OLDEN DAYS

WERE THEY NOT HEALTHY AND HAPPY? J.K. SIVAN I can tell you only what I had learnt, remember and know. Seventy five years ago the habits and daily routine of people were different that what is being followed and known to all of us now. Even the big cities were like small towns, a grown up village at the most. There were many ponds, tanks and rivers and each house had a well to supplement the need of water. Almost all the houses were independent buildings in various sizes, according to the family size, wealth and possessions. In addition in some places there were common wells too. Instead of the flats and complexes we see now, there were open fields and groves everywhere. The movement of bullock carts, horse carriages in the villages ensured comfortable and convenient transport. Each house had a spacious backyard with many floral plants and trees. On the river banks, and tanks, early morning most were using neem twigs frayed and bitten at one end, as tooth brushes for cleaning teeth. Brick was powdered and used as tooth powder. Some had the habit of using ash and vibuthi as tooth powder. Whenever we travelled, my father made small packets of vibuthi, using newspaper for use as tooth powder separately, while another tin was for use and application after taking bath. Neem twigs tasted bitter and yet it protected the gums and teeth, and sometimes tender banyan tree branch twigs were the alternative for many in our village. Many used to charcoal powder also in addition to powder of red bricks. Most of the village tank steps had reddish marks of the powder they made by crushing the red bricks on the granite steps. In Madras and big cities Pyorrhea tooth powder in paper packets was popular and commonly used. White in colour, it was strong and acidic, smelling strong. It was carbolic acid powder and burnt the tongue and lips. It reminds me of strong peppermints of big round size sold for 3 paise in those days. It also smelled similarly. The word STRONG was embossed on each peppermint.The number 1431 boldl;y appeared on the paper cover and on small tins. The red Nanjangud powder was another competitor used in most houses. Nanjangud tooth powder was packed in brown and ash color paper packets. There was no use of plastic then. Gopal tooth powder was widely publicised and advertised in radios then in Radio Ceylon commercial broadcast programs in between Tamil film songs of listeners' choice. Mayil vahanan was the most favourite announcer of those days in Roopa Vahini Radio ceylon broadcasts. Later on tooth pastes tubes invaded and removed almost all these in course of time and we have numerous brands of tooth pastes now each of them claiming to be the best for teeth protection with a doctor's picture on the packet or so. The tooth brushes of different makes and shapes, made for adults and children, as soft, medium and hard brushes have also become now a part of the household essential items. In trains, the tooth power packets were sold. Snake charmers and cheap tricksters and magicians on the road side also were used for selling tooth powder. They gathered a crowd around them and made a boy clean his teeth with tooth powder and sold them to the onlooking public. Such was also a mode of marketing the product in those days. The red Lifebuoy soap is unforgettable. It was big and in our house my mother used to cut them into halves for use one after the other. It was found in almost all the houses during my boyhood days. Sunlight/ 501 bar soaps were long and cut into many parts for washing the clothes on the river and temple tank steps and near wells at back yard in manyh house in those days besides the huge common wells found in the vegetable gardens. There was no electricity in most houses and such vegetable gardens.