panaecea

When we were small approaching winter meant unpacking warm woollens, quilts, blankets, heavy sheets and airing them to do away with the smell of the moth balls. The summer clothes were packed away.

Come summer the winter clothes were washed, folded and stacked in trunks. Neem leaves and moth balls were placed inside to protect them from insects and moths. And out came lighter wear.

Winter also saw the dhunaai of the old rajais to make them heavier, fluffier and warmer.

Dhunaai is “the traditional process of carding or fluffing up cotton fibers using a bow-string instrument (dhunki) before making a quilt, which involves heavy beating and striking.”

In case of old and over used rajais (traditional winter quilts) the covers were taken off and the stuffing of flattened  layers of cotton inside was thrashed or beaten up to clean and make them fluffy. Sometimes extra paddings of cotton was added too. The covers were either replaced if unusable or washed and ironed if still in reusable condition. Thus, nothing was wasted and there was no compulsion for buying new ones. In those days cotton mattresses were used and the same process was followed for bringing them back in shape and to renewed thickness. But I tell you  the threadbare quilts and blankets carrying the musty smell of over use felt the warmest.

Every household, in those days, had charpoys or charpais (char meaning four and pais meaning legs) which were portable cots made up of jute, cotton or coir ropes or strings tied to a rectangular, wooden or bamboo frame with four legs. These strings required periodical tightening as they loosened and  hung down over time with the pressure of body weight. After prolonged use the ropes needed to be replaced.

During winter afternoons the charpais were placed in the courtyards, terraces or outside in the gully where families and friends gathered and chatted – the ladies sitting on these charpais destemmed  spinach, fenugreek or mustard leaves or peeled and chopped vegetables for dinner. They knitted woollens for near and dear ones or did embroideries. And  shared designs or recipes and sometimes just plain gossips. The male members read the papers or discussed politics while the elderly enjoyed a good snooze under the winter sun.

In summer evenings the courtyards and terraces were cooled down by pouring buckets of water on the floors, beddings were spread on the charpais and pedestal or table fans were plugged in for the families to rest and retire for the night.

Some households also used the khaskhas chiks (traditional eco-friendly Khus or Vetiver blinds/curtains made from the aromatic roots of vetiver grass for covering the windows and doors) which were regulary sprayed with water to keep the rooms cool and fragrant. Room coolers came much later.

Large families having smaller dwellings slept outside placing the charpais in the gully. This arrangement also served as a safety net for the entire neighbourhood against trespassers. One of our househelps once narrated a funny anecdote. A thief who had entered their gully in the dead of the night inadvertently awakened the families sleeping outside. To save his skin the miscreant hid under our house help’s charpai. However, he ultimately got caught.

Summer thirsts were quenched by drinking naturally cooled water from the matkas or the earthen clay pots. New pots were bought every year and the old ones were thrown away. These were washed and kept overnight filled with water. The pot was emptied the next day and  refilled with fresh water. It was ready for use then. My father always added a pinch of edible camphor to the water for purification. It also gave the water a refreshing aroma and taste. Now we cannot think of life without water kept in the fridge.

Every year in the months of March (late spring) and April (early summer)  we have to now book the electrician/technician to get the Air conditioners serviced for optimum cooling in peak summers. In November the smog sets in and even the moon starts looking dusty. Depending on the tithi or date set up as per lunar calendar Diwali or the Festival of Lights  is celebrated during this time (October/November) with fireworks and burning crackers which add to the pollution.  The Air Purifiers thus have to be kept ready (cleaned and their filters checked/replaced as the case may be) in order to save our lungs from the pollutants. Mid winter sees unpacking of the Heat Convectors or Halogen/Oil Heaters  for adequately heating up the interiors.

Now nobody sleeps outside under the open city sky because it is not considered safe or healthy any longer. Dependence on artificial cooling and heating mechanisms have on one hand made life bearable in extreme weather conditions and on the other  given rise to technology induced ailments like allergy, dryness of eyes and skin, sore throat , chest congestion etc.