Hold on to your towel and raise a toast

BANGALORE: Towels are part of your daily life whether you like it or not. Wet or dry, you use it without fail, unless you are allergic to the fabric itself! While, there are many throw-in-the-towel situations one would have faced, did you ever imagine that a piece of cloth too can get a day dedicated to it. Yes, May 25 was World Towel Day! And, some Bangaloreans did celebrate it. Silly piece of news? Well, read on.You’ve probably heard of occasions like World Youth Day, Earth Day and the likes. In fact, the city celebrated May Day and Mother’s Day this month. But it doesn’t end there, there’s another addition to the list, as we already mentioned. On World Towel Day, Bangaloreans from across the city geared up to sport towels in various colours and sizes yesterday in a tribute to Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.The day was first observed on 25 May, 2001, two weeks after Adams’ death. The idea originally appeared on the “Binary Freedom” forum, and soon fans from all over the globe were observing this day to pay their respects to him. Initially, on the forum, it was proposed that fans carry towels with them on this day; they were encouraged to wear them on their heads, use them as a weapon, or anything else they wished. Gradually, as the event drew a growing number of followers, various other activities were also held. In the city, it is for the first time that this day was celebrated on such a scale.Shweta Thakur, a representative of a branding solution company, who conceptualized the idea, stressed that it was a non-profit event. “The idea of organising the day in Bangalore came about through a friend who was a fan of the book,” Shweta explained. Apart from a number of devoted fans who pledged to carry towels with themselves, several restaurants, pubs and cafes in the city also came forward to serve up their own versions of the ‘Pan-Galactic Gargleblaster’ — according to The Hitchhiker’s Guide.“The effect of drinking one of these is rather like having your brains smashed out with a slice of lemon, wrapped around a large gold brick.” And what’s more, for towel bearers, the first drink, was on the house. A leading bookstore also came up with a 10 per cent discount on science fiction books for persons who were spotted with towels and, for enthusiasts attired in pajamas, the discount was extended to 25 per cent! Thakur added that this year’s celebrations was special because of the date, the numbers in 25/05/12 add up to 42! For those hoopy froods who ask “Why 42?”, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will give you all the information you need, because, as it states, “once you do know what the question actually is, you’ll know what the answer means.”