Dhaka to Mumbai: Thamma’s shidoor kouto

Dhaka to Mumbai: Thamma’s shidoor kouto

Cultural bridges of an era gone by

Cultural bridges of an era gone by

Sangeet Benode, 1913

Sangeet Benode, 1913

Palli Palagai: a telling object of South India’s maritime stories

Palagai or Palavai, like it is called colloquially, is a wooden plank which was used as a reading and writing material for Arabic language in the provincial town of Kayalpatnam, Tamil Nadu. It was used actively until the turn of the 21st century by the Palli-going kids in the town. Palli translates to ‘school’ and ‘mosques’ in Tamil. But in Kayalpatnam it has also got another meaning.  A Palli is a private residence or a public place where reading classes in Arabic are given to young kids as small as three year olds.

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A life in Burma

One of the few remnants of my family’s connection with erstwhile Burma (now Myanmar), is a lacquerware box, an inheritance from my maternal grandmother. When my mother, Manimegalai, got married, the box was a part of her dowry and is well over 80 years old.

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The Foreman Sahib’s Whisky Glasses

My grandmother recalled how my grandfather had actually bought these glasses in the mid 1970s from a shop in Pragati Maidan, Delhi. At the time, there were two sets of six glasses each – of one set, now four remain and of the second set, there is only one left. Classically meant for brandy, my grandfather and great-grandfather used to drink whisky in them.

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The Sindhi Nath of Lakshmibai Chhabria

This Chunni or nose ring found its way to Bombay on the nose of its fiery, feisty owner, Lakshmibai Chhabria. She continued to wear it even after she lost her husband, her eldest son and her land of birth, all with one single Partition line, lakeer, as they call it in our family.

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Vari da bagh

The story of this ‘vari da baagh’ begins with bebeji. It was hand-embroidered in around 1965 and given to my dadi as part of her wedding trousseau. The baagh is made of red “khaddar” hand-dyed and hand-woven cloth.

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