Junior Vocab
Decorating the Rangoli
Meera: "Arjun, why are you standing so straight? Your shoulders look like tight drumsticks."
Arjun: "Shhh, Meera! The diya will fall. My hands are all wobbly."
Meera: "But Aaji said we can decorate the rangoli however we like. It's just flowers and colors."
Arjun: "Exactly! What if I drop the marigold plate on her perfect peacock? She’ll be so mad."
Meera: "You’re blinking so fast. Your face looks… squeezed."
Arjun: "I’m tensed, okay? My tummy feels like it's full of jumping jalebis."
Meera: "When I feel like that, I blow air out slowly, like cooling hot chai."
Arjun: "That won’t fix the marigold mountain I might drop."
Aaji: "Arjun, beta, the rangoli is for fun, not for getting tensed like a guitar string."
Meera: "See? Even Aaji said tensed. Let’s both breathe and place one flower at a time."
Arjun: "Fine… one flower… two… hey, my hands aren’t shaking now."
Aaji: "There, much better. When you’re not tensed, your hands remember what to do."
Meera:tensed!" "And now the peacock has a marigold crown, thanks to not being
Arjun:tensed and need to breathe." "Yeah… next time my tummy feels jumpy, I’ll know I’m