The death of the Hanky

The other day, my son's teacher asked us to send a handkerchief with him to school everyday. As I hunted in vain around the house for the non-existent entity, I could not help but wonder how times have changed.

Gone are the days when Mommy neatly folded a square-shaped handkerchief, or hanky as we liked to call it, into a triangle and pinned it up alongwith with the nameplate/id on the shirt or uniform. The faithful hanky stood by you through thick and thin, whether it was wiping your dripping nose and cleaning your messy mouth after those counteless "pepsies" (not the drink, the ice-lolly's ancestor I mean) and at the end of the day, it helped mommy piece together the puzzle of what you had been upto all day in school! At the movies, the handkerchief also helped many-a-desperate loverboys break the ice with the pretty women they were pursuing by subtly falling down when the woman walked past her silent admirer prompting him to be gallant and giving him courage," Maaf kijiye, yeh... shaayad aapka rumaal wahaan gir gaya..."/"Excuse me, I think you dropped your handkerchief"! Aww...how simple were those days when just picking up books that fell when you bumped into each other or returning the carelessly-dropped handkerchief was enough to kindle the romance! So many songs inspired by the "rumaal"-"sir par topi lal haath mein resham ka rumaal haaye tere kya kehna!", the most cheesy one being "Haathon mein aa gaya jo kal rumaal aapka". And then, it was also mommy's tool to teach her little girl the fine art of embroidery! Generations of girls have made a start with embroidering pretty summer dahlias, orchids and roses on their handkerchiefs. You could also add on your initials to proclaim that it was your custom-made kerchief and also to help future beaus guess your name :p Better still, a few drops of your favorite perfume and you have your guy hooked for life (gross :P)

Cut to recent and present times, "rumaal" and hanky are old school, use a tissue, you fool! Oh,ya, no headache of washing for reuse. Use it and throw it. No regrets of losing a pretty embroidered one, supposedly better hygiene IFF you dispose of the tissue appropriately. At present, a girl with an embroidered handkerchief is not hep or cool enough. She could be the demure, clingy damsel-in-distress material if you are contemplating matrimony but seriously, even then, wouldn't you rather prefer a glam girl capable of later becoming a "yummy mommy"?

All said and done, personally, yes, the tissue is practical but oh! I miss the cuteness of the pinned square hanky and romance of the rumaal! sigh...:)