Tale box

It was love at first sight at Dilli Haat. I was looking for a present for my cousin and his new wife when these open doors beckoned. Provenance: Bassi, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. Some large ones, about a foot high, some small, the size of my palm. I peered inside one — the doors unfolded, and on panel after panel there were stories begging to be told. ‘Jangli kahaani’ announced one box painted in green with tales from the Panchatantra. Others had mythologies. Dwarka Prasad Jangid, the craftsman, took me through the stories — the Ramayana, the lilas of Krishna, Dashavatara… I returned again to a small one that seemed most right — blazing red and utterly charming. Rs 250, he quoted. I’m a notorious bargainer but I paid up quietly.