The Twins

They were brought home as triplets I guess. I use the word guess, because it could only have been that way. Looking back I have a faint memory of having seen them as triplets, but then I can never be too sure. However the fact is that today they are just two of them and have been so for at least three decades. Somewhere down the ages, I think one of them just called it a day. The twins are an enigma and I thought I should let the world know of their existence. The trouble is that I hardly have any details concerning them for the twins have been in my house for far too long. They precede me in the chronological order. The twins form and integral part of our daily lives. The sad thing however is that they don’t get to see each other unless when they are ceremoniously taken out for a mandatory cleaning. This cleanup happens once in a blue moon for there is absolutely no chance of them ever getting dirty. Thus they lead their individual lives conformed to their privacy and not knowing as to what the other twin is up to. This in a way upsets me, but at the same time I have no other choice for this is the only way in which I can ensure them their longevity.
I wonder as to how many of you would have guessed as to what my twins are. Well they are the two tea spoons, (if I may call them thus, for their scoops are deeper than the regular tea spoons) that are used to measure tea and sugar in the kitchen. The third I guess must have been in the coffee jar. I have no clue of how they made an entry into the house. If my memory is right, I remember my mother saying that they were already there in the kitchen when she came over as a bride. My Dad had an establishment with a cook while still a bachelor and I think the twins must have sneaked in at that point. I wonder if my Dad would be in a position to enlighten me of their origin since their entry must have happened over 55 years ago. Now when I try to recollect as to where my Dad would have been way back then, the instant answer that comes to my mind is Valparai, (a beautiful hill station in the Annamalai’s in Tamil Nadu). It was while he was there that he got married. The twins or rather the triplets may have been a part of his attempt at setting up a kitchen for his beautiful bride. While in Valparai his good friend was also the manager of The Spencer’s Departmental Store and thus my guess would be that he must have made his purchase from the said store. Now Spencer’s is by any standard an upmarket store and may have at that period of time stocked a whole lot of imported merchandise. Thus I deduce that my twins would have come of the supply line from some factory in Preston, Sheffield, Coventry or any of the metal manufacturing hubs of the Britain of the 40’s and 50’s. That makes them the longest serving foreigners in an otherwise traditional Indian kitchen.
I cannot describe these twins, but both of them would have been identical when they were manufactured. Now if you were to ask me as to what metal they are made off, I would definitely be at a loss. For one thing I am sure is that they are not made of the regular stainless steel nor are they made of pure silver. They are made of some alloy that has really stood the passage of time. Age has started showing on them for now they have a yellowish tinge as a result of their external coating having given way. I wonder as to whether electroplating will bring back their original appearance. However I dare not put them through any harsh treatment for fear of what it will do to their otherwise good health. People may say that it is not safe to use metal that is tarnished or without the protective coating, but to us at Sowparnika, we cannot think of a day when they are not around. For they hold the secret to our perfect brew.
Looking back I think it was indeed wonderful an idea to use them in the tea and sugar jars. This way they were not put to the daily grind of washing and scrubbing a process by which even the sturdiest of metals can give way. Had they been used in the day to day cooking process, the wear and tear and the reaction with food too would have bid them an early farewell. Whoever was responsible for their present position, I give them my thanks, for by their deed they have given me the opportunity to know the twins and the privilege of using them for almost all my life.
Today is one of those “Blue Moon Days” when the twins have had their ceremonial cleaning and it is truly a coincidence that I decided to write this piece. For the first time I gave them a thorough look and I was amazed to read with great difficulty as to what was written on them. Embossed on the back of the handle was the word “EVERLASTING”. I thought to myself as to how appropriate the word was. It almost seemed prophetic to me. Then I wondered if any of the present day manufacturers could dare to engrave a similar word. Finally I realised that the twins still have in them many more years of useful service and that they may be there to serve definitely the fourth and may be the fifth generation of the Variyath clan.
PS. Did my Dad make the purchase after reading what was written at the back? If that be the case, I take back my impression that men are hasty shoppers.