The term “to whitewash” is metaphorically used to mean glossing over or concealing faults. The origin of the term could be traced to refurbishing a building with lime-wash which had can hide defects and present an attractive appearance. Long before the advent of paint, the old-fashioned and economical whitewash was the order of the day. Mark Twain’s classic account of how Tom Sawyer whitewashed a fence had immortalised this occupation.
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Whitewashing was once a standard practice in many homes. It is still popular in rural areas and in old residential parts of towns. An annual ritual I remember well was whitewashing undertaken in our ancestral house. It was carried out either close to the Pongal festival or at any convenient time during summer. All members of the family including me, a middle-school student then, would cooperate to ensure a successful operation. It was both pain and pleasure for us in equal measure. Pain, as our daily routine would be upset. It was pleasure to watch the house brightening up.
Selvam, the ebullient whitewash-painter of our family, would remind my father sufficiently early that the task was due. Father would ask him to buy the materials and complete the job.
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Selvam would empty a few bags of whole lime in a big cement tank near the well in our garden. He would then pour water into the tank after which the whole content would boil with a hissing sound as if it was placed on fire. As we, children, were watching it with amusement, my father would explain: “Lime reacts readily with water to produce slaked lime, which is the chemical, calcium hydroxide. So much heat is evolved during the reaction that the lime mixture starts boiling.” Selvam would make special brushes out of coconut fronds for painting.
Before the operation commenced, every one of us would start getting rid of clutter. Selvam and his two assistants would help remove the small household things to the porch. The workers would move the heavy cupboards, beds, boxes and benches away from the walls. All things would be covered by bed sheets to protect them from dust. We would be elated on finding some of our belongings supposed to have been lost.
The work would commence with scraping the walls and removing the old lime coat. This would be followed by washing the walls with water and removing stains and marks. Cracks on the walls, if any, would be closed with lime or cement paste and the surface would be rubbed and made smooth. Selvam would add water to the slaked lime in the tank and filter it. He would then add to the liquid lime, gum or rice gruel as well as blue powder, and distribute it in three smaller tins to the painters.
There would be two coats of painting with an additional coat where necessary. While the ceiling would normally be painted white, the walls in different rooms would be painted yellow or blue by adding colouring pigments to the whitewash. Outer walls would be painted yellow (Gobi). Selvam would patiently dust the rooms, remove the lime stains on doors and windows, clean the floor and help in putting back the things and furniture.
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