MOLA TADU

I do not know what its equivalent is in English ( Lion thread) .....but it was a major factor ....without which I could never go out,that enigmatic string that comes in two distinct colors RED and Black; do not ask me when we must wear the red one and when the black one...any way you were barred from asking questions those days.....for a simple reason ,you never got answers.
It was always to be worn......don't go out without that was like a commandment. It came in two colors red and black.....red was always preferred over black....(I suppose black was for girls),but what ever it was part of our attire one we could never abandon. If it was worn out and we were moving about without it a lot of noise was made to replace it with utmost haste. As I grew up I realized it was quite a handy tool for my mother to handle the toddlers. It was used to hang holy talisman to keep the evil spirits away,to hang some safety pins.

But the issue wouldn't have stuck in to my juvenile mind but for some unpalatable memories. As toddlers many areas of the house hold were out of bounds...that too in some particular time zones ,like my mother after her bath was not to be touched till my granny had her lunch....a rule I found totally resentful even at that innocent age......perhaps that was the first of fundamental rights I had to lose very early in life.... in such awkward moments my grandmother used to tie me up to the window grill......using the "mola tadu" I suppose thankfully the practice seems to have stopped with the modern kids what with mothers fussing and fretting over their single or max two children.

The thread that was tied rather tightly around our waist that we called molatadu had its advantages too. Those were the times we wore large shorts.. Perhaps the design of shorts for kids in those days inspired by Andhra Police shorts ...that were very huge but covered nothing if one bent down.....(what with no concept of under wears ). Unfortunately there were no fancy malls or ready made garment shops in those remote villages so each of those abominable shorts were tailored by the only tailor of the village . More over its not that we wore custom made shorts......the dresses and garments were recycled from the elder sibling to the younger as per their seniority....being a large family there were ample choices though....in most cases the shorts were ill fitting and used to slip down the slender waist as we ran around the neighborhood... the thread around our waist Molatadu was quite handy in keeping sanity to our privacy.

Perhaps the thread was more of support to tie the lion cloth in olden times ....and has no scientific relevance ....in these days of a variety of undergarments to choose from....but the tradition I suppose goes on .....