Delhi, NCR
Riya’s twelfth-grade results came out. The whole house in Kolkata was filled with excitement. The commotion even reached Delhi. And why wouldn’t it? Riya’s results were excellent.
Everyone thought it would be easy for her to pursue any science subject for her honors in college. Riya herself was thrilled. The anxiety over her results had almost robbed her of sleep at night and appetite during the day. Today, Riya’s aunt and uncle left all their work and stayed home. The Kolkata and Delhi homes were engaged in video calls discussing the exam results. Only Riya’s cousin Arka kept coming up to her and whispering in her ear, “Don’t let anyone pressure you into making a choice. Everyone has their own suggestions for you. Think it through and decide for yourself. Don’t even listen to me. Over the past few days, I’ve shared all sorts of stories about the science of cooking. I honestly think you should study nutrition. I could use some extra knowledge on cooking too.”
Riya knew Arka da was teasing her by suggesting nutrition. She didn’t want to pursue that at all. Her dream was to immerse herself in research in any field of science.
“Mom, I’m starving! Let’s set aside the celebrations for a bit and order something online. A chicken biryani with chicken chop would be great. Maybe some sweet yogurt and rasgulla on the side too.”
Arka’s mom looked up from her phone screen and said, “Absolutely not. You’ve been feeding your sister all kinds of junk over the past few days, making her stomach suffer. Not today. Yes, sweets are welcome, but you’ll have to go out and buy them yourself. We’re making biryani at home today. After Riya’s results came out this morning, I sent Jyotsna to the market to buy some meat. It’s marinating in the kitchen, waiting to be cooked. After you try the biryani I’m going to prepare, you won’t think of ordering from any restaurant. Right, Riya, you trust your aunt’s cooking skills, don’t you?”
Riya nodded in agreement.
When Jyotsna brought in a large plate of chicken tikka and set it on the table in the living room, Arka exclaimed, “Looks like Jyotsna di has turned into a chef in celebration of Riya’s good results! It smells amazing!” He popped a hot piece of tikka into his mouth and started jumping with his mouth wide open.
“Great, now you’ve burnt your tongue! Looks like all the biryani will end up in my stomach.” Riya burst out laughing.
Arka gave Riya a light smack on the head and said, “Didn’t I treat you to biryani the other day? You ungrateful, selfish soul! Go back to Delhi and eat biryani alone in one of those narrow lanes behind Jama Masjid.”
“Don’t listen to him, Riya. As your doctor aunt, I advise you to prioritize your gut feeling in life, meaning take care of your body. Otherwise, you’ll end up downing a bunch of medicines.”
“Mom, ‘gut feeling’ means something else,” Arka protested.
His doctor mother responded in a dismissive tone, “No, actually. The center of all our feelings is indeed the gut, which, in simple terms, is the intestine. And this gut stretches from the mouth to the anus. Taking care of it is more important than skincare.”
“What connection is there between the gut and the mind, Dr. Madam?” Arka’s father asked, bursting into laughter.
Arka’s mother gave her husband a fierce look and said, “What would you know about the mind? You’re an engineer, only concerned with machines. Anyway, Riya dear, remember this: the gut is the controller of our body. Our brain and digestive system are deeply interconnected. If one malfunctions, the other is also affected. The food we eat essentially gets ‘cooked’ in our digestive system because, as you know, our body can’t directly absorb nutrients from food. Every food item breaks down in the stomach into sugar molecules. This sugar travels through the bloodstream, reaching every cell, where it is burned to produce energy. But only when essential minerals and enzymes are produced in the digestion process does our body gain immunity, and hormones are generated that are essential for various functions.
“The digestive system, although we call it a ‘system,’ is not a machine. It’s as if the gut has a mind of its own. It instinctively knows when to produce which enzyme, and which hormone should be delivered to which part of the body at what time. To make these decisions, it stays in constant communication with our brain’s central nervous system. The gut is equipped with millions of nerves that transmit signals to and from the brain. This is why the gut is often referred to as our second brain. So, we can’t say the gut has no mind.
“Just as food is cooked in a closed pot without oxygen, our stomach processes food in an anaerobic environment, where food ferments over a long period. Food accumulates in the stomach, where hydrochloric acid and other enzymes break it down, making it easily digestible, almost like a paste. Then, the journey of food continues into the intestines.”
“And then there’s the small intestine—though it’s about twenty feet long, it takes up less space in the abdomen because of its coiled structure. Here, bile fluid from the liver and enzymes from the pancreas mix with the food, breaking it down further. A special type of membrane absorbs sugars, essential vitamins, and minerals from the food. Next comes the large intestine, where waste accumulates and is then excreted as stool,” explained Riya in one breath.
Arka raised a hand to stop her and said, “Hold on, hold on. All these English terms you just used, can you say them in Bengali?”
Riya was stumped by Arka da’s bouncer of a question. Seeing her confused expression, Arka’s mother reassured her and said, “Riya studied in English-medium and lives in Delhi, so it’s understandable if she doesn’t know the Bengali terms for biology. I’ll explain. ‘Intestine’ is ‘antro,’ ‘bile fluid’ is ‘pitta,’ and ‘pancreas’ is ‘agnyashoy.’ This much about the parts of the stomach is common knowledge. But the reason we call the gut our second brain is because the intestines have millions of nerves directly connected to the brain. This is why the term ‘gut feeling’ exists. It means the gut reflects the state of our mind. If the stomach is disturbed, the mind is disturbed too. And the countless beneficial bacteria in our intestines send all kinds of information to the brain. This nervous system is called the enteric nervous system. The communication network between the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system is called the gut-brain axis, or G.B.A. in short.”
“Think about it, Riya. Billions of tiny organisms are wandering around in your little stomach! They must be hungry by now, so why don’t you feed them some chicken tikka while listening to Mom’s lecture?” joked Arka, laughing at his own humour.
Pretending to be annoyed, Riya replied, “I know, Lactobacillus bacteria are one type of these. There are others too, with pretty complicated names. They’re useful for many things. They can digest tough proteins our bodies can’t easily break down, producing valuable chemicals in the process. They absorb essential vitamins from food into the bloodstream, keeping our body healthy.”
“Good girl, Riya. Nearly a hundred trillion bacteria reside in the intestines, ten times more than the total cells in our body. But remember, junk food doesn’t get along well with beneficial bacteria. Even if not immediately, excessive protein, oily, or fatty foods gradually reduce the number of good bacteria, allowing harmful bacteria to take over. Harmful bacteria often enter our system through outside food. So, it’s best to eat home-cooked food whenever possible,” advised Riya’s doctor aunt.
“I know, Aunty, E. coli is one such nasty bacteria.”
“After all the tasty street food you ate with me here in Kolkata, who knows how many E. coli have entered your system! If your mom’s theory is right, those bacteria might have already taken over your brain, preventing you from becoming a scientist,” Arka teased.
At that moment, Jyotsna came in from the kitchen carrying a huge pot of biryani and set it on the dining table, filling the room with its aroma. The delicious smell of biryani made everyone forget about the digestive system. Arka’s father, Riya’s uncle, called out, “The gut isn’t a machine! Starting today, outside food is banned!”
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