Page 22 - Balvihar january 2024

Peculiarly Perfect Family

"Khamma Ghani sa!", greeted the cheerful taxi driver as Ananta started her journey to her
opulent ancestral home in the heart of Jaipur. Ananta’s mother explained to her that this was
the traditional way of greeting in Rajasthan. Having grown up in London, this trip marked a
joyous return to India for Ananta, who had accompanied her parents to celebrate her uncle's
wedding. She was excited for the festivities, and her eyes sparkled with joy upon seeing her
grandmother. Grandmother stuffed her mouth with delicious besan ladoos while eagerly
inquiring about their journey.
Everyone joined in the preparations
for the wedding. As Ananta was
making the torans for their front door
with her aunt, she noticed that her
Aunt would keep arranging her hair
after every few minutes. She would
keep rolling a strand of her hair in
her finger. Ananta couldn't help but
wonder about the curious behaviour.
Soon enough, the toran was ready
and put up on the main gate.

As she accompanied her uncle to
purchase sweets, she observed how he
asked for a sample of a few sweets, smelt them and ate only those whose aroma he liked. His
liking for fragrant foods was evident from his habit of eating anything only after smelling it.
Ananta was surprised to see this new method of eating.
As she reached home, she went with her cousin, Reva to play with the doll-house. She saw how
Reva would keep biting her lips and circling her mouth, with her fingers. Ananta had never seen
someone biting their lips so often, and she asked Reva if her lips were twitching. Reva replied
in the negative.

They both then went to their grandfather, to get some chocolates from him. Grandpa would
shower them with chocolates. Seated on his wooden chair, Grandpa was listening to an old
radio, sipping tea with one hand and a hand-fan in the other. Ananta had never seen a hand-
fan before, and she was looking at it curiously. Strangely enough, he would keep kissing his
hand-fan every now and then. Ananta wondered why he was so attached to his hand-fan. Upon
enquiry, she came to know that the hand-fan was a heirloom that was also used by her late
great-grandfather.

She would listen to Shri Krishna Leela from her grandmother at bedtime. Grandma would
always wave her palms in front of Ananta’s face and make a fist and put it at the side of

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Balvihar - January 2024