Rumal

A small , square cloth kept in the pocket or held in hand…the handkerchief! Poems have been written about it. The checks, the delicate flowers printed or painted, silken or cotton, exchanged or given when needed all types were seen around. Today the tissues have taken over & yet the poetry in the hand held kerchief remains.

In ‘Anurodh’ the song goes as ‘Hath mein jo reshmi rumal mila hai…’. From the handkerchief the imagery of the owner of this delicate piece. Or the song where ‘…Reshmi rumal kurta jali ka, roop saha nahi jaye nakhre wali ka…’ with Shammi Kapoor & Amita. The parting in ‘Taal’ with the rumal in the air & the scarf on which the letters are the testimony of the undying love..Manavsi.

In ‘Chashme baddoor’ one of Sai Parajpye’s classic, Ravi Baswani watches a clip in a film with Amitabh Bachchan & Rekha. He drops a handkerchief & asks her if it is hers. She says no & they strike a conversation. They are seen leaving together. ( But then they are Amitabh, Rekha!)Ravi gets an idea & uses the same! Deepti Naval looks at him for a second, pauses & says yes. Pockets it & leaves. The expression on his face is priceless!

Then there is Saif Ali singing..’Hatho mein aaya hai jo kal rumal aapka’ from ‘Aao pyar karen’ also starring Shilpa Shetty. His joy knows no bounds. Shilpa follows him but he is unaware.The picturisation is similar to Shashi Kapoor’s ‘O meri sharmilee’ in ‘Sharmilee’ where he is happy to be in love. He imagines Rakhee wherever he goes.

In ‘Sarfarosh’ Sonali Bendre has tied a delicate scarf on her hair that she keeps in the book shelf for Aamir, who walks away unaware. He is seen waving it in the next scene.’Hoshwalon ko khabar’ a ghazal sung by Nasiruddin shah on screen but the visuals talk of the college days between the lead pair.

Giving a rumal to wipe of tears.. a sentiment beautifully shown on screen. The return of the same or the start of something else. In ‘Saagar’ the delicate scarf that Dimple has tied come off & Kamal Hasan picks it up. He does this by injuring his fingers. The song ‘O Maria’ is on, dancers are in full form & he retrieves it before it gets crushed. The light yellow color matches with her yellow dress she is wearing for the occasion.’Johnny jab bola tha tujhse shaadi karegi mujhse, kaise kaha tha yeh bata..’

Used around the necks as fashion statement, part of dressing or to emphasise. It may be to ward of cold! Scarfs, mufflers or something in between may be used too. The long scarf in ‘Ijazat’ took her life. Anuradha Patel need not have died. She was between them but really wished them to have a happy life. Her fashion statement was her scarf! Amitabh in ‘Deewar’ tying it around his neck made it mandatory for all goons to emulate the style. More gaudy more desirable !

The proposal, the feeling, the sentiment, the rejection all besides the basic of wiping the face or blowing the nose is the rumal! In ‘Omkara’ it is the ‘kamarband’ the source of suspicion, actually it is the handkerchief in ‘Macbeth’. Major role is played by this handkerchief. It follows the end of so many people.. a bloodbath.

Keeping them clean & blemish free. Happy cleaning!