It’s been over a year that I’d been searching for (read pestering Mr. C for) an idol of my Kanha. I wanted him to be playing his flute. I wanted him to have a cow besides him. I wanted an idol whom I can decorate – make jewellery and stuff – just like I will when I’ll actually meet my Kanhaji. That’s the picture I had in my mind. I saw an idol somewhat like that a couple years ago, but for some reason could not take him with me.
When I came to Nashville all by myself, thousands of miles away from my home and family I still carried this picture with me in my heart.
Call me silly, but I often have heart to heart conversations with my Kanhaji. Whenever I feel lonely I talk to him. Whenever I am happy, I rejoice with him. If anything bothers me, I take my complaints to him. When something extraordinarily nice happens, I thank him. He also loves me like no other. He takes care of anything that is bothering me – from honey and lemon juice to a new microwave. He watches over me, provides for me. From unexpected help when I desperately need it to some secret message only I can make sense of. We are tied together in a way no one but me and him can understand. Beyond words. Beyond reason.
Ever since I came to Nashville, I have been mainly talking to him about taking care of my little ones who are far away at the moment. Of my parents, family, friends, everyone. I’ve also been asking him to come and be with me.
Guess what? In the Indian store where we go to buy groceries, I found him! An idol just like the one I wanted. First I was excited. Then I thought, may be I should take him only when I make my own home in this place. Some days passed and I just could not get his image off my mind. So I just went ahead and brought him home -Â my temporary home for now, but at least we are together. In form.
My colleagues who went with me to bring him home, must have had serious doubts about my euphoria. I was really going crazy, smiling from ear to ear! :D
This is how my Kanhaji sat in my room on his first day.
Now that I had brought him home I wanted to go ahead and make some nice jewellery for him. I wanted him to have a garland. Beads? No. Paper? No! I wanted something soft. Then I realized I had brought my stocking flowers supplies with him when I came from India. So? I made my Kanhaji a garland from the stocking material! I also made him a crown, decorated his flute and made ornaments for his gaiyya (cow).
The garland looks beautiful and is really simple to make. If you have a favorite deity you can make one too. You’ll need:
– a pair of scissors
– thin long stripes of stocking material. I chose light pink, magenta and green. You can also choose any other cloth material which is soft and a little stretchy in colors of your choice
– assorted beads and spacers
– needle and thread
To make the garland:
– Arrange the stripes of fabric in the pattern that you want for garland.
– Thread the needle and tie a knot at one end.
– Make a straight stitch in the middle of your first stripe
– Gather the fabric and twist it a little while it is on the needle.
– Move the twisted fabric on to the thread. Make sure you don’t move it all the way to the knot. Leave a little empty thread so you’ll be able to tie the garland around Kanhaji’s neck.
– Thread the next piece of fabric or your spacer or your bead as per your pattern. In my pattern I put a hanging teardrop shaped white bead at the center.
– When you are done weaving the garland leave about an inch of the thread at the end.
– Make your Kanhaji’s wear the garland around his neck and tie the two ends of thread to secure it in place.
Hhmmm, love how it turned out. I just had the perfect colors that matched with his attire somehow. :D
I also made him a crown. Again used some leaves from my stockings flowers supplies, some flat backed beads, a golden chain and mounted the final pattern on the top of an adjustable finger ring. See how nicely it fits him.
I also made some ornaments for his companion cow.
This is the final result of my labor of love.
Jai Shree Krishna!
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