There are often occasions when one finds oneself out of sync with the world around. One such for me was when after dinner I reached for my handkerchief while everyone else went for tissues.

My preference for the hanky is out of habit. I never felt a need to go for the tissue.

Of course, tissues are trendy while the hanky looks anachronistic (I don’t mind). It’s not without reason tissues have caught on. For one, they are not just clean but look more handy than the hanky. Two, when dirty, tissues can simply be trashed. Three, they are soft and easy on the skin.

But, mistake not, the good old humble hanky is no less convenient and useful than its new upmarket ‘cousin’. All said, hanky is another piece of cloth that we carry around, is it not? How can it be such a bother that it has to be dumped in favour of the tissue?

A hanky might get soiled at the end of a day. So do a pair of socks and other clothes, don’t they? They are all washed and reused, and why should we find fault with the little hanky?

Some people, especially when they have cold, find it repulsive to keep blowing their nose into their hanky and carry the nasal mucus all around.

Well, I agree, it’s not a pleasant state by any stetch of imagination, but the use of tissue doesn’t dramatically better the siituation either, does it? The soiled tissues would be dumped in the nearest trash bin, but a soiled hanky can be washed and used again. If there’sn’t a rest room facility, in such occasions, it helps to carry two hankies.

Ironically, the trendy tissue culture has run into an equally trendy modern concern — environment conservation. The tissues are made from what are called virgin fibre of trees. Manufacturers don’t use recycled paper because they say it doesn’t give the softness that a tissue supposedly requires. For the same reason, remember, a tissue used once and thrown, can’t be recycled and ends up in a landfill, unlike a cotton hanky that can be reused. Thus, manufacture of tissues does indeed result in loss of trees.

Secondly, strong bleaching agents are used to make tissues whiter and softer. These chemicals aren’t good for health or environment.

Three cheers to my humble hanky. I don’t think my habit is out of sync with what’s trendy and politically correct.

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