, monkey, rooster, frog and donkey can all make this game lively.

For older children, make it more challenging: no sounds—only actions!

3.     Animal Charades

Write the names of different animals on small pieces of paper and put them in a bowl.

One child picks a paper and acts out the animal without speaking. The others have to guess.

For older children, add another challenge:

“Show us the animal and what it eats.”

It can be both funny and entertaining.

4.     Move Like an Animal

This is especially enjoyable for younger children.

Call out:

“Walk like an elephant!”
“Hop like a frog!”
“Waddle like a penguin!”
“Jump like a rabbit!”
“Slither like a snake!”
“Stretch like a cat!”

Then suddenly call out:

“FREEZE!”

Everyone has to freeze in that position.

5.     Animal, Habitat and Food

We can also make children think while they play.

Give one child an animal. For example:

Tiger

The next child says:

Habitat – Forest

The next child:

Food – Meat

For older children, add one more:

Special feature – Stripes

It becomes:

Animal → Habitat → Food → Special feature

The same can be done with a camel, elephant, penguin, monkey, deer or any other animal.

6.     If Animals Could Talk

After all the laughter and games, it is time to make the children think.

Ask them:

“If animals could talk to us for one minute, what do you think they would say?”

A bird might say:

“Please don't destroy my trees.”

A street dog might say:

“Please don't hurt me.”

An elephant might say:

“Please leave my forest alone.”

There is no right or wrong answer. Let children use their imagination.

 One Kind Thing for an Animal

Now ask every child:

“What is one kind thing you can do for an animal?”

They may say:

• Keep water outside for birds.
• Never throw stones at animals.
• Don't disturb birds' nests.
• Don't litter.
• Be gentle with pets.
• Help an injured animal by informing an adult.
• Protect trees and plants.

You can write their answers on a board as an “Animal Kindness Wall.”

 End with a Promise

Finally, ask the children to complete this sentence:

“This World Animal Day, I promise to __________.”

It could be something as simple as:

“I will be kind to animals.”

Let everyone say together:

“Animals share our world. We will share it kindly.”

World Animal Day need not be a day of speeches and lectures. With a few simple games, children can laugh, move, guess, imagine and learn—and, most importantly, develop empathy towards the animals around them.

Sometimes, a small game and a simple promise can be the beginning of a kinder attitude towards the world we share with animals.

 

THE GRACE OF KEHWA

    

The earliest memory I have of pain is from when I was around six or seven years old.  I was quite unwell with what was probably a really nasty case of tonsillitis.  What I remember most about the pain is how it felt like someone had poured shards of glass into my throat and even the slightest of movements led to the most excruciating pain. Even now, four decades later, whenever I am down with a cold and a sore throat, I often, instinctively compare the pain I have to the pain I had during that particular episode. I was probably laid up in bed for a week at most but for a six-year-old for whom movement is life, it felt like an eternity.  Even though I remember the distress that had taken hold of me, there was also relief.  Every hour or so my mother would bring a small cup filled with a translucent, golden amber coloured liquid.  Even before she had walked in, I knew it was kehwa – a drink made by boiling cinnamon and cardamom until it turns a beautiful golden colour and it is sweetened with sugar or honey. As the mixture bubbled away on the stove, the scent of cardamoms and cinnamon would waft through the entire house.  Kehwa has a very distinctive scent, the most beautiful love child of cardamom and cinnamon.  She would bring a small cup of kehwa and spoon the mixture into my mouth.  Sometimes she would add a couple of peppercorns and sometimes a sliver of ginger – both a remedy against colds in particular, and misery in general. As she fed me the soothing mixture, she would often tell me the story of how kehwa came into existence. 

Many, many centuries ago, before time was something you could trap into a clock, there was a land where all living beings existed peacefully. In this world there was a gentle forest where all manner of things grew and in the heart of this gentle forest beneath the shade of a beautiful cinnamon tree, a cardamom plant grew.  As it grew, nourished by the gentle forest, it became more and more aware of cinnamon, without whose shade it would perish.  He would spend his days looking up and admiring her beautiful ovate leaves and her tiny blood red flowers.  Though they both spent considerable time together, it was cinnamon who plucked up the courage and confessed her love for the tender hearted cardamom.  Cardamom upon hearing cinnamons declaration of love was so overcome with emotion that he spread his roots closer towards hers and over time, their roots became so intertwined that you couldn’t tell one from the other.  They lived together in love for centuries.  One day when time had finally been trapped into clocks, a witch arrived at the forest, looking for herbs and medicinal plants when she noticed the pair.  After investigating thoroughly and taking home some of the fruit that both offered, she decided they were worth taking home and growing on her farm.  She knelt down to try and take each one out with the root still intact, when she discovered they were so intertwined that if she tried to separate them, both would perish.  Now she was a good witch, the kind who knew that you did not split what nature had brought together, so she did what every good witch does, she spoke to them.  She told them of the healing properties each held and asked for guidance.  They told her to come back after sometime. This was something they needed to decide together. For days they conversed until they both agreed upon a solution.

‘You may take us but whenever you use our fruits, they must be used together’, Cinnamon said.

The good witch agreed and assured them that their wish would always be honoured. 

When the good witch came back and dug up the cardamom plant, she found that he had moved his roots away and they were no longer intertwined with those of cinnamon.  She took them both home and planted them separately.  They took root where they were planted and they bloomed.  The good witch used their fruits and invented concoctions and mixtures which became famous for their healing properties.  One of those concoctions was kehwa.  It cured colds, upset stomachs, agitated minds and broken hearts. Her fame grew and people from all parts of the world travelled to be healed by her mixtures.  The recipes travelled but in every recipe she kept her promise.  Every mixture she made, she kept them together.  That was how it came to be that you used both together.  It became a sacred covenant between the lovers and the healer and even today it endures. 

‘So you see’, my mother would say, spooning the last bit of kehwa into my mouth, ‘it is not just a healing mixture you drink, it is a testament of love’.

It is story I have loved the most, of all the stories I have heard as a child and as I grew different parts of this story stood out at different times in my life.  As a child I loved the idea of talking plants. As a teenager the love story became more relevant and I too would pine for a love like that.  Now, as a woman of a certain age, the healing that comes from faith bring me immense joy and sometimes nowadays when I too spoon some kehwa into the mouths of my little babies, I tell them not just about the love between cinnamon and cardamom but the grace, compassion and healing that has continued ever since.  

   

 

  

Bio for the blog - Saba Mahjoor is a freelance writer.  Her column 'A Little Life' is published by The Hindu. She lives in England with her husband, two children and an army of rogue squirrels.

( This is the 4th WEEK -11TH YEAR-GUESTPOST SERIES - POST -4) 

THE STORY OF HANUMAN - A Colourful Journey Through the Life of Hanuman

  

 

The Story of Hanuman, published by Westland Books, with the script by Dr. Rajeev Tamhankar and art by Ashiq Shanavas, is a comic book dealing with the life of Hanuman.

The book is colourful and the font size was legible and the story is set with clear ideas and flow is quite smooth till the end.

The story of Hanuman begins when Anjaana gets the curse to become a monkey. Thereafter her marriage and the birth of Hanuman, his childhood times and his siblings were well discussed which will draw children to get to know more Hanuman.

Then the story moves towards how Hanuman gets his facial change, and curse from a sage that he will be unable to regain his powers till someone reminds him about it. How Hanuman happens to meet the brothers – Rama and Lakshmana. How he helps to fetch Sita Ma and the mighty effort of Hanuman in bringing in Sanjeevani were all beautiful in both words and illustrations.

Then finally how Hanuman proves his love and affection to Rama and Sita by tearing his chest is simply adoring in the book. Children will enjoy it thoroughly and seemingly fit to close the chapter of Ramayana.

Then the book moves to Mahabharata and the relationship of Bhima and Hanuman is well depicted, carrying the story diligently and how the two understand each other and carry on well in their future.

The book is quite intriguing and the message it gives through the story is immense and well-crafted keeping in mind the children for whom it is meant.

Final Thoughts

The Story of Hanuman takes children through the important episodes of Hanuman's life in a colourful and engaging manner. The combination of words and illustrations makes the story easy to follow, while the movement from Ramayana to Mahabharata adds another interesting dimension to the book.

A book that children will enjoy thoroughly while getting to know more about Hanuman, his devotion, his strength and his relationship with Rama, Sita and Bhima.

THE TOADSTOOL HOUSE

I wish I lived in a toadstool house,
Beneath an old oak tree,
With a tiny door and a chimney pot,
And windows—one, two, three.

 

I'd play with each wee squirrel,
Who chanced to come my way,
I'd get to know the woodland birds,
And feed them every day.

 

And if you ever wandered by,
I'd ask you in to tea,
Inside my little toadstool house,
Beneath the old oak tree.

When Duty Goes Unnoticed and Volunteering Gets Appreciation

  

 

Humans love appreciation. They need it too. That is why I sometimes think there are more volunteers than dutiful people—like daughters, sons, sisters, brothers or grandchildren.

When one is dutiful, they often don't receive appreciation. They are generalised as, “They did their duty only.” That is considered a must, something expected, something regular and routine, and nothing more.

But when he or she volunteers, they are lauded and appreciated. So, do they leave their duties and throng to be volunteers? Though it is a duty, he or she didn't skip it and followed it well, with heart and soul and utmost dedication. But because it is a duty, it is taken for granted.

A dutiful person is made to feel that what they are doing is regular, routine and something they are supposed to do. Their effort becomes invisible simply because it is their responsibility.

But humans love appreciation.

A few words of appreciation can make a person feel that their efforts have been noticed and valued. This makes me wonder: If everyone sticks to their duties, would we require so many volunteers? People sometimes choose volunteering over their own duties because volunteers are appreciated, while dutiful people are taken for granted. Not everyone does this, of course, but it may happen in many cases.

We are not sure how many volunteers take extra time, after completing their own duties, to do volunteer work. There may certainly be many who genuinely give their time and effort beyond their responsibilities, and their contribution deserves appreciation. But what about the people who quietly fulfil their responsibilities every single day?

What does the data say about everyday duties?

India's Time Use Survey 2024 gives us an interesting picture of unpaid work within households. Among people aged 15–59, 41% of women participated in caregiving for household members, compared with 21.4% of men. Women who participated in caregiving spent about 140 minutes a day, compared with 74 minutes for men. Female participants in unpaid domestic services spent about 305 minutes a day on such activities.  These figures don't tell us whether people choose volunteering because they receive appreciation. There is no such direct conclusion from the survey. But they do show how much unpaid work is being done within households.

Much of this work is part of everyday life. It may therefore be seen as duty, responsibility, regular work and something that has to be done, rather than something that deserves appreciation. And this is where my question begins.

Take cleanliness, for example

If everyone keeps their homes clean and also takes responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean, wouldn't our surroundings automatically be clean?

Then, is a mass cleaning drive necessary?

Of course, cleanliness is not only an individual's responsibility. Waste collection, transportation, segregation and proper disposal also require community systems and public infrastructure.

The Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2023–24, which covered 17,304 villages and around 2.6 lakh households, found that 39.9% of surveyed households reported segregating biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, while 92.7% reported having some arrangement for disposing of biodegradable waste. At the same time, only 45% of the surveyed villages had exclusive or shared vehicles for solid-waste collection and transportation.  So individual duty and collective systems both matters. But my question remains:

If every one of us does our part regularly, responsibly and sincerely, would we need as many special drives and volunteer efforts?

 

 

Duty or volunteering?

The same applies to families. If daughters, sons, sisters, brothers and grandchildren take care of their responsibilities towards their family members with love and dedication, perhaps there would be less need for someone else to step in as a volunteer. The irony is that the person who has been doing their duty all along may not receive appreciation because “they are only doing their duty.” But the moment the same person volunteers to do something beyond their responsibility, they may be appreciated and applauded.

Why?

Because volunteering sounds like something extra. Duty sounds like something compulsory.

But does compulsory mean that it deserves no appreciation?

A person who follows their duty with heart and soul and utmost dedication may be doing far more than someone who simply fulfils it because they have to. Perhaps we need to change the way we look at duty. A dutiful person should not be made to feel that their contribution is regular, routine and nothing special. Their consistency, responsibility and dedication also deserve recognition.

Volunteering has its own importance, and volunteers certainly deserve appreciation. But appreciation should not make us overlook those who are quietly doing their duties every day. Perhaps the bigger question is:

If everyone faithfully did their duties, with care and dedication, would we need so many volunteers? Maybe the answer lies not in having more volunteers, but in having more people who do their duties well and appreciate those who do them. Because sometimes, a dutiful person is not looking for praise. They only want their efforts to be noticed.

(This blogpost is a part of Blogchatter's Half-Marathon from a team member of Piysuh Plotters' details here: https://www.theblogchatter.com/campaign-registrations/the-blogchatter-half-marathon-2026-version-2)