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Sun, shade, style
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An umbrella is more than something that protects you from rain or shine, says K. SACHIDANAND MENON
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Colourful canopy An umbrella combines style and utility
What can you possibly write about umbrellas that one half of the world doesn't know? That's assuming the other half moves around in Stetsons or sombreros in summer and trench coats when it pours.
But there's more to an umbrella than meets the eye. Remember that mushy moment when Raj Kapoor and Nargis get close and personal under an umbrella in Shree 420 and simmer down just when everybody thought it was fireworks time? Never mind Bollywood's current obsession with rain songs that drip sleaze — there has always been romance under the drab black canvas, style in the parasol and safety in the pound of steel that comes with the contraption.
"I think it's so romantic to walk in the rain with somebody you love. I don't care if others think it is an outdated object but an umbrella sort of cocoons you from prying eyes and it's like you're in a little world of your own. There's a great deal of bonding taking place when two souls huddle under an umbrella," says Anoop, a marketing executive at a consumer durables showroom.
Romantic walks in the rain may not be up everyone's alley. However, umbrellas often cater to other needs of the heart and ego, if making a fashion statement can be put that way. Most fashionistas may sneer at the thought of lugging the load around. For all you know, the thing might flip inside out in the wind and mess up the mascara. "I guess that's a possibility," admits Renu Chauhan, a commerce student. "Nevertheless, I find umbrellas cute. I would rather carry one than move around in a raincoat that just can't be taken off when you catch the bus back home. Of course, you don't get complete protection but then a little bit of rain hasn't harmed anyone," she says. "What's more, the umbrella can go right back in your purse if you feel like getting drenched," she adds.
Says Kavita, a software professional, "Whether it rains or shines, the umbrella comes to my rescue. One may think it is outdated to carry an umbrella, but I never set out without one." Her friend Vidya Suresh, an MCA student chips in, "I certainly think an umbrella makes a style statement. Particularly in a scorching city like ours, it serves as an accessory with utility value."
Weapon of choice
Shivani Singh, team co-ordinator at a bank, is another girl who thinks carrying an umbrella around is worth the effort. Recounting a close encounter of the rowdy kind, that happened a year ago, she says, "I was returning from office one evening when I suddenly felt something was wrong. I turned back just in time to see a ruffian on a bike reaching out towards my neck, perhaps to grab my chain. Instinctively, I whacked him with my umbrella and that settled the issue."
Then there are those little incidents that happen once in a blue moon, those that kindle happy memories down the years when you see your old umbrella quietly collecting dust in a corner. Rakesh Kumar, manager in a steel company, tells his story. "I remember that day when my son and daughter saw the film Mary Poppins, in which the heroine lands down from the skies holding a magic umbrella. After the film, they were so excited that they got hold of this umbrella and kept jumping off the bed to see if they could fly with it as well."
The dictionary says an umbrella is "a device for protection from the weather consisting of a collapsible, usually circular canopy mounted on a central rod". Don't go by it folks!
The umbrella saga
The umbrella was invented over 4,000 years ago. Pictorial representations of umbrellas have been found in ancient artefacts of Egypt and China. The first umbrellas were used to shield a person from the sun's heat.
It was the Chinese, who later used wax and lac parasols to keep away the rain. The word is derived from Latin (umbra, meaning shadow). It was during the 16th Century that umbrellas became popular in the West. In the beginning, umbrellas were deemed fit for use only by women. Later, even the men took to carrying them around. The first umbrellas were made of wood or whalebone and covered with oiled canvas. The steel framework was invented by Samuel Fox in 1852.
Almost a century-and-a-half later, the first collapsible umbrellas made an entry.
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