**Disclaimer # This is not a bed buying guide.It's much less informative than that.
**Disclaimer 2# Also, this is not about putting a child to bed. However, parts of it suggest what may follow that ;)
We all have a favorite bed. Sadly, I am not talking of those who are deprived from the queen-sized privilege of choosing between three beds at a time from the same house, but settle for the "rent contract"ual wrought iron cot or the self-owned portable mattress while sharing a flat with mate(s). I am talking of that phase when you live(d) in a home with more than 2 rooms, each having a bed with free access.
The bed is more that four wooden stands, a mattress and a colorful spread. It is a space in itself, a whole new world, cocooned within a room. I call the bed a beacon atop the rocks of life, after a rough, stormy day. Many modern households have purposeful rooms with fine upholstery and swanky work-stations, but the bed is what the heart craves! 9' x 7' of pure pleasure where you can roll, nap, laze with friends or salted groundnuts, study, read, fondle a pet, eat Maggi, spread out piles of documents or fistful of unsorted earrings and search for the one in question till the end of time.
Every bed has story. And a purpose. Some are ornate heirlooms from five generations ago. Some are storehouses of winter stock and utensils. Beds are priceless for their undeniable contribution towards a comfortable sleep. And sleeping. And what makes them the most missed asset (moreover, post lunch) is their rareness of availability in our rat racing lives. A bed is the owner's canvas ; you walk into a bedroom and the bedspread will tell you lots about its artist. In the bygone era, the patience, sense of geometry and eyesight of the new bride would be judged by how symmetrically her bed cover had been spread out.
There is a significant liking towards each bed in the house for very different reasons. Personally, I am a wee bit partial towards the bed in my room for very obvious reasons. It has given me some of the best and most of the significant experiences of my life (now that's a different post altogether!). It was a shy (read : quiet), non-complaining brown beauty when it arrived in the house seven years back, three days prior to my arrival here. Since then it has lured, cured and endured a lot of me. A lot of 'us', too. It had undergone minor surgeries with a drawer roller stuck or a hinge gone stubborn, but it stands just as solid as the relationships it gave birth to.
And then there is the adda bed, I bet there is at least one in every house. Perfect when the gang shows up.This is preferably low, simple, sturdy and easy to access. It allows hours of uninterrupted chatter, even punctuated by naps at times. This is a secular bed with equal treatment to the welcoming of tea mugs, Bourbon biscuits or Uncle Chips, as for colas, Rum-n-colas, Dunhills and Davidoffs. I write this from experience. And plans.
Along side favorites, there is one forbidden bed too. Not in the literal sense, but this one is more of a spare bed, seldom used and almost always ignored. Tightly smoothed out, it's non-creased, non-used texture being formal and sometimes non-inviting, doesn't invoke too much. This is more like the reserved berth for wedding guests, unplanned bad-weather stop-overs, relatives visiting. While not slept upon, this usually serves as a stand for stacking light blankets, extra pillows and cushions, washed un-ironed clothes, towels kept handy.
Also at times, this is the protest room where the angry half may take refuge after a hot argument. And maybe hotter a make-up story by the angrier half follows afterwards?! ;)
Some beds reek of authority and demand the hat-removing respect, even if unoccupied. One wouldn't dare trespass on this one, even if no one's looking! Typically the grandparents' bed with firm black posts and elaborate headstands, light / white sheet and fat pillows in embroidered cases, these kind of beds involuntarily cause the feet to rub against each other before mounting it. Most of the times, they emit pheromones slightly laden with betel or tobacco leaves, setting the perfect calm to fall asleep on a hot summer afternoon.
As kids, we were always pulled out of bed by 7 AM on the blissful days of summer vacation, Christmas break, post-Pujo mornings and Sundays. Maa would dust the sheets, spread out a brighter, coarser cover, open the windows, invite the sun and say, " Let the bed breathe." An unbelievably ridiculous personification. While we squirmed in protest for an additional few minutes of slumber, this line sprinkled an amount of guilt, that instantly shot us out of bed.
I confess, I use the same words on my Sundays for my bed. Weird habits, like genes, get passed on with time as well.
**Disclaimer 2# Also, this is not about putting a child to bed. However, parts of it suggest what may follow that ;)
We all have a favorite bed. Sadly, I am not talking of those who are deprived from the queen-sized privilege of choosing between three beds at a time from the same house, but settle for the "rent contract"ual wrought iron cot or the self-owned portable mattress while sharing a flat with mate(s). I am talking of that phase when you live(d) in a home with more than 2 rooms, each having a bed with free access.
The bed is more that four wooden stands, a mattress and a colorful spread. It is a space in itself, a whole new world, cocooned within a room. I call the bed a beacon atop the rocks of life, after a rough, stormy day. Many modern households have purposeful rooms with fine upholstery and swanky work-stations, but the bed is what the heart craves! 9' x 7' of pure pleasure where you can roll, nap, laze with friends or salted groundnuts, study, read, fondle a pet, eat Maggi, spread out piles of documents or fistful of unsorted earrings and search for the one in question till the end of time.
Every bed has story. And a purpose. Some are ornate heirlooms from five generations ago. Some are storehouses of winter stock and utensils. Beds are priceless for their undeniable contribution towards a comfortable sleep. And sleeping. And what makes them the most missed asset (moreover, post lunch) is their rareness of availability in our rat racing lives. A bed is the owner's canvas ; you walk into a bedroom and the bedspread will tell you lots about its artist. In the bygone era, the patience, sense of geometry and eyesight of the new bride would be judged by how symmetrically her bed cover had been spread out.
There is a significant liking towards each bed in the house for very different reasons. Personally, I am a wee bit partial towards the bed in my room for very obvious reasons. It has given me some of the best and most of the significant experiences of my life (now that's a different post altogether!). It was a shy (read : quiet), non-complaining brown beauty when it arrived in the house seven years back, three days prior to my arrival here. Since then it has lured, cured and endured a lot of me. A lot of 'us', too. It had undergone minor surgeries with a drawer roller stuck or a hinge gone stubborn, but it stands just as solid as the relationships it gave birth to.
And then there is the adda bed, I bet there is at least one in every house. Perfect when the gang shows up.This is preferably low, simple, sturdy and easy to access. It allows hours of uninterrupted chatter, even punctuated by naps at times. This is a secular bed with equal treatment to the welcoming of tea mugs, Bourbon biscuits or Uncle Chips, as for colas, Rum-n-colas, Dunhills and Davidoffs. I write this from experience. And plans.
Along side favorites, there is one forbidden bed too. Not in the literal sense, but this one is more of a spare bed, seldom used and almost always ignored. Tightly smoothed out, it's non-creased, non-used texture being formal and sometimes non-inviting, doesn't invoke too much. This is more like the reserved berth for wedding guests, unplanned bad-weather stop-overs, relatives visiting. While not slept upon, this usually serves as a stand for stacking light blankets, extra pillows and cushions, washed un-ironed clothes, towels kept handy.
Also at times, this is the protest room where the angry half may take refuge after a hot argument. And maybe hotter a make-up story by the angrier half follows afterwards?! ;)
Some beds reek of authority and demand the hat-removing respect, even if unoccupied. One wouldn't dare trespass on this one, even if no one's looking! Typically the grandparents' bed with firm black posts and elaborate headstands, light / white sheet and fat pillows in embroidered cases, these kind of beds involuntarily cause the feet to rub against each other before mounting it. Most of the times, they emit pheromones slightly laden with betel or tobacco leaves, setting the perfect calm to fall asleep on a hot summer afternoon.
As kids, we were always pulled out of bed by 7 AM on the blissful days of summer vacation, Christmas break, post-Pujo mornings and Sundays. Maa would dust the sheets, spread out a brighter, coarser cover, open the windows, invite the sun and say, " Let the bed breathe." An unbelievably ridiculous personification. While we squirmed in protest for an additional few minutes of slumber, this line sprinkled an amount of guilt, that instantly shot us out of bed.
I confess, I use the same words on my Sundays for my bed. Weird habits, like genes, get passed on with time as well.
Succumbing to intercom interruptions, I pause...
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