Ramakant ji was very fond of eating. People in the neighborhood joked that if there were an eating competition, Ramakant ji could win even without preparation. But the doctor’s advice turned his life upside down.
After a check-up one day, the doctor said seriously, “Ramakant ji, if you want to stay healthy, you must follow a diet.” Hearing this, Ramakant ji felt as if someone had snatched his favorite food away.
After returning home, he told his wife, “From today, I will start dieting, even if I have to bite the bullet.”
His wife smiled and said, “That’s good, but instead of a stone, you should have kept an aloo tikki; it would have made you happier.”
The next morning, Ramakant ji decided that he would eat only one apple for breakfast. Seeing the apple on the table made his heart feel sad, but he gathered courage and picked it up. As soon as he took the first bite, he felt as if the joy of life was decreasing.
At lunchtime, his wife asked, “What will you eat?”
Ramakant ji said, “Only salad.”
His wife gave him such a large bowl of salad that he got scared just looking at it.
In the evening, while watching TV, Ramakant ji thought that dieting is not easy. Suddenly, the smell of fritters came from the neighbor’s house. Ramakant ji bit the bullet, closed the window, but felt as if the bullet was slightly moving.
At night, his wife asked, “Will you eat dinner?”
Ramakant ji said, “No, I am on a diet.”
His wife said, “Okay, then take just one roti and a little vegetable.”
Ramakant ji said, “Dieting does not mean fighting hunger; it means teaching hunger to wait.”
At midnight, Ramakant ji stood in front of the refrigerator, wondering whether health was more important or taste. Finally, he decided that the diet would continue… but slowly.
The next day, he ate half a samosa along with an apple and, while trying to bite the bullet, said, “Today the stone became a little lighter.”
RAJEEV VERMA 