Page 35 - Balvihar january 2024

Gooseberry Granny

got Goosebumps!

Amala was enthralled by the prospect of visiting her Keyur Mama’s (maternal uncle) home
in Rajkot for the Christmas holidays. Her mama was the number one trader, supplier and
exporter of a premium stock of fresh amla fruit in Rajkot, Gujarat, India.
Amla, also known as Indian Gooseberry, is high on vitamin C, and it enhances
food absorption by balancing stomach acid,
strengthening the liver, nourishing the
brain and mental functions, supporting
the heart, strengthening the lungs,
cooling our body, improving skin and
hair and eyes.

Naani would have many activities
around amlas, coinciding with
their visit. Mornings would start
with amla (gooseberry), haldi
(turmeric) and ginger shots,
which would help boost immunity
and keep cold and flu at bay
in the winter season. Then, for
those with a sweet tooth, there
would be amla murabba, served
at lunchtime with rotis. Amla
would not resist the amla aachar
(pickle), which would tickle her
savoury taste buds. Naani would
also make a savoury supari by grating the little fruits and drying them in the Sun.

There would be a sweet version with sugar, and the khatta-meetha version was fortified with
black salt and lemon (nimbu-sancchar- kaala namak). Sucking on the fresh slices before they
would dry off was a great pleasure for Amala, her younger sister, Jiya and other cousins. Winter
afternoons would be spent in sucking the juicy fruits. Naani encouraged the girls to do the
same, knowing the girls would reap the benefits of the fruit, with the results showing in their
long, lustrous hair, luminous eyes and increased immunity.

Year after year, Amala saw this repeat at her Nani’s home. That year, the school asked them
to work on homegrown products for their Christmas projects. Kids at the school racked their
brains for any product they could make from materials (coconut shells, fruit peels, lemon rinds,
aloe vera gel – all available at home.)
Amala struck upon a simple idea; she decided it would be a cakewalk to make a gooseberry
energy drink, which would be convenient for on-the-go consumption or during physical activities

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Balvihar - January 2024