Watermelon Day celebrated at a school in Varanasi

Varanasi, Fri, 23 Apr 2010 ANI                                  By Girish Kumar Dubey

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Apr 23 (ANI): W H Smith Memorial School in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi city celebrated Watermelon Day on Friday to promote the consumption of the fruit among children.The event was held to promote consumption of the summer fruit as well as educate the children on the ill effects of junk foods and aerated drinks.  

Juicy watermelons were cut into slices and offered to the children, who devoured them enthusiastically. 

"We should not eat food outside or junk food. We should always eat home-cooked food and in summers we should always eat watermelon," said Utkarsh, a student."We always tell our students the importance of fruits. We tell them to be close to nature, eat healthy food, and eat vegetables and fruits. This event is a step towards it," said Akanksha Tripathi, the co-ordinator of W H Smith School. 

Watermelons are an excellent source of vitamins A, B6 and C and are known to contain fibre and potassium. The fruit contains about 90 percent of water, making it highly recommendable for summer months.Apart from the value of its water-content, watermelons have medicinal values with strong diuretic effect, and are useful in cases of dropsy. 

The oil obtained from its seeds is used to cure people suffering from high blood pressure, while its pulp is used as a remedy for sunburn. 

Watermelons are also said to be rich in lycopene, which is known to prevent various types of cancers. (ANI)