The Hindu Business Line : Weapons for women who dare

Come to think of it, women have many more weapons than just tears. But http://women.msn.com/713868.armx talks of `10 tools every woman should have.' Don't back off — pistols and daggers are not on the list.

"To keep the roof over your head from crumbling around you," you need just the `barebones' list, assures Beverly DeJulio, on the MSN site. "Equipping the workshop can be compared with equipping the kitchen."

You may wonder if there aren't already enough weapons of selective destruction in the kitchen. True, there's the simple fork that can give at least three punctures in an emergency, kitchen knife capable of slicing off small bits, chilli powder a.k.a. gunpowder, and so on.

In traditional houses, there used to be more lethal stuff, I'm told, such as grinder stones made of granite — with and without handles, rice-pounding sticks that were as stout as mini pillars, plus the burning firewood in the works. There are tales of how Indian women have fought battles with drawn swords, chased tigers with winnowing fans, sobered drunkards with simple brooms and woken up lazy husbands with flying pans.

Let me revert to DeJulio's suggestions. The 10 tools are: the screwdrivers, awl ("a small painted tool used for piercing holes," as the Concise Oxford English Dictionary explains), claw hammer (16 oz. would be sufficient weight for most jobs, says the site), adjustable wrenches both small and medium, pliers (a set of three is the prescription: slip joint, tongue and groove long handled pliers, needle nose pliers), level, utility knife, retractable metal tape measure, small all-purpose saw, and safety goggles.

The following consumables are not counted in the 10: "an assortment of nails, screws, tape (electrical, masking and duct), sandpaper, a brush-on super glue."

I'm afraid most men would be nervous to let their womenfolk handle this stuff, but you'd agree that these days it is often necessary for women to be single but also independent.

DeJulio has inputs for women who want more. She introduces them to `the world of power tools.' They're just like what `the food processors and electric mixers are to the cook.' Once you've tried them, "chances are you'll wonder how you lived without one."

The list is brief, only two items, but they're deadly ones: "A power saw is a must if you are going to be working with wood," and "a cordless drill is a staple for the avid do-it-yourselfer."

To know more about power saws, I checked www.cpwr.com, the site of the Center to Protect Workers' Rights. It warns: "You can be badly cut or burned, using a power saw, if you are not careful. You can get sprains and strains and lose your hearing. Grit and dust from using the saws can hurt your eyes. Dust can hurt your lungs." Frightening stuff, you saw!

If Shakespeare had seen women with power tools, Hamlet would not have said: "Frailty, thy name is woman!"

"As your skills grow, so will your tool needs," writes DeJulio. "Just buy your tools as you need them... Good luck and happy hammering!"

For the rest of us, however, the advice is simple: Stay away when they're at work!

SayCheek@TheHindu.co.in