Tale of the Tiffin-Box

Whoever said ,'life comes a full circle', probably meant it for only the higher philosophical concepts like aging,maturing of human relationships and the like.However for me this has come true in a very mundane yet intersting routine way,in the form of a tiffin-box.

I remember when I was a school student myself tiffin meant food packed by mothers(mostly) to be shared with friends during lunch break in school.It hardly had any glamour attached to it,the boxes were mostly steel ,round ,rectangular or square,alien to paper tissues ,cling wrap and silver foil.They were independent of brands and the unwanted classism that comes with it.

The contents too were often not too fancy- a simple aloo parantha,poori-sabzi and simple toasties made in manual toasters.The essence was yes the cliched mom's love and the sharing with friends,the mischief of making unequal shares and avoiding politely a baigan bharta or karela sabzi.

Now I sit on the other side of the fence,a mom who has to plan and pack a nutritious and non-junk tiffin for my toddler as the school suggests.The humble tiffin -box is now colourful and branded,it has multiple compartments and fewer friends.The sharing depends on how haute your cuisine is and your popularity in class.

Mom's love is a little diluted in the stress to make a new recipe every day and the tale of the tiffin-box goes on,may its joys come back !