Daughters of Kalika

৯. clues during shopping

Dig for gold in a heap of straws.

****

Maya knew she had to be in Devipuram for more time than she had expected, and would return from here with more memories that she had ever dreamt of making. To celebrate her stay here later, she had to keep some souvenirs. Thus, she went out shopping after lunch.

The market was no longer full of fishes and veggies. There were some grocery stores still open, though both sides of the road was lined mostly by hosiery, clothes and adornments. Each vendor trumpeted the goodness of their items and placards of discounts written in mediocre handwriting on simple piece-boards hung from the top of the shops. 'Buy one get one free','Two at the cost one one','the brightest at the cheapest price'– Maya felt she would go into a trance by hearing the incessant chanting of the men and women.

Checking out the displays put outside, she walked humming a tune to herself, finally stopping by a decent looking shop with a queer declaration– Chick Fashion.

"Well, it lives up to its name."

Contrary to the traditional outfits and the same old designs, this shop boasted of satin sarees, short dresses and patterned skirts.

"And they got even the spelling correct." Because, just some moments ago, Maya had seen a store named 'Fansy Choice' and the nitpicky tendencies had threatened to resurface. She didn't quite understand if that was written on intention, though, and if yes she didn't get why.

Maya opened her shoes on the stairs and entered the shop. It was humid inside with only two aged slow paced fans that were not able to serve the purpose. Maya was grateful that her mother was not here– that woman would have passed an insensitive comment regarding the stuffy environment.

"What does Miss want?"

This man looked a bit different from the other vendors. He wore a youthful sea-green shirt which was tugged out like teens from schools, paired with a khaki pants. Maya cocked her head to the side and let out a long 'hmm'– this is a unique combination.

"I am looking for some stoles, preferably cotton."

"Please take a seat. Any range, madam?"

"Within eight hundred."

He immediately began searching through the stacks and pulled out certain packets. Meanwhile, Maya looked at the other collections. There were few gorgeous looking gowns and plenty of silk sarees.

"Quite amusing that you have such a different collection in a village."

"Believe me or not, many actually like to buy these. Their tastes are changing– people want to now welcome twists while following the old. All thanks to Sundar Babu. He is a revolutionary in bringing up-to-date fashion to Devipuram."

Maya felt she had heard the phrase Sundar Babu before, but couldn't exactly remember. She acted as if she still did and went along.

"Is Sundar Babu planning to open any store–"

"Oh yes!" The man exclaimed. "You may not know, but he is planning to change the entire Devipuram in terms of representation. He was the person for whom this store is standing now, and if all goes well, more like this will open up one day."

"I must say, Devipuram is walking ahead of its times."

Like classy murders.

The man opened some of the packets and showcased the cotton stoles to Maya. All were so very sublime and beautiful that she couldn't make a perfect choice. At last, she shortlisted three– one of ochre-brown shade just like Hrishav's eyes, another in white and the third one in baby pink.