Mehendi hai rachne waali

L. is kind of fed up with this song, since he has to listen to me singing it all the time. Poor thing, he needs a break. But I can't help it. It's been playing in my head since the day my parents consented to our marriage. And then came Diwali. This year, I couldn't celebrate it as I would have liked due to a deadline. We ended up celebrating it with our close friends S&S, for whom this Diwali was even more special. It was the first Diwali after their wedding, and they decorated their home beautifully. It was a very special Diwali, so I had to do something beautiful. So, I did Mehendi. First reason was that non-stop song playing in my head. And the second reason was that Mehendi has a way to make any occasion very special and festive.



This time I used the mehendi powder I bought from Hydrabad during my last trip to India. The best part was that I did not need to sieve it. I boiled some water, added tea leaves, boiled some more and strained the liquid. I added fresh lime juice, eucalyptus oil and clove oil to the mix. I also added a tsp. of honey, to make it more elastic. Mixed well, let it sit, covered on the counter for about 5-6 hours and then made the cones. Every Mehendi waali has her secret recipe for soaking mehendi. I think this is going to be mine. However, I still don't know how to make cones very well..but it was ok...Later that night, I applied mehendi to S. and me, while the guys watched a movie. We came home at 4.00 in the morning. It truely was a happy Diwali.