Couple aims to detoxify water bodies with eco-friendly, home cleaning products

In 2019 Bengaluru resident Roopa Hariharan switched from a diesel car to an electric alternative and powered her home with solar energy For over two decades I have seen the steady deterioration of water bodies in my home state Bengalurus largest water bodythe Bellandur Lakeoften froths so high with waste that its smelly toxinladen foam flies to residential areas around It became clear to me that leading an environmentfriendly life was not a choice but a necessity After attending a session at the World Economic Forum the same year Hariharan made significant changes to her household What started as a small experiment gradually became a conscious effort of mobilising resources that led to constant research in house cleaningSumit AnandThe result is her new venture PureCulta brand of ecofriendly homecleaning products that she says are cleaner alternatives to chemicalladen stuff for which she partnered with entrepreneur Sumit Anand Home cleaning products are big contributors to water pollution They leave our homes clean but youre degrading the ecosystem From kitchen cleaners and fabric care to surface disinfectants Hariharan has a range R299 onwards that contains natural antimicrobial agents and essential oilsRoopa HariharanAnand says that the criteria for ingredient selection was that they should be biodegradable and safe perform well in hard water and work well in low dosages Finding effective but ecofriendly solutions to counter the havoc of hard water on bathroom fittings and laundry was challenging he adds Their mission is to build a lineup of zeroheroes that cause zero harm to the environment A part of the profits are also being used to sponsor Indias otter conservation programme conducted by the Centre for Wildlife Studies CWS The products are being shipped across the countryFace the natural factsOne thing that this writer looks forward to is the weekend skinregime applying a simple DIY homemade face mask The experiments have ranged from turmerichoneymilk paste to aloe vera and multani mitti So when we stumbled upon the new set of face masks from Nourish Mantra by Ritika Jayaswa we were curious It offers three packsholy basil and neem vardaan and exotic black turmeric mud masks Rs 1695 and orange and saffron Ananda glow mask Rs 1895 You can either buy them separately or try the mini trio pack 12 gm eachRs 750 The black turmeric mask which they claim improves skin elasticity is the one we preferredlight on the skin it doesnt itch burn or crack like most mud masks The basil and neem vardaan has a very natural astringentlike quality so it stings slightly But for someone with acne it could help in the long run The skin did feel hydrated and clean in the first application The downsidethe pricing is steephttpsnourishmantracomZero waste in 30 daysIf there was one overarching meme for 2020 it would be the one in which humans were sent to their rooms to think about what they have done We have been thinking but decades of a consumptionled existence means that going zerowaste is not an easy overnight solution Thankfully the team at Bare Necessities understands that They have created a 30day course that leads you over 10 modules through how to ensure that no landfillheaded waste is generated from your home not just in the kitchen but also in personal care routines at home while travelling or at workThe concept of zerowaste also aims to ensure that fewer items need to be recycled Among the experts on board are CB Ramkumar sustainability entrepreneur and Amarpreet Singh from Daily Dumpa 14yearold waste management company that has revolutionised home and community compostingwwwbarenecessities learninginpzerowastein30Who runs the world GirlsBeing the daughter of a sex worker means battling social stigma and police brutality Jayashree Patil 20 says she grew up thinking sex work was illegal I had internalised the cruelty the world showed me and my mother Its only after I came to Kranti that I found pride in my identity she says of the NGO that works with girls from red light areas to make them agents of social change Patil has been living at the NGOs hostel for nine years and is now ready to share her life story In Global Girl Projects book More Than One Voice R1715 The anthology of stories from girls around the world has a chapter by Patil called Mighty like Mummy Mummy Ki Tarah Taqatvar My father died when I was 10 years old He died in the morning and that same day in the evening my mother brought a new man home and said Hes your new father Domestic abuse became a reality for motherdaughter but Patil says she respects her mother for trying to do the best she could to keep her safe At Kranti she found a community to call her own and honed her love for singing and drama says the member of Krantis theatre group Lal Batti Express It has been the most wonderful and life changing experience learning and living at Kranti says Patil who is pursuing a graduation degree from from Krea University She dreams of opening a schoolcumcentre for girls from red light districts because Kranti cant accommodate everyone Last year her work with Apni Khoj in Punjabs Bajwa Kalan village saw her use theatre to discuss menstrual health and sexual abuse I continue to seek therapy to deal with my own traumas but collaborating for the marginalised gives my life purposehttpswwwglobalgirlprojectorgBakhtawar Master and S VenkatramanIshqVishk desi styleLast year when a jewellery ad was called out for propagating love jihad journalists Samar Halarnkar Priya Ramani and Niloufer Venkatraman got together for an Instagram project that turned out to be a reality check for many naysayers who seemed oblivious about Indias long history with interfaith and intercaste marriages Launched on October 28 with the story of Niloufers parents Bakhtawar Master and S Venkatraman the new series which we are totallyloving is bittersweet honest and authentic For a couple in love negotiating the thin line of religion and caste amplified by the rejection from family is not easy There are a few however for whom it has been smooth sailing Like Tanvir Aeijaz says about his marriage to Vineeta Sharma That our HinduMuslim marriage can be a role model of secularism seems to belie peoples expectations Theyre almost disappointed that our love would have to be called love and not love jihad Read it like tiny love stories or just as a quick primer on love that has broken many walls and boundaries Either way you are bound to feel warm and fuzzyindialoveproject InstagramTest DriveThe surface cleaner helped clean windows doors knobs and glass effectively without leaving smear marks and a small amount was sufficient Because this writer has three cats at home who tend to run lick and play on the floor clean floors are essential at all times We used the floor cleaner with the fragrance of lavender and geranium which Hariharan says kills microbes including viruses and bacteria The aromatic properties were pleasantly soothing and the fragance lingered after we were donewwwpurecultin joinpurecult InstagramCurated by Jane Borges Gitanjali Chandrasekharan and Prithvi Vatsalya