My whole neighbourhood is brimming with activity, celebration is in the air and I too am feeling good about the fact that Mrs. Khannaʼs daughter is getting married in two weeks time. Our neighbourhood is a big family and its only appropriate that on such occasion everyone is behaving as a family member. So today all my gang is meeting at the gazebo in the children ʼs park to sit and chat about the wedding and all the things that make it so vibrant. As I started going down the stairs, I could not help but notice that most of the houses had Rangoli at the door steps and torans on their doors. The whole estate is appearing as one home and this is what makes an Indian wedding so colourful and vibrant.
ʻAunty Rao, wait for me, I am also joining you at the gazeboʼ, shrieked Naina from the first floor. She had a shower cap on and smelled of egg. ʻ Thatʼs the reason I thought of not attending the meeting, but changed my mind at the last minuteʼ, said Naina apologetically. ʻThat is a very good cure for moisturising you hair, it works even better if you add two teaspoons of honey and two tablespoon of olive oil to the egg. This will help in keeping the split ends away and thus healthy growth of hairʼ, I informed her.
At the gazebo, everyone was busy discussing about the apparel, hair-dos and all those things that women associate with marriage. What is funny is the fact that nobody was satisfied the way they looked at their wedding and wanted to compensate for that at such occasions.
Dipti was very concerned about her acne and had tried a few lotions but with no results.ʻ I am going to tell you a few remedies and you can try all of them, I am sure something will work out. Firstly putting some garlic paste on the face will help remove the acne because garlic has antibiotic properties. You must leave this paste on for about 15 minutes before washing it with warm water. Lemon juice mixed with water also helps in subsiding the pimples. A mask of grated apple mixed with honey also helps in getting rid of pimplesʼ, I advised Dipti.
What about my black heads?ʼ asked Bela. ʻFor those, a simple and effective method is to apply a scrub made of oatmeal, honey and egg white to the face and in a few days the blackheads will be goneʼ, I informed Bela.
“Look at my feet, Aunty, I have tried so many lotions to make heels softer, but there hasnt been a permanent solution, what can I do so that my heels dont crack?ʼ asked Smriti. With a smile, I said, ʻIf you want soft heels then the only permanent solution is being regular in applying the lotions that you have. But a cheaper substitute for these expensive lotions is mashed banana or mashed papaya. These fruits also give the same result. Pamper yourself once in a while and soak your hands and feet in a mixture of whole milk and honey. If you have dark finger joints, apply barley powder mixed with lemon juice, and see the difference only after two sessions.
Coming back to my hair, Aunty what must I do to keep my hair shiny and nourishedʼ, asked Naina. ʻSince your hair is dull and dry, you must oil it every time you wash your hair and remember to use warm oil so that it spreads evenly on the scalp. Any oil such as mustard, coconut, olive oil can be used depending on the availability, but you must also give your hair a rinse of apple cider vinegar every 5-6 weeks because that will help in washing away any oil build-ups in the hair, ʼ I said. As anticipated, Jaya came forward and took my hand to feel her hair, which was highly oily and asked ʻand what must I do with this oily hair, I guess my oil glands are too rich. ʼ Everyone chuckled and I advised Jaya that she must use apple cider vinegar regularly, applying lemon juice to the hair will also take away the oiliness of the hair.
Tea-timeʼ, announced Neha as she brought a tray full of tea cups and biscuits and namkeenʼ for everyone. The discussion now shifted to styles, cuts, and colours in fashion and what everyone had shopped for the big day. And that was the knowledge that I had to take from them!
