Swallowing mystery object claims 4-year-old's life

Veda Ramaswamy, Mumbai
June 5, 2012 - Mid Day

Mother says toddler gestured with hands that something was stuck in his throat after he came home from play

Grief-stricken: Suvarna and Shashikant Sawant grieving Manthan’s loss

Tragedy struck Suvarna and Shashikant Sawant, when their four-year-old son, Manthan, was declared dead on arrival at Ghatkopar’s Rajawadi Hospital around 11 am yesterday. However, mystery shrouds Manthan’s death, as he was hale and hearty when he left home to play with his colony friends. The Sawants are residents of Gautam Nagar in Govandi.

“Manthan had chapati with jam and a couple of rava ladoos for breakfast following which he left home to play with his colony friends. However, he came back within 10 minutes. He was feeling restless and started vomiting,” said Suvarna. She also said that Manthan was gesturing with his hands that something was stuck in his throat and she thumped his back, hoping that it would help him get it out. But Manthan collapsed in her lap, and stopped breathing.

“The incident occurred around 10 am in the morning. We immediately rushed him to Sai Kripa Hospital in Chembur. The hospital staff advised us to admit him to Rajawadi hospital, as they lacked ICU facility. But he was declared dead on arrival at Rajawadi,” said Suvarna. His aunt said, “All of us had the same breakfast and sweets. Nothing has happened to any of us. I am certain that he might have swallowed some object, maybe a coin while playing, which led to his unfortunate death.”

“The autopsy report is not yet out. Once we have it, only then can we confirm the exact cause of his death,” said Pandit Sonawane, API, Deonar police station. A case has been registered under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (doubt regarding the cause of death). Till last night, the police officials were still awaiting the report, so that they could give Sawants the permission to claim the toddler’s body and perform last rites.

“Two months ago, he had fallen off a moving truck, and had injured his jaw. But he made it through that. Little did I know that his life would come to such an abrupt end. He was supposed to start schooling this month,” mourned Suvarna. 

Remembering Manthan as an energetic and a playful child, Supriya, a neighbour, said, “He used to play all day long. He was a very active boy. We thought he would become a sportsperson someday. Of all the children, he was his grandmother’s beloved and she would fondly call him ‘Sonya’."

Link to original article available here.

Craving for home-cooked food? Check out Mother's Tiffin

Veda Ramaswamy, Airoli,
April 29, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

Craving for your mother’s home-made food in her absence? Mother’s Tiffin might just be what you are looking for. Located in Sector 8A, Airoli, Mother’s Tiffin has slowly but steadily gained recognition in a span of just four months. The tiffin service which was launched on January 4 this year delivers simple yet delicious food to various customers in the node. A joint venture of Ashwini Gavaskar and Nilesh Nair, Mother’s Tiffin caters to clients of different age groups, right from children to bachelors to elders.

Gavaskar, a textile designer by profession, who took up catering in the recent months to fulfill her passion for cooking, said, “Since last five years, I have been planning on this endeavour, but my dream turned into a reality four months ago.” The service aims at providing good nutritious food to people who are unable to find time to prepare it for themselves, thus keeping them away from unhealthy junk food. The place was also an eatery joint in the initial months of its run, but due to large crowd and lack of space, the service limited itself to home and office deliveries besides accepting party orders.

The timings of Mother’s Tiffin are divided in two sessions, morning session from 8 am to 2 pm and evening session from 6.30 pm to 10 pm. It is open seven days a week with evening session on Sunday remaining closed. Its menu boasts of variety of dishes which differ as per the session and includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian food as well. The pricing is very affordable and has been decided keeping in mind the comfort of every common man. 

The vegetarian thali comprises of two vegetables, three chapatis and a bowl of dal and rice and costs Rs 35 only. The non-vegetarian thali consists of chicken, three chapatis and a bowl of rice at Rs 50. Majority of the food is prepared by Gavaskar herself, with the help of her employees. During festivals, they voluntarily prepare special dishes like puran polis to interest their clientele. 

On being questioned about any obstacle faced during realization of the project, Gavaskar said, “I did not encounter any difficulty whatsoever. The plan clicked and all the ideas fell into place. My younger sister, Vaishali Gaitonde supported me immensely during the initial period to make this dream come true.” The response of the customers has been extremely positive. 

Savita Pote (37), a regular client at Mother’s Tiffin was all praise for the service. She said, “It is the most convenient option for a working woman like me. One cannot afford to have the rich food of restaurants daily. The simple food catered here gives us a homely feel.” The work staff engaged at this joint is content with their work and admires the culinary as well as business skills of their head. Vinaya Patil (37), an employee said, “We share a great working relationship. There is no inconvenience caused and we are very happy with our work.”

The dishes served at Mother’s Tiffin symbolize the simple food cooked with love by a mother for her family and hence the unique name. After gaining an encouraging response, Gavaskar now plans to open a similar branch in Thane within six months and expand her business across Mumbai.

"I am completely against gym culture"

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi,

May 11, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

Good sense and good health are life’s two greatest blessings and Koparkhairane resident Nupur Sinha believes she has effectively used the former to gain the later. Mother of two, Sinha now has ample time to pursue her interests as her children have grown up and are independent.

An active sportsperson during her school and college days, Nupur always laid emphasis on fitness. All through her younger days, she boasted of a lean and athletic figure. The birth of her children, however, proved to be a turning point as she failed to lose the excess weight gained during pregnancy. 

Family commitments remained top priority and Sinha got too engaged in nurturing her children, rather than trying to get back in to shape. In no time, she had put on oodles of weight. Reality struck her only when she could no longer fit in to her swimming costume. An ace swimmer, Sinha spent many years honing her swimming skills before marriage but repented not being able to pursue the sport anymore. 

She realised her folly and again began regularly devoting her time to fitness. That was three years back. She has now successfully lost 22 kg, thanks to her new exercise regime. 

Instead of enrolling in a gym, she opted for conventional forms of weight loss like walking. She said, “I was always against the idea of going to a gym as I found it monotonous. I had promised my husband that I would become fit without losing a penny and I fulfilled it.” 

Since the last three years, she has engaged herself in various activities like brisk walking, yoga and swimming, which helped her regain fitness. She walks for 50 minutes in the morning and evening, covering a distance of 12 km daily. Sinha also learnt water ballet and practices yoga each day. 

Sinha said, “I credit my weight loss to the powerful combination of walking, swimming and pranayam. I practice these sincerely, thoroughly and religiously.” According to her, walking is the best exercise one can do as it not only helps lose weight but also provides an individual with enormous amount of energy and enthusiasm to carry out day-to-day chores.

She also follows a nutritious diet which has helped her a lot. For breakfast, she has one bowl of oats or cornflakes. Her lunch comprises one bowl of rice and dal and dinner comprises two rotis and sabzi. She munches on a few almonds in case of sudden hunger pangs. Her favourite food remains simple dal chaval with ghee. She believes that one must never skip meals or cut down on nutrition. “One should enjoy eating everything in moderate quantities,” she advised. 

Sinha’s journey was not easy though as her efforts failed to show any positive results initially but her determination, hard work and patience saw her through. “It was disappointing initially as there were no immediate results but gradually my efforts showed and that gave me immense motivation,” said Sinha. 

Her foremost source of inspiration has been her friends and family who supported her throughout this journey. She has gained a whole new perspective to life with her new-found personality. Exercise helped her gain confidence and Sinha is much more enthusiastic now than before. Her stamina has increased incredibly. She said, “I receive compliments that I look younger by the day. Such a response makes me happy and inspires me to maintain my fitness regime.”

Even during vacations with family and friends, she makes it a point to follow her fitness regime. In fact, she sees such vacations as an opportunity to exercise and have fun with all of them. “Health is not valued till sickness comes. Many people spend their health gaining wealth and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health. People should devote some time from their hectic work schedule to exercise and enhance their fitness levels,” she advised.

Grandmothers make a Solid Statement on Mother's Day

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi,

May 9, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai