The Yellow Butterfly

Q from AtoZChallenge Quilt.  गोधडी.  Hand-stitched गोधडी!  When I was around seven or eight, my Aaji hand-stitched two गोधडीs for me. One was a magenta-red with white and orange dots and elephants on the border and the other was a bright mango-yellow with tiny white polka dots and a brown border.  She had used four of her sarees, rather पात्तळ (her word for her everyday soft cotton sarees) and had undertaken this 'project of love' for me, her youngest grand-daughter!  She had layered one saree over the other, keeping the pretty, softer side on the outside and had hand-stitched it with the thicker thread and a taller pin.  My Aaji had a sewing machine at home. A regular tailor's machine, which worked manually. The one where you had to step on and keep pedaling and tapping for the machine to move. She had used the machine for years, stitching bags, pillow covers, making kids' dresses and many things (which surprisingly I never got to see...

L of #AtoZChallenge Lion King has changed the Sunrise for me!  It's a forever change.  There are rare times when I have seen a rising sun.  But whenever I have seen one,  'Naaaaaachiii baingyaaaa, baba bi chiwawaaa....'  rings in my ears!  I am that sun who rises on that screen,  I am that ant who walks on the twig,  I am those bisons who run, I am that leopard,  I am that bird who flies across the huge waterfall, I am the mighty elephant who slowly walks past the wide mountain,  I am also the flamingo who flies over the beautiful river basking in the early sunshine.  I am the antelope hopping to reach in time,  I am that little giraffe who runs with his mum, I am also Zazoo who glides and swoops down at Mufasa's feet,  and bows to him.  And then Mufasa smiles.  Oh that smile!  That kind, wise smile!  It is then when I knew that I wanted to BE kind l...