The Household Brushes have had their noses put out

for Gita and I went to the city today and bought a vacuum cleaner! These brushes are fantastic on mud and dung floors but not so suitable for a modern house. Imagine brushing a house with one of these, bending over, one hand behind the back to support it. In our house the stiff one does the carpets but raises as much dust as it removes. Despite not wearing outdoor shoes into the house there is always dust and it is a daily chore. Hopefully now they will only have to clean occasionally and it will be interesting to see how the family get on - or rather the female members do! These soft brushes are made from the topmost bits of a special bamboo and each undergoes a purification ceremony before it can be used. The hard one is made from a small variety of bamboo which escapes purification as it is used for outside places or dirty ones.