Dozens of messages have been circulated on social media platforms about cleanliness and hygiene.
While reading all this, I realized if we follow what our elders were doing, we can protect ourselves from contagious disease.
My grand-mother never allowed us to wear slippers inside the kitchen. By mistake, if anybody enters the kitchen with the slippers, she would refuse to eat meal that time. At times, it was annoying, but if you consider cleanliness and today's pollution, there is nothing wrong in keeping shoes and slippers outside the cooking space. Similar to this, there were many rules, and the most important rule that I can relate with the current condition was - wash your hands, feet, and face as soon as you come from outside and DO NOT enter the kitchen till you clean yourself. Basically, first clean your hands and feet, then touch anything in the house.
Wonder, why we all had Maharaj (pet-cook). For any occasions and events, they were the trusted members, who will not only prepare food as per our taste, but also will maintain the cleanliness and hygiene; not all caterers were preferred.
Earlier, people used to rarely eat outside and preferred cooking their meal. Now, people often eat outside, especially while travelling. We have number of reasons to avoid cooking such as birthday, anniversary, promotion, guests are around, bored of eating certain cuisines, no-time to cook, and the monotonous "Thank God Its Friday"; just greedy to have food outside.
Remember, our parents always packed their eatables. Definitely, the unavailability of fast-food restaurant chains in abundance can be the reason, but we have made our habit of being dependent on these restaurants. There is nothing wrong in eating outside, but don't make it happen, just because you have food-ordering system.
Now at least because of waste issue, many of us started carrying water bottles to reduce plastic waste, otherwise, keeping a bottle was also a burden for us.
It is time to follow the discipline or should rather say "healthy habits" taught by our elders. When asked, they could not give proper reason, or most of the times, they relate it with their religious practice. But, nature is supreme and forcing us to follow the basics.
Keeping yourself clean and maintaining hygiene do not just mean using sanitizers, but it includes many more.
- Cook your food and eat healthy: When you prepare your food, you generate less waste, and you gain healthy weight. You know the greens and the beans, you need to eat. You know the right quantity of oil, salt, sugar, or spice to put in your food, which no "calorie counted meal" can match. In India, we have food for every season and even the food-combination, which sadly the buffets do not follow or should I say, we hog whatever we see on the table.
- Manage time to clean your house and de-clutter it: Remember maids only do sweeping and mopping", you can only do proper and deep cleaning of your house. Moreover, it is a good physical exercise, so even though, you skip your gym a day, you were physically active. De-cluttering will remind you to avoid unnecessary shopping. Buy what is required, this definitely reduces waste.
- Spend time with your closed-one: Family members ensure caring and this improves your health. You pick up healthy habits from them. If they are doing something wrong, you can certainly stop them, which you will think twice before asking or reminding any third person in the social gathering. Imagine, "Asking some random aunt to clean her hand or to stay away if she is unwell", or "Reminding your kith and kin to avoid close contacts and stopping them from touching anything if they are not clean. Which one is easier to handle?
Balance out everything and respect the nature, otherwise, today it is Covid-19; tomorrow it would be something else.
