Home…being on the edge of a forest…being on the 2nd floor of the building…being a corner apartment, manages to be functional without thick curtains. Sunlight, fresh air, traffic sounds, jackal-baying-on-full-moon-nights, touristy questions and laughter—they all float through the rooms, and add their bit of cheer and zing to the air.
Every morning, the forest peeps into the rooms, while birdsong heralds day-break. I have seen grey skies, rose pink clouds, silver lightning, golden sunshine and clear blue horizons. There can be no better way to start a day. At night, silver moonlight floods the house—no better way to end a day either!
There is one proper curtain in the front room…old as time and thick as timber. Tied up with a belt from a long discarded jacket, the curtain is unfurled in the evenings to keep in the room activities, and to keep out the sounds of passing cars, cows, canines and cats, and every other sound which can make Bruni and Sher Singh bark their heads off. Just last night, a family of rabbits came out for a moonlight hop, and that was enough for all of us to jump out of bed at midnight..Bruni can bark life into a dying soul!
A couple of blinds in the living room give an orange glow to the evening. A trio of half curtains in the bedroom give a sliver of privacy from the distant road. Seven years ago, when I had shifted to Ranikhet, I had sewn curtains from an old handloom sari, which was a favourite “Dhaakai” of my mother’s. It was like having her fluttering around me, while I settled down, got new routines in place, and figured out what to do with my life. Once I got my act together, those sari curtains disintegrated in the washing machine, and I moved on to sewing curtains from a Sambalpuri sari which had travelled all over India, checking out the TB control program.
Our front door has a show stopper of a curtain..Filet crochet(which is all about filling squares) and hours of dogged crocheting by Aahna,have combined to complete this mesh of marvellousness. This brings out all my unabashed pride and joy when I am pointing out the curtain, and making sure that every visitor notices this family heirloom at the entrance.
Today, I have completed this knitted curtain for a bedside window. It needs a little bit of starch, a length of wire ( right now, its been strung on a knitting needle which perches precariously on two nails), and some readjustment, but I am delighted with this knitted piece. Cotton is cool and calm and soft and has a quiet drape. It shields me from inquisitive eyes, but does not stop the blue and green of the forest from coming inside.
I am content… but hey, I can feel that little thought entering my mind. How about knitting curtains for the entire house?
This knitter just needs one finished project in hand, to begin planning an entire range!
