The Aromatic Roots Indians Turn to for Cooling Relief

The Aromatic Roots Indians Turn to for Cooling Relief

The Aromatic Roots Indians Turn to for Cooling Relief Living Paradigms is a series about what we can learn from the customs and cultural practices of others when it comes to solving problems. It is sponsored by Wonderstruck. D uring the scorching summers in Bharuch, a city on India’s west coast, Anjali Choudhary’s drawing room on the ground floor became unbearably hot. With no air conditioning and temperatures surging to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, it was difficult even to sit in the room, she says. Then, last summer, Choudhary came across a special type of curtain, made of dried roots of vetiver grass, commonly known as khus .  Vetiver ( Chrysopogon zizanioides ) is a tall bunchgrass that grows abundantly in India. Its exceptionally dense root system can extend up to six feet deep in six months , making it an excellent solution to soil erosion. Out of the soil, the dried gnarled roots provide a whole new service: cooling. Two khus curtains hang outside Choudhary’s ground-floor drawing room. Court…