Emeralds, like transparent leaves around the neck. Rubies flash fire on the ears. Sapphire like the deepest oceans drown us in their mystery. Pearls, like the milky moon cools the neck. Gold sparkles sunshine around our waist. Diamonds flash lightning wherever they touch. These exceptionally fine pieces of gold [...]
...my father came to see my mother in the hospital delivery room. She handed him the baby and he pressed a gold bangle into her palm. “Ponn kodutha kai-kku pon kodukkaren,” he said with a shy grin. Ponn in Tamil means daughter. Pon, without the end emphasis, also means gold. My father, ever [...]
What can I tell you about Tamilnadu? The land of my birth. Madurai Malli (jasmine), Kumbakonam degree coffee, Ambur Thalapakatti biriyani, Kanchipuram silk, and the Kaveri delta. The sari-clad matron grudgingly accepts the cellophane-wrapped plastic bag from the jewellery salesman behind the counter. “No calendar?” she asks. This then [...]
