THOPPI -- CAP

1.The story of cap seller

In the 4th class or so I have studied the story of cap seller who got asleep when waiting under a tree inhabited by monkeys. While he fell asleep, monkeys took away the caps kept in a basket and started wearing like him. When he got up from the sleep he found caps being worn by monkeys. 

He had a sudden flash of intelligence that monkeys may copy him. He took his cap and thrown away. Following him, monkeys too thrown the caps, the merchant took all caps, kept back in the basket and again started moving selling the caps. 

2. Cap seller story retold

After years the grand son of cap seller took up his grand father's profession. He too felt tired once and took rest under a tree. This too was inhabited by monkeys. He too was wearing a cap for the hot sun. He too fell asleep. Monkeys too came down and started wearing the caps from the basket. When he woke up, he found all caps missing; he threw his cap thinking on the guidelines of his grand father. But monkeys too did not throw the caps like him. The senior monkey came to him and told, "Just like you we too have grand fathers and they have told not to act foolishly copying you. 

I stopped the story while telling to my grand kids- my first grandson told- Thathaa- it is not the end of story- I will tell.

Having no alternative the cap seller went to a near by shop. He purchased some plantains and being hungry ate a few and drank water and brought the balance and threw at monkeys one by one hurriedly. Feeling cap as an in convenient to collect the plantain, they threw the caps for eating the plantains and cap seller collected them in a hurry and started back. Or else again they will take the cap after eating plantain. So he had to give plantain to get the caps back.

When I wanted to write about caps first thing came to my memory is the story and addition by my grand son.

3. Gandhi cap

When talking about cap another important thing coming to me is Gandhi cap. Many congress people wear during their functions or rally these caps in white colour. Gandhi caps are always available in Khadi crafts and Sarvodaya sanghams. 

Our Prime ministers whom we could never see in public functions with out wearing cap were Sri Lalbhadur Sasthri and Sri Jawaharlal Nehru and vice president and later president Sri Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. 

4. Caps used when head is tonsured

One year back I had been to Tiruppathi. Earlier I had been to Tiruppathi before 36 years!!! I had a tonsure there and I was wearing a puff cap till hair grows. When talking of cap, Tiruppathi mottai and wearing of cap is next coming to me. 

Many people wear cap when head is tonsured. It is mainly to protect the head from injuries and hot sun rather than appearance. Only in the time something hit on the just tonsured head like top doorframe people will understand the value of hair for protection than from beauty. 

5. Caps during winter

Many elderly people compulsorily wear cap during winter, in hill stations. Recently my visit to Ooty makes me recollect it. The first thing I purchased at Ooty was a good cap covering ears also from the railway station premises. 

(Though for three years I was Junior Engineer in Kodaikkanal, I was wearing muffler and sweater only in those young days). 

Caps are worn by women also specially with shade in front. Special design cap add to the dressing. 

6. Exchange of betel and nut

Recently I was seeing the photo album of the marriage of my Nair friend's son at Trivandrum. While exchanging betel and nuts between the two parties, both father of the bride groom as well as of bride were wearing 2nd cloth in the form of a cap " Thalae kettu or Thalappavu " in Malayalam. When I asked the reason, he told this was the customary practice among Nayar community of Kerala. 

7. Cap of Mar papa

Friends believe me, yester day night I wrote just the above title and getting bored and exhausted I switched on the TV. The program in Asianet channel was special "Kannadi", Gopa kumar the narrator and his group VISITING VATHIKAN!!

All Christian fathers wear cap and it is part of the dress code. 

8. Gujarathi cap

I have seen most of the people from Gujarat wearing white cap. 

9. Police cap

Cap for police is part and parcel of the uniform. The type and form of cap vary from state to state, and between cadres, but police has to wear cap whether the officer is male or female. 

10. NCC Cap

Still it is a nostaligic re-collection of those college days being in NCC wearing caps with a light read feather in front comes to my remembrance. 

11. Military, Air force and naval caps

In the above said cadres the cap gives proud to the person wearing. Just imagine a military man with and out cap, we can enjoy the proud ness the cap gives to the wearer. 

12. Pilot caps

The cap of pilot and (air hostesses in some airlines) not only gives proud appearance but also beautiful appearance. On yester years many parents used to purchase small pilot dress or police dress, make their male kids wear and take photos and keep in living room. Or make them wear on special occasions. 

12. Special caps of getting degree.

While receiving the degree in convocation, the candidates has to wear special coats and cap. The candidate, the chancellor and vice chancellor of the university. Probably on such occasions only we will be recollecting CHANCELLOR IS THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE HIMSELF. 
13. Maha raja cap

I have seen the last king of Travancore Sri Chittira Tirunal wearing a decorated cap and his photos were there in schools hang in the front, during my primary education. 

14. Doctor's cap and nurses cap.

Special type of cap, which will not fly hair, is worn by Doctors and nurses in the operation theatre and ICU. I do recollect an occasion while I was admitted in ICU the chief nurse send back two new nurses to wear headdress and enter ICU. 

15. Indian coffee house.

We cannot see any serving staff with out special talappavu in the Indian coffee house. Many restaurants and star hotels too insist their staff wear cap, but 100% compliance is not there. 

16. Train guards, stationmasters and ticket inspectors.
We can see most of the guards wearing caps, an easy method of identification in the plat form. It is always a refreshing seen, to see the stationmaster waving the green flag with uniform and wearing cap. I was having a close friend station master native of Ernakulam, by name Aravindakshan as relieving stationmaster in a few stations. He never used to get in to instrument room with out full uniform and cap. He used to joke- Even with all these things there s no personality!!( He was very handsome actually) 

16a A laughing episode.

Though a sidetrack, I hope it will make you laugh. It was 1968. Mr Aravindakshan was RASM at Wallaja road station. His marriage was fixed in a short period and just intimating all of us orally he left for marriage. He returned after a week and was in search of any type of quarters to bring the family. It appears he got a small quarters and brought his wife to Wallajah road. Being RASM we did not meet for a few days. 
One day immediately after that I was getting down at Wallajabad Railway station from the train and going to my office at Ranipet. I found him on duty there. He called a young lady carrying a handbag in the platform clapping with hand and asked to wait near his room very seriously. Being a crowded train I could not make out from where the lady appeared. After he flagged off the train he went to the instrument room finished intimations and started talking with that young woman waiting near the instrument room in very low voice. I just smiled at him nearing the instrument room. He did not respond as usual and was serious. Feeling some thing may be important; I said OK and started to catch my bus near the Railway station.

Then he called me from the back in a laughing voice and said, we will have coffee and introduced, the lady to me and me to her and said she has come just two days back and luckily he got a quarters there. 

I asked why he was so serious then with the lady; he said he was creating a scene to me. She was taking his uniform and bed sheet for next day duty in the bag at Sholinghur with coffee in flask. As a suddagathi pattar I should think he is interrogating a lady passenger for some reason since I had no reason to believe his wife has come by the time. What more- After two days they were our guests with a very big dinner ( I was married about an year back) 

17.Others

There are a lot more peoples wearing caps semi compulsorily to write on. One is the yester year post men and telegraph men wearing caps. I am not sure whether cap is removed from their uniform now. Now a day we never see them wearing caps. 

Cap is essential item for Muslims during Niskaram.

18. Thoppi therikkuka( Flying of cap)
It is a phrase in police language for place meant under suspension or dismissal. 

19. Thottu thoppi iduka ( Miserably fail with less marks)

This is used to indicate when a student has failed miserably. 

20. Oramma petta makkal ellam Thoppikkar (All the children born to a mother are born with caps.)

This is a quiz in Malayalam and answer is aracanut. 

21. Adding a feather to the cap

This is an idium honouring a person who is already well qualified.

22. Thoppikkal

It was the covering of primitive people for their dwelling. In the recent at Edakkal caves near Kannur, primitive man's dwellings with Thoppikkal have been fond out by archaeology department. 

23. Pala Thoppi

I am concluding this posting with Pala Thoppi worn by the ploughing farmer in the hot-sun. It is very common for village workers to wear Pala Thoppi.