A Day In The Life of Me...

I grabbed this idea from Darshani's blog, Inch by Inch,Row by Row. It was very cute, and I recognized some of the same things that happen here in my house!

Wake up, girls, wake up Ravi...it's 8:30am. Time to get up.
I drag Ravi's covers off of him since he hasn't moved a muscle. He growls at me, but starts to slide his feet around to the side of his bed. I turn and walk to my bed, where both girls have come to during last night. I call Priya from the door, to wake up, and she springs out of the bed and runs to the bathroom. Lakshmi is still sleeping and I know she needs several wake up calls before she is fully awake. I touch her shoulder and give her a gentle nudge, then go back to the hallway to look for Priya. She has brushed her teeth, taken her pj's off and gotten into fresh clothes for the day. She's sitting on the sofa in the living room, reading a book she got from the library a couple of days ago, The Series of Unfortunate Events, "The Reptile Room, book 2" by Lemony Snickett.

Ravi is in his room, laying on his bed, legs half on the floor, with blanket pulled up over his head. I am not surprised that he got back in bed. I pull the cover off again and he jumps up, grabs his glasses and stumbles to the bathroom. Meanwhile I go back to Lakshmi and this time I slide into the bed with her and cuddle up with her. She wakes up and a bright smile is on her face. She stretches, just like when she was a baby, and sits up. She is slow to wake, but she has a great attitude in the morning, and so I give her the extra time she needs to get going.

There is a short line in the hallway in front of the bathroom, and Lakshmi is waiting for Ravi to come out. Ravi comes out, goes back to his room. I never know if he is going to go back to sleep, or if he is going to get dressed, so I set the timer for 3 minutes and I go check when the timer buzzes. It's 8:50am and only Lakshmi hasn't brushed her teeth. I go to Ravi's room, listen from the door, and hear nothing. I open the door and Ravi is hopping all over the room trying to get his pants on before I see him. I quickly slam the door and say "sorry Ravi". Everyone comes to the kitchen to find out what is for breakfast. They want an omelet on a tortilla, something they love, with a little salsa, but I make omelet on toast, with cherries and milk. Ravi eats another peice of bread with butter, and some more milk. He is NEVER full I tell you! : )

I eat fast and check my email and facebook, to see what is going on with everyone else. The kids grab their books that we got from the library a couple of days ago, and they begin reading in ernest. Ravi is signed up for the Teen program (imagine my son a teen!) and if he reads for three hours, he gets a coupon for some ice cream, or an activity. He tells me that he read for three hours last night in "Pride of Lions" a book placed in Scotland, full of fighting and gore. I don't care for the book myself, but Ravi has read through so much of the books out there, that I let him move into the teen books. In his room on the floor next to his bed, he has "Chains" (a book about slavery) waiting to be read after he finishes "Pride of Lions". He prefers books with magical elements, but will happily accept anything with fighting, history ect.

For the first time in many days, our temperature is below 100 degrees. It is still *very hot*, and so the kids ask about going swimming. We swim in the local city pool, and they don't open until 1pm, and I don't swim at that time of the day, due to my very fair skin. I got a severe sunburn on my front and back, this past Saturday when we went to the water park to play for several hours. Even though I slathered myself with sunscreen, and even though it felt cool to me, I baked under the sun in 100 degree temps, and came home very bad feeling. So I told the kids that we would not swim today until 5pm. They were disappointed, and Priya immediately begged to watch a video. We do not currently have tv reception because I can't find a digital antenna which works with my tv, and the towers which are more than 15 miles away. I ask her to find something else to do, so she comes into the kitchen and starts stacking the wooden math manipulatives. None of us are in the mood for homeschooling, because of the intense heat. We are all cranky and tired, having not gotten enough sleep at night, due to the intense heat.


Ravi's chore is to clean up the dishes daily, and he starts on them at 10am. Priya decides to do her chore too, and so she sweeps the kitchen and bathroom floors. Lakshmi is kicked back on her bed, like she has no chores to do at all. The first thing I notice is that she is laying on top of a bunch of clothes. She is constantly crying that she doesn't have any clothes that fit, but there she is on top of the very clothes that DO fit. I ask her to clean her room (put away her clothing, toys, put books back on the bookshelves), and pick up all of the various pieces of paper that she has cut up while laying on her bed. She choses to drop the pieces on the floor, instead of in the garbage. I fight back my frustration since it only upsets her when I get frustrated. I check on her SEVERAL times while she is cleaning up, only to find her sitting on the floor listening to her Hannah Montana CD instead of cleaning up. I ask her to put the cd away and finish cleaning up. I check on her several more times, keeping her focused until she is finished with her chore. At this point in time she is only responsible for vacuuming the hall and living room because she can't handle any other chores in addition to her room cleaning. Priya stays annoyed at Lakshmi because of the mess she tends to leave around the room. They share a room, so I talk to Lakshmi about the value of keeping her room clean, and how it is nice to keep it that way since Priya has to share a room with her. After some time, she finally gets it all done, and I gave her a big hug and encouraging smile.

I check emails again because I am on a special needs mailing list for one of the kids, and I often need regular imput from other moms on how to deal with various situations. After emailing, I start the kids lunch, and I suck on a sugar free popsicle while the kids eat. Unfortunately, the heat is keeping me from having an appetite. Now I know how I lost so much weight in India. I couldn't eat until late at night, since my stomach gets sick in the heat. After I eat the popsicle, I open the freezer and stick my entire head inside, hoping to cool off even for a second.

It's afternoon now, and the kids have been reading almost all morning. I send them outside for a few minutes to run around, but call them back inside because it is just too hot, and there is a heat advisory in our area. I bring out popsicles for the kids to their happiness.

Even though they just had popsicles, I ask the kids if they want to redeam their Wendy's Frosty coupons, which they got for reading. We head to Wendy's for the Frosties and for the airconditioning. The kids are extremely disappointed in the size of the Frosty's they get....each one is a tiny 6 oz cup. I lecture them about being thankful, and how someone had to pay for that, and it was likely the manager of this store who ordered the coupons. The kids thank the employees on the way out, and I smile, because I didn't ask them to do that, but then I feel bad because I realize I may have guilted them into thanking someone. : (

Since we try to combine errands and trips, we drove to the library from Wendy's. Ravi has to fill out another green form for the three hours of reading, and he receives another Frosty coupon. LOL. It's a good thing they love reading, because the incentives are disappointing at the least. Last year Ben and Jerry's gave out a coupon for every goal for the kids last year, and they got a free icecream which would have cost me over $4.00 each. I've paid $16 for all of us once, and I am never doing that again. Very expensive. But we really really really appreciated the Ben and Jerry coupons. I could afford one $4.00 icecream when the rest were free. Now that was an incentive, for me and them!

I remembered that Ravi and Lakshmi would be going to their dad's house tomarrow, so on the way home, I reminded them to round up their library books so we wouldn't get any late fee's or worse...lose the books and have to pay for them. One of the kids lost a book last year, and it cost me nearly $20.00 to replace it.

As soon as we got home, I didn't need to remind the kids twice that we were going swimming. Priya came out first in her swimming suit, then Ravi, then Lakshmi. Everyone had their towel over their shoulder, and everyone had on their flip flops. I put sunscreen on them, then had Lakshmi put it on my back. I couldn't afford to get another burn on top of the one I had. I put sunscreen on my front, my arms and the backs of my calves, which burn so easily, and then very carefully and painfully tried to put on my swimming suit. I just couldn't. It hurt too much. So I took some Tylenol, and waited for the pain to relax, and tried to put my suit on after 15 minutes. I couldn't. It was already 5:30pm, and the pool closes at 6:45pm. I gently wiped off the sunscreen and had Lakshmi apply aloe vera gel to my back. The coolness really helps with the heat of the burn. After another half hour I tried again, and still couldn't put my suit on. The straps just hurt too much, or scratched. I thought I would never get it on, but at 6:15pm, I felt okay. I put on my suit, and we drove over to the swimming pool. We went up to the door and the manager told us that she was closing the pool early! I couldn't believe that after all that trouble, we wouldn't be able to swim. The kids whined and cried, but there was nothing we could do, so we went home and the kids watched a movie while I cooked dinner. I made bowtie pasta with a basil/pine nut pesto, and cooked some broccoli. We went to bed early, after I spent some special time with Ravi and Lakshmi. Except for July 4th, I won't see my children for 33 days. Both kids were feeling upset and I reminded them that it would be over with sooner than they could know. The truth is that I lied to them. It is like a living hell, for my kids to not see me, and for me to be without my children for so long. I need them, and they need me. No one can ever replace the love of a mother for them, and I feel inside out until they arrive home.

Priya and Ravi took their medicine at 7:30pm. Lakshmi took a bath, and we sat around for half an hour before everyone went to their beds.

I never got a shower, I never got to lay down and take a nap, and with everything going on, I could have very much used both. Some days it is like this.

Lakshmi and Priya slept on the floor of my room because it is cooler in my room. They have a large comforter that they lay on the carpet, and then their pillows, blankets, stuffed animals ect. Finally they fell asleep. I got online and played Mafia Wars for a while, and did an internet search for an article I am writing about adoptees.

When I got in bed for the night, I don't remember being awake at all. I just melted into the sheets, and fell asleep. That is always a wonderful way to fall asleep.

Top 10 Things My Kids Have Taught Me, repost

Repost....

Top 10 Things My Kids Have Taught Me, 2007

10. Keeping sissors on top of the 7 foot high china hutch is still not high enough. (where is your sisters hair???)

9. Every child loves to see a poopy diaper.

8. Children's medical emergencies always occur after 5pm on Friday.

7. Child-safety medicine bottles are difficult for parents to open.

6. Bickering between siblings occur at all times, not just during full moons.

5. Tandem Breastfeeding is still legal in the drivers seat at Target. (it was in 2004!)

4. Mothers are an endless source of peanut butter sandwiches.

3. The van is a storage unit. (dance clothes, back packs, karate uniforms, apples, french toast)

2. The van is a home away from home.

1. The van is a great place to throw up.

Homeland Ties: Keeping Your Indian Adoptee Connected to India

There was nothing more memorable than the Handing Over Ceremony of your newly adopted Indian child. Everything was fresh; your babies skin, your heartfelt feelings for your child, and your commitment to keep your child's ties close to India.

Sometimes however, India can be very overwhelming to the adoptive parent, so the most important thing becomes getting home and starting your new life with your child. We always plan to get to it. At the time of your child's adoption, he or she was young, and there may have been developmental and emotional milestones to cover to help your child adjust to the new life he or she is now facing. First American foods and Baptisms, first words and first educational settings are exciting, and the relief most adoptive parents feel once they settle in at home are many of the reasons parents never make the first steps towards building and maintaining their child's birthland ties.

So what do we do now? How do we get back on track with our plans to keep our child connected to India? This is the focus of this post, and possibly subsequent posts on the subject. I'm an adoptive mother to three children from India. I traveled to India every time I adopted a child. One of the unique perspectives I gained from traveling to India was how deeply connected my children were to their roots until I brought them home to America.

I will never forget the moment of lift off after four long months in India, when I was bringing home my son Ravi. I could taste America in my sweat. I could not stop thinking about home, and how much I missed my family. I could imagine how emeshed my family would become with my son as soon as they rushed to his side. As we taxied down the runway at the Chennai international aiport, Ravi quietly fell asleep in my arms. When the plane lifted off, it flew north and then banked sharply to the east, towards Singapore. I looked down the span of the wing as it pointed towards Chennai, and I looked at the strange little round hills surrounding Chennai, and I had a very odd feeling inside. Even though I had been living in India for 4 months, I was still foreign to her landscapes, the smell of the air, sounds of the city, and the sights of millions of people occupying a small country. I thought about the simple things that a baby experiences in the first two years. The senses are what connects the baby to his mother, to his country, to his playmates and loving caregivers at his orphanage or in his foster home. As I brought Ravi towards America to experience the freedom of the western world, to have fresh running water, and to have a family for the first time, I realized that I was taking him away from all the things that he ever knew. Those senses which were accustom to India, would find America foriegn. Ravi was asleep as we left India and never realized that he wouldn't be back. Arriving in America however caused Ravi to be foreigner of the senses.

The very first thing that a baby notices after he or she is born is the scent of his mother. And even while in his mothers uterus, he can taste the amniotic fluid. The face is sensory seeking, and the first thing a baby does is use the rooting action in order to find it's mothers breast. Therefore, when reconnecting a child to his or her homeland, we must start with the senses. It is important to allow our children to root. They will be curious about themselves first. They will wonder why we don't look the same. They will begin to see that they may be the only child in your neighborhood, church or school that is not the same.

Give your child little opportunities to experience India. Start by playing music from your child's language. Bring the familiar back. Learn how to make some of the regional cuisines that your child may have experienced in India. If your child was a baby when he left India, just offer something from his sub-culture. I have one child from West Bengal, and I often give her Bengali foods. The internet is full of recipe sites which are usually very adaptable to the supplies found in America.

Give your child the opportunity to see an Indian movie in their birth language. Most of the movies have sub-titles and my children enjoy watching the movie in sub-titles first, then in the language the movie was filmed in.

Today, various types of Indian clothing are readily available in America. Help your child feel proud about India by providing well fitting clothing throughout their childhood. It's not unusual to see a child take a particular level of pride in India around the age of 6 or 7 years. Many children enjoy giving a presentation about India, while wearing their special Indian clothing. This is an excellent learning time for both parents and children. If you are fortunate enough to live in a city or town with an excellent library system, you will find books, videos and music to share with your child's classmates and teacher.
For several years, my son created a display and gave a presentation about India for his class. The children in his class really liked knowing that he once lived in another country, and they loved experiencing India through his own eyes. My son loved being a teacher to others about his homeland.

India has an extremely rich and complex collection of art and literature, which has been endowed upon the world. Quite alot of poetry and literature has been written about the subject of adoption, many, many years ago. And if your child has a penchant for literature in general, he or she may really love diving in and connecting with India this way. In our family, we are lucky to be able to combine our love of Indian clothing, with our love of Indian art. The textiles market in India ranges from the simple bedsheets, unique clothing and exquisite rugs and wall hangings all found in the government bazaars and state emporiums. If you were lucky enough to drag away some of these things, your child will have a living museum of artifacts from their homeland. Handcarved animals, deities and furniture grace the home of many Indian adoptees. If you ever have the chance to purchase any Indian artifacts, you can give your child some pride, while enjoying the new experience your child has brought into your life.

Never discount your simple attempts at introducing your child to Indian culture. Over the years, I have heard some people say that you can't grow ties this way, but since we know children are sensory seeking, we know this is the best way to start; with cuisine, concerts, visiting Indian art exhibits, bringing artifacts into your home, and of course engaging our children with those who speak our child's birth language. Of course we can't stop there. If we are non-Indians, we have to become educated about India to teach our children. I have found the best way to help my children connect to their culture is by introducing them to Indian's.

When you are ready to take the next step, it will be time to get in contact with some of the local Indians in your community, who may be from your child's state in India. It can be inhibiting to approach strangers for help in connecting your child to India, but once you explain what you are trying to accomplish, most Indians will be very happy to have some impact on your childs life, and they also appreciate that you care about their country. Making contact with local Indians can be in the form of the India Association, which is prevelent in almost all larger cities where there are even smaller populations of Indians. This will be a group of Indians whom either they or their parents were born in India. This is the gateway group for connecting to the regional Indian groups in your city, for learning about Indian events that will take place, and where you can be involved through volunterism. Most India Associations have either an online or snailmail newsletter that comes out quarterly. For a nominal fee, you can become a member and receive important information.

If you do not have an India Association in your city, you may need to be a little creative in finding the Indian community. Search for an Indian grocery, Indian restaurant, or perhaps there may be a professor at the local college or university who can give you information. I have heard from one mom that every angle she turned to, she was turned away. She even told me that a couple of Indians were rude to her about her adopted childs background. It was very unfortunate that she allowed this to turn her away from the entire Indian community, shutting off her son's future connection to India. I believe that if you continue to search for community for your child, that you will eventually find it.

Now what? You have signed up for the newsletter, you know about the local Indian events, and now it is time to take action. Choose an event or activity in the community that is child focused, if there is one. This will help you feel more comfortable. Don't feel like you must wear Indian clothing to these events. Just take the time to make yourself presentable, clean and wear clothing that does not reveal your body. Make sure you can sit on the floor, as some events are floor seating only, but this won't always be the case. When Indians see that visitors are present, they are usually very friendly and attempt to carry on interesting conversations. Feel free to explain that you are searching for some Indian focused activities for your child, and this is one such activity that you are interested.

You may get invitations to other events. When I originally began searching for local community for my children, I kept a few things in mind. I tried to be cheerful when chatting with others. I complimented others. I offered to help when I could, and asked for guidance on cultural cues. I have never gone wrong when taking this approach. Our children sometimes feel out of place when they are the only child who is Indian. We can put ourselves in their shoes for just a little while at each event. The result builds pride and self-confidence in our children, and it is worth every moment of discomfort we may find ourselves experiencing, when trying something new!

There will come a time when your child is old enough to partipate in a culture camp. These camps are designed for the entire family. Education and fun are the focus. Chris Futia, coordinator for SPICE Camp, will tell you that Indian adoptees feel more connected to India and to each other when they are gathered together with each other, along with their families, learning about their country of birth. It is an experience that every Indian adoptee should have every year. Everywhere you look, there are little kids running around together, and teens chatting, all just being. Indian education is a very important element of the culture camp experience, but more importantly is the chance for children to be with other Indian adoptees and their families, where they are not different. Many families make their vacation orbit around the Indian culture camps, and many have made it a tradition of 20 years or more.

Professional homeland tours are an opportunity for older children and teens along with their families to see India, through their own eyes, up close and in person. Many Indian adoptees have not returned to India since their adoption. For some there is a burning desire to see India. Standing on the earth which supported you as a young child or baby, is an experience which should not be missed, if an adoptee wants to physically reconnect with India. Homeland tours can also be "homemade". Many families chose to visit India without the support of a tour guide, so they can spend more time in one place, make decisions on a day to day basis on where they want to go, who they want to see, or if they just need to rest. Returning home can be an emotionally overwhelming experience, which craves for time to rest and absorb the reality of ones life. Standing on the shore at the Bay of Bengal at Chennai, Tamil Nadu can really put some things into perspective, as well as looking out into the vast waters of the Indian Ocean from Trivandram, Kerala. The multitude of feelings, wishes, regrets and hopes may require some rest and relaxation.

While we adopt children to create and give family, we also must consider the negative impact that adoption has on a child. The taking away of ones country can result in the giving of a family, but we as parents are responsible for the re-rooting of our child's connection to India from the outside. The benefits of our actions cannot be understated. Many Indian adoptees feel like Americans on the inside, but their outsides scream "Indian". Every person that our children encounter will see them AS Indians, and there will be some expectation that our children actually know India. Re-rooting our children in their birth culture allows them to be fully Indian, culturally, while also being fully American.

For more information about Indian Heritage Camps:

India Nepalese Culture Camp

Mid-West ICHILD Heritage Camp

CAMP MASALA Indian Heritage Camp


Watch a video that shows how Holi is celebrated.

Learn how to cook Indian food:

IndianRecipes.org

Sanjay Thumma's Cooking Videos, VahRehVah.com

Shop for Indian Clothing
Indian Clothing

Find a support group:
ICHILD.org

Watch a video: Mariah gets a sister. Mariah, adopted from India, travels back to India with her parents to bring home a sister. This isn't a homeland tour, but it gives an interesting perspective of the adoptee returning to India.

Embarking on this incredible journey with your Indian adoptee can be extremely rewarding for both you and your child. Happy Trails!

Jyotsna

India Hot

With the temperatures rising this week, we reached the level of "India Hot". If you are an adoptive family with an Indian child, and you ever traveled to India between the months of March and September, then you understand the phrase "India Hot".

I arrived in Kerala, India on July 19th, 1997. I will forever recall the long and lost trip from the train station to Mother Theresa's orphanage (where by the way, my son did not live). As the autorickshaw driver pulled up in front of the orphanage and started putting my luggage on the freshly rained mud drive way, and I tried to convince him that this was not the place I was looking for, sweat drops began to form on the bridge of my nose, and from the hairline of my forehead. I was preoccupied with my now brand new dirty luggage, but there was a nagging thought I couldn't ignore. My glasses were sliding down my nose and barely hanging by the tip.

If there was anything I was going to learn in my first 24 hours in Kerala, the phrase "India Hot" would probably be one of the things that became evident to me.

Honestly, I couldn't even imagine the hell a civilization could live in on a daily basis. There were no airconditioners, just some very small and high powered ceiling fans which seemed to slice through the thick and firey air. Yes, I finally found my son's orphanage, hours later, but having already started sweating profusely, and beginning to lose my cool in the heat, my face began to turn bright red, the color of a beet more exactly, and I realized that I may be "India Hot" for a very long time. I was after all planning on staying in India for 4 - 6 months. As soon as Ravi was presented to me (at the correct orphanage) I could see him staring at me curiously. I knew it had to be the beet red skin on my body, which must have made him laugh at me, or giggle. Even though babies don't have such grand thoughts, I thought he may be wondering which planet I arrived from. He had not broken a sweat, or looked flush in the slightest of ways, nor had any of his caregivers. Everyone was powder dry, almost seemingly impossible for the present circumstances, but they were not at all uncomfortable. It must have been amusing to the entire staff to see such a sweaty and luminently red human. I'm sure they had seen fair skinned people before, but I thought for sure that none of them had prespired in public like I did.

This is the hot that has become known as "India Hot", and surprisingly it happens right here in my own home town every single summer. Us local folks have always thought, "this is the hottest summer of all", but now that I have grown into my fourties, I have realized that we have an India Hot too.

This past week we have been suffering from India Hot. The kids learn that this is how hot it was when I saw them for the first time in India, although Lakshmi's city of Kolkata was not nearly this hot. Most kids complain royaly, wishing they could escape the heat, like I do, but my kids have a calm and assuring understanding that for at least a couple of weeks every year, they too can live like they are in India.

I only wish that the monsoons were coming to our city. Unfortunately, it will just keep getting hotter and hotter till we melt like butter (we are way past the melting point right now I think).

The plants are sucking up the water I spray at them in the warm evenings, because the sun parches them to the point of India Hot too. I'll leave you with a few photos that help you understand India Hot. Be well, and stay hydrated.

Jyotsna

Gardening 2009: Containers

There are many benefits of container gardening, and one is how beautiful the plants look in the pots. I have some very large containers which I have used to grow bushes and decided that bushes needed more space than a container. Last year I grew tomatoes, squash and sunflowers. I also had a raspberry bush. This year I've decided to grow things more closely together, more compact to see what happens. It's not summer yet, so this may not go well, but everything is happy at this point.
I'd say my plants are happy this year.

I've combined a large cherry tomato with a basil, and a pepper. In another container I've combined two white eggplant with another pepper, and of course I also have rosemary in addition to mint, in other planters. I'd like to make some yummy Italian foods this summer. I've never grown white eggplant before and it looked goodk, so this will be an exciting adventure. I have several eggplants and peppers nearly ready to pick at this point, and it will be about 2 weeks and I will start getting my first tomatoes. I have another tomato plant (beefeater), and a yellow cherry tomato plant which I hope will grow well enough to be useful this summer. I wanted to have at least 2 or 3 heritage plants this summer.

My broccoli was a complete failure. My indoor lettuce garden grew well but I don't think I have the best sunny window for growing indoor, or I would do it all winter and summer.

I'm including some photos of my container plants which I took last week. If you look closely, you will see the small white eggplants.

Jyotsna

Gujurati Cuisine (Indian food!)

The children and I pray and eat with the Gujurati community here once a week. They are close to our house, and they have been very accepting of us, treating the children like their own too. We have benefitted from this experience, as well as they have. Sometimes for example, the only time during the week when some of the old ladies practice English is when they chat with me. I have a particularly sweet older friend who is well educated, but never worked here in the US. We have a great time chatting with one another from politics to cultural likenesses and differences. She is able to see both sides of the Indo-American life.

We often eat together, and this usually gives me the chance to serve her, bring her food (although she is always determined to do this herself), and if she wants an extra gulab jamun, then I'll get it for her. I've learned alot about Gujurati's from her. It's just one of the many pleasures of stepping out of my comfortable cultural experience.

Since going to the temple, I have been taking prashad/prasad/prasadam (same thing)after each arti service. I have taken a particular liking to Gujurati cuisine, and I am hoping one of my readers will be able to point me in the direction of some excellent "veg" recipes where I can try my hand. I simply love the dal that they make. It is surprisingly sweet. Every Sunday I drink karee, eat dal, chawl, salad, curry, chapati and more. On special occassions there are trays of sweets, and on simple days, we have the simple kichidee with lime or mango pickle.

So, if you are a Gujurati cuisine affecionado, please share your resources with me!

Jyotsna

Indian Cooking: Masala Dabha

I'm linking this to a post I made somewhere else, so I can show what a Masala Dabha looks like.

This is one of the most important culinary things in Indian cooking. With a large number of spices, which tend to be purchased in bulk, it's a good idea to have a place to keep a small amount of spices which are ground (or not depending on the spice) so that your spices are very fresh for the dish you are making.

I keep the unground spices in another container, and after grinding, I transfer it to the dabha. The small glass bottle to the right is for when my spices get mixed up and I don't like to waste them, so I pour them in the bottle, and when it gets the appropriate mix, I use it for one of my dishes.

There are many, many masala dabha sizes, and many cooks keep several. I only keep this one, and I mostly cook south Indian recipes.