With no treatment in sight, and the cases going up with each passing day, what are the means to save human lives. Much, in terms of safeguards, has been suggested ever since this pandemic broke out. From face masks to sanitisers, from home-stay to physical distancing, what is it that has not been discussed a million times over in all forms of publications – newspapers, magazines, TV discussions, science journals and social media. But in all this the primary, and probably the most effective, defence is the strength of human body and the efficiency of its systems to disallow a virus to take control of human body. If a fight can be posed there and the virus defeated, the danger stands dissolved. So there is now a renewed emphasis on boosting immunity. We can see that different forms of media, even the public figures and government institutions, are propagating this idea of how a strong immunity, and a capacity to fight infections, is crucial to saving lives. Never before were people so conscious of this. Here, two things have gained importance. One, physical exercise, and two, food. Right food, in desirable proportion is being proposed as a first and foremost level of defence against this disease. In this, when a premier institution of Kashmir valley holds a workshop on immunity boosting foods, it is a thing much required in these times.
One can hope that the contents of the workshop are compiled in a way, and in languages, that are understandable to a common man. Also, all this is publicised so that people actually benefit from that. It is also in the fitness of things that people are guided to grow these foods in their kitchen gardens so that the idea of immunity is popularised as well as practiced at the level of family. If the discussions and deliberations remain confined to academics and the scientific community bounces ideas off each other without making its benefits reach common people, such activities prove very ineffectual. One can hope that the organisers ensure that the idea of immunity-boosting-food is popularised.