Mehndi Boy

Mehndi Boy — page 5 — Tez came a loud screech from downstairs Tehzeeb opened his eyes Wakey wakey I hope you remembered what today is his mother called from the kitchen Tehzeeb Tehzeeb leapt out of bed how could he forget He couldn’t sleep in this weekend dreaming about weddings Today was Navroz the very first day of spring When Tehzeeb marched into the kitchen he found his mom cooking up a storm He smelled the spicy scent of cardamom and the sugary sweetness of doughnuts Bollywood tunes were blasting through the room His mom swayed to the beat while stirring the batter 4

Mehndi Boy — page 6 — Ya Ali Madad Mommy Oh and Navroz Mubarak said Tehzeeb with a giant smile Mawla Ali Madad and Navroz Mubarak Tehzeeb beta she said Help yourself sleepyhead He grabbed a freshly fried doughnut shaped like a triangle off the cooling rack 5

Mehndi Boy — page 7 — Mmmm mandazi my favorite Yes beta I am making mandazi and channa bateta for the party this afternoon She beamed as she dropped more mandazi into the frying oil Each Navroz Tehzeeb’s family would head over to Ayaz Uncle’s house to celebrate the beginning of the new year Since his family moved from India to Tanzania a few generations ago his relatives would cook all the tastiest Swahili Gujarati and Kutchi delicacies to share Ayaz Uncle was his favorite relative since he always brought Tehzeeb the most unique souvenirs and trinkets from his travels around the world He loved making art as much as Tehzeeb too His daughter Rahima was like a big sister to Tehzeeb even though 6

Mehndi Boy — page 8 — they were first cousins She wore the prettiest outfits and always shared her old scarves belts and jewelry with him when she got tired of them Tehzeeb didn’t mind he loved Rahima’s hand-me-downs Make sure to wear something special and don’t forget to do your brush his mom said pretending to brush her teeth with a spatula Tehzeeb couldn’t contain his excitement He popped another mandazi in his mouth then galloped upstairs to get ready He already knew just what he wanted to wear the kanzu Ayaz Uncle brought him from Zanzibar last month The kanzu was gold like the Serengeti grasslands and made Tehzeeb feel like royalty 7

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