I had often wondered what these men were selling. Wrapped lovingly in a large leaf and tied in string, what could possibly be in the folds of the leaf?At first I thought it was a paan wrapped in a betel leaf. But the man's hands were not stained. Besides, the location of the man - near the casino jetty in Panjim - made me wary.
Well, yesterday I found out. Waiting in the car, in Panjim in the early evening, an elderly gent approached me to sell me his wares. I took it guardedly but was knocked off balance by the gust of the sweet-scented flowers. I inhaled them and breathed deeply. The flowers were so delicate, so fragile. Yet they gave a new tone to existence. The tactile experience of untying, opening, inhaling and looking seemed a ritual I would never get tired off.
He told me they were shevoli flowers. I paid Rs. 25 for them. I was actually at a loss about what to do with the flowers when Queenie came and hung them on the car mirror. They continue to be there still. When I opened the car this morning the sweet-scent wafted up to me. From now on I am going to look out for these shevli flowers to put in my car to accompany me on my lonely rides to work and back.
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