White Vermillion

I always thought that sweetmeats were distributed on special occasions just because of the one function they fulfilled - they provided for more presentable forms of sugar. Thus it made no difference if one gave away motichur laddoos or dharwadi pedas or gulab jamuns - eventually they all meant to change one's blood sugar levels.

I was proven thoroughly wrong when baby Meena was born in the neighbourhood.

Mother and I decided to visit Meena's mother, Mrs. Nadkarni in ward no. 7 of the local hospital. After marvelling at how beautiful Meena had turned out to be, I expectantly waited for the box of sweets to be unsealed. I believed I'd get to eat rich pedas or something along the line of those, since the Nadkarnis were very rich. When Mrs. Nadkarni peeled open the cover of the paper box, I was crestfallen.

I had not expected glittering orange jalebis.

'Jalebis when a girl is born,' Mrs. Nadkarni proudly explained, trying to brush away my expression. 'It's symbolic.'

'And when a boy's born?'

'Pedas. It's symbolic.'

'It's sugar anyway,' mother explained, afraid I'd offend Mrs. Nadkarni. 'Jalebis taste better than pedas. Take one.' It was mother's command. I ate one coil of the sugary jalebi. It tasted good.

The equation between gender and sweetmeats is indeed a strange one. At least the next time a baby is born in the neighbourhood, I know what sweets to expect.