KARACHI: It is a bed without a mattress, though you may also place a mattress on it if you like. But when there were no foam or spring mattresses around, there was the charpoy, which is still quite common in Pakistan’s rural areas, where it is also known as pallang, manji or khattiya.
Traditionally made from a wooden frame attached to four broad wooden legs, the charpoy has itself seen some urbanisation. These days it is made from steel or iron bars and pipes.
Being semi-water proof, you may place these charpoys in your lawn or on your balcony or terrace as they make for good outdoor furniture just like cane furniture. A cluster of shops at Kala Pul in Karachi have a variety of such charpoys in many types and colours. There was a time when the rope woven around the frames was made of cotton only but now they also come as long strips or ribbons in synthetic materials.
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“The rope of the traditional charpoy used to be made from dried date palm leaves. This then used to be spun around and woven across the length and breadth of the frame to fill up the middle part to be used for sitting or lying down. Then there was also the cotton nawaar used for the same purpose to make the pallang. But besides cotton, we also have nylon and polyester now,” says Wali Khan, a charpoy shop owner.
“The cotton nawaar is usually white or off-white but the synthetic strings and strips can be of any colour,” he adds as one’s gaze turns to the blue, green, yellow, orange, red and pink charpoys.
The most expensive of these are the nylon string charpoys at around Rs3,500 and the cheapest are the polyester ones at just above Rs1,000. Then more variety comes in the sizes. There are three-foot-wide folding beds and four-foot-wide ones, too. “You can use them as trundle beds, to be pulled out from under your big beds in case you have a guest staying over,” Wali says.
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The metal or iron bed frames are made from scrap metal. “The scrap iron or metal comes from Japanese cars mostly. Actually it is old car chassis cut into bars and then welded or soldered together to make charpoy frames,” says Rasheed Khan, another charpoy dealer in the area.
And what happens when the metal rusts? “Oh, just scrape it off and paint over it,” he presents his solution.
“These beds are quite sturdy, actually. We can offer a 10-year guarantee on each. And if their strings start becoming loose, just bring them back to us and we’ll have the strings replaced or tightened in no time at all.”
Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2016