My fatherly-father-in-law passed away in 2011. We miss him everyday. His clothes,woollens and books were given away to suitable people by MiL. Few things still rested in our devdar /cedar wooden box, which still emits the scent of cedarwoods. The woollens he wore on the southern slopes of the Himalayas were of no use in the Gangetic plains where we reside now. But when Kanpur cold coincided with dense fog and chill, Mil took out the cream coloured sweater, which she had brought from Uttarkashi this summer. Everybody at home was delighted to inherit the heirloom which had the warmth and hugs of a person who annoyed noone in his whole lifetime.
Like Cinderella's slipper, everyone at home tried the sweater. Ayush wore it, but couldn't move his hands as it was too stretched! Arushi and her cousins were too far off to try it. With my fingers crossed I slid my head into the neckline and it fitted well. Then slid the sleeves up close to my arms and adjusted. Lo! The sweater was on.
Around 5 decades ago, MiL ordered some raw fleece from the bhotias settled in Harsil region of Uttarakhand. With the help a wool comb, she softened the wool and combed fibre was ready to spin.
Then with the help of charkha (spinning wheel)which she had borrowed from the City Inter College, and Takli (spindle) she produce three balls of the yarn . The three yarns then had to be twisted together to produce the wool ready to be knitted. Must have been a real task for her along with daily chores. Salute to her indeed! 
Our most precious heirloom is the memories of a saint, who was my FiL, the next best is the one I'm wearing.
1 comment:
Brilliant write up . blessings to you. -GPB
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