At consumer-voice.org, we have been hard at work bringing to you test results of 14 brands of mosquito repellents and our tests have found that there are brands (and reputed ones at that) that pack the mosquito repellent with upto three times the maximum permissible limit of chemicals, thus making a night’s sleep almost hazardous for one’s health. It is sad that our modern-day upbeat lifestyle has a flip side – that there are few things that are completely safe for use or consumption.

This however, is in stark contrast to the way of life that was advocated by India’s first environmentalist, who was born in Mathura and who walked the earth some thousands of years ago, but continues to be a part of our psyche and lives. In the true Indian tradition of revering people who make a difference in our lives, even as we worship the ‘Lord’, we easily overlook the genius of the man who made sustainable living and consumption a way of life for his people.

To start with, Krishna was very mindful of the mosquito menace in his village and surrounding areas, and he did away with the pests in an ingenious way – by planting the Holy Basil around the place and converting it into a veritable 'Tulsi' forest - thus the name ‘Vrinda-van’ for his village.

Krishna wanted to give his people a lesson in self-sustainability, and through his institutionalising of the protection of the cow, and the use of cow-dung (Gobar-dhan) as a resource, he kicked off a practice of the multi-purpose use of cow dung as an energy-source and insect repellent, that is alive even now. It was also the time when vegetarianism as a way of life in India spread amongst the people.