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.
You’ve reminded me of our old customs. I remember sleeping outside with a fan for cooling and a mosquito net over the charpai. My grandfather used to have his revolver under his pillow in case a burglar came- which never happened.
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Yes, the mosquito net was also used by some. But we never did. Puraani yaadein taaza ho gayin.
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Very true dear sister
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I experienced drinking from earthen clay pots in my childhood, too. The water gets cold naturally
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Yes, it does and it does not affect the throat or chest also.
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Exactly. Healthy way
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I read the word “dhunai” after ages.
Ekdam dil ko chho jane wali post 😊.
The seasonal chorus evoked fond childhood memories.
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Thank you so much Rupali.
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गीता दी,हमारे यहां आज भी Darbar Move की तरह सर्द और गरम कपड़ों और फराश की transfer लिस्ट निकलती हे जिस में सर्द कपड़े winter आने से पहले गरम कपड़े officially सर्द कपड़ों को replace करते हे.
‘Moga cotton’ सब से अच्छा कॉटन माना जाता था और धुनिया को घर लाया जाता था ,उसे रुई धुनते और बिस्तरे बनाते देखना बच्चों को अच्छा लगता था,वो tuuum tuuum की आवाज जैसे किसी musical instrument से आती थी.
हमारे घरों में रुई से बने बिस्तर आज भी मौजूद हे मगर इनका इस्तेमाल बहुत कम होता हे.
पानी के लिये ताँबे के मटके इस्तेमाल होते थे,इंतिहाई गर्मी में मिट्टी के मटकों का इस्तेमाल होता था.अब यहां भी ग्लोबल वार्मिंग का असर दिख रहा हे,बोहत सारे घरों में AC लग गये हे.
आप के कलम की एक जनबिश ने कितनी यादें ताजा की
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नुसरत इस पोस्ट को लिखते हुए मुझे खयाल आया कि पहले ज़माने के कारीगर जैसे धूनिया, कुम्हार, चारपाई मरम्मत करनेवाले आदि टेक्नोलॉजी के आने से अब बेरोजगार और लापता हो गये हैं।
धुन्कि की धनक इकतारा जैसी सुनाई पड़ती थी। वे घर के आंगन या दरवाजे के बाहर बैठ कर काम करते थे।
हमने रूई के गद्दे सालों पहले ईस्तेमाल करना छोड़ दिया या । अच्छा लगा जान कर कि आपके तरफ अभी भी पुराने व नए का समावेश अब भी जारी है।
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यहां कहीं कहीं पर कुम्हार देखने को मिलते हे,दुनिया जहां भी दिखता हे तो बाकी states से आये हुवे
एक और चीज में ने देखी कि cotton के बदले पुराने कपड़ों को धुनते हे यह लोग और इस के लिये भी Machine इस्तेमाल करते हे
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और भी एक कहानी याद आयी,आप भी सुनो
कहते हे भेड़ 🐏 जब जिंदा होता हे तो ‘में में’ करता रहता हे.जब यही भेड़ मर जाता हे तो इसके intestines से वो पतली तार बनती हे जो dhunki में इस्तेमाल होती हे और जो भेड़ जिंदगी भर
“में में”कर रहा था वह
“तुम तुम” बोलने लगता हे.
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यह वाक्या सच में इंटरेस्टिंग है। मुझे यह फैक्ट पता नहीं था।
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बहत साल पहले यह हमारे एक Head Teacher ने सुनाया था. कभी किसी बात पे मेरा घमंड सर चढ़ जाता हे तौ यह कहानी याद आती हे
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Thank you 🙏 for a really interesting post and introducing me to some new words.
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You are most welcome Liz
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Life was so much more weather – determined in those days. I liked the story about the would-be thief
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Thank you very much Derrrick 🙏
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This was a wonderful read. I appreciate the look at your seasonal traditions and how things have changed with modernization.
I remember when I was very young and would visit my uncle’s dairy farm. While they had running water in the house, the old hand-powered water pump down the hill still worked and it was always a pleasure to pump the cold, clean water from beneath the earth.
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Thank you very much Richard.
Everything natural has given way to technology which has its advantages and disadvantages.
The balance is to use the machines judiciously. But we often tend to forget that.
The clear , cold water of the hand pump. I can almost feel it.
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Thank you for sharing all of these traditions, Geeta. The quilt cleaning and freshening is amazing to me. So much work!
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Thanks Mary. That was the old tradition. Now we just buy new ones filled with polyfibre.
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