Umbrellas.
Synonyms: Parasols, rainshades, sunshades, gamp, or bumbershoots
Do you know that the name umbrella is derived from the Latin word umbra, meaning shade or shadow? Or that brolly is a slang used in Britain, NZ, Australia and South Africa? Or that para means stop and sol means sun? Or that bumbershoot is just a fancy moniker due to the popularity of Americanism (though I think it should be called mushroom shoots instead)?
Back when I was doing my internship in Kaza, Himachal Pradesh, there was a building in Kaza 2 called Hotel Parasol. I'd always wondered why they called it as such. Why, there were no parasols around even when during the days when the wind is so cold yet the almighty sun is so scorching hot and the rays pierces through your 6 layers of wool and cotton garbs. Then I realized that it was not the presence of the parasols that matter. Once you enter the doors of the hotel, the warmth of the place and the smiles of the tenants soon wins you over. The people are the parasols.
Parasols are the similitude of us. Just as umbrellas provide weather protection, our mein protects us from undesirable situations as well as behaves as a defensive mechanism that can be operated on a whim. True, there can be cheap $2 ones sold at Daiso or those sold at exorbitant prices at branded stores but ultimately, it serves the same purpose - to protect. What defines its longevity is its craftmanship, just like how we hone our skills to hide our true feelings from others.
I will be like this bumbershoot one day instead of the one above. Twirling and twirling happily in the sky.
No comments:
Post a Comment