KOTI-AYA-CLOTHESLINE Dear friends,
Though Malayalam word for clothes line is AYA, in Iyerhomes the clothes line is mostly called KOTI. Today I wasputting my clothes after washing in the newly erected clothesline with pulleysat either end. My wife seeing the way I was raising the clotheslineslowly, commented -looks like youare raising the flag in the mast. I commented, “Athuvum koti, ithuvum koti. Lady servantcleaning the compound nearby could notcontrol her laugh. She said, sir rendu vartha pesinalum , athu chrikkavaikkum(I talk very less. But my talk would make others laugh) I thought today my posting can be about clothes line(KOTI). Sincerely, Gopala Krishnan 6-7-2021. 1. Cloth lines insidehome. During my boyhood days clothesline was erected usinglengthy thin bamboo. If inner corridor was there it was the place at least two bamboos wereerected for putting washed and driedclothes for daily use. The bamboo was suspended from the roof (mostly fromrafter) just above the hand reach. Outercorridor such clothes line was mostly erected using an iron wire, mostlygalvanized. It was used to dry clothes during rainy period. The convenientpoint to connect either side was Kazhukkol (rafter) on either side. Though marring the beauty of room, clothes line waserected in rooms also, connecting to walls using nails. 2. Wooden clothstand Some homes made cloth stand with steps in which driedclothes were put. Being made of wood, it was not used outside. These clothesstandshad a problem of tilting if more clothes were put. But it gave a better look in homes. It was kept inbed rooms. Not washed clothes were put in large baskets made ofcane. After the appearance of plastic, large such baskets with lid wereappeared. Something similar to latest waste box with lid appearing in airports. The only change in years was , instead of bamboo rod incorridor, plastic wire was used in many homes and hooks were erected on wallsto connect it. Wooden stands had to be made with carpenter, notreadily available in furniture shops. 2 Clothes lineoutside home This was most essential, and was tied one end to abeam of the home, other end to some tree branches. Or between two treebranches, the clothes line, at hand reach. If tree branches were not there abamboo pole was erected. In some modern homes two RCC thin poles were erectedwith a ring at top. An iron wire was erected in between them. The cloth linesare always erected on sides not hindering entrance. 3 Dhobi homesand river banks. It was very common to see clothes lines erected eithersideways or in parallel using any vertical poles with wires. Urgent clotheswere dried at their home after washing at home. In river banks, using poles erected on sand tyingcoir/plastic wire washed clothes were dried. I had seen lengthy clothes linesin parallel erected by dhobis in Kodaikkanal, after washing clothes in thestream water. Though no ghat was there, the place was called Dhobi ghat while I was working at Kodaikkanalduring 1973’s. Now the name may be changed) 4. Clothesstand Cloth stands instainless steel appeared by 1990’s. Mosthomes had two or three, one to put washed clothes, another to dry clothes.Limitation was lengthy cloths like dhoti, sari could not be dried on them. 5. SomeEngineers thinking Many homes newly built, are provided with expandableclothes line. There are up to six thinpipes of length three feet. By just pulling one by oneappear. As required, we can use. But it occupies space in the room. I haveprovided it in two rooms, and one corridor. One in corridor is maximum used byme. 5a. Clotheslines in portico Always portico has more height and some engineerthought of clothes line which can be above. Like a cradle six clothes lines inplastic wire in parallel are connected to stainless rods at either endusing hooks, a central stainless rodhold the two other rods in position. Using pulley erected at top either end, the cloth lines are erectedand lowered using plastic wire running between pulleys, To hold after raising,the plastic wire is held in a hook on a wall making a loop. The same can be used in flats also in the portico. Thecost is only about 1000-00 including technician work. I have erected it in my portico. 5b. further modification This is using a set of pulleys erected at either end on a frame work instainless steel angle. It is fitted on either end of the clothes lines end.Cloth lines are stainless steel rods of 5 feet length, not plastic wire. Nylonwire is passed inside the rods. Bypulling the nylon wire the clothesline is raised. It is held in a fabricatedframe work, using a plastic rod at the end holding in the frame work. Clothlines can be raised or loweredindividually. This looks quite neat, though the cost is very mucharound 7000-00. This also I have erected in my portico. Inner wares are put in the first type, which iserected in the back of this one. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1697018532.5902710.1625558023924%40mail.yahoo.com.
