This silver object belonged to my paternal grandmother probably dating back to the early 1900s. It is a “makeup” box that is beautifully decorated like a basket. The bottom part separates and reveals a mirror. The front has a depiction of Lord Vishnu lying on his serpent bed along with goddess Lakshmi near his feet, the back has the markings of Vaishnava tradition along with the conch and discuss, the lid has a small figurine of baby Krishna crawling. One side depicts the picture of Hanuman and the other of Garuda, the eagle vehicle of Lord Vishnu. I remember my grandmother using this box to get ready for the day after her morning bath. There used to be a silver stick which she used to apply a long orangish red vertical line in the middle of her forhead with a powder called “srichurnam”. The she made a paste in her palm with a piece of white clay and made a small white horizontal white line at the bottom of the red line. My grandmother was a frail thin woman who was bent over with age in the last few years of her life. But I’ve heard from my father that she had an inner strength that was unparelled which helped the family survive financial and personal troubles. For me, she is always an affectionate memory who adored everything I did as a child and young woman.