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Real stories and small steps toward a more sustainable life.
We talk to people building climate-friendly startups, making better choices in daily life, or just trying something new. Each episode is a chance to learn, get inspired, and maybe try one thing yourself.
Kashika Madaan (00:00)
Then I also visited the community through my project, through my master's project. And I realized that, they do not waste. For them waste is nothing. In fact, there was this one organization in Latur where they
request people to give them clothes and they make mat out of it and they are super beautiful.
And then after marriage, the surprise happened because there was nothing called waste at my in-laws place.
This is a wine bottle and we grow plants, we propagate it. And then there's also one, I think I found it, someone throwing it and I just said, it to me. I'll grow my plant.
Pramod Rao (00:24)
Nice, yeah.
Wow.
Kashika Madaan (00:35)
It's quite surprising the days when I'm very stressed, I just go out in my balcony, I sit there with the plants for 10 minutes and I think my stress goes down.
Pramod Rao (00:49)
Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Sustainably Curious. This episode is a slightly different format that we started recently. It's called Brewing SustainabiliTea, and where we speak to guests to discover some of the day-to-day changes that they've implemented in their homes and their lives to live more mindfully. Super excited to have Kashika here. So we connected a few weeks back, and I really like some of the changes that she's done at her home, the philosophy that they follow.
And I thought it'd be great to go over some of that, showcase it on this episode. So Kashika, great to have you here. Would love to get started with your introduction first, and then we can get into it. Over to you.
Kashika Madaan (01:24)
Thank you.
So I am Kashuka and I'm based out of Gurgaon. My journey for this started from like aspiring to become a doctor and then going in the engineering field and then you know joining CSR because I did my masters in development. So through CSR I actually visited a lot of communities, a lot of people on ground I have come across and life happened and I actually entered the sustainability field. So I am working as a sustainability
manager now. That's how I've come into the space of sustainability.
Pramod Rao (01:56)
Awesome. So I know we discussed this a couple of times, but would love to know some of the inspiration or triggers that have helped you become more sustainable in your day-to-day life. Could be from your personal journey, from professional, what you're seeing outside. What led to some changes in your own life?
Kashika Madaan (02:15)
Yeah, so I think during my field visit only, was that.
was the major trigger. In 2012, I was working with one of the NGOs and working as a waste management coordinator. They were using food waste in the temple premises to convert that into a compost within eight days. So that was a UN funded project that I did. But I was also doing a lot of workshop for the youth. Then I also visited the community through my project, through my master's project. And I realized that, they do not waste. For them waste is nothing. In fact, there was this one organization in Latur where they
Pramod Rao (02:36)
Okay.
Kashika Madaan (02:51)
request people to give them clothes and they make mat out of it and they are super beautiful. I I have at my parents place because that was before marriage when I went. So I bought a mat and they're pretty reasonable and that is kind of generating livelihood for those blind people who've been abandoned by their family. That was there. And then after marriage, the surprise happened because there was nothing called waste at my in-laws place.
I used to throw something, but I was not allowed to after marriage because even the smallest of toys of my great grandparents were preserved like anything. So that changed me a lot because their way of living, their way of preserving things at home was very different from what I saw at my parents place.
Pramod Rao (03:36)
Very nice. So have a few questions, one I think from your experience at Latur and in the community, and a few from what you mentioned at your in-law space. So it's very interesting point that you noticed old clothes could become mats. How did they go about doing it? Can we try it out ourselves at home? Or was there a process to this? I'm curious to know.
I keep grappling with this question of what do we do with some of the old clothes. But that's a very interesting use case that you mentioned.
Kashika Madaan (04:04)
Yeah, so you actually, know, whatever used clothes you have, you go there and you give it to them. And it's their job because they are also kind of, you know, struggling with their day to day life expenses. So if it is in a very good shape, they will use it. If it is not, if you cannot do anything out of it. So they will make mats out of it. They weave it. And there's a process to do it, which the...
Pramod Rao (04:11)
Okay.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm. ⁓
Okay.
Kashika Madaan (04:31)
One, actually the one who was heading the organization is also blind. So, and he was abandoned by his family. So he thought why not to also, you know, do it for somebody who has been grappling with the situation. Secondly, in Bangalore, there's an organization that takes your used undergarments and they also convert it into something that you can use it. And lastly, in Delhi and CRI you have Goonj, but they do not recycle it. They usually, you know, give it to the underprivileged.
Pramod Rao (04:34)
Mm-hmm.
I am.
Kashika Madaan (04:59)
people who can use it.
Pramod Rao (05:00)
Got it.
Kashika Madaan (05:00)
So
that's how I mean, and sarees, especially lot of sarees they got from the ladies who were because in Maharashtra area, you have a lot of people who wear sarees. It's part of their tradition. So they get a of sarees from them. And that's how they make like huge mats, not just like yoga mat and you can use it on your table. You can use it in your home. That way it's like multiple mats, multiple way of using clothes.
they have.
Pramod Rao (05:29)
So what is the startup that you mentioned in Bangalore that takes, you know, the use, okay, no problem.
Kashika Madaan (05:33)
I am forgetting the name of the organization I
can actually let you know once I have it. It's something called Recycle Only but I'm forgetting the name exactly. But they do it, they have started in Bangalore. They're planning to expand in other cities because they're getting really good response because nobody has, I mean, till now I have also not come across a lot of organizations who are reusing used undergarments.
Pramod Rao (05:42)
Okay, nope. Yeah.
Yeah, got
it. And yeah, you mentioned Goonj. I also came across this startup called Share at Doorstep. take, like, know, use clothes or old clothes. they usually tie up with partners like Goonj or other NGOs. But basically, they map folks who want to donate old items to someone who has a need for it. And fairly seamless.
in terms of you can just book it. They'll come and pick it up from your house. it's a smooth experience. You were mentioning, yeah, it's across, I think, all the metros. So their website is shared at doorstep.com. They are available in Gurgaon, Bangalore, as well as other metros. Yeah, you were mentioning it. You are in lost place. Nothing gets wasted. What were some of the top?
Kashika Madaan (06:24)
So it's in daily and see you.
Pramod Rao (06:42)
three or four things that you came across that you probably didn't think that, I never thought of this kind of moments.
Kashika Madaan (06:48)
One was.
my husband's great grandfather's iron. One day when I was getting late for my office and our steam iron was not working, my father-in-law took that out and he was like, I have this iron. It is super heavy. I mean, the way he has kept it, was, there was no rust on it. I was shocked. That was one thing. Second was my in-laws got married in 1988 and there was this album they were showing me one day and then we went for a dinner.
Pramod Rao (06:53)
Ha
Kashika Madaan (07:17)
husband was wearing a denim shirt so my mother-in-law asked me do know where is this shirt coming from I said I don't she said this is mine the one that you saw in the picture that was shocking and it was actually looking really new I mean how can somebody keep it in in that way that 1988 shirt is like looking fine on my husband I thought he bought it at the time of wedding and lastly they
Pramod Rao (07:27)
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (07:40)
nothing was a waste even a screw they would keep it because they love tinkering my father-in-law my husband my husband's father you know grandfather everybody is in that tinkering so you are not allowed to waste anything even the food was also not allowed i mean i have had this habit of usually you know not eating my food i would leave it
Pramod Rao (07:43)
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (07:59)
Not that I intentionally do it, but it was a habit that I developed. But my father-in-law ensured and my husband ensured that there should not be anything left in your plate.
Pramod Rao (08:09)
And so, you know, you mentioned the clothes that have stayed for years. know, is there something they do differently to ensure it's still in top quality? Like, or what's the magic behind keeping things for so long?
Kashika Madaan (08:20)
I don't know, mean maybe the way I used to keep my clothes were very rough. They keep it as if, you know, they would preserve it as a baby. he once, I mean they wouldn't wash clothes a lot many times. Then they would...
Pramod Rao (08:25)
and ⁓
huh. Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (08:36)
iron it and they would ensure that they keep it properly in place in their cupboards and they have proper muslin clothes to save things and all. So the way they keep their clothes is not rough. It's like it's a very important thing for me. I bought it with my hard earned money. Why should I keep? Why should I throw it? So my husband's toys were also kept in that way, even though they were kept in like one of the areas where they are just, you know, lying there.
Pramod Rao (08:45)
Hmm.
Hmm.
Got it.
Kashika Madaan (09:06)
But if a child would come at home, he will not be able to identify whether they new or old. They look that new. In fact, my husband's mother-in-law's toys were also preserved and they have kept it in a proper bag.
Pramod Rao (09:13)
Very nice.
Kashika Madaan (09:20)
they've displayed that they would ensure every week it gets cleaned it should not get ruined and whenever I used to see something I mean I would go and shock that how do these people keep such things in fact my mother-in-law is also like she's very fond of plants so everything which is a food waste would go for composting so nothing is a waste at their place
Pramod Rao (09:31)
Venus.
And what are some of the things that you've implemented in your Gurgaon house? Taking inspiration from some of these like are there some things that you carry in your own home?
Kashika Madaan (09:51)
Yeah, so I mean, I do not waste what bottles like this. This is a wine bottle and we grow plants, we propagate it. And then there's also one, I think I found it, someone throwing it and I just said, it to me. I'll grow my plant. ⁓ And next.
Pramod Rao (09:56)
⁓ Nice, yeah.
Wow. So these
are money plants? ⁓ What type of plants? OK, got it.
Kashika Madaan (10:14)
Yeah, money plants.
I have this habit of going around and taking a cutting from everywhere and regrow at home. So I have lot of money plants at home.
Pramod Rao (10:21)
Nice,
yeah.
Kashika Madaan (10:22)
⁓
And I also learned the raisin art. So we bought this table and the table has like these dry, you know, what you call potpourri. So whatever was left, I've made this painting like a raisin art of my parents. This was from my, this, you know, my sister-in-law's Jai Mala. This one had, so I used it here. I also collected some of these stones from a beach.
Pramod Rao (10:26)
Yeah. Okay.
huh. Yeah.
that's way nice. Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (10:49)
I also have a lot of sand that I got from Goa. These pearls are again from that Jai Mala which they were throwing and I said, no, you give it to me. I'll use it in my raisin art. So raisin art is also like my relief.
Pramod Rao (10:49)
Yeah.
Okay.
huh.
What's the base?
What is the base?
Kashika Madaan (11:02)
It's it's
this is MDF base and I have used this raisin over here and then everything was there and recently my cousin got married so they gave us invite in these boxes. We have like four or five boxes and these boxes we haven't thrown. We have used it as you know like these boxes. So these are like.
Pramod Rao (11:05)
Okay.
⁓ huh.
Got it. So how do you use these? Yeah,
what use cases have you put that to?
Kashika Madaan (11:30)
Yeah, so these are cardboard boxes and my husband has used it to actually, you know, preserve things and make it as a storage box. So we have like four or five boxes like this and every time we get any invite or something, we do not throw it. So that's how even the cartons at our home is used as storage. Any of our carton, we do not throw it until it goes in that space.
Pramod Rao (11:36)
Okay. Nice.
Yeah. ⁓
Yeah.
got it.
Kashika Madaan (11:52)
and
even Niruals they give ice cream in this plastic box. We've used it to grow plants. The food that we get from outside in plastic, I do not throw that. I have like huge quantity of that, but I make it.
Pramod Rao (11:58)
Yes, yeah. Very nice. Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (12:07)
Sometimes I make it a pot for my plants for repotting. I used avocado seed, which my husband saw as one of the videos. So he has helped me grow. And now there are roots coming out. It is not very easy to grow avocado seed. So that we using.
Pramod Rao (12:20)
Yeah, got it.
No, that's amazing. especially the cardboard boxes are like, you like you showed the invite. When we order from Amazon or any other e-commerce brand, you know, we typically get boxes and they just pile up. Let's say we order from Blink-it, there are bags that come.
I'm talking about my wife and I keep thinking how to reuse it. We found some use cases. We converted one box to a photo collage, which we put up on a frame of sorts. But then a lot of times, we don't know what to do, and the boxes just pile up. So apart from storing a few things, how else have you used boxes around your house?
Kashika Madaan (13:00)
I actually learnt using one of the arts online where they make cut, they make leaf shape out of it and they make new art work out of it. I haven't tried it yet, I really want to. You make it with your clay and fevicol and everything, you just give it a shape and then you apply that. So that becomes a very beautiful art work.
Pramod Rao (13:13)
Okay.
like a decor for the house basically yeah yeah cool yeah okay
Kashika Madaan (13:24)
and decor, home decor you can make. So there are tutorials online which I've seen but
because of recent things I have not been able to do it. I have to do it. Blinket packets we keep it. I mean I have a lot of stuffs to keep so we reuse it. I don't throw it. They're so scribbled. It's like proper scribbling done on those packets so I really don't feel like throwing them. So I keep it. You won't believe I have like
Pramod Rao (13:34)
Yeah. ⁓
Okay.
if
Kashika Madaan (13:51)
My bed is full of these bags. I do not throw it. I use it and if anybody is coming at my place and asking for any paper bag, cloth bag, anything, I have like huge quantities.
Pramod Rao (14:00)
Nice. Yeah. Got
it. And so what we've done is, with BlinkIt bags, usually BlinkIt takes it back as well. So that's one. And the other is, the smaller bags, use it for, in our society, they take dry and wet waste separately. So for wet waste, we use those bags rather than the plastic garbage bags that are the black ones. We've stopped using.
those and move to any brown bag or like sometimes we have newspaper in the house so like know we'd use that. But yeah so I'd love to segue into another topic so you know I heard from someone say that you know there are three Rs in sustainability like you know reduce reuse and recycle. So we'd love to know how do you see your lifestyle.
against these three, like what are some of the things that you have incorporated maybe in reducing consumption or like reusing or recycling as well.
Kashika Madaan (14:53)
I think more of reuse and recycle because now I have started using food waste to make compost at home.
Pramod Rao (14:56)
Mm.
Okay.
Kashika Madaan (15:00)
⁓
I have this bottle, plastic bottle of 5 liters because there was this water crunch in our society so we had to get the water from outside. So I'm using that and in that water only I'm adding whatever food waste is there so it gets fermented within the water and I have started giving to my plants and they're just happy. My plants feel very happy with that water. And then there is this 10 liters of water bottle in which I have grown bamboo. So it has grown huge. That I have done.
Pramod Rao (15:06)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Okay.
minutes.
Okay, very nice, yeah.
Kashika Madaan (15:27)
But I wouldn't
say my, or yes, because something happened in our lives that reduction also happened, the consumption reduction happened. That, you know, lot of issues were there because of which I, if I compare my this year's consumption to 2023's consumption, it has gone down drastically, it has gone down.
Pramod Rao (15:34)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, got it. Yeah. Okay.
Kashika Madaan (15:47)
There's also one reason like we were checking on our expenses on Swiggy and Instamart, Swiggy, Instamart and Blinkit. So we actually checked and it was costing us 25,000 a month only Blinkit and Instamart because we were too lazy to go out.
Pramod Rao (15:58)
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (16:01)
And
that day I realised that no, this is not the right way of living life. We go out, we buy from local market and now it has become a habit just because recent events of my health happened. Otherwise, we both ensured that every Sunday we would take our clothes bags and go and buy fresh vegetables, whatever we need. Nowadays, we are ordering but of course, once I get back on my normal lifestyle, I'll again reduce it because I really don't like
on it every time it comes, it's not even fresh. I mean, I have checked and I have raised complaints like 10 times because they do not serve you the fresh vegetables. the, the, and now my husband, like he's more of a gadget person and I'm more of an art person. So even now when we go traveling, he would look around and wherever he'll see fresh vegetables, he'll quickly tell me, we can just buy it, which is a very drastic change has come in a person who used to feel like
Pramod Rao (16:32)
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (16:58)
too lazy to go out even a smallest thing. would be like, let's do Instamart, let's do BlinkIt. So at BlinkIt, Instamart orders have gone down from like say 15 to 20 in a month to minimum of three. And that too when it is urgently required when somebody is at home and really cannot go. That has happened.
Pramod Rao (17:03)
Yeah.
Yeah. ⁓
Yeah, yeah. No, think
that's great. I think like, know, obviously these platforms are great from a convenience standpoint. But if we can put a little more effort, then it can be more balanced and we can reduce over or like over reliance on such platforms like it also like not good. So, so yeah, like in my own, like in our own lifestyle as well. So we've
Kashika Madaan (17:32)
So yeah.
Pramod Rao (17:38)
consciously reduce the, I think, like, consumption or, ordering. I think last couple of years, barring, like, you know, one or two function-related purchases, like, we've not really bought any. And linked to that is also, I think, like, we've focused more on our personal health that has, you know, have started wearing clothes that...
In fact, funnily enough, I had a shirt from 2003 which started to fit. And I just kept it. And I was just super happy that I was able to wear it just last week. So trying to see if we can keep things for longer and use it rather than buy newer items. And I think with food as well, we use BlinkIt a lot. even
Kashika Madaan (18:01)
Nice.
Pramod Rao (18:19)
like, you know, Zomato, but we've consciously reduced it. There's a local grocery store nearby. So we have two dogs. So like, you know, we go for a walk every morning and so it's an additional 200 meters. So as much as possible, we try to do that, but obviously there are days where there's something not available and the cook is there and we need it immediately. So we'll order Binkit and not feel guilty about it. But I think like as long as there's a good balance and we are conscious of
you know, hey, like, you know, we can plan better, we can take some time and do these things rather than just bringing it last minute. And then that that's sort of been the philosophy in terms of reuse. like, it's more recently, I think we've started thinking of, you know, shifting to things that are non discardable, like, so I have a
ink pen here. the previous guest, know, previous Priya Rekmi, so she mentioned about using ink pens. So there's got like ink pen from, which was there like hero pen, like my wife had from her childhood. And then this was Brill, Brill ink. I don't know if you remember these, like, you know, as kids we used to use this in school. using that over ballpoint pen, because otherwise like, you know, you just discard ballpoint pens and
felt like, let's just use pencils or this so that we don't have to keep throwing plastic every now and then. So those are some of the things on reduction and reusability. And recycling, you shared doorstep was a great discovery for us. We have used them once, but I plan to use them maybe once in six months when we want to declutter our home.
It's a great service to rely on rather than just throwing it to waste. So those are some things that we've incorporated here.
Kashika Madaan (19:55)
Yeah, with that pen thing I remember we gifted this Radhakrishan to our in-laws and they used pen to make Basuri. So they do not throw one time use pen also. They will make art out. My mother-in-law is also into too much art. So she will may reuse it. She will make an art out of it.
Pramod Rao (20:07)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (20:13)
there it's like their home is called a sustainable home so that ways but yeah i mean even this this whole consumption standpoint i think things have gone down not just like lot of factors when we saw the expenses that were going high and you know not getting fresh vegetables so that has gone down drastically for us
Pramod Rao (20:17)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yes, yeah. Got it, yeah.
What are some things you wish you want to do more of, but you haven't yet? Like, you know, are there things on your wishlist as well?
Kashika Madaan (20:44)
We become more, I would say, more of health conscious because ⁓ eating out and then sometimes the food gets wasted. There also we ensure like if we going out for dinner and we left with food, either we will get it back or...
Pramod Rao (20:51)
Mm.
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (21:03)
or if we do not
wish we will give it to someone who has not eaten the whole day. We look for people specifically before coming home to give the food. But I think like these food they usually give it in the plastic, you know, all these containers.
Pramod Rao (21:08)
Mm.
Yes.
Kashika Madaan (21:18)
I want to reduce that as well. think my recent health issues have maybe have increased the number of food orders from outside which I want to actually reduce and start cooking healthy at home only.
Pramod Rao (21:20)
Yeah. ⁓
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (21:32)
In fact, using AC all the time is something painful, not because of the bill that electricity bill we get it. last night, like I was standing outside in my balcony and I realized that floor was actually burning. I couldn't stand there because of, you know, this AC thing. So I recently discovered one page. This lady gives you like lot of ideas to how to live life sustainably. Wherein she has talked about, you remember like the coolers that we used to have at home. So we used to use those
Pramod Rao (21:43)
Yeah. ⁓
yes yeah with water yeah
Kashika Madaan (22:00)
Yeah, so that I mean, I'm forgetting again the name of that that you can use it as a curtain and if you will actually sprinkle water on that, the air that would come inside, it will be actually cold. So you can reduce the use of your ACs, which I really want to do it because it is not only causing like, yeah, too much habit of sitting in AC, but also there are a lot of factors. I mean, the painful thing is my plants are also lying near that, you know.
Pramod Rao (22:09)
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (22:29)
I've lost a lot of plants because they dried up because of this heat. So I want to reduce that consumption.
I want to reduce ordering food from outside so that this plastic thing goes out of my life. I have also stopped using my plastic bottles. We ordered this oil from one of the companies and they deliver oil in these glass bottles and they also have this thing that if you will give them the glass bottle back, they will give you some points. you know, with those points, you can again shop with them. So those those bottles are also glass bottles. Even the water bottles that
Pramod Rao (22:43)
Yeah.
That's all.
Okay. Okay.
Kashika Madaan (23:04)
I'm using a also glass bottle. They are again my wine or beer bottles that we kept, we saved those. And I have also kept like lot of these caps of these bottles. So I'm going to make like a table out of that from Resin Art.
Pramod Rao (23:09)
Yeah. Yeah.
wow, that is a very nice use case actually. Because we have a few bottles and they're there, we've not used it. But I think like the plants uses and the using of the caps to do artwork or decor is a great idea. On the food bit, you know, what at least they, I won't say we are consistent with it, but if there are restaurants nearby which we are ordering from, I tend to like at least the last couple of times I've gone there with
Kashika Madaan (23:22)
you
Pramod Rao (23:44)
boxes like, you so that they don't like, you know, pack it in plastic. So give them like, you know, three, four boxes then, or those steel boxes and have been getting it from that. Because there are some days where like, you know, the cook doesn't come and so on. So like, you know, and we are busy with something, so we have to order, but if it's nearby, then I try to see if I can just go there and, you know, use these South Indian places are very quick.
Kashika Madaan (24:00)
Yeah.
Pramod Rao (24:11)
So usually the wait time is also like just five minutes or so. So I'm okay with the 15, 20 minutes of going there and getting it back.
Kashika Madaan (24:19)
Yeah, we actually stay in that area which is not nearby anything. mean, it's very secluded and at night also it is not like...
Pramod Rao (24:24)
yeah. Got it. Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (24:28)
safe for us to go out so that becomes like a constraint for us in the evening. But yeah, I mean, I'm trying and I think I hope I'll be because I've now started following those pages where these people, you know, they also tell you some of the ways to make changes in your life. One thing I have to really focus on myself is like health of mine and my husband, because we need to make some of the lifestyle changes as well. We both are struggling with health issues these days.
Pramod Rao (24:30)
Yeah, Yes. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (24:58)
because you know
Pramod Rao (24:58)
Got it. Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (24:59)
a lot of work stress and everything happens like personal stress a lot of things are happening around so healthy lifestyle is what is my aim in like going forward and I'm trying very slow I hope I'll pick up the pace
Pramod Rao (25:12)
so I'm on a career break. I think, you know, like rightly said, I haven't been able to, like when I had a working, like, you know, a career, like, you know, building a startup, all of that, at that point, my health was not a priority, I would say, like, you know, now I'm on a break. So health, I can see, I'm able to dedicate, but yeah, I'd love to keep a balance.
And that's the challenge, think. How do you do this, but also mindfully? Because a lot of things, like I said, if your personal health is good, it also takes care of a lot of things around you. so I'm consciously trying to put effort and see if I can keep time, dedicated time, every week for going to the gym and so on.
I wanted to pick on a couple of things. is composting is something that we want to do, but we have not gotten into. So for someone thinking about starting composting and all that, like, how would you recommend we start exploring this? Like, you know, is there, it's a DIY, like, you know, should we do something? Yeah, I would love to know that.
Kashika Madaan (26:16)
So for composting, if I make tea, so after like pouring my tea, the tea leaves, I don't throw it. I wash it and I just accumulate in a box for like few days. And then I add it to my plants. Even green tea also I don't throw at all. Tea leaves I do not throw. All my plants have that. Then secondly, like keeping the... Yeah. Yeah, tea. Yeah.
Pramod Rao (26:27)
Hmm.
Okay.
Okay.
Yeah, this is the tea powder. You're talking about the tea powder. you would. Okay,
got it. Yes. Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (26:43)
I will wash it because you pour sugar so you shouldn't give it.
There are days when the milk gets soiled so what I'll do is I'll mix it with water and then I add it to the plants. That is also like a very good nutrition.
Pramod Rao (26:53)
Mm.
Kashika Madaan (26:57)
Then I have kept this as I mentioned I've kept this big bottle and this water inside it Whatever is getting soiled. I just added even banana peel. don't throw Onion, do not throw like onion peel. I do not throw if there's Tomato that is getting soiled and near-soiling so I'll add it to that bottle and when you open it You'll realize that you know the methane gas is there inside you open it and then it's getting fermented and when I give it to my plants honestly
Pramod Rao (27:02)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Okay. ⁓
Kashika Madaan (27:25)
the change like how they're growing in these summers especially these things we keep on adding and recently what happened I think we did not realize there was this can of beer kept inside our refrigerator for like ages we did not even realize because now we have we are like restricted on our
Pramod Rao (27:29)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Kashika Madaan (27:43)
Alcohol consumption we do not do it that much earlier. It was like earlier days of marriage We used to do but now it's barely barely three months once in three months, so That beer was there and I thought what should we do? I added it to my curry, but then I saw that growing like anything so that ways and also, I mean Sometimes you can use even the curd with water if your curd is not that correct
Pramod Rao (27:54)
Got it.
Nice.
Huh.
Kashika Madaan (28:09)
great if like in Delhi if you
Pramod Rao (28:10)
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (28:11)
keep something or other outside not in your refrigerator it's just gone so that they will left curd outside so just mixed it with water and added to all the plants so that's the best thing that you can do then in that case you do not waste it
Pramod Rao (28:15)
Yeah.
Nice, OK. Yeah, got it.
Yeah. Do you use, I mean, do you get milk packets? Or is it milk delivered to your home ⁓ directly? Bottle, glass bottle. OK, got it. nice. Is that a localized service, or is it a brand that does it for you?
Kashika Madaan (28:32)
the milk comes in glass bottle and then we have to return it to the person.
No, no, so we actually, so in that my mom, I would give the credit wherever she goes, she'll just find a near by dairy and she will ensure that it is a pure cow milk. The ghee should also be pure. She would go herself and check. So she found this one in this area and then she told me, you know, it's better to take it from him. So one litre of bottle he would deliver in the morning.
Pramod Rao (28:54)
⁓ okay. Yeah.
Okay. Okay.
Yeah, okay,
Kashika Madaan (29:08)
and then
Pramod Rao (29:08)
yeah.
Kashika Madaan (29:09)
next time you would come, you'll take the glass bottle back. That's how you use it.
Pramod Rao (29:11)
Nice. That's very nice.
Yeah. And do you also grow like food at your home or have you tried growing things that you can consume as well?
Kashika Madaan (29:22)
That has not happened yet because we live in a flat.
Pramod Rao (29:23)
Okay.
Kashika Madaan (29:26)
Right? So you have space constraint as well. But ⁓ yeah, my mother-in-law did it for consumption. Not that that great quantity, but yes, one of my aunt, she's there. So she grows everything. She has a kitchen garden as well as the terrace garden. So even like the vegetables are growing in her own place because they have a huge house. So it becomes easier to manage these plants on rooftop and covering it.
Pramod Rao (29:26)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, nice.
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (29:54)
and the way you want to maintain it. She also has this greenhouse where she keeps the plants so that the ambient temperature should be maintained. That way she's doing it. But in my place, I'm not able to because there's a space constraint. I tried doing it, but the heat where we stay, like the sun rays are like direct. So it gets difficult for me to manage it. But otherwise, yeah, propagating my plant. If one of my plants is dead, I would ensure that I'll take it and use it as in another pot.
Pramod Rao (30:02)
Nice. Yeah.
Yeah. Okay.
Kashika Madaan (30:22)
so that it can act as a compost for me. It's like a fertilizer for them.
Pramod Rao (30:25)
Very nice.
Cool. thinking of like, you know, exploring composting at home, but I have been procrastinating, so hopefully we get started with it.
Kashika Madaan (30:35)
I also learnt it like from some, when I saw somebody, actually the thing is I think I am very close to my plants, right? If my plant, one of my plant is dead, I would feel so bad. I mean I'll try every possible way to regrow it. But yeah, I think I've seen again my mother-in-law doing these things at home, like reusing.
Pramod Rao (30:42)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (30:55)
banana peel even not throwing even not she doesn't throw these egg shells she'll use it she'll just give it to the plants so everything she eats it's for the plants as well
Pramod Rao (30:57)
Yeah.
Okay.
nice, okay, yeah.
Great. You would have loved connecting with Priya two weeks back. So she also is a plant lover. And she was mentioning that she also talks to her plants sometimes, and takes a lot of care in growing the garden.
Kashika Madaan (31:18)
Yeah.
Yeah, I also talk to them sometimes like if I'll see they're dying, I'll be like, please don't do this. Please. No, no, no, I'll take care of you. So yeah, I also do that. I mean, I
Pramod Rao (31:24)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Kashika Madaan (31:33)
It's quite surprising the days when I'm very stressed, I just go out in my balcony, I sit there with the plants for 10 minutes and I think my stress goes down. I wouldn't say it just completely goes away, but it goes down and I feel much more at calm. And every day it's a responsibility to apply that, you know, the green cloth because it's very hot. It's almost touch 50 Delhi. So use that green cloth.
Pramod Rao (31:44)
Yeah.
Yeah, I think 52 yesterday I was reading. Yeah, yeah.
⁓
Kashika Madaan (31:58)
and then
in the evening remove that. So my husband sometimes gets his way surprised and you know, you can only do it. I can't. But he has his own likes and dislikes like I have mine.
Pramod Rao (32:09)
Nice. this was great, Kashika. Thanks so much for sharing so openly about all the things you're doing. It's great and gives me inspiration to try a few things in our house as well. But I hope you enjoyed the conversation. despite the power cut, I'm happy that we were able to pull this off.
Thanks so much for taking the time.
Kashika Madaan (32:28)
Thank you so much for inviting and I hope I get to see the compost at your place soon.
Pramod Rao (32:33)
yeah,
sure. I'm going to message you as we try that out. I'm sure we would love some inputs if we're doing it right or not.