What the Story Is Really About
Beneath the comedy, a sharp look at age and dignity
Vitamin-M is funny — but the comedy carries a serious message about how we treat the people who raised us. Tap each theme to explore it.
Three themes beneath the laughter.
The whole story exists to overturn the assumption that 'old = forgetful = helpless'. Grandpa is sharper than everyone around him — the joke is on those who underestimated him.
Vidya keeps Grandpa safe but strips his dignity — forbidding, controlling, speaking to him like a child. The story argues that care without respect is a kind of harm.
Ravi changes because he watches Grandpa closely — and ends not in pity but in affection and respect. Real love sees a person as they are, not as a problem to manage.
Ageism — the prejudice we all grow into
The story quietly names a real prejudice: ageism — judging or dismissing people because of their age. We see it when a capable elder is spoken to like a child, when their opinions are ignored 'because they're old,' when decisions are made for them rather than with them. India is ageing fast — the number of people over 60 is rising sharply — and how families and society treat the elderly is becoming one of the country's quiet, important questions. Unlike most prejudices, ageism is one every one of us will eventually be on the receiving end of. The story asks you to notice it now.
Asha Nehemiah could have written a serious, sad story about an old man losing his freedom. Instead she wrote a comedy — full of hiding behind bushes and chasing the wrong cap. Why might humour be a more powerful way to deliver this message than sadness would be?
Take a moment to form your answer before reading further.
Q1.What is the story's central message?
Vitamin-M is funny — but the comedy carries a serious message about how we treat the people who raised us. Tap each theme to explore it.
Three themes beneath the laughter.
The whole story exists to overturn the assumption that 'old = forgetful = helpless'. Grandpa is sharper than everyone around him — the joke is on those who underestimated him.
Vidya keeps Grandpa safe but strips his dignity — forbidding, controlling, speaking to him like a child. The story argues that care without respect is a kind of harm.
Ravi changes because he watches Grandpa closely — and ends not in pity but in affection and respect. Real love sees a person as they are, not as a problem to manage.
Ageism — the prejudice we all grow into
The story quietly names a real prejudice: ageism — judging or dismissing people because of their age. We see it when a capable elder is spoken to like a child, when their opinions are ignored 'because they're old,' when decisions are made for them rather than with them. India is ageing fast — the number of people over 60 is rising sharply — and how families and society treat the elderly is becoming one of the country's quiet, important questions. Unlike most prejudices, ageism is one every one of us will eventually be on the receiving end of. The story asks you to notice it now.
Asha Nehemiah could have written a serious, sad story about an old man losing his freedom. Instead she wrote a comedy — full of hiding behind bushes and chasing the wrong cap. Why might humour be a more powerful way to deliver this message than sadness would be?
Take a moment to form your answer before reading further.
Q1.What is the story's central message?