Last September, Bengaluru recorded the highest number of dengue cases to be reported in Karnataka. With the heavy rains and the floods of the monsoon season, Karnataka was joined by Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan and Gujarat to report vector-borne diseases like chikungunya and malaria.
When it comes to mosquito attacks, our first line of defence are the ubiquitous repellents. Yet, pick up any, and you will find them loaded with chemicals.
And this where N S Venkata Subba will help you protect your family!
The 74-Year old has come up with a natural, skin-loving mosquito/insect repellent and he is soon going to hold a workshop to teach you how to make it at home!
“Fifteen years ago, when I moved from Hyderabad to Chennai, there were a lot of mosquitoes in our neighbourhood. I noticed that everyone in the nearby homes used coils and chemical mosquito repellents. I was allergic to all of them and felt nauseous and experienced a severe headache when I was exposed to chemical repellents. So I decided to find a solution. Something that would be safe for the skin and won’t give way to allergies.” says Dr Subba Rao.
“After six months of experimentation, I was able to find a combination of neem oil, citronella and basil. This combination has been effective for everyone who has tried it. Besides being a repellent, this mix is also anti-bacterial and the goodness of basil can give you a sound sleep.” adds Rao, who has a doctoral degree in Chemistry.
Dr N.Venkata Subba Rao has been working in the chemical industry for over 30 years and is currently a visiting guest lecturer at NIT Warangal, IIT Dhanbad, and Osmania University of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering department.
He will be conducting a 4-hour repellent making workshop on the 7th of March in Bengaluru to teach participants how to prepare natural, neem-based mosquito and insect repellents at home with the independence to monetise the end product.
“I love to spread awareness about such natural alternatives and I decided to conduct this workshop for the same reason. I’m hoping that participants can take back these valuable recipes and create a small business of their own.” Subba Rao explains.
The 4-hour workshop will consist of discussions on precautions, applications and storage of repellents. Participants will also be taught how to weigh, measure and mix the ingredients and will also receive an interactive live demo session of the process.
“Neem has been used in India for over 5,000 years for its medicinal properties. When the chemical-based products started flooding the market, everyone conveniently forgot neem. It’s high time we revived this plant and started using it in our personal care products.” says Dr.Subba Rao.
“I’ve also created a natural formula against termites and other antifungal compounds that can be used safely around the house,” he adds.
“I’ve worked in the field of chemistry all my life and I’ve realised how much harm chemical-based products can cause to the human body. After working for years in chemical factories, I myself started facing health problems and that’s when I switched to natural products,” he explains
“People should be active throughout their lives and must always strive to contribute something to the society no matter how old we are,” smiles Rao.
If you would like to participate in this workshop and learn how to make insect-repellents follow this link!
Also Read: Sleep Like A Baby: This Eco-Friendly Rice Husk Pillow Can Help You Do That And More!
(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)
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