A.P.R.I.L.

April is a month which reminds me of unlimited joy. 2 months of holidays after the grueling exams. No books, full time play and the added benefit of a trip to some place. We get to meet cousins. No restriction on television and get to play all nice games like both indoor and outdoor.

Also, we have about 4 or 5 big mango trees in my house and April being the month where in you get those lovely yummy mangoes. We as children used to climb the trees to pluck those mangoes so that mom puts them in boxes filled with hay to ripe. We used to get payed with those yummy green mangoes. The taste of those green mangoes with chilli and salt is so yummy that it still gets my mouth water even after years. Every day it was our duty to open the box and see if there are any ripe mangoes and aerate the mangoes. We would just wait when the mango turns yellow.. :)

Eating those ripe mangoes itself was fun. We would be handed each one and we press and roll them between the palms and then remove a small portion of the skin and then eat the pulp...

We used to have competition that who eats the mango without a drop of pulp falling down would win. :)

We used to fight for the delicious sweet mango jam that mom makes. Slurp! slurp! slurp!

Another big reason for me to love April is those beautiful white jasmine flowers with a lovely fragrance. I somehow love adorning jasmine flowers on my hair. :) The fragrance will just make you feel so relaxed and happy. Sporting flowers is not a easy task a whole lot of process goes into it. We need to pluck the jasmine buds the previous evening. Differentiating between the buds which would bloom the next morning itself is a big technique to be mastered. :) Then make a jasmine strand out of the same.

Earlier my mother used to tie those buds with the dried pseudo stem. We used to dip the layer of stem in water and make thin parts of it much like a thread. The art of making a jasmine strand it a beauty by itself. In recent days where we find no time for anything mom conveniently uses thread to make a jasmine strand.

Can you see the dried portion in the picture below. It is from that we used to make the threads to make a jasmine strand. So many years out of school I have forgotten all botanical nomenclatures. :((((((((

Coming back to the process, after making a strand place it in a wet cloth overnight. The next morning it would be in a stage where it is half blossomed. It would be a visual treat to see that. Just fasten it on your hair with a clip and you get the traditional look instantly. :) It is a very common sight in South India. They even buy flowers when we go to someone's house or give flowers if someone comes to our house.

In the month of April and May, my house is filled with jasmine fragrance and not a day you can see me without those flowers. :) Unfortunately, living in the North, I hardly get a glimpse of the flower. :(