No, no I am not talking about that Matka…
…I am talking about that Makta!
So which Matka?
Our humble Matka in which we keep drinking water in our houses. Sorry, sorry we rather use to keep, now it has become a rare commodity, hardly to be seen.
Matka was an important component of the Varma (our) household. Even when the Refrigerator joined the bandwagon, my mother never removed the humble Matka, as we used to drink water from it. The water from ‘Mitti-Ka-Matka’ (Earthen Pot) was aromatic, cool and tasted natural. As the time elapsed, amidst changing cities, residences, places…Matka vanished from house some three decades ago. So did from many other Indian households.
The use of refrigerated water became so prevalent, that it had almost become a status symbol. Nobody cared for humble Makta which was part of our cultural treasure.
So much so, that my old daadi swiftly shifted to refrigerated water, what if her throat troubled her all the time?
Yesterday, while watching Mr Subhajit Mukherjee’s (Celebrated & Decorated Environmentalist) video on #Matka challenge, it brought me face -to-face with reality. It was an eye-opener. In his very sweet demeanour, he spoke about humble Matka. He said, “Makta is an important part of our culture. It is highly recommended that we shun refrigerated water and opt for ‘Matke-ka-Paani’ which is very beneficial for health. Most of the diseases compound by drinking refrigerated water but we don’t acknowledge it. Now, it’s high time we take up #MatkaChallenge’ and bring one in our household.”
He adds, “During Corona times when our medical sector is under tremendous pressure, we need to keep ourselves healthy. You can keep away throat-related ailments at bay by dropping refrigerated water and opting for Matka water.”
So why should accept #Matkachallenge? Why it is beneficial?
Here goes the explanation, “The human body is acidic, while clay is alkaline. Water from these alkaline pots when consumed by you reacts with the acidic nature of our body and helps in creating a proper pH balance. This is the reason why drinking Matka water helps in keeping acidity and stomach problems at bay.”
Now you will ask me, it is so hot nowadays, how humble Matka water will quench our thirst? Valid point. But please know that the water inside the clay pot is cool due to the evaporation process. The clay pot has tiny pores on the surface and water gets evaporated very quickly through these pores. Due to this evaporation process, the heat of the water inside the pot is lost, which lowers the temperature of the water.
Now you will say that heat strokes are very commonplace during summers, how would Matka water cool that? Remember, Matka water helps you overcome heat-related ailments like sunstroke, diarrhoea and dehydration etc. Its water is very gentle on your body and your system.
A study reveals that water stored in a clay pot gets automatically filtered after 4 hours. So, move on Ros.
I have accepted the #MatkaChallenge of Subhajit and getting one for myself soon.
When are you getting it?
Click your selfie with your Matka and post it on your social media handles and motivate people to do the same.
Hope Matka hops into your household sooner than later!
Travel-Knots 