For some inexplicably strange reason, human beings as a rule resist and almost resent change of any kind. Time was when people believed that they don”t make them like that anymore.Of course, such people always have irrefutably logical reasons for such an attitude. An oldie but a goodie. Diehard tendencies to cling to the hoary past including material possesions have provided many a hearty laugh, going forward on a positive note..
The old order changeth, yielding place to the new. But there are instances when it doesn”t. The rice ladle and the idli kadai that I bought from the store lost their handles within the year and became unusable, But the cookware and utensils that mostly comprise my kitchen have been given to me by my mother as trousseau. She in turn got them from her mother more than half a century back,Many a tumble, many a knock have they taken, but not a dent , nary a scratch, They have lasted a lifetime and are good for many more years to come. Modern cookware is sleek and stylish but sound of body and sturdy of constitution, these oldies can well stand on their own.
Old folks are old fashioned. Being old fashioned has got to do with being traditional. Old fashioned in atttitude, upbringing, value systems, lifestyle choices etc.etc. Being traditional and old fashioned was the core of middle class social climate of thirty years ago. Not misuse and throw but save and stretch available resources to the maximum to optimize utilization. It was this mind-set which led my mother to lovingly preserve her mixer grinder for years on end.” No offers on exchanges for me”, she would say.” I won”t trade this trusted one for some new fangled,unknown one “.” My seasoned kitchen - mate ”, she would proudly tell her friends.” It has a long way to go hopefully”.
As if to give the lie to her words, soon after, the mixer packed up, that too while mother was in the midst of her kitchen chores. The old faithful sputtered and shuddered before collapsing totally. The mechanic came and pronounced that the motor needed to be rewound. “ A costly affair”, he said. “ Better go for a new one”. But mother was unfazed. “ I’ll call in my brother S to help. I’m sure the mixie doesn’t exist which he can”t repair”.Now a word about Uncle S. Uncle was the biggest collector of old electrical gadgets. He specialised in bread toasters and mixers. The greater the degree of breakdown, the better because he could occupy himself pottering around with it. All the household gadgets that were faulty found their way into his collection, plus the hand -me-downs from friends and relatives.
It was one of these “ eccenteric “ gadgets that Uncle offered generously to mother in her hour of need when he came to collect the mixie for repair.. Of course, he duly warned that sometimes the lid came off the jar while grinding and flung the contents onto the user”s face! Predictably, Mixie No.2 did not work for mother and she went after Uncle, hammer and tongs. Amidst this state of kitchen chaos, there were exasperated sighs all around, with father persuading mother to buy a new one. But mother stuck to her guns. “I’m sure S can repair it. Why waste money on a new one?”
Then one morning, Uncle S turned up. “ I’m sorry my mixie conked out on you, But don’t worry. Your mixie is as good as done because I’m going to Delhi where spare parts will be available at Ajmal Khan Road. Meanwhile, as a stop-gap, you can use Mixie No.3 which actually belongs to my sister in law. She’s moving abroad and she couldn’t bring herself to dispose with her mixer, which she won in a cookery competition years ago. Knowing my partiality to oldies, she has left this mixer with me”. And with that grand announcement, he plonked Mixie No.3 on the kitchen table.” I’m sure it will serve you well till I return from Delhi with your kitchen-mate”, was his parting shot.
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. Three cheers for a generation that sincerely believed that they were saving for posterity and went all out to get a good bargain.
