I remember as a little girl i was very intrigued by what lay behind my grandmother's locked wooden almirah. I always envisaged that a secret world lay beyond it. It was made of old Birch wood which had this very distinct smell. It was around 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide. I felt so very tiny when i stood in front of it. The almirah was divided into two sections. On the left was a full length vertical door that concealed her dresses, skirts and blouses. Her bags and belts were here too. These were sourced from the very best high fashion stores in London, Paris & New York. This section also contained sarees that were made of pure silk. She looked like a Maharani when she was draped in one of those. Her clothes always smelled of Chanel No. 5. This door had an internal lock which held one of the prettiest keys i had ever laid my eyes on. The head on the key had an intricate design. I always felt it held a cabalistic cryptic message.
The section to the right was split into two horizontal divisions. The lower half bore two drawers. Objects and materials of lower importance lay here. These drawers had no internal locks. I kept going through them when she wasn't around hoping she had mistakenly put some of her valuables here but i was always left disappointed. I'm sure she knew a pair of tiny hands were rummaging through her belongings!
The most dear to me was the upper half which was an enclosed shelf containing riches that made my small eyes sparkle and pop. Always under the spell of a small padlock, it concealed a cornucopia of stringed pearls, uncut diamonds sets, rings set in precious stones, delicate lace, crochet made from the most expensive yarn - the works! I even told her once that i would give her my doll collection in exchange for a day's worth of of dressing up in her jewelry. She just laughed.
On my 18th Birthday i got full access to Nana's almirah. I held the intricate key in my hand, staring at it for a while. Slowly all the memories came rushing back.
Somehow, going through the almirah wasn't as exciting as when i was a big eyed little girl.
