The weather forecast for tomorrow-Gloomy overcast skies for the state of Tamil Nadu...
The Muthu family was listening to the newsreader in rapt attention. Every night, this was one programme that the entire family watched together. Serials clashed with game shows and movies but the news always prevailed. Muthu's father quipped that since even the news sounded sensationalized nowadays, it was as good as watching serials!
The next morning, Muthu's mother warned him to carry his umbrella to school but he forgot to do so. He had an ice-cream that sunny afternoon since Jones had got some extra pocket money. They were laughing at the weatherman for being wrong as usual when all of a sudden, it darkened, the clouds gathered rapidly and it began to rain in torrents!
Muthu cursed his luck and got drenched thoroughly by the time he got home. As if this was not enough, his mother chided him with her stock 'I told you so' reprimand. Muthu felt under the weather by that night. His legs also ached. Seeing no sympathy come his way, he wondered aloud if he had swine fl u. His sister laughed and said, " More like Whine Flu, my dear Muthu. You are just like Mahesh maama. Such a hypochondriac*!"
Muthu reddened. Family legend was not always complimentary. Mahesh maama's ailments had been more imagined than real. Once, when he was visiting them, he had complained that he was having a heart attack. After being rushed to the hospital and some very tense moments, it was concluded that it was nothing but gas formed because of the imprudent number of bhajjiyas he had devoured with tangy chilli chutney! Muthu retracted to bed to escape his sister's laughter. His grandmother, who was visiting, immediately set about fussing over him.
But Muthu's delight was short-lived as he saw her fetch a hot glass of revolting kashayam (kaada). She ensured that he swallowed it to the last drop as she gushed about its 'refreshing' taste.
Muthu began to wonder about the differences among allopathic, homeopathic and ayurvedic systems of medicine and decided he would look it up in the library. He could hardly recall any ads for most medicines and that made him curious as well.
