While widely-celebrated Indian festivities and high-society gatherings usually involve serving soft-drinks to guests, the Modi 3.0 oath-taking changed its tune into being health conscious ceremony with celebrities' and business magnates like Mukesh Ambani being offered ORS instead on Sunday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The temperature hovered around 40 degree Celsius, while the high-profile guests looked at cabinet ministers and Narendra Modi taking oath too serve as the Prime Minister of India for a third-consecutive term. In a sweltering weather condition like yesterday, Oral Dehydration Salts (ORS) are known to combat dehydration and reduce mortality.

Dr Ayush Shukla, MBBS, said, “While not apparent to a non-clinical eye, even mild dehydration could reflect an estimated fluid deficit of about 40-50ml/kg. Severe dehydration, the more obvious ones noticeable to people of non-medical background carries a greater risk of death with fluid deficits estimated to be between 100-110ml/kg”.

How to know if what your drinking is really ORS?

"Everyone should be aware of an ORS solution mixture. It is just 4 salts, sodium chloride, glucose, potassium chloride and trisodium citrate, mixed in a fixed proportion adding up to a total weight of 20.5g/L with an osmolarity of 245mmol/L. Look for these figures on the labels and if it is anything else, its not an ORS solution, " Dr. Shukla mentioned.

"The correct way to prepare an ORS solution is to mix 1 full sachet of ORS in 1 litre of boiled and cooled water. The mixture can be sipped as and when one desires. But should be either completely consumed within 24 hours, or discarded. The mixture itself should not be boiled or sterilized," he advised.

"A simple method to determine the amount of ORS required may be calculated by multiplying the person’s weight by 75. The result is the amount of ORS one needs (in mL) to correct their fluid loss. The general rule is that people should be given ORS solution as much as they want and that signs of dehydration should be checked until they subside, he added.

Signs of dehydration

"One must know the signs of dehydration, the most easiest being the person to appear thirsty, restless but alert, with normal urine output, a moist tongue and normal vitals. A severely dehydrated individual will appear drowsy, cold, sweaty or limp, with a poor pulse and an extremely low blood pressure, little to no urine output and a very dry tongue,' he said.

Why is ORS a better bet during summer gatherings than soft beverages?

Commercially available carbonated beverages, fruit juices and sweetened tea are not best when dehydrated because they are drinks sweetened with sugar only. All rehydration solutions must contain some amount of salt.