Those people who got to know me post-2001 laugh hysterically when I tell them I was underweight at a point of time. They laugh even louder when I tell them I found the sight of food nauseating. Those people who have not met me post-1997 faint at the sight of the overweight Salil. Let me bore you with one more chronological detail - between 1997 to 2001 was my golden period.
But seriously, my underweight period was quite intense. After skipping breakfast, I used to eat 1.5 rotis at lunch when people were looking and get away with eating just 1 roti when no one was looking. I used to live on 4-5 glasses of milk per day and half a packet of maggi which my sister made for me once a month. I also used to take about an hour to finish those 1.5 rotis. My strategy was to tire out the person assigned to ensure that I eat well. In school tiffins, if my mom gave me something heavy like sandwiches, I used to hand over the tiffin to my friends who used to happily finish it for me.
So what happened? How did I transform from a skeletal Khetu to a gluttonous Khetu? The answer is that it is the work of my genes. A Khetani is known to overstuff himself with food and buttermilk. He has tremendous capacity for food intake.
It was late 1994 I guess and my genes had had enough of this undernourished nonsense. The person who made me realize the glories of overeating was none other than a Khetani himself. His phrase was "dabavine khavanu" translated into Hindi as "daba ke khane ka."
He is my grandfather's first cousin. He had invited all Khetanis for lunch in some pre-wedding ceremony of his daughter. I was sitting quitely staring at my food and wondering whether I have overstuffed my plate with 2 whole puris. The host suddenly appeared from nowhere and the 10 minute talk he gave me changed my life forever! He extolled the concept of "dabavine khavanu". He told me stories of how his Khetani brothers had won eating contests in the past. He inspired me to look at food on your plate as a challenge and not as a task. He associated a Khetani's manliness with the amount of food he can eat. It was such a stirring speech that after he left, I non only ate those 2 puris, but also 8 more! There was no looking back after that encounter. "Dabavine Khavanu" has inspired me for 15 years now.
Also, another set of genes did not want to be left behind and swung into action. I once observed my maternal grandfather finish 4 rotis and rice in a little over 5 minutes. Now, not only I eat dabavingly, but I finish food in record time too.
But seriously, my underweight period was quite intense. After skipping breakfast, I used to eat 1.5 rotis at lunch when people were looking and get away with eating just 1 roti when no one was looking. I used to live on 4-5 glasses of milk per day and half a packet of maggi which my sister made for me once a month. I also used to take about an hour to finish those 1.5 rotis. My strategy was to tire out the person assigned to ensure that I eat well. In school tiffins, if my mom gave me something heavy like sandwiches, I used to hand over the tiffin to my friends who used to happily finish it for me.
So what happened? How did I transform from a skeletal Khetu to a gluttonous Khetu? The answer is that it is the work of my genes. A Khetani is known to overstuff himself with food and buttermilk. He has tremendous capacity for food intake.
It was late 1994 I guess and my genes had had enough of this undernourished nonsense. The person who made me realize the glories of overeating was none other than a Khetani himself. His phrase was "dabavine khavanu" translated into Hindi as "daba ke khane ka."
He is my grandfather's first cousin. He had invited all Khetanis for lunch in some pre-wedding ceremony of his daughter. I was sitting quitely staring at my food and wondering whether I have overstuffed my plate with 2 whole puris. The host suddenly appeared from nowhere and the 10 minute talk he gave me changed my life forever! He extolled the concept of "dabavine khavanu". He told me stories of how his Khetani brothers had won eating contests in the past. He inspired me to look at food on your plate as a challenge and not as a task. He associated a Khetani's manliness with the amount of food he can eat. It was such a stirring speech that after he left, I non only ate those 2 puris, but also 8 more! There was no looking back after that encounter. "Dabavine Khavanu" has inspired me for 15 years now.
Also, another set of genes did not want to be left behind and swung into action. I once observed my maternal grandfather finish 4 rotis and rice in a little over 5 minutes. Now, not only I eat dabavingly, but I finish food in record time too.
AWesome! :D
ReplyDeleteWho was this uncle? give me a clue.
ReplyDeleteClue: His elder brother lives in Garodia Nagar.
ReplyDelete