Healthy Child, Happy Home!

Rehaan, the explorer!

This is my four year old nephew Rehaan – happy, curious, and wondering, ever ready to learn new things and experience all the excitement that the as yet limited exposure to life offers him. He loves the outdoors – take him to the park and within minutes he’s all over the place, trying all the rides, exploring the park, curious about the trees and flowers, the little insects, the butterflies, in short he has a wondering mind that wants to know everything - why the butterfly gives no butter? why the flower is pink but the leaves are green? why the dog barks but the duck quacks? And like most kids, he will sulk when it’s time to get back home.

Checking out a raccoon at the zoo

'Can I hold it please?'

Mom look, an opossum!

Rehaan loves animals and at the zoo, is absolutely a sight to behold  - with his animated curiosity about the animals - why the elephant is gray but the zebra has stripes? The parrots are so colourful but the swan only has white? At times, it's difficult to keep pace with him - questions, observations, answers - all mingled up in the conversation that we adults often dismiss as kid talk.

Nothing less than a dinosaur cake for me please!

You must be wondering why I am singing paeans about Rehaan.  He's just like any young kid, you must be wondering. Yes he is. Very much so. But he's also a super healthy child, not prone to falling sick, thanks too his super immune system. Touch wood and touch Dabur Chyawanprash for that. Hahah, I kid not. My mom and Rehaan's dadi (grandmother), calls it a rambaan for all those big and small illnesses that children come down with. Constant colds, runny noses, fevers and flus, stomach bugs - it's very rare that Rehaan bugs us with these issues thanks to the daily dose of a spoonful of Dabur Chyawanprash every day.

How Dabur Chyawanprash helps

Children's immune system is quite prone to taking a hit since they are exposed to a variety of food substances with all kinds of preservatives, additives and artificial colours added to them. These food items look attractive to the eyes but more often than not, have adverse effect on the digestive system. Besides this, with different kinds of pollution the kids are now exposed to, their immune system needs super boosting to help take on various infections and diseases. And times tested herbal mix Dabur Chayawanprash has anti-oxidant properties and helps to strengthen your body's internal defence mechanism - the immune system - thereby protecting you from day to day infections such as cough, cold etc.

Chyawanprash, a time-tested, age-old formulation has a number of herbs like Amla, known to be one of the best antioxidants, Giloy (Guduchi), known to have immuno-modulatory properties, and has more than 40 other natural ingredients.
Dabur Chyawanprash’s magnificent brew of Ayurvedic herbs strengthens the body’s natural defence mechanism by stimulating your NK cells* (Natural Killer Cells). NK cells assist in fighting with virus and bacteria in your body, thus giving us increased immunity from various infection.

Let's swing it!

And so this is why I have presented Rehaan as a perfect example of a healthy, happy child. One look at Rehaan, and everyone is content that he's growing right - happy and healthy. A healthy child makes for a happy home. Everyone knows that we need to not unnecessarily worry about Rehaan falling sick - for all that ashwgandha, guduchi, satavari and the many other magical fancy herbs in the Dabur Chyawanrash are doing their work to ensure that Rehaan and of course everyone else in the house remains healthy. So with Dabur Chyawanprash around, one can always count on increased immunity from infections. On this healthy note, here's wishing you a healthy and happy Diwali! 

This post is written for Dabur India's #ImmuneIndia blogging drive in association with Indiblogger.

UNICEF Launches 'Baap Wali Baat'

UNICEF's latest report says that one in four adolescent girls experience physical violence. This report, 'a compilation of data revealing the magnitude of violence against adolescent girls' lists down some alarming statistics - 

• Almost one quarter of girls aged 15 to 19 worldwide (approximately 70 million) report being victims of some form of physical violence since age 15.
• Around 120 million girls under the age of 20 worldwide (about 1 in 10) have experienced forced intercourse or other forced sexual acts, and one in 3 ever-married adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 (84 million) have been victims of emotional, physical or sexual violence committed by their husbands or partners.
• Data suggest that in some countries, as many as seven in 10 girls aged 15 to 19 who had been victims of physical and/or sexual abuse had never sought help: many said they did not think it was abuse or did not see it as a problem.
• Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married before their 18th birthday. More than one in three (about 250 million) entered into union before age 15.

The enormity of these facts and figures is overwhelming. Needless to say, there's an urgent need to raise awareness about violence against girls and educating people about their right to education. To this effect, UNICEF's new anthem 'Baap Wali Baat' is sure to strike a chord with the people.

Launched on the eve of International Day of the Girl Child - October 11 - 'Baap Wali Baat' is an anthem that presents a violence-free scenario, where girls are given all the freedom and equal opportunity to flourish. A part of UNICEF India's #ItStartsWithMe #EndViolence campaign, this anthem aims at inspiring all the fathers to nourish and help their daughters to blossom into strong and independent individuals. The song also pays tribute to those fathers who go all out in support of their daughters' dreams and aspirations.

And what a coincidence it is that this anthem is unveiled on a day when the Nobel Peace Prize for the year has been awarded to two leading child rights activists - Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay, for their relentless struggle for children's rights. One can only hope that developments such as this pave way for a better future for not just the girl child but for all the oppressed and deprived children in general.

Coming back to Baap Wali Baat, this song has the 'baat' to make people aware of the challenges faced by girl child and come forward to pledge their support to the cause of #EndViolence. Let us too spread the word and share our support for this campaign. The #EndViolence #ItStartsWithMe campaign aims at raising awareness about different forms of violence, including physical, emotional, sexual and child marriage. Join hands and take a step to #EndViolence against children. I can #EndViolence because #ItStartsWithMe.

Observed on October 11, the International Day of the Girl Child was declared to recognise girls' rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. This year, the theme is Empowering Adolescent Girls: Ending the Cycle of Violence.