Jaipur, (Samajweekly) Believe it or not! Wood ash and cow dung ash are flooding the online sites these days with attractive packaging as customers rush to buy them, irrespective of their high price which range from Rs 300-400 per kg.
It might sound weird but it is true that ash, which was used a few decades back to clean utensils and was later replaced by colourful fragrant detergents, is back in demand.
A Jaipur resident Pawan Kumar, after getting cured of Covid-19 a month back, ordered ash from one of the online stores.
He told IANS, “Covid-19 has brought this world to its knees and the shift indicates that we should go back to our roots and bring back the trend towards vegan & organic food. It’s nothing but ayurveda, which has left the world surprised with immunity-boosting supplements. So our family has stopped the use of detergent based soaps in kitchens.”
During my 14 days of isolation, I researched a lot on chemicals we use and how it affects our health and came to know that there are many harmful ingredients in dishwash liquids and gels that can have detrimental effects on health,” he said adding that he is now shifting to organic lifestyle henceforth.
Another resident Mukta said she has started buying ash from online site as it doesn’t bring in soapy froth on vessels.
“Many times, maid leaves soap on plates and glasses which is unhygienic for health. Irked with regular process, we are bringing back ash which doesn’t stick on utensils and cleans them properly,” she said.
It’s not only the ash which is back in trend. Brass and copper utensils are also in demand in pandemic days. The demand for copper and brass utensils is high in the vessels shops in Jaipur.
A vessel shop owner Vishnu Agrawal said, “Steel, copper, brass vessels are trending these days as people are avoiding the use of plastic and aluminium vessels. Also accessories made of wood are in demand as customers are now aware that these metals are good for health. They are aware of triply layer too and ask us to avoid giving it as option.”
An Ayurveda expert from Kerala Ayurveda Kendra Dr Mahendra Sharma said, “It is true that Ayurveda has won peoples’ trust in pandemic days. Copper and brass vessels help in immunity building and digestion and so are back in use. Many people used to keep water in these vessels overnight and drink it in morning. Minute quantity of copper or brass was transferred to the water in the process which is good for health.”
“Drinking water and having food from copper vessel improves digestion, bone strength, beneficial in curing joint pain, good for skin, anti-ageing and balances the ph level of water,” he added.
Also, people are shunning the chemical world. Soaps and detergents harm skin and also make the vessels rough. They have seen sanitisers being used in large quantity spoiling the skin of their hands. So now, they are returning back to the items with natural ingredients, he added.
