Early in the morning the sun at the summit of the peaks that were capped with snow when Meera entered her kitchen. The outside world was still appraising the new day very quietly with just the sound of the prayer flags fluttering caught in the wind. The inside was all set for the day’s routine; warming water, boiling tea, making the first meal. This time though the kitchen felt different.
The ceiling was clear without any cloud of smoke curling. The air was clean enough to breathe. No one coughed, no one worried about opening up the windows. In the corner, the smokeless chulha was silently sitting, already hot; its flame was steady and calm.
For years, cooking has been the hardest thing to do daily. In Himachal Pradesh during old days the traditional chulha was the only source for fire. These traditional chulhas filled rooms with smoke, burned eyes and left dark marks on walls. Meera suddenly recalled the days when her grandmother quietly moved away from the fire, put her shawl over her face, and continued cooking while suffering. No one questioned it back then; it was simply how things were done those days.
When Smoke became part of everyday life
In mountain villages, the living rooms of kitchens are always the best places for big gatherings. Stories are told over slowly softening lentils, and the fire is the only thing keeping winter away. Still, the smoke, not visible but constantly there, lurked long after meals were done. It held on to clothes, darkened walls, and went deep into lungs.
No one questioned it for years. Smoke was part of the cooking process. There was a lot of firewood. Tradition was honored. But slowly, people started to notice the price that they had to pay; especially women and children who were the closest to the fire and stayed there the longest were the most affected.
A Minor Modification, A Major Effect
In the beginning, the notion of a smokeless chulha penetrated the village sleeper, moving from one family to another. It wasn’t a matter of changing food or customs; rather it was – to change the heat’s movement, the burning of the fuel, and the non-filling of the house with smoke through escaping.
When Meera experienced it for the first time she was astonished. The water reached boiling point sooner than before. The atmosphere remained clear. Her eyes were not irritated while she was cooking. Even the walls had a lighter appearance after using it for several weeks. She no longer experienced the struggle of heat vs. breath during her cooking.
The little ones were sitting outside, near their mother, doing their school work and enjoying the benefit of the no more smoky room. The kitchen was once again inviting—not only hot but also oxygenated.
Upholding the Custom, Bettering Life
What rendered the smokeless chulha significant was not its taking over of the tradition but rather its being in harmony with it. Wood for fuel was still the same. The usual delicacies were still cooked gradually. There was no difference in the food’s flavour. The only thing that changed was the cooking experience.
A big-scale life that is fast-paced like in the Himalayas would sometimes consider very small improvements as the most significant ones. One of the most important factors of cleaner air in the house is that it gives the inhabitants more vitality, health, and a place to share stories without any interruptions.
When evening came and the sky was dark blue, Meera quietly dished up dinner feeling satisfied. The logs in the fireplace crackled. The atmosphere was perfect, and for the first time in years, cooking seemed less like a survival and more like a journey of flavors.
At times, advancement may not be very obvious. On the other hand, at times, it may come into a residence as softly as a non-smoky flame.
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