Lauki or Bottle Gourd KBG-34 Answer

"Dhatura!"
"Water Lily"
"Bhindi"
were some of the responses to KBG-34. All wrong.

The correct answer to the 34th Contest of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad is Lauki लौकी or Bottle Gourd. Out of 300 participants we received 30+ correct answers. KBG-34 seemed easy.

We congratulate all the winners. As against the usual first three correct answers, how come KBG-34 has five winners? Because first three responses came together in the 9th minute. So, we decided to club these together. The winners aged 20+ to 70+ come from varied backgrounds. This variety adds the charm to KBG contests.

Winners
Meet the winners of KBG-34:

1. Shiv Rungta, alumnus of BITS Pilani and IIM Ahmedabad, successful entrepreneur manufacturing safety glasses for last 30 years.
2. Nidhi Bhargava, accomplished Kathak dancer, former entrepreneur who loves gardening and Nature. Lives in Bengaluru.
3. Amandeep Kaur PGDM (Fin), works as an analyst with Duff and Phelps in Hyderabad. Loves travelling but hates lauki!
4. Reeta Verma PGDM (HR) loves travelling, works as HR Coordinator with NCR Corp Hyderabad
5. Laxman Swarup B an alumnus of NIT Warangal, former Scientist 'G' with Defence R&D Organisation. Loves gardening and travelling. Lives in Pune.

Clues
This time we did not give any clues. Despite that the participants were bang on the target. Some of them correlated the bud with the leaves shown in an earlier story. That was smart!

Blooming Time
The second part of the question was when does the bud bloom? Nobody answered it. 

Well, the correct answer is that lauki bud blooms at night to attract the pollinators. See the picture below.

Health Benefits of Lauki
Lauki has been hailed as 'your best friend in summer'!
Readers may refer the link which summarises the health benefits as under:

1. Rich in nutrients and anti-oxidant
2. Keeps your body hydrated
3. Provides skin care and protection
4. Beats constipation
5. Regulates BP
6. Beats stress with anti-bilious properties
7. Promotes weight loss
8. Protects against kidney stones
9. Helps you sleep better
10. Provides a cooling and calming effect

So whether you are old or young, include lauki in your diet specially during summers. Regular consumption of humble lauki will keep you healthy. It can be taken in any form as a vegetable, juice or soup. Lauki halwa tastes delicious too.

Once again, thank you for your continued participation. KBG is alive because of you!

Hope we have helped you in taking your mind off Corona.

Stay home, stay safe.

     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 13th May 2020

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