Celebrations with Sunshine Vitamin

A father was flying a kite, and his son was watching him intently. After some time the son says,
“Dad, why don’t you break the string, because of which the kite is not able to go any further higher.”

His father smiled and broke the string. The kite went higher and higher and then after some time, it came and fell somewhere on the ground.

The child was disappointed. The father then calmly explained,

“My dear son, in life also, we reach a certain level, and then we start feeling that there are some things like home, family, society, discipline, culture, traditions etc that are not letting us grow any further and stopping us from going higher.

“We want to be free from those ties, but the same things help us stay stable even at the altitude, while soaring high. Breaking those strings will make us like that kite.

“Only the height achieved by striking the right balance between the thread and the kite can give you real success in life.”

On January 14, I had published two posts on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, but I missed some important aspects of this festival.

Every festival brings some wisdom and some morals. Makar Sankranti is also one of them, when we exchange cookies made of sesame seeds and jaggery and fly kites. Why?

The tiny sesame (तिल or Til) seeds remind us of our insignificance in this vast creation. The feeling that ‘I am nothing’ dissolves the ego and brings humility.

Jaggery is a symbol of spreading sweetness and strong bond. “So let our ego be small like sesame seeds, and words sweet like jaggery.” This is the wish we exchange on that day.

There is one more aspect, and very important one. Sesame seeds have the highest calcium (975 mg per 100g), while milk has 125 mg only. And what regulates the amount of calcium in the body? The answer is Vitamin D or sunshine vitamin.

It helps in improving bone and teeth. Its low level can cause loss of bone density, thus increasing the risk of osteoporosis. It helps maintain a healthy immune system. The most common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include fatigue, lack of sleep, depression, hair loss, loss of appetite etc.

But its deficiency is a common global issue, as 50% of the population has vitamin D deficiency. While a healthy, balanced diet (oily fish, liver, mutton, egg yolks) may help get this, the best source of Vitamin D, freely available, is sunlight and the best quality of sunlight is the end of winter and the beginning of summer.

This festival of kite flying has been designed to encourage people to go out in the open under direct sunlight. Our body is able to store vitamin D and then use up the reserves slowly.

May the sun of Uttarayan (sun moving toward north) give new warmth to your dreams, may your name and fame grow progressively, may you and your family be healthy and live long.

–Kaushal Kishore

images: pinterest

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