The Little Girl From Luxor

We got off the boat, crossed the wide promenade-like side-walk lining the water-front and headed for the bus to take us to the hotel.

There in the middle was this little girl all by herself, away from her mother at some distance perhaps earning her living selling baubles to tourists.

The reason for her effervescent joy – no vaccine would save you catching it from her!

She managed to very sweetly wangle a bindi from a lady who luckily happened to carry an extra piece with her. She held the child’s face steady with her hands and fondly fixed it on her forehead as best as the excited girl would let.

And then…she let herself go in utterly graceful and fluid movements of her limbs in a joyous dance form purists would be hard put to name.

That’s when I ‘got’ her posing for me.

It was only a couple of minutes before we drove away, the girl waving her ‘byes’ until she disappeared out of sight on a turn.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, her joyous innocent face…

End

 

Notes: 1) bindi – the distinctive vermilion dot or a substitute sported on the forehead by Hindu women 2) I checked with our bus driver on the propriety of my clicking act, admittedly not the same as seeking her parents’ permission 3) The obliging kind lady was V, my cousin’s wife 4) The charmer, we learnt, went by the name Rudhwa, derived from the Arabic “Riḍwān”, meaning pleased, satisfaction, virtuous and pious!!