I spent a lot of my school-going years around two popular spots in the school — now before you get any idea that this was at a school auditorium or even the school playground (though I was part of the school’s debating society, so yes the stage was a favourite spot, and yes, even as I struggled my way through basketball at school I did always show up for a game) — the spots I am talking about happen to be — around the sink at the washroom and the watercooler! These were the two places where we, girls, would hang around sans much objection. So, as you can gather we learned early on that keeping our hands clean and ourselves hydrated would only keep us going better and brighter. No teacher objected to ‘girls going to the washroom’ in pairs (even groups) for some time until they realised that it was just an excuse to hang around and talk. A habit that’s origin I’m still trying to uncover and wrap my head around as an adult – as women, we still head to the washroom in pairs and often share our deepest secrets around the sink. Voila, observe this the next time at a Ladies' Night and report in.
Side note, if womanhood is what you are trying to figure out, then you’ll find some answers in my third and latest book, She! What is She? She is not about female empowerment or male-bashing; it is simply a celebration of being a woman. In the pages, we celebrate waxing woes and bad hair days, we tick the boxes and break the rules, and we apologise for getting old and feeling guilty when promoted at work. We speak of unwanted advice, as we offer some too. We sigh, smile, and scorn. We observe, absorb, judge, and compare. We own our space.
P.S: Reading it won’t make you wiser as writing it has had no such effect on me. But as long as we keep the conversation, we may hope to get a tad ‘smarter’. Gift a copy!
Lest I divert further, back to the handwash quirks. Of course, recently, alongside, everybody else, during Covid-19, I learned a few more interesting things about washing one’s hands.
You need to give the activity time, 20 seconds to be precise
Need a timer? Hum “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
If you played enough SCRABBLE during the pandemic (I did!), then here’s a fun fact if you make the word HANDWASH in the game = 4 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 4 + 1 + 1 + 4 = 18 (and this is sans placing the tiles on special spots on the board)
And yes, you can make 77 words out of the word HANDWASH, if you’re into unscrambled letters
When we were children, our parents insisted we wash our hands before we ate, of course. Their reminders on how we do the same after returning from school and play did us good. As we grew up, we forgot about it all until the virus hit and we pulled up our socks, only to forget about it all over again, soon enough. Well, if you needed to be reminded, hope this helped! And here's where you can start.
P.S: Pakhi’s, a luxury personal care brand inspired by the rich heritage and enigmatic charm of the Middle East, recently announced the launch of its Essentials Range of Handwash in the UAE at a launch event organised by Brand Tribe. You can elevate your daily self-care rituals with Pakhi’s Fresh Ocean Moisturising, Citrus Charm Moisturising, and Lively Lavender Moisturising Handwash collection.