From the time she was a child, Shalini had loved the ritual of making jasmine garlands. The flower seller would come and measure out the jasmine buds and then in the evening, her mother and aunt would settle down to make the garlands. 3 long ones for the gods’ pictures, and 4 smaller ones – for the two of them, Shalini and her sister. How swiftly their fingers would move to wind the string around the flower buds. They would have bloomed by the next morning and the whole house would be fragrant with the almost intoxicating smell of jasmine. Her mother would plait her daughters’ hair, then raise one thick strand and insert the garland through the gap. Most days, she would make two plaits for Shalini, and the garland would be strung from one plait to the other. Shalini preferred the days when her mother ran out of time and just made one plait, because then one end of the garland would flap around her shoulder, and she could smell it if she just turned her head a bit. After she got ma...
very nice. i love the black and whites.
ReplyDeleteLove the fourth piece ..trying to maintain balance .. seems like life on a see-saw..
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