Spice of Life | Names engraved on steel, etched in heart
Utensils would travel back and forth, and the engraved names ensured that each one found its way home, like a homing pigeon guided by the warmth of familiarity.
There are some traditions so simple yet so profound that they leave an everlasting mark on our hearts — just like the names engraved on our stainless steel utensils.
Growing up, every home had its own set of metal plates, bowls, and tumblers proudly bearing the family name, ensuring that they never got mixed up in the constant exchange of food and love between neighbours.
In our mohallas (neighbourhoods), sharing food was not just a practice; it was a way of life. A steaming bowl of ‘daal’, a plate of hot ‘pakoras’, ‘halwa’ or a ‘katori (bowl)’ of freshly made ‘kheer’ would often travel across homes, carried in steel containers marked with their owners’ names.
My mother and grandmother, like so many others, believed in sending a little portion of whatever was cooked to our neighbours. And, of course, the same courtesy was extended to us. Utensils would travel back and forth, and the engraved names ensured that each one found its way home, like a homing pigeon guided by the warmth of familiarity.
Shopkeepers used to keep machines handy to engrave names on utensils on the request of the buyers.
The nostalgia of this tradition struck me deeply when my mother recently travelled to South India and brought back steel utensils for my elder brother and me as souvenirs. In keeping with our age-old custom, she had our names etched on them, ensuring they would never get mixed up.
The simple act took me back to childhood, to memories that still make me smile.
I must have been in Class 3 when my mother bought me a small metal ‘dabbi’ (tiffin box), big enough to hold one or two ‘rotis’ and a little ‘sabji’ or pickle. What made it extra special was that she got my name engraved on it. I felt like I owned something that was mine alone. I flaunted it in front of my classmates with an immense sense of joy and belonging.
But one day, during lunch break, my excitement turned into panic. The tiffin had got exchanged with that of a friend with a similar one. When I returned home, my mother immediately noticed the difference and wasted no time. She rushed me to my classmate’s house, as the name of his family was engraved on it. Lunch box in hand, I returned his and retrieved mine. I not only got my little treasure back, but also understood the value of engraving names on utensils. It’s not just an identifier, but a guardian of our memories and emotions.
Even today, in a world filled with disposable packaging and fast-paced living, utensils with names engraved hold a special charm. The practice might be fading, but for those of us who grew up with it, those steel plates, bowls and tumblers are not just kitchenware — they are pieces of our childhood, etched in metal, preserved in nostalgia.
tarsem.deogan@htlive.com
The writer is the Ludhiana bureau head of Hindustan Times