Bucket List

How I wish I was ambidextrous, being able to use both my hands equally efficiently. Most of us use our right hands for all our routine tasks, some with a creative bent of mind, use their left hand. Why this sudden urge, well actually since it is the right hand which wields the razor for the morning shave, rinsing the razor has to be undertaken by opening the tap with your left hand. Now typically most bathrooms are fitted with two taps, the one on the left is for hot water and the right one is for cold water. So every morning one has to indulge in a rather complicated task of opening the cold water tap with the left hand. If I could shave with my left hand, it would be so much easier.

Bathrooms or washrooms as they are referred to these days, throw some other challenges especially with those who  find  handling the shower systems insurmountable. Invariably with a turn of the knob to the wrong side ends up drenching a suited booted person, if that was not enough, the modern day fitments, have jets at all possible places streaming at your  torso from most unexpected directions. In the confusion you end up turning those knobs every which way, but there is no respite and you end up resorting to the good old bucket and mug, the traditional "Lota"(globular water container) bath. 

These showers have gained currency in the last about three odd decades, barring the metros, the rest of India, bathed with the bucket and lota or in the rural areas straight from the hand pump, in the step wells, ponds, rivulets and so on.. We were blessed to be raised in that era in towns in the heartland where we too indulged in these luxuries, drawing water from the well with a pail and pouring it straight over your head is the most refreshing bath I have ever had. Pouring a whole bucket of cold water during peak winters is a sure fire way for building immunity against cold and cough. We resorted to that quite often. In the Army, fauj also provided us with ample opportunities to revert to the bucket and mug scene, all high altitude areas are devoid of running water during winters, hence it is the good old bucket to our rescue. In fact not just the mountainous regions of our country, even deserts, jungles, wherever we camped, we enjoyed these rustic pleasures.

Although the buckets which interest the spirited lot is the ice bucket for bars with champagne and KFC buckets of chicken. A couple of years ago, the "Ice bucket challenge" went viral on social media, where the individual was expected to pour a bucket of ice cold water on the head in support of some cause. It actually had nothing to do with personal hygiene though.  Buckets play a major role in our lives and even in our preparation for the journey to Valhalla.......A bucket list of things to do and enjoy before we finally kick the bucket!!