Relationships

A day before Diwali this year, with a lot of zest, I had started preparing Doodh Peda, an Indian milk sweet, as I happened to get a large quantity of farm-fresh whole milk, a rarity these days. I was nostalgic as the whole scenario was reminiscent of my childhood days when my mother would prepare this sweet, seemingly effortlessly. I put the milk on the stove and started stirring it with a ladle. After a little while to my dismay, small lumps started appearing and soon the milk curdled. I was unhappy and the incidence was lingering in my mind the whole day.

Scientifically curding of milk happens when a minute amount of acidic substance gets added to milk intentionally or otherwise. The milk which is a homogeneous suspension of fat and milk proteins undergoes an irreversible change. The same constituents but what a change! Then a thought suddenly struck me. Relationships are also like fresh milk. A small thoughtless word, deed or gesture can sometimes damage the relationship irreversibly. Outwardly everything appears to be the same as before but it is not. Relationships are fundamental to our happiness and need to be nurtured like tender plants with lots of love and great care.