School kids from Hyderabad create rice flour chalks to replace gypsum ones

After seeing the harmful effects that regular gypsum chalks have on the staff and students in their school, two students from a government school in Hyderabad’s Adilabad have come up with an innovative organic replacement for gypsum chalks.

P Harshit Verma and K Rudra, students of the Telangana State Model School (TSMS) in Bangari Guda, Adilabad said that they came up with the idea as the dust generated by the gypsum chalks was harmful in many ways.

“The regular chalks used to write on boards by teachers are generally made using chemicals. These chalks are made from gypsum powder and the dust generated from it may lead to many health issues especially in the lungs and causes eye irritation as well. We have come up with organic chalks that can be replaced with the regular gypsum chalks,” Verma told ANI.

Telangana: School children in Hyderabad make organic chalk sticks

"Regular chalk sticks made from gypsum are harmful to our eyes & lungs. So we decided to use materials like rice flour, neem oil & lemon oil. These don't harm our bodies," says a student. pic.twitter.com/YcVIeHR02m

— ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2021

Natural ingredients such as rice flour, natural clay, and essential oils are used to make these chalks.

“We have used rice flour and natural clay for the preparation of these chalks. Along with these two, we also mixed neem oil, lemon oil, camphor, and many other naturally extracted substances. Further, to create a natural aroma in the classroom, we have added natural fragrances like rose water, extracts of Jasmine and sandal, and many other natural aromatic substances,” Harshit said.

Rudra told ANI that educational institutes across the country used gypsum chalks to write on the blackboard which irritates the lungs and eyes of students and teachers.

“There are many schools, colleges, and other educational institutions across India who use chalks to write and teach. These chalks lead to many health issues like allergies, respiratory diseases including asthma, and even eye infections. That is why we have come up with this idea to create organic chalks,” he said.