Tuesday, May 31, 2016

#ShareTheLoad with Ariel

It has always been a social convention that females are meant to do the household work and the males are supposed to earn a living for their family. But with the changing social perceptions and decentralization of economic dependency, this notion of gender-ba(i)sed division of work does not hold fact in today's era. Still, how to dismantle the deep-rooted stereotype in Indian mentality is a super-challenge in itself. 

One of the best ways to tackle this age-old stereotype is to inculcate proper values of gender equality in the upcoming generation. For what the children see in their household shapes their perception and personality, they should be educated, both in theory and practice, how to #ShareTheLoad.

1) First and foremost, a child should be taught to do all his chores by himself ever since his childhood, and  should not be dependent on family members, mainly the females of the household, to trivial but pivotal chores like fetching drinking water for themselves, etc.

2) The next generation would be unbiased towards this 'division of labour' only when they believe in NOT saying to their sister(s)/mother in the family 'mere kapde dho dena' / 'do wash my clothes today'. Parents should ensure that a child is washing, at the least, their own undergarments when he gets enrolled in 4th or 5th standard in school. This would implant in them the idea of doing their own laundry in future. Although in higher classes due to pressure of competitive studies, a student might not get enough time for laundry and has to depend on their parents for the purpose, but in situations when no elder is available at home or when mother/father are ill, they should take the primary task of doing their own laundry, at the least, if not everyone else's in the house. The main idea is to #ShareTheLoad.

3) Everyone in the household should know how to cook, atleast the basics, and not only the female members. And I am not talking about how to prepare readymade noodles, instant pasta and soups over here, definitely not the Maggi. They should know how to cook over gas stove simple food items, like roti/chapati, dal, rice, so that they could feed themselves and their younger siblings as well when need arises in case of exceptional situations.

The above are just a very few examples how our next generation could get rid of wrong prejudices still prevalent in our society. Everyone shall help in rebuilding our nation as per their own talents and skills. Jai Hind!


P.S. -- Laundry is not simply a women's job any more and the GenNext should be equally perceptive of this vision.

P.P.S. -- I am taking part in the #ShareTheLoad Challenge with Ariel and Akshara at BlogAdda.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

IndiMeet: Horlicks special

It's not a hidden fact that nutrition is the most important thing for us to live healthy. And daily dose of recommended nutrition is what makes us strong inside so that we can grow outside. But various national studies conducted in major cities of India have found out that almost 80% of our children are not getting proper nutrition in their diet. Based on this topic, we had a successful bloggers' meet conducted by IndiBlogger and Horlicks last Sunday evening at Hotel Taj Vivanta at Bengaluru.

After we got refreshed by Horlicks stirred mango drinks, the stage was taken by Jill Castle, renowned nutritionist from USA, and she shared facts and truth about today's food, children's nutrition and various studies supporting the fact that a healthy looking body may not be healthy inside. Later Amaan Khan, head of marketing at GSK, and doctors from esteemed hospitals shared their research about the state of malnutrition in Indian children, about Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) among various other facts.

Important points:
  • Micronutrients are essential and Horlicks has relaunched its product and now provides 100% RDA for all 23 vital nutrients.
  • Western diet should be avoided or minimized.
  • Pasteurized milk need not be boiled again at home
  • Diet Diversification and Food Fortification are the best methods to ensure proper nutrition to the child
  • Egg and milk are the only whole foods. 
  • Intake of Organic fruits and vegetables should be increased.

Since it was Mothers Day and many bloggers seemed to be supporting the cause by carrying their children to the venue to give space and support to their wives, the theme of the meet was aimed at mothers who should make effort to provide proper nutrition to their children, daily. 

" Only a Mother Can Give What She Does Not Have "

Following the mantra above, Mothers' Day was celebrated in a unique style by making all aware about how to take care of their child's nutrition requirements. Following it was an interesting group quiz game regarding 

Fabulous dinner was served with awesome desserts and we headed home with a special bag of Horlicks goodies. Plus, meeting with blogger friends after one and a half months brought rejuvenation to each others' lives.

P.S. -- Thank you IndiBlogger and Horlicks for such an amazing and fun-filled event.