In the wonderland of washing powders

India is on a mission to clean up its dirt under the Swatchh Bharat scheme and political leaders take up the broom once in a while to sweep the dirt – not from under the carpet to clean the mess but to hide the mess.
Anyway, this is not about such cleaning. My story is about the cleaning of dirty clothes. Gone are the days of bar soaps and the women who struggled to bring the shine back to the clothes. They would use wooden mallet-like stuff to literally beat the dirt out. Those who lived in villages would thrash the dirt on stones positioned on the banks of the ponds.

But, the innovative nature of man relieved the stress from the mothers and a product called the washing powder entered the scene. Initially, there were a couple of brands and the market today is flooded with innumerable brands. The good old days of Lalitaji and her ad with the catch line of ‘Surf ki khariddari mein samajhdari hai …’ have made way for umpteen plus one variants. Some are meant for clothes, some others are exclusive for woolens. And, they contain varieties of blasters like dust blasters, stain blasters, mud blasters.
The advent of washing machines have made the washing powder a mandatory product in every home. And – apart from women, kids have been roped in to promote the products. Obviously, cleanliness has its advantages. If only people would stop spitting pan juice and tobacco juice, our surroundings would be as clean as our homes.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Didi’s naughty boys tie her up in knots (satire)

Didi had to do a lot of cleanup of her house to put it in order because her naughty boys had tied her in knots. It was in a bad condition and she was frantically searching for the proper broom or should she go in for vacuum cleaners? She therefore called up Moo Cool, her favorite assistant who doubled up as her Man Friday.
‘I want brooms,’ she said.
‘Should I get in touch with Cage Reeball in Delhi?’ Moo Cool asked. ‘He is the only leader with brooms, a broom master.’
‘No, I want brooms to clean up a whole lot of mess in my house. I don’t want any tie up with the broom party of Delhi. Not at the moment, that is.’
‘Oh, you mean local dirt?’
‘Yes, the naughty boys are raising a stink. And are spoiling the beauty of my garden.’

‘You have to handle them with care,’ Moo Cool said.‘They have been our assets.’
‘Today, they have become liabilities. I agree that syndicates are useful because they are a source of income for many,’ Didi said. ‘They work in groups and reduce the unemployment issue.’
‘Yes, they pool their efforts to help house construction business,’ Moo Cool added. ‘The problem happens when some of them become adventurous, become greedy and fall victim to easy money by virtue of links with us.’
‘They are the naughty boys,’ Didi said. ‘Why don’t you scold them? You are like their big brother and have every right to punish them.’
‘I’ll do that,’ Moo Cool said. ‘Shall I ask the hospitals to keep ready some more VIP cabins?’ Moo Cool asked.
‘Yes, you can do that,’ Didi replied. ‘Once in police custody, they’ll all be complaining of chest pain and breathlessness. So, they can be in the ICUs’.
‘And – shall I get the cabins furnished with AC, TV and sofa sets?’
‘But of course,’ Didi said. ‘They cannot be put in solitary confinement. They’ll need to relax. By the way - ask Dee Wreck to paint a rosy picture of all this in the social media. That counts a lot today and is a surefire method to wipe out the bad picture and paint a new one.’ (to be continued …)


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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