Pointy parasols
I don’t criticise people for walking with an umbrella—it is the need of the season. The weather can fool us at any time; every five minutes it can change and you must be prepared. A few minutes after walking under the sweltering sun, rain may cascade down from the sky. So carrying umbrella not a stupid thing to do; with it you can tackle the tricky weather at any turn. If it is hot, you can open it, as the sun disappears you can keep your umbrella inside your bag and as soon as it rains, you can open it again and save yourself from being drenched.
Umbrellas have turned into a fashion. There is tough competition among females in plus two colleges regarding whose umbrella is the prettiest. And of course boys don’t ignore the fact that if they have an umbrella,
a girl will walk under it with them for protection from the rain. Umbrellas are found in an array of styles, are relatively inexpensive and are extremely handy—so much so that umbrellas can now be considered another item of clothing, something that can be coordinated with your daily wardrobe.
Kathmandu is an exceedingly crowded city, and even on a normal day, it’s difficult to walk without bumping into others. Your polished shoes may be stepped on, or you may be pushed out of the way by someone in a bigger hurry. You are in a crowd even when crossing the road or walking through the narrow paths throughout Kathmandu.
Umbrellas are made up of a circular fabric canopy on a folding metal frame, supported by a central rod. Where the small, thin rods extend from the fabric covering, umbrellas can be turned into a weapon. And it is this thing that hurts others when umbrella owners don’t take proper care of his or her umbrella. Especially in crowded places, when masses of people are trying to escape the rainfall or the heat of the sun, umbrella users may end up hurting people without even realising it. If you use an umbrella, you must remember what a huge area it occupies. People may be trying to escape the path of your massive cover, but without even being aware, you may give them a bump in the head. If you are short, the danger you pose to other passer-bys is even greater as the dangerous metal rods are often at eye-level of taller people in the crowd. Though many people may apologise, there is often little sincerity in the remark because one minute later, another person is made victim of their large colourful canopy. I have been a victim several times, and no matter how much I try, these incidents are unavoidable.
So, this is my personal request to all the umbrella holders out there walking the streets of Kathmandu: take care your umbrella will not injure others when you are in crowded area. Don’t let others get hurt because you aren’t paying attention. Stay alert, because when it hits, it hurts.
PUBLISHED IN THE KATHMANDU POST (JULY 23 2010)
I don’t criticise people for walking with an umbrella—it is the need of the season. The weather can fool us at any time; every five minutes it can change and you must be prepared. A few minutes after walking under the sweltering sun, rain may cascade down from the sky. So carrying umbrella not a stupid thing to do; with it you can tackle the tricky weather at any turn. If it is hot, you can open it, as the sun disappears you can keep your umbrella inside your bag and as soon as it rains, you can open it again and save yourself from being drenched.
Umbrellas have turned into a fashion. There is tough competition among females in plus two colleges regarding whose umbrella is the prettiest. And of course boys don’t ignore the fact that if they have an umbrella,
a girl will walk under it with them for protection from the rain. Umbrellas are found in an array of styles, are relatively inexpensive and are extremely handy—so much so that umbrellas can now be considered another item of clothing, something that can be coordinated with your daily wardrobe.
Kathmandu is an exceedingly crowded city, and even on a normal day, it’s difficult to walk without bumping into others. Your polished shoes may be stepped on, or you may be pushed out of the way by someone in a bigger hurry. You are in a crowd even when crossing the road or walking through the narrow paths throughout Kathmandu.
Umbrellas are made up of a circular fabric canopy on a folding metal frame, supported by a central rod. Where the small, thin rods extend from the fabric covering, umbrellas can be turned into a weapon. And it is this thing that hurts others when umbrella owners don’t take proper care of his or her umbrella. Especially in crowded places, when masses of people are trying to escape the rainfall or the heat of the sun, umbrella users may end up hurting people without even realising it. If you use an umbrella, you must remember what a huge area it occupies. People may be trying to escape the path of your massive cover, but without even being aware, you may give them a bump in the head. If you are short, the danger you pose to other passer-bys is even greater as the dangerous metal rods are often at eye-level of taller people in the crowd. Though many people may apologise, there is often little sincerity in the remark because one minute later, another person is made victim of their large colourful canopy. I have been a victim several times, and no matter how much I try, these incidents are unavoidable.
So, this is my personal request to all the umbrella holders out there walking the streets of Kathmandu: take care your umbrella will not injure others when you are in crowded area. Don’t let others get hurt because you aren’t paying attention. Stay alert, because when it hits, it hurts.
PUBLISHED IN THE KATHMANDU POST (JULY 23 2010)
4 comments:
"something that can be coordinated with your daily wardrobe" - really?
well, i must be committing major fashion crimes on a daily basis then, i have one umbrella. it's a hideous florescent color so it doesn't match one outfit!
anyway, good article.
point made, you should insert the link to the ktm post printed version as well
my id prajwaldarksite@gmail.com
didi how to insert ktm post ko link ni?
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