Twitter
Advertisement

Hanky tales

Paper napkins may be ubiquitous now, but its predecessor, the humble handkerchief, set the haves apart from the have-nots, says Marisha Karwa

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Like all mothers who sent their wards to school in the 1980s, mine made me carry a handkerchief. Now a relic of the past, the square piece of soft, cotton cloth was meant to be used to maintain hygiene — wipe dust and grime off my palms and face — but we kids used our imagination to put the handkerchief to better use.

As a substitute for origami paper, we would turn the handkerchief into balls, boats, tents and cranes. Often, we would use the kerchief as the bone while playing dog-and-the-bone. At other times, we would drape a triangular-folded hanky across the chin and behind the ears to pretend that it was a beard. More fun would be had when we wrinkled the nose and held a twisted hanky on the upper lip as a moustache and tried to talk at the same time.

The 'moustache' never lasted longer than a few seconds, but the mirth it evoked would tickle our funny bones long after.

It was never fun though when I lost a kerchief, which would be often. For days after, mom would send me off to school with a kerchief pinned to my pinafore under the school badge, making it difficult for me to extricate the cloth.

But while going to school armed with a handkerchief may seem perfectly normal, the kerchief-carrying trend was not always democratic. For a long time in India, the kerchief, like the parasol and the hand fan, was a privilege of the few. Parsi women would often lace their delicate pieces of fabric with eau d'cologne while Bohri women would style their squares with corner embroidery and lace trimmings. While these women would delicately place their kerchiefs in their handbags and flaunt them for style, Catholic women would prefer to hold theirs in their palms, ready for use. As more and more women started using the kerchief, they evolved another use for it — as a hold-all.

Women would deposit everything from coins to earrings and chains into the fabric, which they would promptly knot and deposit into the safety of their bras. I doubt if anyone has attempted that with a paper napkin.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement