Mmmm mandazi my favorite Yes beta I am making mandazi and channa bateta for the party this afternoon She beamed as she dropped more mandazi into the frying oil Each Navroz Tehzeeb’s family would head over to Ayaz Uncle’s house to celebrate the beginning of the new year Since his family moved from India to Tanzania a few generations ago his relatives would cook all the tastiest Swahili Gujarati and Kutchi delicacies to share Ayaz Uncle was his favorite relative since he always brought Tehzeeb the most unique souvenirs and trinkets from his travels around the world He loved making art as much as Tehzeeb too His daughter Rahima was like a big sister to Tehzeeb even though 6
they were first cousins She wore the prettiest outfits and always shared her old scarves belts and jewelry with him when she got tired of them Tehzeeb didn’t mind he loved Rahima’s hand-me-downs Make sure to wear something special and don’t forget to do your brush his mom said pretending to brush her teeth with a spatula Tehzeeb couldn’t contain his excitement He popped another mandazi in his mouth then galloped upstairs to get ready He already knew just what he wanted to wear the kanzu Ayaz Uncle brought him from Zanzibar last month The kanzu was gold like the Serengeti grasslands and made Tehzeeb feel like royalty 7
Once he’d put on the kanzu and matching topi he was almost ready He just needed to pack his bag for the hour-long drive He grabbed his sketchbook pencil crayons and last but certainly not least his stuffie Mr Unicorn He was so excited that he almost forgot his mom’s reminder With just two minutes to spare Tehzeeb ran to the washroom to brush quickly and make sure he had no mandazi crumbs stuck between his teeth Royal princes needed to have a sparkling smile after all 8
Chapter 2 In the car Tehzeeb decided to draw a Navroz card for Ayaz Uncle He drew the traditional wheatgrass roji tied with a ruby-red ribbon He decorated the card with tall tulips rainbow-colored eggs and spring bumblebees buzzing all around He couldn’t wait to show Ayaz Uncle 9
