Tehar

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Article in The Hindu


Phuphee drapes her shawl 

and sits by the apple orchard 


With 

a dechee of tehar 

samovar 

and a cup of mustard oil,

she spreads her carpet


like a flock of pigeons, 

Pecking a handful of rice


Surround Phuphee

women from her village 


When one woman narrates,

the other anoints

the narrator's hair with mustard oil

"it releases the tension" 

Phuphee says 


these women who toil hard 

And traveled a long way


on Phuphee's carpet,

Listen to each other

All day 




/inspired by the article by Saba Mahjoor in The Hindu/

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