Do you remember mothers of the 90s packing one or two pieces of cotton cloth in her duffel bag on her journey by train, plane or by road?
That piece of cloth with frayed ends, which was once a part of your soft towel or a smooth bedsheet. That rectangular or square piece put to varied uses – wiping spilt food and liquid; dusting the microorganisms (visible only to the moms) off the seats; cleaning the pickle oil that had eventually trickled onto the other contents in the bag; or simply wiping messy hands after eating. That piece of cloth we call a rag.
Generally, when travelling, people carry scraps of cloth that look presentable, reflecting their status. Who would want to appear as ragged as their rags?
And yet, at home, the same people may use a worn-out vest — once used to soak sweat like a sponge, silently soaking soap water — in their spacious kitchen.
What I’m driving at is, despite being deprived of the respect they deserve, rags have never stopped providing their service to the users. For example, in many Indian homes, an ostracized t-shirt from a wardrobe, mutilated with precision, and tied to a wooden stick, is used for dusting furniture; a worn-out single sock brings glow to the footwear it is rubbed against, even when it is left to grieve the loss of its partner; demoted pillow covers move from under the mighty head on a mattress to the dirty feet at the doorstep.
Yet, quietly and silently, despite their substantial contribution in saving the environment, these worn-out pieces never expect any form of acknowledgement, much like generally unacknowledged maa ke haath ka khana.
Like these rags, some foods too have lived quietly on the margins. Ragi or finger millet is one of them. One of the most sought-after superfoods in today’s health-conscious world.
Ignored for years, the grain, which was once considered poor man’s food, has moved from rags to riches.
Nutritionally rich, Ragi has won hearts (through social media and YouTube videos) before reaching stomachs. Suddenly, supermarket racks display myriad Ragi products – Ragi chakli, Ragi mamra, Ragi sticks, chips, cookies, Ragi this, Ragi that. It’s Ragi rage.
The coarse grain was relegated to the corners of society, like an average student of the 90s who wasn’t academically strong enough to make it to the top ranks. The same reddish-brown grain that was deemed inferior to rice and wheat in India during the 1960s & 70s has surprisingly made a dhurandhar comeback.
Excluded from the company of the elite grains, much like a rag, it has eventually found its way into urban homes, now contributing, in its own modest way, quietly wiping away obesity and sedentary lifestyles from society.
*****
Interviewer: Ma’am, how did you maintain your place amidst unwelcoming Bollywood stars?
Yami Gautam: Haq se.
