The handy handkerchief

Be it the silk pocket squares we see adorning the suits in films of old or the simple cotton hankies that have been our multipurpose best friends since primary schools, there is no denying the merit of good old handkerchiefs. You can clean your face, dry your hands, blow your nose in it; there are few things that tiny square piece of cloth cannot do. Although these days we might sometimes prefer tissues over this trusted friend, there was once a time when you could not go out without one and accessorising would just be incomplete without a hankie.
“Ever since I have been in school, I've always carried a handkerchief, and so did everyone I knew. I remember when I started my first training on the job, I had to go away from home, and my mother embroidered my initials in my handkerchiefs. It was almost a ritual, but with a loving touch,” reflects Shakhawat Hossain, a retired government official.
The days of embroidering handkerchiefs may be gone because hardly anyone has the time anymore, but everyone appreciated the caring gesture of a simple flower embroidered on the corner by their wives or mothers.
Handkerchiefs are green too, you don't need to chop down trees like they do for tissue papers, it's less hassle because you don't have to carry it around in your hand looking for a trashcan, and you don't need to walk around with dripping hands because you couldn't find a tissue box.
This is why another hankie aficionado, Emil, loves it. “It would mean a world of discomfort for me if I were to forget to take one. I would fidget, I would squirm, I would worry and if I was a nail biter, I would probably have worn down my fingers. I had hankies of different colours, sizes and designs. I especially liked the darker shaded ones.
But why do I insist on carrying a handkerchief? For its functionality of course!"
These days, you can get these functional pieces anywhere, from the footpath hawkers to shops like Aarong, although the price would definitely vary. We suggest you carry a handkerchief because it would be nice to see people going back to the good habits of the past, to carry something that lasts, instead of something we have to keep throwing away all the time; and if it was good enough for Shakespeare, it's good enough for us!