Aam Ke Aam, Guthlion Ke Daam

'Mamma,could you please teach me some basic cooking?''asked Abhi.''Sure''quipped in his mom ,gladly looking at her married son sitting across the room.

Her friend,who had come visiting them for a day ,later asked her that why did such a simple question from her son make her so happy?''Is learning the culinary skill all that important?''

Palak explained that she thought the acquiring of this particular skill pretty important and she was so happy because apparently her son, Abhi too would have felt the same ,to want to learn it.

Actually ,we often read or hear about this skill ...both overplayed as well as underplayed many a times.Overplayed by attaching it to specially girls as one of the all important parameters. This is generally done by the adults ,who percieve the culinary skill as a top scorer for girls. On the other hand the girls, specially the girls who take pride in believing themselves to be better qualified in terms of education and profession,underplay it ,to the extent of looking down upon it as something they are overqualified to know or do.

Both are wrong. Each one of us has a right to our life , to shape it the way we want to .We do it ,too. We choose to learn things to modify us, beautify us and to lead a happy life. I think the happy part is not thought about ,while making these choices. We get very shortsighted and dont allow us to reach to the very very basic need in our lives-eating. We ,with the flow of adrenalin in our heads by our other achievements,simply tread over this skill that is the base of our physical as well as our emotional existence. I have never heard of an underfed person ever doing great shakes in any field. In fact a happily fed is more probable to doing better things.

The culinary skill also has the unique advantage of being the ONLY expression of care that is is understood across boundaries ,sex and age-again because of it's universal need. This simple skill if taken up in the right spirit can be so much fun ,creative and joyful.

Palak said smilingly,''Smriti ,I feel reching to a person's heart through his/her stomach is always a very rewarding and satisfying experience though definetely not the only one,but surely the safest one. So when I see my son taking interest in this skill I feel proud and happy.''

This wonderful skill also is a very effective one to strengthen the strong'' I ''in us the right way ,for this allows us to do small acts for our loved ones on a regular basis , enriching our own lives in turn. So its ''Aam ke aam , guthlion ke dam'' Meaning double benefit from a single act..

So is that really not smart?

I bet it is!!!!!!!!!!!