Nearly 86 years old now, she fondly recalls how Surmewalas would sit in a line outside the Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk, in those early years of Independent India. This brass surmedani was one of the first purchases my grandmother made there.
The Children’s Dictionary was published in the year 1910 by the Standard Literature Co. Ltd with publishing offices in India, Burma and Ceylon. The volumes date back to the colonial period in India and were purchased by my father whilst he was a student at St. Xavier’s College, Bombay.
A literal translation of ‘Maasina Battalu Petti’ would be ‘Laundry case or box’. This particular teakwood laundry case was something my grandparents bought as a newly married couple from a local exhibition held by artisans and Andhra tradesmen.
At a time when refrigerators weren’t readily available, the Meat Shelf was an extremely useful unit in every kitchen. It was surrounded with mesh on three sides and had three compartments and a drawer to store cooked food, vegetables and milk from getting spoilt and kept them away from rats, cats and cockroaches. This was possibly one of Mohan’s first purchases after he got married – a beautiful strong 3ft by 2ft rosewood meat shelf.
Bengali households often have a rich set of traditional items that are passed down as heirlooms from generation to generation. These are either pieces of jewellery, clothing, or any kind of utensil. For our family, it is the Pooja utensils that my mother received from my grandmother, and which my grandmother had once received from my great-grandmother.
