Demigod
We understand that our southern brothers, more precisely from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, are known for being hubs of IT technology, having a high literacy rate, and having a high culture; they are also known as frantic cinephiles who revere their silver screen heroes and heroines as demigods. For them, their film personalities like Annadurai, Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Hasan, Rajnikant, Jayalalitha, etc., to name a few, are more than silver screen idols. They are revered as demigods who dominate socially and politically. While doing so, our southern brothers seem to forget that one’s image on the silver screen and in real life are not the same as they believe. They are sometimes poles apart. In Bollywood too, we have some silver screen heroes and heroines who are treated as demigods on screen but are not nation friendly in real life. Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, and Aamir Khan, to name a few, are the same in Bollywood. What is this? Is it hysteria?
Lanu Dutt Chowdhury,
Guwahati.
Importance of nutrition
Nutrition and health are interwoven. A healthy body is a direct result of good nutrition, and balanced eating leads to a healthy lifestyle. In many societies, ‘health’ has different connotations. There are many who consider ‘fat’ to be healthy, whereas there is a stark difference between healthy and ‘well-built’. People from different walks of life are oblivious to the thin line of differentiation between overeating and healthy eating. They go on a binge after a period of balance, thereby undoing all the good work on diet. Intake of essential nutrients in adequate proportion is an invariable requirement for a sound mind and a healthy body. Fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, fish, and skimmed milk are invariably components of a healthy food intake for the supply of energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals, among others. Right from childhood, the significance of balanced nutrition has been underscored by doctors and nutritionists. A lot of crippling diseases and lifestyle disorders may be prevented by a nutritious diet.
Immunity has received great attention for the last couple of years. Smart eating from the start has the potential to boost immunity. It is more important to know what not to eat than what to eat. It is said that junk food can satisfy for an hour, but good food can do so for life. There is nothing like one-size-fits-all; every individual’s needs have to be tailored. Also, eating less is not a good diet programme; eating right is. However, poor economic status can turn all nutrition plans topsy-turvy. The government should encompass all sections on a priority basis to foster a healthy society. In 2018, the Centre started the POSHAN abhiyan (the erstwhile national midday meal) to ensure that the country’s children from classes 1 to 8 are adequately nourished by addressing the dual aspects of hunger and education that are perennially linked. Children should know that “exercise is king and nutrition is queen; put them together and what one gets is a kingdom”.
Dr Ganapathi Bhat,
gbhat13@gmail.com.