SASTA BOL RAHA HAI MAHENGA BHI DOL RAHA HAI

Colourful canvas runs away with hearts - Youths and not-so-young match steps with rainbow-hued footwear

AAROHI KESHAV

Canvas shoes on display at a shop in Patna. Telegraph picture Patna, Jan. 20: They are comfy but hardy, and rather good to look at. Colourful canvas shoes are the latest fashion rage among the youths in the state capital. Fashion experts claim that footwear is the most important aspect of one’s attire and one must be very particular about what one covers one’s feet with. But for youths in the city, their casual canvas pairs have become prized possessions. Not only because they are low on cost and maintenance but also because they can be worn anywhere and with anything. Be it at party or college, whether you are wearing jeans or formals, canvas shoes go well with everything. “The best part about these shoes is that you do not need to worry about keeping them clean. If they get dirty, just toss them into your washing machine and they will come out sparkling clean,” said Samidha Barthpal, a law student. The term “canvas” is derived from the Latin cannabis, meaning hemp. The shoes got their name because originally canvas fabric from which these shoes are moulded, was woven from cannabis. The coarse fabric is usually used to make sails or used as a medium for painting. As the texture of the fabric is tough, it was used to make athletic shoes. But the contemporary avatar of the fancy footwear has very little similarity to its 20th century ancestor. Visit any shoe shop in the city and you will see them occupying the place of pride on the shelves. The multi-coloured shoes cannot fail to attract your attention. Some of them are available for as low a price as Rs 200. If you are brand-conscious, however, you may choose a branded one. Of course you have to shell out a little more for them. “A branded canvas shoes comes for anything between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,500,” said Nikhil Kumar, the owner of a shoe shop in Kankerbagh. Kumar also said he sells around 10 pairs a day. “It is not only the youths who want these. People of all ages want to wear canvas shoe,” Kumar added. Jyostna Kumari (66), a grandmother who had come with her granddaughter for an evening stroll at Gandhi Maidan, was spotted wearing a pink canvas shoe. When asked about the curious choice, she pointed to her granddaughter, Anita, and said: “She got these for me. She said these are very fashionable these days. We used to wear simple sports shoes in our youth. But I guess this is what people wear now.” Anita, who was wearing a green canvas, agreed. “What is wrong with a little colour? Dadi wears colourful saris. Why must she wear boring chappals?” she said. Why indeed? So march on, wearing the hue you like. And don’t worry, these shoes do not wear out fast.