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Pattabhi went dieting and Parimalam lost weight,my dear!

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by mithila kannan, Mar 30, 2011.

  1. mithila kannan

    mithila kannan Gold IL'ite

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    Pattabhi ,whom I knew from my childhood days ,was a great looking guy.He had a handsome face,dimpled cheeks,curly hair and he was very fair.His handsomeness stopped there.Down below his neck,he was someone different.My heart aches to write this.He was simply enormous.He was so fat that he could not bend to wear his shoes.He needed help.

    His friends in school called him’gundu Pattabhi.pattabhi the elephant ‘etc.If these pet names hurt him,he did not show the hurt on his face,he simply laughed them off.But he joined jym and also trained in weight lifting.All this would have helped him loose weight had he reduced his food intake.but splurging in rich food and weight lifting could only give him well developed muscles.Even his little finger had muscles


    But he was very courteous to every one and was an exteremely soft spoken person.So, people loved him.How and why did he allow himself to become so fat?Well, he was the only son to his widowed mother who simply doted on him.Piling his plate with rich, yummy food was her only way of showing her love for her son.She would not accept ‘no’ from him and thrust food down his throat.Pattabhi also loved good food and hence the disaster started right from his early age.

    His friends in school called him’gundu Pattabhi.pattabhi the elephant ‘etc.If these pet names hurt him,he did not show the hurt on his face,he simply laughed them off.But he joined jym and also trained in weight lifting.All this would have helped him loose weight had he reduced his food intake.but splurging in rich food and weight lifting could only give him well developed muscles.Even his little finger had muscles


    Pattabhi got very good placement in a MNC. Visalam started looking out for a suitable alliance for her son.She had become a tired person,my dear.It looked as though she spent her whole life in the kitchen,cooking delicious meals and tiffins for her son.In the mornings she gave him a big lotta of strong coffee.Around 8.30 AM Pattabhi would eat his meal in the mornings like most south Indians.He could easily eat half kilo of rice cooked, with sambhar,rasam ,two varieties of poriyals and round it off with rice and undiluted curd.Visalam would make him sit in the kitchen,close the kitchen doors and serve him his food since she did not want any evil eye to fall on him and the food that he ate.


    For lunch she packed him six to seven chappathis only with some chutney.Night meals,she would again make him sit in the kitchen and serve him hot hot idlis or dosas,fifteen to sixteen in numbers with a couple of varieties of chutneys.Her heart would rest in peace only when Pattabhi ate all that she served him with relish.

    But as I told you,age had caught up with her and she began to look out for an alliance for her son.She was looking for a girl who would cook and serve him delicious meals tirelessly.Visalam saw such a girl in Parimalam.Relatives told her that Parimalam was a family oriented girl and was well versed in cooking and running a home.So she approached Parimalam’s parents with the proposal,a day was fixed for bride seeing.


    There is a saying,,no, that ‘opposite poles attract each other’?that proved right in the case of Pattabhi and Parimalam.If Pattabhi was fat and round ,Parimalam was slender,thin ,to be precise.Pattabhi was attracted to her shy smile,calm nature and ofcourse she being slender.Parimalam was attracted to Pattabhi’s handsome face,curly hair and his soft spoken ways.
    .

    Well,Pattabhi and Parimalam got married.Visalam lost no time in training her daughter in law how to cook for her son .Parimalam learnt fast.She took over the kitchen from her MIL .She cooked delicious, yummy meals and snacks for her husband,made him sit in the kitchen,closed all the doors to the kitchen as per her MIL’S instructions and served him food.Initially Pattabhi was a little embarrassed that his wife had to serve him so much food,but Parimalam said,”Don’t be silly.If I don’t cook and serve my DH who else will do that?”Well, suffice to say that her love for her husband blinded her senses.,

    Visalam was pleased with her DIL, who took care of Pattabhi excellently.Years rolled by.Pattabhi was soon on the wrong side of forty five.Life went by smoothly for them till one day he left for office as usual giving a flying kiss to his wife and in the early afternoon two of his colleagues came home carrying the news that Pattabhi was admitted in the hospital.

    “What,my husband is in the hospital?What happened to him,did he fall down anywhere?”In her mind blowing shock ,Parimalam was not even coherent in her queries.

    “Madam,suddenly he complained of dizziness.We called the doctor,he took Pattabhi’s BP and told us to take him to the hospital.He is in ICU and is under observation.Doctors have said that there is nothing to worry.Now,if you will come with us..”

    “Visalam began to wail “I know now why my son fell ill.Yesterday evening when you served him food,you had kept the kitchen doors open.Our next door neighbour Komala came in to chat with me and her eyes were looking in the direction of our kitchen only.Even then I was so worried,ofcourse I removed nazar for my son immediately,even then….Parimala,nowadays you have become very careless when you serve Pattabhi his food..”


    “Amma,please keep quiet.Iam going to the hospital.Please take care .”Parimalam left for the hospital with her DH’S colleagues.

    Pattabhi was discharged and the doctor called the husband and wife to his room to let them know what exactly had happened.

    Dr.Hari who knew Pattabhi as a neighbour came to the point directly.He made his nurse take Pattabhi’s weight.

    “Pattabhi,there is nothing wrong with you except that you are overweight.Your height is 5.3’ and you weigh 88 kgs.This is too much,you are overweight by nearly 30 kgs.your ideal weight should be 60kgs and nothing more.
    Your overweight may lead you to graver health issues and you will end up with diabetes,knee pains ,blocked arteries and finally you may end up with a massive stroke.”
    He turned to Parimalam and said,”Mami,your husband has had a mild heart attack this time,fortunately,nothing serious has happened.But, if he does not loose weight,you will see a sad day.”

    “Please go and meet our dietician,she will give you a diet chart.Follow it strictly. Come and see me after a month.Strict diet and walking should help you loose atleast four kgs in a month.”He checked Parimalam’s weight.”Your wife is only 42 kgs.You can put on some more weight ,mami.”He smiled and sent them off.

    The dietician read the doctor’s report and gave them a diet chart saying,”Sir,follow this diet schedule strictly.No sugar,oil,no ghee and no fried items in your food in take.You have to go for long walks both in the mornings and evenings.You will loose 30 kgs in may be in an year’s time.But as and when you start loosing weight,you will feel much better,brisker and you will begin to be healthier also.I wish you all the best”.She smiled at Parimalam and gave the diet chart to her.

    “Who was that doctor who told that you have to loose weight?” asked Visalam with anger bubbling in her voice.After listening to her son she said,”Oh,that Hari ,I know him from his childhood and I know his mother also.As a child he was so thin and sickly.

    He must be jealous of you,he is so thin now also and looks like a scarecrow..That is why he has told you that you are over weight”

    Pattabhi said,”Amma,Dr.Hari is a very good doctor,there is no need for him to envy me.Besides Iam over weight and I have to loose weight”Pattabhi made arrangements with his office that he would work from home for a month.

    The next morning,Parimalam gave Pattabhi a spoonful of fenugreek seeds ,first thing in the morning.Visalam came running to her son.”What are you giving my son?’When she saw that Parimalam had given him fenugreek seeds ,she jumped.She almost snatched away the seeds from his palm.”Pattabhi Kanna,you know very well that fenugreek seeds don’t agree with you.Remember once I put fenugreek seeds in Dosai atta and you vomitted?No.Pattu.don’t eat that.”She wailed.Parimalam who was standing nearby gritted her teeth and said,”Amma,you must have added lot of fenugreek seeds in the dosai atta and the dosai woud would have tasted bitter.So, please allow him to follow the dietician’s instructions.”She sounded firm and Pattabhi swallowed the fenugreek seeds willingly.

    At 8AM sharp Parimalam ,served Pattabhi his breakfast.Three idlis,two varieties of chutneys without coconut and with very little oil,a bowl full of green salad,a small bowl full of sprouted moong ,one slice of papaya fruit.

    Visalam looked at her son’s plate and pounced on her DIL,”Is my son a cow or sheep that you are giving him raw vegetables to eat in the morning?He is used to eating well and you have given him three small idlis.What do you think of yourself?”

    Parimalam kept quiet.Even when she started the diet plan for her DH, she knew what would be her MIL’S reaction.She was prepared for harsh words from her MIL on this score.Pattabhi understood his mother’s feelings,he simply finished of the breakfast and went into his office room.

    Around 11 o clock,Parimalam gave her husband a glassfull of buttermilk and a few slices of sliced cucumber to eat,Visalam, on seeing this, wept silently.She was observing Parimalam keenly.Parimalam was busy in the kitchen ,making lunch.Visalam went into her son’s room silently.She sat next to Pattabhi and stroked his cheeks.”Pattu Kanna,you look so weakda.”So saying she took out a Good Day cream biscuit packet from no where and thrust them in her son’s mouth one by one.”You must be so hungry.Don’t deny yourself food,you should not remain on empty stomach,it is not good for the house.”Atfirst Pattabhi refused the biscuits,then he reluctantly agreed to have two biscuits,then his gnawing stomach urged him to finish off the entire packet.Visalam went out of the room quietly .After sometime, parimalam entered the room to ask her DH whether he wanted some fruit juice .”What Sir,you seem to be very busy.”she smiled at her husband.Pattabhi also smiled at her and opened his mouth to say something, but he belched,a loud belch.Parimalam frowned.”Why is he belching like that?”Besides she also smelt something sweetish in the air in that room.Finally she saw the biscuit wrapper which Visalam had forgotten to take away with her.

    “Has he eaten biscuits?”Parimalam wondered.She realized that her MIL only would have given him biscuits to eat,she sighed and went out of the room silently.

    At 1 o clock sharp Parimalam served her DH his lunch.Theree phulkas without a drop of oil,two varieties of wet subjis,one dry subji,a bowl of salad,a small bowl full of curds made with skim milk and a glass buttermilk.
    Visalam waited for her son to finish eating his chappathis and brought from the kitchen a plate full of rice to serve him.

    Parimalam took away the plate from her MIL and said,”Amma,doctor has said that he could eat either phulkas or rice,he can’t have both”she took the rice back to the kitchen.

    Parimalam stood by her husband’s side,ready to attack the enemy and Visalam stood looking at her with venom in her eyes.If looks can kill a person they both would have become ashes in a second.Finally,Visalam’s age withered.

    She began to wail as always, “I thought you were a good girl,I never saw the demon in you.If I had ,I wouldn’t have got my son married to you.So many good alliances came for my son But I selected you because I thought you would take care of him,now look at you,you are starving him and killing him slowly.”

    “Whatever Iam doing is for his good”said Parimalam in a clear tone.

    “Don’t talk.”said Visalam.”You are from a miser’s family and I know that.Whenever your people come to our house I give them strong coffee with plenty of milk and sugar,where as when I go to your house your mother gives me a thin liquid and calls it horlicks.You are showing your miserliness by measuring out rice and chappathis for my son.Oh,my son.my only son,I brought him up on pure ghee and butter.Now look at him,even a dog won’ eat what he eats.”Parimalam turned her face away so that her MIL won’t see the tears in her eyes.

    It was five in the evening.Visalam left for the temple that was at their street corner.When she neared the temple,she saw this side and that side carefully and then darted into the sweet shop that was next door to the temple.She came out of the shop in a few minutes, carrying some packets and went into the temple.There were very few people in the temple at that time.She selected a sannadhi that had no visitors,opened the pallu of her nine yards saree,loosened the waist part of the saree that went round and round her waist,tucked in the sweet and savoury packets that she had bought from the shop,one after the other in such a way that once she tucked in the front pallu ,no one could even guess that she carried anything in her saree.

    “Where is your father?”Visalam asked her grandson who was sitting in the hall.

    “Appa has gone to the terrace for his evening walk”ewplied Ravi.

    “I will give him company”so saying Visalam went to the terrace.She dragged her son,who was walking up and down with a serious expression on his face,made him sit on a chair and opened her pallu.She took out a packet of ‘adhirasams’(is a sweet dish made with rice flour and jaggery,fried in ghee) and began to thrust the adhirasams bit by bit into his mouth.

    “No,Amma.Parimalam would kill me.if she comes to know that I have eaten sweets.”wailed Pattabhi.

    “Don’t worry.She is killing you now also by starving you.”Visalam would not relent.She continued feeding him the adhirasams.People who love sweets can’t refuse adhirasams,my dear.The divine flavour and the celestial taste!Pattabhi almost had eaten six adhirasams.The last piece was in his mouth when Parimalam entered the terrace.Pattabhi stood there not knowing whether to swallow the remaining sweet or spit it out.Parimalam knew what exactly had happened.She threw a look at her MIL that asked,”So,you gave him sweets to eat,how dare you?”
    Visalam gave her a thundering look in reply that said,”Yes,I gave my son sweets.Now what will you do?”

    “Pari,my dear.Don’t get angryda.Thia is the last time Iam eating a sweet,here afterwards….”But Parimalam did not stay thereto listen o him.

    Parimalam became a tired person by this time.She had to cook three typs of meals and snacks everyday.A strict diet for her husband without oil, good, nourishing,mouth watering meals for her sons,different types of kanjis and snacks for her MIL.She spent the entire day in the kitchen and sometimes spread a mat on the kitchen floor and slept there in the afternoons.She could not sleep in the night,she knew that her husband was gaining weight instead of loosing,courtesy her MIL and this was her constant worry.
    “Mami,if your husband does not loose weight,you will see a sad day”Dr.Hari’s words echoed in her ears and she wept, lying awake most of the nights.

    The tug of war between the MIL and the DIL continued,the caring wife making all efforts to give her husband a healthy strict diet,the over possessive mother who fed her son sweets snd snacks secretly and thus exercised her right over her son and her might over her DIL.

    One month passed by and the D Day when they had to meet Dr.Hari,arrived.
    Dr.Hari took one look at Pattabhi and he frowned.He took Pattabhi’s weight and whistled.
    “Pattabhi, one month back,you weighed 88 kgs.Now you are 92 kgs.what happened Pattabhi?It appears you are not following any diet.”Pattabhi’s face reddened with embarrassment.

    He turned to Parimalam.”Mami,you don’t seem to be taking care of your husband” Parimalam covered her face with her pallu and started crying silently.

    Dr.Hari said to Pattabhi,”Look here,Pattabhi.This diet chart and exercise schedule etc will help you only when you are determined about loosing weight.Now my suggestion to you would be ,throw away the diet chart.Just follow your instinct,act on your common sense.Eat and do exercises accordingly.Fortunately,you have a wonderful wife and I can see how much she cares for you.So,let us meet after a month.”

    He came and stood near Parimalam,”Mami,don’t worry.You only look weak.let me take your weight.”

    After taking her weight ,the doctor exclaimed.”Pattabhi,one month back your wife weighed 42 kgs,now she is weighing 38 kgs only.I think your wife has graciously gited you 4kgs from her weight.”He laughed,Pattabhi smiled.

    “Mami,You have to eat well,sleep well and be healthy,if you want to take good care of him,ok?”

    Pattabhi and Parimalam were returning home.Pattabhi pulled his wife towards him with one hand, while his other hand was on the steering wheel.Parimalam buried her face on his shoulders.

    “Pari,Don’t worry,my dear.Just wait and watch,you are going to see a different Pattabhi from this minute onwards.
    Pattabhi had resolved to himself that come what may,he was going to follow a strict diet schedule.He would allow nothing and nobody,his doting mother included,come between him and his sincere efforts to loose weight.Both husband and wife looked at each other and smiled a smile that carried love for each other and hope in the future.







     
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  2. sreemanavaneeth

    sreemanavaneeth Gold IL'ite

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    your story is tooweight with good sense of humour.
    poor parimala hope her weight by now would have increased. sometimes it is very difficult to control the old people LOVE towards their children. They donot want
    to know or to be known that too much of affection in feeding will end their children's life.

    I enjoyed reading . Good
     
  3. mssunitha2001

    mssunitha2001 IL Hall of Fame

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    Excellent aunty !!!!!!!!!:cheers
    ------------------------------------------
    Sorry aunty... why did you change your avatar ?
     
  4. Sriniketan

    Sriniketan IL Hall of Fame

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    Mithila,
    Nicely expressed the love of a mother to her son, even when explained couldn't get the 'real facts' and of a wife between her husband and MIL in following a healthier diet.
    At last gave a punch, like, only if the participant takes the issue seriously..a way will unfold..
    Eye opening blog on overweight..and its after effects.

    sriniketan
     
  5. vidchakra

    vidchakra Platinum IL'ite

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  6. mithila kannan

    mithila kannan Gold IL'ite

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    My dear sreeman,
    Thank you.Iam happy that you liked the post.Parimalam is so happy that her husband has lost wight that she is gaining weight ,my dear!
    Too much of anything is not good,mother's love included in that.
    love
    mithila
     
  7. mithila kannan

    mithila kannan Gold IL'ite

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    My dear sunitha,
    Iam happy that you liked the post ,my dear.I can see that you don't like my pesent avatar.I will change into something else soon.
    love
    mithila
     
  8. mithila kannan

    mithila kannan Gold IL'ite

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    My dear sri,
    Thank you.Yes,no amount of prsuasion,lecturing and cajoling will fetch results uness the person concerned realises the seriousness of the issue and focusses on a healthy diet and exercise regime.
    love
    mithila
     
  9. mithila kannan

    mithila kannan Gold IL'ite

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    My dear vidchakra,
    Thank you.
    love
    mithila
     
  10. varalotti

    varalotti IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Mythili,
    Who else can spin a beautiful love story from the most mundane things in life, dieting for example, but the finest writer of IL?

    And you know apart from the year-end tension you gave me the additional stress of Pattabhi's welfare. I even felt like giving my piece of mind to Pattabi's mother.

    I wanted to yell at her "You are not feeding him but killing him."
    One suggestion I have is that let Visalam make food for Parimalam while Parimalam can make Pattabhi's food as per dietitian's instructions.

    A very good story, Mythili,
    sridhar
     

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