Kasaragod: The Islamic holy month of Ramadan reawakens an interest in traditional Thalangara thoppi {cap} among the faithful in Malabar. This distinctive pure cotton cap with stiff sides and designs resembling those on Arabic-Persian prayer mats is the relic of a proud past. It even finds a mention in the great Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta’s writings. Formerly, widely exported to the Gulf and Africa, mechanised mass production by the biggest manufacturer Bangladesh followed by China, has seen the craft shrink to a few families. The polyester prayer caps are cheaper than this hand-crafted labour of devotion and love. T A Abbas still follows the old practice of hand embroidery, which might take nearly 20 days to finish one cap. Muslim men sport caps to emulate Prophet Muhammad’s {PBUH} practice of covering his hair. Called ‘taaqiya’ in Arabic, it is known as ‘topi’ in South Asia. Government support for this Tulunadan heritage craft could see its revival, and contribute to foreign exchange earnings. Thomson-Reuters’ State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2018-19 projects Islamic spending on ‘modest clothing’ to touch $75 billion {re.524,066 crore} by 2020. As the mercury keeps soaring this summer, the caps also help the faithful to keep a cool head.