Ludhiana, May 21 -- With temperatures touching 43 degrees Celsius in Ludhiana, residents are increasingly turning to traditional earthen pots (matkas) to keep drinking water naturally cool - a trend largely driven by Instagram reels and WhatsApp forwards promoting the health benefits of clay utensils.

From local markets to roadside pottery stalls, customers can be seen queueing up to buy earthen pots despite having refrigerators at home. Shopkeepers say the trend has particularly picked up among well-off urban families seeking a "back to basics" lifestyle during the scorching summer.

One such buyer, Asha Bhandari, visited a local market to purchase a clay pot for her son. She said her son wanted to try fermented rice stored in a clay po...