The routine of the Indian students should be as it was decades back.
At the dawn
It has been an age old practice in India to get up early in the morning. It is considered good and auspicious for the students to get up at 5 O'clock while the stars are still shining in the sky, finish their ablutions, offer prayer to the lord and sit down for studies.
At such early hours of the morning the entire nature is still and calm. One can hear the myraid sweet voices of the birds singing songs. One's mind is fresh and receptive to grasp what ever one studies at the time. Therefore early to bed and early to rise is a very important precept in life.
Morning ablutions cleanliness etc
Personal cleanliness is not just for the sake of oneself. It is a social discipline which needs to be followed for the sake of others also. Make cleanliness a habit by paying attention to it in every activity of the daily routine such as bathing every day, washing the hands and feet, brushing the teeth twice a day, massaging the gums gently with your fingers, trimming the nails, changing the undergarments and socks everyday, polishing and airing the shoes, keeping the daily wears cleanly washed and neatly pressed, keeping the combs and spectacles free from dirt and dust etc. You should learn to do these things with effortless ease and in a minimum time. By and by it becomes a habit with you.
On getting up, offer your salutations to your personal deity and then make the bed. You may place a towel or napkin spread on the pillow to keep it always clean. This will also prevent pillow from being soiled by the oil on your head. These pillow - spreads should be washed now and then. The beds, blankets, and sheets are required to be properly dusted and aired in the sun. The next most essential thing is to regulate the calls of nature, preferably to the morning hours. After answering the calls of nature, the hands should be washed thoroughly with a soap so that no bad smell lingers on them.
When you are using modern flush - out latrines, it is better to pour some water into the commode before using it. This will make the excretion slide smoothly with out sticking to the pan. And also after using the commode flush it thoroughly with a bucketful of water. In western toilets automatic flush - tanks are fixed. If you pull the knob the water in the tank will be released and it will gush into the commode with great force cleaning the commode. If no water comes when the knob is pulled it means either there is no water in the tank or the automatic system is our of order. Therefore in such cases you had better use a bucketful of water to flush the commode. The latrines should be cleaned now and then using phenyle. Odonil or any other such deodorant may be used so that it freshens the air and dispels foul smell in the latrines.
After you come out of the lavatory wash your hands thouroughly with a soap and then start cleaning your teeth, using tooth paste and tooth brush. Using a neem twig to clean the teeth is very good. Those who use the tooth - brush shoud use a good tooth - paste. The correct way of brushing the teeth is by moving it up and down or in a circular motion. Side way motion is harmful to the gums. The tooth brush must be thoroughly washed and kept in a clean place. Then clean your tongue with a tongue scraper. Besides cleaning the teeth, clean your gums also very well. After food rinse your mouth with plenty of water so that no bits of food remain in between the teeth. Just as you wash your teeth in the morning, make it a habit to clean them at night also before going to bed. This will keep the teeth clean and in good condition always, which is very essential for health. People who have spoilt their teeth in their young age, suffer from various dental diseases in their middle age and lose their teeth. Get your teeth examined by a dentist once in every six months and take his advice. You can also know from him what kind of tooth brush and paste are good for you.
Cold water is very good for bathing. If you can get accustomed to cold water bath, it is extremely beneficial. It improves blood circulation and keeps the skin glowing. In cold season you must finish your bath quickly, rub yourself dry with a towel and wear warm clothings immediately. Exposing your body to the cold weather while taking bath is harmful. If you want the bathe in hot water see that the water is not very hot. Luke - warm water is always better. The most important thing in bathing is to remove the dirt form the body by rubbing it. Bengal or green gram flour, or soap or soap nut powder may be used for the purpose. Never use the soap used by others. Keep the soap in adry and a clean box after you use it. The soap saver can be put in the box to prevent the soap from sticking to the box.
Use clean towel to wipe the body after bath. The towel should be washed and dried every day. Do not leave the clothes in the bathroom after bathing. Keep the soap box in its proper place. Before you leave the bathroom, see that all the windows there are kept opened. Turn off the tap so that the water does not flow out unnecessarily and waste away. Mind you, never use the bath room for passing urine.
After bath apply a moderate quantity of oil to your hair and comb them. It is not good to use strongly scented oils. Pure coconut oil or castor oil may be used, don't use cheap face powder, creams and such other cosmetics sold in the markets. Consulting doctors who are skin specialists you may use lactocalamine, etc, for the protection of the skin. Do not spend too much time in combing your hair. If the oil applied to the hair is a little too much, the excess can be wiped out with a clean piece of cloth. Care must be taken to see that the oil of your hair does not spoil the wall, the back of the chair, or any other place on which you are likely to rest your head.
It is better washing of your clothes is done by yourselves. After soaking the clothes in water, apply the soap to each cloth, rub and beat gently till plenty of lather comes out. Then allow those clothes to rinse in a bucket for some time. When you wash them afterwards all the dirt will go along with the water. The clothes will be clean. Never beat the clothes hard on a stone slab. But you may whisk them in plenty of clean water till all the soap is cleared out. Finally taking the clothes one by one, squeeze and wring it well. Then they may be dried. Tinopal or blue powder may be used for white clothes to make them brighter. The dried clothes may be presed with an iron box if need be. The clothes which are set aside every day for washing should be washed the same day. After washing the clothes, the remaining bits of soap may be collected in a soap - box instead of being left scattered there. The bucket or the vessel used for the purpose of washing should be cleaned and kept aside. When the blue powder is used the stains of it must be cleanly washed and no staind should be left on any part of the clothes.
The nails of fingers and toes should be checked and trimmed from time to time. Never allow the nails to grow as much as to find dirt collected under them. Soak the nails with water a few minutes before you cut them with a nail - cutter neatly and with out hurting the skin. Cutting the nails with the help of your teeth or biting them is a bad habit. It is unhealthy to keep the fingers in the mouth.
The clothes which are dirty and taken off for washing should not be thrown all over. They may be kept separately in one place and be washed at proper time. When clothes are a little torn in any part, however slight it may be, it should be mended immediately. For a stitch in time saves nine.
You should never keep a wet towel or clothes in your suitcase or cupboard. If you do so not only the clothes get spoilt but the whole suit- case and cupboard will be filled with bad smell. You must keep the articles of daily use like mirror, comb, soap -box, tooth brush, and tooth paste etc, clean and tidy. Tie up the mosquito curtain over the bed every night before you get into it. Then carefully examine the curtain that mosquitoes have not got inside.
Books, clothes, articles of daily use, your body and mind, all must be kept perfectly clean and pure.