The origin of umbrella goes back as far as the mythological times. Jamadagni Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, was known to be a skilled archer. He would shot an arrow and his wife Renuka would collect them at once.

One day she was unable to find the arrow and blamed the scorching heat of the Sun for her delay. Hearing this, Jamadagni became furious and aimed his arrow towards the Sun to destroy it. The Sun then begged for mercy and offered an umbrella to Renuka that would guard her against heat. Since then, umbrella has become an irreplaceable necessity of our lives.

A folding canopy supported by metal ribs, it is mounted on a wooden, metal or plastic pole. Nowadays, two types of umbrellas are mostly in use. One being the collapsible, where the pole retracts and the ribs get folded while the other is non-collapsible where the pole does not retract.

According to historians, the oldest reference to a collapsible umbrella dates back to 21 AD. The word ‘umbrella’, refers to a device used for protection from rain, evolved from the Latin term ‘umbella’.

An umbel is a bunch of tiny flowers whose stalks meet together, more like the ribs of an umbrella. Another term for umbrella, known as ‘parasol’, is derived from the Spanish ‘para’meaning stop and ‘sol’ meaning the Sun.

Large umbrellas, also known as the golf umbrellas, serve as a shade while relaxing on the sea-shore, in movie sets or in roof-top restaurants, in picnic spots and are also used by shopkeepers, especially those selling street food. There are umbrella hats which are convenient for the farmers while they have to plough under the flame of the sun. John Gardner Wilkinson, a pioneer Egyptologist of the 19th century, observed that the umbrella was an integral part of the daily lifestyle of ancient Egypt.

As early as (505-470) BC, the noblemen of ancient Athens, known as Ariostis, were also known to have used parasols. According to Aristophanes, the comic playwright of ancient Athens, it (skiadeion in Greek) was an indispensable trend of fashion in the late 5th century BC. Followed by the ancient Greece, umbrella in leather has survived in the Roman times as ‘umbraculum’.

Thus, umbrella has been the devoted friend of mankind since time immemorial. It has provided him cool shade from the scorching heat and guarded him from the pouring rain. When one becomes aged, the umbrella extends its role as a walking stick, thus providing support.

Leaving aside rain or sun, some umbrellas even possess the power to shield bullets.

One such umbrella weighing 10,000 pounds with Kevlar coating and carbon and silver, making it bullet proof, guards the French President Nicolas Sarkozy from all attackers.

Also umbrellas became the major symbol of revolution in the Hong Kong protests in 2014. Umbrella, with its presence in our lives, help us to embrace pleasure even during the sultry summer days.

Coordinator, Class X, Kalyani University Experimental High School