Fat is healthy

In Mumbai, salespeople at shops selling children's wear have a gentle way of referring to what others may describe as plumpness.

Try asking for a shirt for an eight-year-old, and the salesgirl is likely to ask, "Patla ya healthy?" Patla is thin, and its opposite, healthy, would be obese in the rude language of medical "experts".

An imagined conversation between two buddies in Mumbai:

"Hey, you're looking very healthy?"

"Yeah, blame it on the beer!"