Key
Iron Ingredients : Spinach, beetroot, whole bengal gram, chickpea
Duration
: 40 minutes
Ingredients
For
golgappas
Whole-wheat
flour – ½ cup
Suji
– ¼ cup
Maida
– 1/8 cup
Spinach
– 8-10 leaves
Salt
to taste
Oil
for frying
For
Filling
Boiled
sweet corn – ½ cup
Grated
paneer – ½ cup
Boiled
chickpea – ¼ cup
Boiled
whole Bengal gram- ¼ cup
Black
pepper – ½ teaspoon
Red
chilli powder – ¼ tea spoon
Coriander
powder – 1 teaspoon
Mango
powder – ¼ teaspoon
Salt
to taste
For
golgappas water
Water
– ½ liter
Beetroot
– 2
Green
chilli – 1-2
Lemon
– 2
Sugar
– 2 table spoon
Black
pepper – 1/2 teaspoon
Roasted
grinded cumin seed – ¼ teaspoon
Black
Salt – ½ teaspoon
Salt
to taste
Method
1.Take
all the flours and mix well.
2.Grind
spinach with little water.
3.Knead
the dough with the spinach paste.
4.Make
small balls and roll them with the help of rolling pin.
5.Leave
them for 40 minutes so that crust is formed on upper side.
6.Deep-fry
them on medium fire.
7.Spread
them on the paper so that paper absorbs excess oil.
8.For
filling, grind boiled sweet corn.
9.Gently
mix all the ingredients, add spices and salt to it.
10.The
filling is ready.
11.For water, dissolve sugar in the water.
12.Peel
beetroot and cut in small pieces.
13.Grind
beetroot and green chillies to make a paste. If required add little water to
it.
14.Squeeze
the paste to collect red coloured water below in a bowl.
15.Add
that to sugar water.
16.Add
the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
17.Keep
it in freeze and serve chilled.
In this recipe, I have used iron rich ingredients
like spinach, beet-root, chickpea and whole bengal gram. I have added limejuice
as it contains Vitamin C for better iron absorption. I have cut the vegetables
with iron knife and used vessels made up of iron for cooking it to increase the
iron content in the recipe.
Qarib
Qarib Singlle is a middle-aged love story. A new concept indeed for Bollywood!
Not so young and vibrant Yogi (Irrfan Khan) and Jaya (Parvathy Thiruvothu) meet
via an online dating site. They are polar apart personalities. Yogi is a rich person
who has lots of money to spend where as Jaya works in an office and spends her
money judiciously. Yogi loves poetry and Jaya loves nature. Yogi is a
chit-chatter where as Jaya is quiet. Yogi likes books and Jaya is techno savvy.
They plan a trip to Rishikesh, Jaipur and Gangtok to explore their past
relationships. During this trip, crazy incidences happened which help them to
understand themselves in a better way.
Irrfan
Khan plays well the role of jovial guy whose jokes everyone enjoys even his ex-girlfriends.
Parvathy plays her role nicely. Her round face is attractive and big eyes are
beautiful. She looks stunning in the last scene when she is wearing dark pink
colour silk sari with turquoise blue blouse.
Movie
is full of funny scenes. But I liked the one in which Yogi and Jaya planned for
a trip to date. But instead of booking rooms in hotels, Jaya books rooms in an
ashram in Rishikesh. Direction of Tanuja Chandra is nice. Neha Dhupia’s face
looks bonny and aged. The rest of the cast is interesting.
I
was laughing throughout the whole movie, tears were flowing from my eyes. Neither
my laughing stopped nor my tears stopped till the end of movie. Tears smudged my
kohl eyes, wetted and blackened my fair cheeks. I paid no attention to them as
the movie was too gripping, enjoying and funny.
“What
happened, dear sister? Why are you sitting alone? Is there something that is
troubling you?” My little cousin asked.
“I
want to make Delhi a better city, a smart city” I replied.
“From
tomorrow onwards, you should go to your office on cycle rather on car. There will
be less air pollution which will make Delhi a better place to live.” He laughed
aloud on his stupid joke.
“It
is not funny. And it not that simple.”
“Sis,
I can suggest you some of the positive ways to improve the city after all it is
our city.”
“Hotspot,
you are so sweet.”
“You
know sis, Vodafone has already done a lot to improve Delhi and NCR! Vodafone
has created the first air purifying bus shelter in the city so that we can
breathe in pollution free air while waiting for bus. Vodafone has also created
the first Wifi bus shelter in Gurgaon. It provides free Wifi to all customers
for 20 minutes. A milestone in digitizing Delhi and NCR!”
“Vodafone
is digitally connecting Delhi and NCR by providing free Wifi zones like
Airport, Khan Market, Delhi Haat, DLF Mall of India, Fortis Hospital etc.”
“All
over Delhi and NCR, Vodafone provides free Wifi at 120 places. Vodafone
receives one customer appreciation every 30 seconds.”
“There
are 1.2 crore Vodafone customers in Delhi and NCR which means half of Delhities
are using Vodafone. Vodafone is #CelebratingSuper.”
“Let
us make Vodafone choice of everybody in Delhi and NCR. I will suggest you some
ideas that whole Delhi and NCR will be talking about VODAFONE only and none
other mobile networking company.”
“How
is that possible?”
“Sis,
you are giving a big responsibility to a little child.” He winked and
continued. “Vodafone should target students as they can be Vodafone permanent
future customers.”
“You
mean to say both school and college students.”
He
nodded in a style and said, “Mobile library is the easy, quick and fast way to
do that.”
“Mobile
library, a moving vehicle with has books on varied topics which stop at
different places so that poor and underprivileged children can be benefitted
from it.”
“My
idea is that mobile library will have no books, no books at all. But it will have
free Wifi access for everyone. There can be some trained staff to encourage school
and college students to use Wifi to study more and to learn more. The students
should be motivated to utilise information in making projects, in solving their
problems related to Maths, Physics and other subjects. They should be
encouraged to get the detailed information about the topics they like to read
and to talk about more. All information should be just at the click of a
button.”
“If
they click the button leading to wrong or dirty information then....... I
mean..... you know.....”
“Such
sites can be blocked.” I was hesitant and he was confident.
“Free Wifi will help them in becoming more learned and
responsible citizens.”
“On
using free Wifi, they will know the importance of Vodafone Wifi, how useful and
beneficial it is for them. Then they will shift to paid services of Vodafone
which means more customers for Vodafone.”
“My
little business expert!”
“Vodafone
sign boards should be made on metro pillars by doing vertical gardening on
them. It will give clean air to us and more customers to Vodafone! The walls of
huge concrete buildings can be covered with vertical gardening. On huge roofs,
roof top gardening can be planned in such a way that an aerial view as seen on
Google maps imprints ‘Vodafone’.
“Vodafone is doing a great job but what we can do as
residents to make our city better.”
“As a kid, I can make a drawing of smart city.”
“God has blessed you with a beautiful hand and mind.”
“My parents motivate the people residing in our society
to use two-bin segregation system for garbage. Segregation is the first step of
waste management. Green dustbins are for disposing of wet waste which includes
waste from fruits and vegetables, cooked or uncooked food, leaves etc. and blue
dustbins are for disposing dry waste which includes paper, metal, plastic
products etc. It helps in segregating waste as they recycled differently. Wet
waste is organic whereas dry is not. Segregated recycling helps in cleaning the
environment quickly.”
“You know a lot about garbage management.”
“I learnt this on a Youtube video which I watch using
free Wifi at Delhi Airport while waiting for my flight to my grandparent’s
home.”
“Free Wifi zones will make people more intelligent and
aware.”
“For
that, metro stations and railway platforms should be free Wifi zones and all passengers
should be given free Vodafone oxygen bombs.”
“Aloe
vera growing in a plastic vessel with Vodafone printed on it. The plant requires
least maintenance as it can grow well in less water and plenty of sunlight. It
grows well in Delhi weather. It can be used as an ayurvedic medicine for
stomach and face.”
“Nah!
They should give tomato plants, as the plants will bear red tomatoes, similar in
color to Vodafone logo. Organic tomatoes will give fresh air and fruits to
Delhites.” He plucked a ripe tomato from the plant growing in the pot on the windowsill
of the room and gulped it down.
“Have you ever done anything to make Delhi and NCR a
better city to live?”
“Last Sunday we
went to a nearby slum area, it was stinking as garbage was scattered everywhere.
If Vodafone, starts a new scheme that no garbage zone will be
free Wifi zones then India will become garbage free overnight.” He smiled.
“What
if after getting the facility they again start polluting their surroundings.”
“Garbage
free, neat and clean colonies can be made free Wifi zones for specific period.
If they maintain the same level of cleanliness, then the facility can be
extended, else withdrawn. Persons residing in other colonies and societies will
be motivated to make their surrounding garbage free.”
“Garbage
free India will encourage more foreigners to visit India. They will give more
business to Vodafone while calling back home or while using internet to search
decent site seeing or a nice restaurant nearby or while booking a cab or while
making payments.”
“In my Diwali vacations, we went to a nearby village to educate farmers
how to improve their farming knowledge by teaching them how to watch Youtube
videos on the topics related to them. I showed them videos on how to prepare gobar
gas plant, how to use solar light to run tube-wells, how to generate
electricity from wind, how to make rain harvesting pits, how to use battery
operated vehicles, how to do organic farming, how to make vermicompost and how
to make more money. I didn’t teach them how to count more money.” He giggled.
“How
was the sewage system in the village?”
“My
father taught them how to prepare low cost disposable sewage systems and told
them about the links from where they can gather more information about it.”
“Vodafone
help start-ups during their incubation stage by giving them Vodafone products.”
I told.
“They
can give free Wifi for those who use toilets with closed doors.” There was
naughtiness in his voice as well as in his eyes.
“Hotspot!”
“Why do you call me Hotspot?”
“Because
I can access information from you free of cost any time with
just a click.” I lightly touch the tip of his nose with my index finger.
“I
tell you a secret that I didn’t like to eat spinach but now I have started
eating spinach like Popeye as I grow organic spinach in PVC pipes in my
balcony.”
“Let
us make a video to share this information with family, neighbours and friends.”
“Excellent
idea!”
“I
am unable to upload my video.”
“Sis,
first of all you shift to Vodafone leaving X, Y, Z companies behind!” He said
with a laugh.
I
was driving my car on NH-8 and was struck in a traffic jam near Bilaspur. On
both the sides of my car, there were huge trucks. There was some space created
in the front. I moved my car slowly forward and felt I am going backward. I put
a harsh brake not understanding why my car is going behind and I might not hit
someone behind. I was confused. Bewildered me, took two deep breaths to calm
myself and to analyse what had happened. My car was in the right gear to move
forward even then I was moving backward. I realised that I had a worst optical
illusion because of huge trucks on both sides of my car.
“Sis,
why don’t you sell your 5 year old mobile?” Pixel, my little brother asked me.
“This mobile is in good condition, working and
does not have scratches.”
“Buy
a new, latest model mobile with more features.”
“Pixel,
I don’t have enough funds to buy a new one.”
“Sell
this to generate funds.”
“I
tried to sell it to many. None of them is interested in buying such an old
model of mobile.”
“You
didn’t try to sell it to me, otherwise I would have bought it.” He said with a
wink.
“What
would you do with this?” I asked curiously.
“Thats
a secret. By the way, to whom you try to sell it?”
“Once
I tried to sell it to my driver. The deal was finalised. I handed over the
mobile phone, charger, its box, bill and ear phones to him. He gave half of the
decided money. He asked to use it for one day and then pay the rest of the
money next day. I agreed. Next day, he returned the mobile and all the accessories.
I returned the money. He asked for the rest of the half money. I told him that
he didn’t gave them to me. He laughed and said that he was not asking for the money that he hadn’t paid but he was
asking for the money spent on taking care for this oldie goldie mobile. It was
real tough job to take care of 5 year old mobile for 24 hours. After that I
never tried to sell it.”
“Have
you tried to sell it online?”
“Without
seeing, using and checking it, who will buy it online?”
“Cashify
is an online site which gives you the best value for mobiles, laptop, tablet,
T.V. and Imac. To sell on Cashify is simple, easy and fast. I am sharing
Cashify app with you. Sis, download it on your mobile.”
While
I was downloading the app he told me, “I shared the cashify app along with my
unique code with my friends and relatives. Everytime any of them transacted, I
got paid. You would not believe that I earned Rs. 150150 till now. That means I
can buy a new tablet with the earned money.”
“Pixel,
you are genius. You not only solved my problem but also you are making money
with that. That’s great!”
“I
am, no doubt!” He giggled. “Now fill in the simple details about mobile like mobile
switch on and off, discolouration issues, display or touchpad issues, screen
glass condition, front camera and back camera not working or broken, any defect
in volume button, Wifi/ GPS button not working, any problem in power/ Home
button, delayed charging or other defects, battery faulty and speaker not
working etc.”
I
clicked on the relevant information related to my mobile.
He
instructed further, now, it will ask about the original charger, earphone, box
and bill.”
“Ya.
I have all.”
“You
will get a decent price for that.”
“My
device is too old and it is not under warranty.”
“For
nice deal tell the truth, don’t lie and don’t hide anything.”
“Fine,
my little teacher! How can I correctly decide about the phone’s overall
condition?”
“Sis,
if it has minor scratches, normal signs of usage, external housing intact, no
broken port, no dents or cracks on panel then it’s overall condition is good. If
scratches or dents on panel, discolouration of panel, external housing intact,
minor cracks then its overall condition is average and if multiple dents or
scratches and back or front panel broken then overall condition is below
average.”
“Overall
condition of my mobile is good.”
“Can
you guess the price of your mobile?”
Looking
at the screen, I almost screamed, “Wow! Amazing!! The price displayed is much
higher than the price at which I was selling it to my driver six months before.”
“Sis,
apply the coupon code. Get more offers with this coupon at Amazon 5% extra, at
Lifestyle 9% extra and at Mantra 15% extra.”
“Pixel!
I love you. Now I can buy a new mobile just because of you. The money I was
short of to buy a new mobile is now enough.”
“Sis,
Sell the used gadgets before your house become a museum or junkyard of old
devices. You can also sell your 30 years old T.V. online. Cashify will ask
about the brand, size, screen, sound, remote, age and physical condition of
T.V. It will pay a decent sum of money at the time of pick up in cash or the
mode of payment you have opted.”
“I
admire the idea of getting your device priced, scheduling a free pick up, getting
paid instantly. I will recommend #CleanUpCashOut to my friends, relatives and neighbours.”
“Sis,
let us make a video about it to show it to our friends.”
“Sure.”
Dear
readers, Do not forget to add the coupon code CLEANCASH to avail an additional
Rs.250 on the sale of your gadgets on Cashify.
This
Diwali, I did not celebrate the festival of lights as my father had expired
just a few months back. All houses were decorated with vibrant lights,
attractive rangoli and colourful hangings. They were filled with sounds of
laughter and enjoyment. It was only my house, which was DARK. Seeing others
houses illuminating and mine in darkness I recalled an incidence that my maternal
grandfather shared with me, “When I was five years old, my father died on
Diwali night. We didn’t celebrated Diwali for forty years. All houses were
illuminated except ours. Every house had beautiful lights, eye-catching
decorations and enjoyable celebrations apart from ours. As a child it was
painful to accept that darkness, sadness and loneliness. Amidst financial
problems we faced because of sudden death of my father, the most disturbing was
not to celebrate the festival of lights for years and years. It is a custom if
somebody dies on Diwali then Diwali is not celebrated in the family until
somebody is born in the family. After forty years my niece was born. All the
neighbours came and coaxed us to celebrate Diwali as Godess Lakhmi had appeared herself. Thereafter, we started
celebrating Diwali.”
When he
was on his deathbed, he used to pray, “O God! I do not want to die on Diwali. I
do not want to spoil the festival of my family. Please select some other day
for me to leave this body.” And God listened to him.
I
thought that only this year I didn’t celebrate Diwali but he didn’t celebrate
Diwali for forty years though the reason was the same - death of father.
Diwali
Mela like any other fair was organised in my society with lots of stalls of
food, household items, costumes, jewellery and other utility items with dance programme
admist loud music and spectral lights. I hardly got any time for such
celebrations. On my best friend’s request, I spared my time for this fair.
We
are foodies, so attacked the food first. Tried lots of spicy as well as sweet dishes
like jodhpuri mirchi pakooda, bhalla chat, tikki chat, blue berry muffin, chole
bhature and pan kulfi. These days, my tummy is not used to eating such a spicy
food. To digest all these stuff, I need a bottle of Coke!
While
drinking it, my mind recalled a year back incidence. It was the convocation day
of Sadhana Intensive Course that was organised at Gangotri in Sivananda Kutir.
After attending convocation, we returned to Gangotri town, near the taxi stand.
We were waiting for the other batchmates to come back to the meeting point. I
was feeling hungry as I hadn’t eaten anything since morning and whatever little
I had eaten came out because of sever travel sickness and vomiting. During
lunch, I handed over my food to Mr. ‘G’ one of my batchmates.
I
group of friends ordered samosas, tea and soft drinks. The samosas were too
spicy. To digest them I was drinking Coke. Suddenly Mr. ‘G’ came and joined the
group and discussion. I took a sip of Coke.
“You
are drinking Coke! You are eating samosas!!” The utter surprise in his voice
showed that I made a serious offence.
Mr.
‘G’ raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth. His eyes widened and his pupils
even more. Little horizontal frowns appeared displacing bigger vertical frowns.
His bulged eyes forgot to blink atleast for fifty two seconds. Atleast. He freezed.
I laughed.
“It
is just a bottle of Coke!” I said. “Anybody can read your face like a book!!
ANYBODY!!!”
That
transparent face, I always recalled whenever I had a bottle of Coke!
“Today
we are going to celebrate ‘Dandiya Night’.” The anchor announced. I heard it while
sitting on a sofa in the drawing room of my friends flat. The programme started
well with a Gujarati song. Then they played a Haryanavi song ‘Mera nau dandi ka
bhijana’. I was bit bewildered as how one can do dandiya on Harayanvi song. My
confusion increased as the next song they played was Punjabi. May be they are
trying fusion music on Dandiya Night! One after another, they played the songs
of different states of India.
I am thinking too
much about birth and death. From where one comes and where one goes to?
Mr. ‘K’ replied
We all come from
atoms and become atoms again
I replied
:D A scientific
answer. Actually I was searching for a spiritual answer.
Mr. ‘K’ replied
Spirits are also
made of atoms....2 peg rum (also a spirit) lagao...sab samajh mein aa jaayega (try
2 peg rum (also a spirit).... you will understand everything) :-)
“O-two,
Go out and play in fresh air.” I asked my little cousin who was playing brain
vita.
“Sis,
do you want me to play in air pollution? Or do you want me to play football wearing
mask to protect myself from pollution. Moreover, playing in polluted air will
lower my I Q level and I won’t be able to win more games in brain vita.” He
replied.
“Then,
you must know that inside home pollution is 5 times higher than outside and
sometimes even more.”
“O,
really!” He exclaimed and moved one marble on the board.
“Even,
in this room you will be surprised to know that a pungent smelling dangerous
pollutant is found and its sources are pressed wooden furniture, cupboards, drapes,
foam insulation and carpet. Its name is formaldehyde.”
“And
how does casual-dehyde pollutes air?” He giggled.
“Huh?”
“Dressed
up in ‘3S’ – shirt, snickers and slippers!” He chuckled.
“No,
dressed in female attire - sweatshirt, skirt and sandals.”
He
laughed aloud and I smiled.
“Come
with me, I will show you air pollutants in the kitchen.”
He
put his game on the table and accompanied me to the kitchen. He told. “In the
kitchen, gas stove is a major air pollutant.”
“Besides
that unvented gas from kerosene heater and wood stove emits carbon monoxide.”
“Is
carbon monoxide sister of carbon dioxide?” He inquired with a fun in his voice.
“Carbon
monoxide is formed when there is not enough oxygen to produce carbon dioxide.
Carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless, tasteless, and highly toxic. It is
more harmful to humans and animals as compared to carbon dioxide. It causes
dizziness, nausea, headaches and sometimes death.”
“Dangerous
sis!”
We
were standing in the kitchen and I explained further to him, “Nitrogen oxide is
also produced from the same sources as carbon monoxide and harms human body
similarly.”
“Dangerous
bro!”
“Radon
is a radioactive gas which is colourless, odourless and tasteless enters
silently like thieve in our homes from the surface beneath and from water
sources. We are totally unaware if we are inhaling unsafe air.”
“Dangerous
DAD!”
“Well
ventilation reduces the production and hazards of dangerous family.”
“As
soon as I entered the kitchen then my head started aching. It must be because
of the presence of these poisonous gases.” He put his left hand on his head.
“Let
us open the windows and doors for proper ventilation.”
“Are
cockroach killers the source of air pollution?” He pointed out at two bottles
placed in the corner of the kitchen.
“Yes,
insect killers are source of air pollutants. After spraying, windows should be
left open for some time. Let us move to the drawing room and find out sources
of air pollutants present there.”
We moved to the left and there was a huge drawing room
well equipped with all the modern facilities.
“Aladin’s magic carpet!” He giggled.
I noticed that it was blue coloured carpet with intricate
designs woven on it. He sat down on the carpet and ordered, “Fly Carpet Fly and
take me to a place where there is no air pollution.” He repeated it several times.
When the carpet did not move, he concluded, “There is no place now left in this
world without air pollution or my drawing room is the safest place.”
I smiled and explained, “Plastic side tables, chairs or
any other plastic products and carpets are the source of styrene which is
carcinogenic.”
“To prevent it we should buy more eco-friendly products.”
He suggested. I planted a kiss on his left cheek.
I
further explained, “Sofa foam, wooden table, fireplace and panels also cause
indoor air pollution.”
“We
frequently used air fresheners, candles and agarbattis for fragrance. They also
add a little to the air pollution.”
“True.
You are my intelligent little brother!”
“
Let’s go to the bathroom and I want to show you something new. Sis, come fast!”
He hold my hand tightly and almost dragged me. We took to the right, passed
from a gallery and at the end; there was a combined toilet and bathroom.
“You
have to come inside to see that.” He left my hand and hurriedly went inside.
Curiously,
I entered and found he was standing near a handmade devil.
“I
made this dustbin. I took a empty cardboard, pasted the coloured paper cuttings
to give it a look of a devil.”
“It
is very beautiful.”
“
If you press this wooden piece.” He pointed towards the base of dustbin. “Then
the devil will open its mouth.” He took out a small piece of toffee wrapper
from his pocket and put it in devil’s mouth. “Now, you can try.”
I
smiled and said, “Floor tile, pipe insulation and vinyl ceiling are made up of
asbestos. The lose fibres of asbestos are hazardous to health. They can cause
cancer. This pollution can be prevented by buying good quality asbestos
products and by constructing and managing them with expert’s hands.”
“Oh
my Gosh! The water pipe started leaking again and fungus has started growing.”
He exclaimed.
“The
mold, mildew and insects increase air pollution inside house. They cause
irritation to eyes, throat and nose. This can be prevented by closing any
leakage (as biological sources grows more in moisture), by cleaning the area
and by keeping it dust free.” I sighed and continued, “Chloroform which causes
cancer is present in chlorine treated hot water showers.”
“I
will smell and if it smells like chloroform, I will not bathe.” He winked.
“Naughty
boy!” I drew his attention towards a deodorant placed on a glass shelf. “1,1,1
trichloroethane which destroys ozone layer (2 -6 miles away from earth) is
produced from aerosol sprays. It is always better to buy non aerosol sprays.”
“ha
ha. How wrong I am to think that I can fire aerosol spray to one foot but now I
come to know that I can fire it as far as 2 - 6 miles!”
A
car honked and he rushed towards the garage saying, “Wow! Papa, came home early
today.” I followed him.
He
was disappointed to find that the car was not theirs and it stopped at the next
door.
To
divert his mind I pointed towards a genset and asked, “Do you use it quite
often?”
“Not
much. We have back up of solar battery. In case of emergency only we use it as
it causes air pollution.”
I
saw a small container of paint thinner in the corner of wooden shelf. “Paint
strippers and thinners contain methylene chloride which is a volatile liquid.
It causes nerve disorder and diabetes. The containers should be properly sealed
to avoid evaporation. They should be brought in the required amount only. Their
storage should be avoided.”
“Oh
that! I have to paint a wooden board for my school project. It will be finished
in that project. We are standing from a long time and my legs are aching now.”
“Let
us go to bedroom and take some rest.”
He
lied down on bed and I opened the cupboard to take out my bag from it. A sweet
smell entered my nose. I told him, “Tetrachloroethylene is ‘dry cleaning
fluid’. It’s sweet odour fumes on clothes can cause nerve disorder, damage to
liver and kidney.”
“Riya,
my classmate is just like tetrachloroethylene.”
“How?”
I asked with bewilderment in my voice.
“Sis,
she is very cute, her voice is sweet but she is idiotic. The more I converse
with her, more damage I cause to my brain nerves.”
“Para-dichlorobenzene
is used as air fresheners, disinfectants, pesticide, deodorants and moth balls.
It is colourless solid with odours and a long term exposure can cause cancer.”
I drew the structure of para-dichlorobenzene on the paper and showed him.
“There
is a plump boy in my class, his tummy is just like a benzene ring and he farts
every now and then. Sitting close to him for long time will definitely put me
in trouble.” He laughed aloud on his own joke. “Sis, you explained so nicely
about air pollutants but don’t you think that you forget to tell me something?”
“Like
what?” I inquired.
“VOC?
What’s that? Very Obedient Child like O-two!!!” He laughed. It was like a
soothing temple bell pealing and echoing.
“VOC’s means Volatile Organic Compounds. As
the name indicates, they are organic compounds that are volatile. They evaporate
at room temperature causing air pollution. Formaldehyde, methylene chloride,
tetrachlroethylene and paradichlorobenzene are all VOC’s. Paints, pesticides,
glue, printers, photocopiers, permanent markers and certain building materials
are the source. To prevent air pollution from VOC’s one should buy ‘Low VOC’s’
or ‘No VOC’s’ products. Only the quantity needed should be purchased from the
market and the storage of VOC’s at home should be avoided. They should be used
in well ventilated places.”
He
closed his nose with a hanky and said, “From where this foul smell is coming?”
“May
be this rat farted.” I saw it crawling on the bed’s headrest.
“It
is not a rat, sis. It is guinea pig. Its name is Oink.”
“Oink’s
dander has fallen on the headrest.”
“Does
my lovely pet causes air pollution?” He asked with a surprise.
“Yup.
Respirable particles are suspended particles, which we inhale with air. They
can be from pollens, pets, dust mites, cooking smoke particles and tobacco
smoke that can causes respiratory problems and eye irritation. They can be
controlled by proper ventilation, cleaning and maintenance.”
“A week back, we had a family meeting on the
prevention of indoor air pollution. We decided to clean air by growing plants
that clean air more like aloe vera, peace lily, bamboo palm, snake plant,
spider plant and garden mum in waste and unused vessels. Father quitted
smoking, mother stopped using sprays to kill insects and I stopped playing
outdoors.” He said with a little wink.
“Huh?”
“There
was no time to play as I have to work harder to clean air. In the meeting, I explained
them about Royale Atmos, the revolutionary paint that purifies air. I with papa
went to the nearest Asian paints showroom and brought Royale Atmos paints for
our house. It was I who decided which shade of paint to be picked for which
room. Out of more than 1750 shades of Royale Atmos, to chose the desired shade
was a challenging task for a little boy. I lifted those heavy paint buckets to
the car and from car to house. You will be surprised to know that I painted my
room myself.”
“Wow!
You painted your room so well.”
“Thanks!
Thanks!! After painting the house with Royale Atmos paints we solved the indoor
pollution problem to a great extent. It has a carbon activated technology which
helps in trapping formaldehyde molecule and breaking it into smaller molecules
that are harmful.”
“How?”
“Don’t
you watch T.V.? Haven’t you seen the advertisement in which Deepika Padukone
wore mask everywhere except in her house as her house was painted with Royale Atmos.”
“Ya.
I want to paint my house with Royale Atmos.”
“To
breath in pure air at home, you must.” What have you drawn on these sheets?
Show me.” On seeing me holding some drawing sheets, he asked.
“I
was thinking for writing a post on my blog about air pollution, its causes and
possible solution.”
“Let
us make a video. I will shoot it for you. We will share in on Facebook for our
relatives, neighbours and friends.”
“That’s
a great idea. Let us mix my knowledge and your knowledge for better solutions.”
After
watching it, he said, “What a boring video! In school, when teacher showed such
boring videos then I go to sleep with my eyes wide open!!”
“But
how can you sleep with your eyes wide open?” I desperately wanted to know this
secret.
“Practice,
Sis, Practice. Practice makes a child perfect!”
“O
brother!”
“By
the way, when your are planning to paint your house with Royale Atmos?”
“Next
weekend, I will be free. But which shade should I chose of blue colur as it is
my favourite? I will need you valuable advice in selecting the correct shade.”
“Sure. Any time, sis, anytime for you!” He gently hold my hand and said, “Aladin’s carpet didn’t fly and stayed in my drawing room because of Royale Atmos paint on the walls. My drawing room has the purest air. Now air is so clean that you can do yoga indoors.”
I spread the durrie, sat down cross-legged and took a deep breath. I said, “You are the oxygen of my life.”
While walking on the side road, I noticed a car stopped on
the other side of the road. The father
(I assume) sitting on driver seat drew the kid’s attention who was sitting on
the next seat towards something on the trees may be. The kid searched for a few
moments and then looked with surprise. The view brought a big smile on the kid’s
face.
I heard some loud rasping screeches. Although loud braying
were not at all pleasing to the ears but I was sure that such a high pitched
voice must be of some big birds. I could recognise most of Indian bird’s voices
but they were new to my ears. I hurried towards that spot, looking in that
direction to get a glimpse of a surprise. In between the trees, in a far off balcony, I
saw two long-tailed blue and yellow caged macaws. The two birds were huge, magnificent
and vibrant. I was mesmerised with the view till two ugly crows came from
nowhere and sat on the balcony railing.
“Their beauty caged them whereas their ugliness freed them.”
I thought.
