This is something I have been following right from when I was little. My grandmother always used to take me for walks in the morning. During the walk, she would ask everybody she met on the way, “Saapteengala?” (Did you eat?).

One day, I asked her why she does that. She told me that the question will remind the person of two things. One, that they need to take care of themselves and two, they will know that there’s somebody who cares about them also. She said it is a better question compared to Nalla irukeengala? (Are you doing good?).

This is because not everyone may be doing good at that point. We might make them feel worse, as they might be in a place where they can do nothing about it. Ever since then, I have been asking people around me if they have had their food that day!