Modified on:
The narrative centres on the sentimental value of a cherished shirt, representing the passage of time and life’s transience. The protagonist’s emotional bond with the shirt, which deteriorates over time, mirrors human ageing. Symbolically, it connects material possessions with ephemeral human experiences. Despite the shirt’s damage, the memories and sentiments attached to it endure. The story emphasises that while objects may fade, thoughts and actions remain immortal. It draws parallels between the shirt and the skin, highlighting the body’s necessity for care throughout life. Ultimately, it asserts that protecting one’s body and soul is a vital human responsibility.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- The article explores the sentimental value of a cherished shirt, symbolising life’s transience and the emotional bonds humans form with objects.
- It compares the deterioration of the shirt to the ageing process, emphasising that, while material items fade, memories endure.
- Skin serves as a protective garment for the body, requiring care and maintenance to showcase good health and well-being.
- Diet, particularly vitamin E, plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy skin, reflecting overall health.
- Ultimately, the article underscores the importance of caring for one’s body and soul, aligning with traditional wisdom from texts like the Mahabharata.
The shirt
He used to wear a white shirt with thin black vertical lines. It was his favoured shirt, which he considered his most prized possession for two reasons: First, he had purchased it on his own with money earned from tutoring, and second, it received widespread appreciation.
The shirt was his lucky charm, at least he considered so; it was his visceral feeling, not logical consideration. He was not superstitious but simply loved to wear it on special occasions. The notion of the shirt being lucky was deeply embedded in his mind, though the reason was not known to him, nor did he notice how and why this belief developed.
With time, his lucky shirt started waning in sheen, lustre and brightness. It began tearing. He would get it darned to keep it usable. Gradually, the shirt weakened, and its maintenance exceeded its cost. The emotional attachment to the shirt was overpowering, so he kept wearing it for a long time, so much so that it reached the brink of self-destruction.
Serendipitous
After several more uses, he stashed it securely folded in a trunk. With time, he forgot it, but once he was groping through his old trunk, he serendipitously found his old lucky shirt nestled deep inside.
The shirt had become brittle and utterly damaged. It had outlived its tenure. A disappointment overpowered his joy. Gently taking it out of the trunk, he wrapped it in a piece of paper and consigned it to a river. The shirt, which was with him for years and had been a witness to his struggle, had ultimately gone.
During the sojourn of life, one encounters many things that become a prized possession. It applies to everything around. From material objects to abstract possessions like relationships, friendships and love-hate bonds. They come, play the ordained role and vanish.
Soliloqusing: Old shirt
Sitting alone, he was staring at the horizon. The morning was pleasant, and the sky was clear except for a few flying silhouetted birds dotting it. He usually enjoys the solitude of talking to his inner conscience. It gives him mental relaxation and solutions to some, if not all, problems. His mind was wandering in the aeon, and suddenly came to a point when it compared the shirt with human life. He found a strange uniformity between the shirt and the life of an organism. Like the shirt, the life of an organism is fleeting and temporary; he thought and murmured in a tone of a whisper but loud enough to be heard.
Subjectivity
Thinking of the oldest thing in an uncertain and temporary world is a feeble idea. Except for time, other things are ephemeral, lasting for some time and then vanishing into thin air. Old and new are relative and subjective concepts. A line is long until a new and longer line is drawn parallel to it. The things that are made immortal or near-immortal are one’s thoughts and actions. While thoughts are abstract, the actions are visible and tangible. The actions give feelings, which take back in time, as the shirt did to him. Though the shirt in question was no longer with him, it was alive in his thoughts.
The mundane world is like a dream. Things and incidents play their role and vanish into thin air, leaving a sweet fragrance in the atmosphere and a pinch of ashes like a burning incense stick, which slowly burns without flame, leaving a wisp of curly, redolent smoke.
Physical Change
The childhood memories reflected. Infancy was out of bounds, as he was too young to recollect it. From that day till now, he has been sauntering, having crossed more than seventy milestones of his life. Now, when he is a mature septuagenarian, he has some important things with him; the most important one is his experience of life. He looked at his body. Scars, wrinkles, and saggy skin made their home on his body. Time had clearly written texts on his face and body using a bold marker. He compared his face with his younger face by placing early and recent portrait photographs side by side.
Amusingly, his two faces looked considerably different. A fresh teenager had become a completely transformed individual, both physically and emotionally. A lot of water had flown into the river. Several decades had made his sunken and wrinkled face look like a dry date. The only organ which had not changed much was his eyes. Suddenly, his student years floated before his eyes. His girl classmates were fond of his eyes and used to admire them often.
He carefully glanced at his body, feeling every part with his eyes and occasionally touching his hand, toe, face, head and chest. His organs were working satisfactorily. While watching himself, his eyes scanned his skin. The skin is a type of natural shroud. It covers the whole body and is elastic enough to accommodate the constant stretch of growth, both in volume and length of the body. It is the only garment that never changed, nor did it become worn out like his favourite shirt.
Skin
Skin is a sheet of living tissue seamlessly fitted on the body, supported by collagen underneath. The largest organ of the body, it covers and protects every other organ, muscles, bones, vessels, and nerves. It also protects from the external environment and is perfectly thermostatic. The human skin is tightly attached to muscles beneath it with a layer of serrated muscle called panniculus carnosus, which allows free movement of the skin. Unlike other animal groups like amphibians, reptiles and birds, it is intimately attached to muscles. He was amazed by the perfection of the body ‘garment’ without stitches, yet perfectly cut and tailored. (Wikipedia)
Humans, like other mammals, are warm-blooded. Their body temperature doesn’t change with the atmosphere. Nature has arranged a unique system to regulate and keep the body temperature constant. Hair is a unique mammalian feature that covers the whole skin and traps air. The trapped air, which is a poor conductor of heat, forms an invisible blanket and saves the body from harsh temperature variations, helping keep it at a constant temperature. The sweat gland secretes sweat that evaporates at the skin’s surface, using body heat and cooling it.
Sensitive to changes in weather conditions and impulses, skin picks up stimuli through a network of fine nerves beneath and transports them to the brain for processing and returning a command to react suitably.
Body’s ‘garment’
Skin is the “garment” that humans and other animals wear for their whole life. Like other parts of the body, skin needs care to keep it clean and healthy. Bright and radiant skin is a testimony of good health. Even in old age, it protects the body from pathogens and other harmful substances in the environment. A meticulous skin care regimen is essential to keep oneself healthy.
Diet and skin care
Vitamin E keeps skin glowing and healthy. The fat-soluble vitamin is found in various items like fish, green leafy vegetables, eggs, and seeds like sesame and sunflower. Dry fruits like almonds and walnuts are also a rich source. A balanced diet helps keep the skin plump and maintain good skin texture.
House of soul
The body is our asset. It is the “house” for our soul. It lives in the body till the end. Individuals owe their individuality to their body, and our skin is its showcase. Healthy, flawless skin showcases good health in an individual. Taking care of the body is one’s responsibility and duty. In the epic of the Mahabharata, Yudhisthir, while answering questions to Yaksha, says it is righteous to protect our body and soul.
The ‘garment’ that all wear for the whole of life is the oldest thing that an individual wears and keeps wearing it as long as life permits.
Further reads:
-END-
Kamal Kishore Srivastava
A retired government officer turned writer and photographer, Kamal Kishore Srivastava is a regular blogger and essayist who explores life’s deeper meanings through immersive reflections on nature, impermanence, and happiness. On his blog Nature’s Narrative, he blends philosophical storytelling with practical insights. Writing 1,200–1,500 words or more regularly, Kamal is committed to refining his craft, expanding his audience, and building a sustainable space where thought and feeling intersect.
Leave a Reply