A blog on Mumbai - the city, its people, its culture. Three of us write here - my daughter Aishwarya, my mom Janaki, and I. If you like something, leave a comment!
- Deepa
Monday, May 07, 2007
You know this flower, right?
Yeah yeah, this is a hibiscus flower, at its stunning best. You'll see it all over India, wherever you go. But did you know:
That hibiscus is traditionally burnt in ghee to form a black dye for eyebrows?
That in Bengal, it is the favourite flower of the Goddess Kali?
That the women of Kerala have traditionally used the hibiscus to make a soapy shampoo?
And if you knew all that, then - aha - I bet you didnt know these things:
That Polynesian women use the bark of the hibiscus to make grass skirts?
That karkade, or hibiscus tea is said to have been a favourite drink of the Pharaohs?
That hibiscus is called "shoe flower" because it was used to polish shoes in Jamaica?
Hibiscus I would know mostly (except from some in Spain) as a favourite "potplant" of my mum..Pots AND flowers being huge..so not a sorry little half dead minor plant thingy of the kind I might keep alive..I'm not surprised about Wikipedia's concept for the use of it's colors as eyebrow dye or "shoepolish".. My mums favourite is a threat to anything "white" I might wear when getting too close to admire them..
Janaki (centre), with daughter Deepa and granddaughter Aishwarya.
Mumbai Magic is on Nat Geo's Mumbai Destination Guide!
Here's what National Geographic has to say: "Cull cultural tips and highlights from this family's three-generational approach to Mumbai. The insightful photography and anecdotal writings stem from the three women's local expertise."
Yeah yeah, this is a hibiscus flower, at its stunning best. You'll see it all over India, wherever you go. But did you know:
3 comments:
Hibiscus I would know mostly (except from some in Spain) as a favourite "potplant" of my mum..Pots AND flowers being huge..so not a sorry little half dead minor plant thingy of the kind I might keep alive..I'm not surprised about Wikipedia's concept for the use of it's colors as eyebrow dye or "shoepolish".. My mums favourite is a threat to anything "white" I might wear when getting too close to admire them..
I love wikipedia too.. Great pitcure.
Thx,
Ken
where can i get hibiscus powder in bombay?
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