#CleanAirBeautifulHomes with Royale Atmos

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Air pollution; As I recall we learn about it as part of our primary education. If you remember those water cycle, solar system and types of pollution days. Air pollution isn’t new to us but does it happen indoors too. Didn’t know!

Pollution has been a hot topic over the news lately with a number of Indian cities making it to the WHO list of most polluted cities of the world. Surprisingly, Delhi isn’t the most polluted any more, according to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) urban air quality database released in 2016. In all, four Indian cities are among the world’s ten most polluted cities, 10 out of top 20 are also in India.

If you are already feeling lucky that your city is not on the list or because you mostly stay indoors in your home or office, you need to align some facts here.  The common notion is that burning bio-fuels for cooking is the most important cause of indoor pollution in developing countries like India. But using LPG cannot save us from this evil because urban locales have their own problems. Studies have confirmed that an average urban household may be more polluted that the outside.

So what are these indoor air pollutants?

Remnants of harmful gases, aerosols, chemicals, dust etc all contribute to air pollution inside our homes.

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Volatile organic compounds originate mainly from solvents and chemicals. The main indoor sources are perfumes, hair sprays, furniture polish, glues, air fresheners, wood preservatives, and many other products used in the house.

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Tobacco smoke generates a wide range of harmful chemicals known to cause cancer and it is hazardous for active as well as passive smokers. If you smoke indoors, your kids maybe at risk too.

Mosquito repellents; in the times of dengue and

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chikungunya I am yet to see a household which does not uses any mosquito repellent, be it coils, mats, liquid vaporizers or anything else. They add to the pollution too while protecting you from bites.

Biological pollutants include pollen from plants, mite, hair from pets, fungi, parasites, and some bacteria.

Formaldehyde is a gas that comes mainly from carpets, particle boards, and insulation foam.

Toxic gases like carbon monoxide circulating inside our vehicles air conditioning system. Yes, your car is polluted too.

Dust, moisture and pets are among the usual suspects too.

Why should we be scared?

Simply because they are bad and if you are allergic to something in particular then they may be even worse.

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The main health effect is the irritation of the eye, nose and throat. In more severe cases there may be headaches, nausea and loss of coordination. In the long term, some of the pollutants are suspected to damage to the liver and other parts of the body. Many of them are allergens and can cause asthma, hay fever, and other allergic diseases.

Why do they stay indoors?

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Well, simply because they don’t have a way out. Poor ventilation in cramped up buildings, and increasing use of synthetic products in construction and furnishings are the main culprits. Most localities lack basic infrastructure and cross ventilation is rarely seen because the homes are open on one side only.

These are the times when air purifiers are preferred over open gardens or porches. We need to change before our air does.

What can we do?

=> There’s no single right answer (because each one of us react differently to these pollutants and the conditions differ too). But some general guidelines may help us to find our own right answer.

=> Switch to natural or at least use limited number of synthetic products. Use them judiciously balancing safety and toxicity.

=> Let your home breathe to clear these pollutants out. De-clutter you home and open windows more often but don’t let the mosquitoes in.

=> Use products that conform to strict international environmental and safety standards like the green assured Royale Atmos from Asian Paints.

How can Royale Atmos help?

Royale Atmos is a first of its kind paint that not only looks beautiful, but also cleans the air making it purer than before by  reducing harmful air pollutants like formaldehyde. Its Activated Carbon technology reduces harmful pollutants from the air. Additionally, Royale Atmos also absorbs and reduces select foul smells to make the air fresher. It is the first Asian Paints product to have a fragrance, instead of the normal chemical smell of paints. Thus, it also acts like an air freshener by releasing a mild fragrance weeks after painting. And it does so while it protects your walls against the toughest household and water based stains.

For more information visit here: https://www.asianpaints.com/atmos.

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भोर: #NeverTooLate

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         When I first saw the prompt, I was instantly reminded of the great achievers  who started off late or tasted success or met with their destiny very late in their lives like Colonel Sanders of KFC, Boman Irani from Bollywood, Jack Ma of Alibaba Group etc. But I also thought about myself…realizing my dream to write and become a published author after going through 10 long years of training to be a pediatrician. It is really never too late to dream and work towards making them a reality.

Here’s a poem for everyone out there who is waiting to start afresh, take a new step or revisit an old one. A poem for each one of us:

भोर

दुनियादारी  ने  सपने,  कितने  यूँही  डुबो  दिये ,
कुछ  जला  दिये,  कुछ  धो  दिये ,
पर  इन  सपनों  में,  बाकी  अभी  थोड़ी  जान  है ,
भूले  नहीं  गिर  कर  उठना ,
इन  पंखों  में  बची  उड़ान  है ,
ये  ख्वाब  हैं  वो;जो ग़म  में  भी  मुस्कुराते  हैं ,
हैं  वो  नहीं;  जो मामूली ठेस पर ही रो दिये ,

क्यूँ  जकड़ें  इन  ख़्वाबों  को ,
घड़ी  के  इन  दो  काँटों  में,
के  पिंजरे  से  दूर  उड़  जाने  में,
भूले  भी देर  नहीं  होती,

के  सोते  ख़्वाब  जगाने  में ,
कभी  देर  नहीं  होती ,
बचपन  में  लौट  जाने  में,
कभी  देर  नहीं  होती,

उन  लम्हों  को  छू  कर  आने में,
कभी  देर  नहीं  होती,
फिर  बन्धन  में  बँध  जाने  में,
कभी  देर  नहीं  होती,

रोती  आँखों  को  हँसाने में,
कभी  देर  नहीं  होती,
रुक  कर  इक  पल  मुस्कुराने  में,
कभी  देर  नहीं  होती,

के  जिनके  हों  मज़बूत  इरादे ,
पक्के  हों  मंजे  और  धागे,
छूती  है  पतंग हर आसमाँ  उनकी,
के  गहरी  उनकी  रातों  में  भी,
कभी  अँधेर  नहीं  होती,

हर  ख्वाब  को  फिर  जी  जाने  में,
कभी  देर  नहीं  होती,
खुद  से  किए  वादे  निभाने  में,
कभी  देर  नहीं  होती,

गीली  आँखों  को  सुखाने  में,
कभी  देर  नहीं  होती,
कुछ  बिसरी  बातों  को  जताने  में ,
कभी  देर  नहीं  होती,

गिर  कर  फिर  उठ  जाने  में,
कभी  देर  नहीं  होती,
बिखरकर  फिर  बन  जाने  में,
कभी  देर  नहीं  होती,

रुकना  न  तुम  राह-ए-दिल  में  कभी,
चाहे  ढेर  मिलें  मोती ,
के  सच्ची  राह  दिख  जाने  में,
यारों  देर  नहीं  होती,

कभी  भी  देर  नहीं  होती…||

***

-doc2poet

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda for the prompt: It Is Never Too Late Too…

My anthology is now available for prebook in hard copy on BooksCamel and as ebook on google play. Follow this link to pre-order  now :  https://www.bookscamel.com/preorders/manmanthan

Pre-order Now

मन मन्थन: #published #pre-order now

Click here to pre-order

Hi peeps!!

Ebook carnival

First of all, Thanks to @Blogchatter for giving my book “Man Manthan” the platform and a little push it always needed. My book has been a part of the novel Blogchatter initiative “Blogchatter Ebook Carnival Season Two” and I was amazed to see the overwhelming response. My ebook was hosted on their website alongside many accomplished authors and bloggers.

My book was also hosted on Goodreads s part of the campaign and the blogchatter team helped me become a goodreads author. My first step towards becoming a published author.

Some awesome bloggers even reviewed my work and boy they loved it and I loved that they loved it. Here are the reviews that took me closer to being a published author.  Click here for the reviews of my book by monika and by Prateek mathur. You may visit all the reviews here…

Goodreads bookshelf here

The final bell has rung and my book is going to see the light. My book is now available for pre-order on Bookscamel.com in hard copy and as ebook on google play. Soon enough, it will be available across all major platforms like flipkart, amazon, infibeam, ingram, kindle etc.

So what are you waiting for? Go grab your copy now and thank me later. You know where to find me. See you out there:-)

Pre-order here

Here’s the back cover of my book which says it all…Pls share:-)

doc2poet

Yay!!

The second edition of Ebook carnivalby Blogchatter is here and my first Hindi poetry anthology has been published  on their website. It is a one of its kind initiative by blogchatter team to put together an assortment of all kinds of  Ebooks by bloggers and writers alike. These 33 books will be available for free download on their website for two months. You may download them for free for a soulful reading over the vacations.

Here’s what this book is all about: 

Download here

“This book is a collection of Hindi couplets, poems, haiku, etc and each composition is a reflection of a virtuous moment from the author’s life. This is not merely an anthology but a journey through the rainbow of the author’s mind. If you love Hindi poetry, this one is for you.”

Follow the link for a peek and I am sure you will love…

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Unsung Heroes: #RaagDesh

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          I am extremely delighted to be writing this piece to honor the martyrs-the real heroes of rising India. I recently saw a trailer of a movie based on the famous Red fort Trials which have remained away from the limelight despite being one of the most important event in India’s struggle for independence. I am sure the movie is going to be a masterpiece. Here’s something to put things in perspective.

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                It has been more than 70 years since our national flag breathed free air for the first time in 1947 and we owe every bit of this victory to selfless heroes who laid down their lives for it. We can never be sure about who played the most pivotal role in the ‘struggle for independence’ but one thing is certain that it was a joint effort and that it did not happen “ बिना खड़ग बिना ढाल” . There were people (of the likes of Shaheed Bhagat singh ) who, at a tender age of 23 years, willfully took the path of martyrdom in the hope that it may help incite a revolution that might uproot the British Empire. There were more fighters than we can name but only a few shone as the leader, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was one such prodigy.

We should have but one desire today. The desire to die so that India may live.

     -Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose

            You may think that I am exaggerating but Netaji’s feats are way beyond the ordinary. Be it cracking Indian Civil Services, being the Congress President, consorting with Germany and Japan to raise the Indian National Army, taking the British Empire head-on, establishing Provisional Government of Free India with Japanese support and what not. The government of Azad Hind even had its own currency, court and civil code, and its existence gave a greater legitimacy to the independence struggle against the British. Immediately after the formation, Azad Hind Fauj declared war against the Anglo-American allied forces on the Indo-Burma Front. Some may argue that it was a complete failure but many (including me) believe that it was much more than meets the eye.

One individual may die for an idea, but that idea will, after his death, incarnate itself in a thousand lives.

   -Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose

Let me ask you a simple question: Why did the British leave India?
Amidst all the celebrations, we often forget to introspect and the simple facts like these gets ignored. The Quit India movement of 1942 had subsided and nothing major was happening in the mainstream politics, the world war was over and the British had finished on the winning side, Netaji was no more and INA also had to face defeat at the hands of the Royal Army. So, why did the  British actually leave?

No real change in history has ever been achieved by discussions.

   -Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose

          British Prime Minister Lord Clement Atlee, responsible for conceding India’s Independence, answered this all important question during a visit to Free India in 1956 when he mentioned this directly to Justice Chakraborty who was the then acting governor. He said – The final decision to “leave India in a hurry” was due to the “activities of Subhas Chandra Bose which weakened the very foundations of the attachment of the Indian land and naval forces to the British Government”. Also, that in his assessment, Mahatma Gandhi had “minimal” impact on British policies.

                  Elaborating further on this subject: In August 1945, Netaji had allegedly died, yes I said ‘allegedly’ because the real story still lies behind hundreds of classified files and in my mind the conspiracy further deepened when I saw the promo of a new series “Hunting Hitler” aired on History channel which alleges to prove that Hitler may have actually died years after he staged his own suicide when the second world war finished. A similar story of Netaji may be lying somewhere waiting to be unearthed. I seriously doubt that his disappearance was just bad luck.

                  Anyway coming back to the point, after the loss of INA, three of the top officers – General Shah Nawaz Khan, Colonel Prem Sehgal and Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon were put on trial at the Red Fort in Delhi along with all the captured soldiers. Their crime was “waging war against the King Emperor”. It only proved to be their biggest mistake as  during the open trials, the people of India witnessed the transformation of the perception of Azad Hind fauj from traitors and collaborators to “the greatest among the patriots”. Given the tide of militant nationalism that swept throughout India and the resentment and revolts it inspired, it is arguable that its overarching aim, to foster a revolution within the Indian forces of the British Indian Army and Navy to overthrow the British Empire, was ultimately successful. Netaji may have possibly foreseen it and it may be all that he always meant to achieve with INA. It may be just a speculation but if it was true, each one of the soldier of Indian National Army deserves a standing ovation.

 I wish that their soul rests in peace.
“Jai Hind”

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के  जिनके  बलिदान  के  बिस्तर  पर ,

हम  चादर  ताने  सोते  हैं ;

भूल  बैठे  हैं  आहुति  उनकी ,

के  ख़्वाब  बड़े…पर  दिल  छोटे  हैं ;

 जीते  थे  जो  हम-तुम  के  लिए ,

शहादत  पे  उनकी  हम  क्यूँ  रोते  हैं ;

आओ  नमन  करें  उन  वीरों  को ,

और  खुशियों  के  बीज  बोते  हैं ;

 के  मोक्ष  मिले  हर  साये  को,

जो  सरहद  पर  जीवन  खोते  हैं ;

बेनाम  नहीं…शहीद  हैं  वो,

वो  देश  के  बेटे  होते  हैं…

वो  देश  के  बेटे  होते  हैं ||

***

#Raagdesh by Tigmanshu Dhulia is releasing on 28th July and I can’t wait for it to release. Wishing them luck. A few other movies on similar grounds sound equally interesting. #Partition:1947 , #AccidentalPrimeMinister. Waiting for them too:-)

मर्ज़ : Dengue again

It is that time of the year again. Unfortunately, this year cases of all the common vector

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borne diseases like dengue, chikunguniya and malaria are being reported from different areas of Delhi and it can not be a good thing. A surge in the number of these diseases together will only add to the confusion. The government may take any number of steps but considering the quantum of  lives being talked about here, it may not be possible to cover all the frontiers. Passing the buck may be postponed till later because the ultimate responsibility to protect ourselves and our loved ones lies with each one of us.

Here’s an advisory to help you keep your family safe. Stay healthy, stay safe:-)

doc2poet

Created with @photofunia

The viral syndromes are yet again knocking our doors. The numbers are still on the verge of being called an epidemic but the panic is already through the roofs. All Delhiites please take notice…

Health Advisory:

• Beware of mosquitoes (use nets, repellents, etc)
• Symptoms to look for: High fever, chills, Joint pains, malaise, rash, etc
• Consult your doctor ASAP
• Take only Paracetamol for fever and pain
• Drink plenty of fluids to maintain hydration
• Most importantly wait for 5-7 days for the symptoms to resolve and take rest…

If you follow these simple steps you will be hale and hearty before you know it…while you are on rest you can browse through my archives of course…

Here’s a poem to put things in perspective…

स्वस्थ  होकर  जाते  मरीज़  के  दिल  से  निकली  दुआ

धड़कानों  की  धुन  पर  गुनगुनाती  फिर  कोई  ज़िंदगी,

 ख़ुशियों  में  डूबे  कोई  दिल, जो…

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