A solar cooking day

The day opens bright without much cloud. So, it is time to take the covers off the solar cookers at about 8.30 a.m.. The kids are very keen to volunteer for the job because mom has promised them something special today. The aluminum covers are, in fact, all-weather covers that protect the solar box cookers from rain and shine, and an occasional cricket ball, when they are not cooking. The cover needs the help of two pairs of little hands to be lifted. It is better to familiarize the younger generation at the earliest about the benefits of solar cooking because these will be the ones that will face the shortages of conventional fuels. So, I seek their active involvement in the solar cooking venture.

Once the outer cover is removed, the glass top of the solar cooker is opened, and any condensation that has settled on the glass during the night is wiped off. The solar box cooker the children are holding has approximately 1m × 1m glass top. The children put some water in the solar cooking vessels for disinfection by boiling. A hot place like Tiruchirapalli needs a lot of clean disinfected drinking water. What best way there is to get clean disinfected water other than to use the solar energy?