“Hope springs eternal in human breast,” seems to be the mood of the moment as we step into 2008! There is plenty that each one of us can hope for and achieve during the year that emerges ahead. Let us therefore fill our lives with vim, vigour and vitality, from the very outset of the New Year. As usual, there are a whole lot of festivals and holidays lined up in the month of January that have just begun to unfold… so while the going is good let us enjoy ourselves as much as we can.

On the 6^th of January the followers of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Epiphany which marks the finale to the Christmas celebrations. Then there are the harvest festivals of Lohri (celebrated in Punjab, Haryana and some neighbouring areas in northern India), Pongal (celebrated in Tamil Nadu in the south), and Makar Sankranti (by and large, celebrated all over the country)which symbolise the end of winter and are marked by endless feasting. The birthdays of some of India’s luminaries like Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose fall on 12^th and 23^rd  of this month respectively. Then we have the Indian Republic Day on 26^th January which is a Saturday. So watch out for a nice, long weekend ahead.   

On the 30^th the nation will remember one of its noblest souls, the Mahatma who fell to the assassin’s bullets on this day in 1948.     

Read about these festivals in detail, by going to our newsletter archives at:

http://www.indiaheritage.org/newlet/jan05.htm
http://www.indiaheritage.org/newlet/jan06.htm
http://www.indiaheritage.org/newlet/jan07.htm

There is good news for the culture freaks among our readers!This month will witness several important and interesting events related to music and performing arts as well as a few socio-religious ones, staged in various parts of the country.

From the colourful and bustling International Kite Festival at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, to the Lok Rang festival at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, one can move on to the Banganga Festival (in Banganga), Kalidasa Festival (in Nagpur city) and Mumbai Festival (in Mumbai city) in Maharashtra.

Wait; there is also the Camel festival at Bikaner (Rajasthan) where hordes of scraggy but gaily ornamented camels will steal the show, and the renowned Thyagaraja Music Festival in Tamil Nadu. Here the doyens and artistes of Hindustani classical as well as Carnatic music will converge to regale the audience and connoisseurs. 

Lastly,  the city of Kolkata and some nearby areas are going to be the hotspots this season − pick and choose from the Dover Lane Music conference and the annual Kolkata Book Fair. Or may be both. The devout can head for the Ganga Sagar Mela (fair at the confluence of the Ganges with Bay of Bengal) on Sagar island on the occasion of Sankranti.   

Since these destinations are fairly spread out all across the country, I suggest you make a dash for the event nearest to your place of residence. For tentative dates of these events and important tourist information please check out our events calendar:                   

http://indiaheritage.org/Show_MonthWiseDesc.php
http://indiaheritage.org/Event_Calendar.php

It is advisable to book well in advance so that you are able to reach your destination comfortably and well in time for the festivities. 

Origin of socks

Socks were among the first items of clothing worn by people to protect their feet and keep them warm. The word "sock" is derived from the Latin soccus, the Old English socc and the Middle English word socke. The "soccus" was a shoe worn by Roman comic actors. It was a "calceoli" or sock-like and fitted loosely so they could be taken off quickly.

Romans kept their soccus on, while moving about indoors, after removing their footwear at the doorways of homes. Socks have evolved over the centuries from the earliest versions, made from animal skins gathered up and tied around the ankles. In the 8^th century BC, the ancient Greeks wore socks which used matted animal hair or fur.

The Romans wrapped their feet with leather or woven fabrics. The Barbarians (fierce warrior tribes of Europe − Lombards, Franks, Goths etc) wore brightly coloured socks made of  materials such as fur, wool or silk. Around the 5^th century AD, socks called ‘puttees’ were worn by holy people in Europe to symbolise purity. By 1000 AD socks became a symbol of wealth among the nobility.

In China, pairs of of sock-like footwear called shitouzu, have been excavated from a tomb more than 2 thousand years old. Evidently, in that era, socks were considered to be an item of luxury meant solely for aristocrats. and government officials.

Did you know that it was during the 5thcentury AD that Japanese people started to wear shitouzu which was introduced there from neighbouring China and that it was made with vivid, colourful silks sewn together?

By the 12th century, socks denoted a low shoe or slipper and later a knitted foot covering. By 1583 the word "stocking" was used to describe a covering for the feet and legs. "Hose" came from the Old English and Old High German word hosa, (i.e. leg covering).

In l589 Reverend William Lee of Nottinghamshire, England invented a machine, to knit cotton, woollen and silken socks. The machine made bright coloured socks easier to produce, cheaper, and thus encouraged their popularity.

The next revolution in sock production was the introduction of nylon in 1939.  Until then socks were commonly made from silk, cotton and wool. Nylon marked the blending two or more yarns in the production of socks.

Julian Hill was a member of a team of scientists led by Wallace Carothers working at the Du Pont Company in Delaware, USA. Looking for a silk substitute, Hill discovered that by pulling a heated rod from a mixture of coal tar, water and alcohol he could create a filament that was strong, sheer, and silk-like in appearance. Further research led to the first synthetic fibre, known as Polymer 6.6. In 1937, Du Pont patented the discovery. The same year Wallace Carothers, committed suicide in a fit of depression. As a tribute to him Du Pont decided to acknowledge Carothers as the inventor of Polymer 6.6 instead of Hill.

Synthetic fibres were presented to the public at the World's Fair in New York in 1939. Taking the NY from the city's initials, the fibre became known as "nylon". The first nylon stockings appeared in New York’s stores on May 15, 1940. Over 72,000 pairs were sold on the first day itself. In the first year, 64 million pairs of stockings were sold and manufacturers often failed to meet the demand!

Water  Hyacinth

At first glance you are likely to dismiss it as some kind of nameless and faceless weed, of no importance. Yet  if one were to look closely, one would be face to face with a unique plant species.

The seven varieties of water hyacinth (genus Eichhornia) − the free-floating perennial aquatic herb that originated in the Amazon Basin  of South America were introduced into many parts of the world as an ornamental garden pond plant due to its beauty. It has since proliferated in many areas and can now be found on all continents apart from Europe.

The plant is closely related to the Liliaceae (lily family). It has broad, thick and shiny ovate leaves, which may grow from a few inches upto 1 metre in height. The leaves are 10-20 cm in diameter, supported above the water surface by long, spongy and bulbous stalks. The feathery, freely hanging roots are purplish black. The stems and leaves contain air-filled tissue which give the plant considerable buoyancy.

An erect stalk supports a single spike of 8-15 attractive flowers, whose colour may vary from lavender to blue and even pink.A fast growing plant, water hyacinth reproduces primarily by means of runners or stolons, forming daughter plants, though it also reproduces through seeds. Though generally floating on a water surface it can often  be found anchored in mud.

Water hyacinths grow wild and in plenty throughout North America, Asia, Australia and Africa. If not  adequately controlled, water hyacinth entirely covers lakes and ponds, affecting water flow, and blocking out sunlight from reaching the depths of the waters, thus reducing oxygen supply, often leading to death of fishes and other acquatic animals inhabiting that water body.

Clusters of  water hyacinth often invade and encroach  water bodies commonly influenced by human activities, e.g artificial reservoirs and lakes where chemical nutrients (compounds containing nitrogen or phosphorus) are present. Water hyacinth is a highly favourable habitat for mosquitos, besides hosting a parasitic flatworm which uses freshwater snails as carriers for its spread.This worm causes schistosomiasis (snail fever) characterised by high fever, skin rashes and diarrrohea among other things.

The fibre from the stems of the water hyacinth plant can be used to make rope. To this end the stalk from the plant is shredded lengthways to expose the fibres which are then left to dry for several days. In the Philippines, water hyacinth is thoroughly dried and used to make baskets and matting for domestic use.