Embellishment three quarters a century ago.

Avva stood stark naked in front of a full-length mirror observing her image keenly. All her ornaments lay around her, scattered either on the bed or the floor. She turned around slowly, admiring her reflection in the mirror, totally oblivious of her surroundings. Though in her mid thirties and the mother of five children, Avva still looked as if she was carved out of fine Italian marble. Her flawless complexion along with her transparent silky skin gave her body a royal grandeur. Her well-rounded derriere continued down in one curvaceous stroke into smooth, well-sculpted thighs that lead on to long slender legs. Her breasts were firm and the nipples still hard. Her flat abdomen gradually descended into the valley of love after rising over a luxurious pubic mound.

Tilting her face down, she lifted one of the breasts with cup of her palm and caressed the erect nipple softly and delicately with her slender fingers. Her entire body quivered on the most desirable of the touches!

She picked up an ivory comb and gently divided her hair into three parts. In a lyrical slow motion she braided it into a plait and then rolling the plait on itself she arranged it into a graceful Khopa. She then carefully pinned gold Agraphuls into it serially, starting from top in diminishing sizes. At the centre of the parting she hooked a gold Bindi studded with emeralds. Next she lifted mekhala from the jewellery box. The mekhala, an embellished waistband, made of a two-inch thick gold braid was intricately embroidered with precious stones and gold beads. It had few small gold peepul leaves hanging from the under border. It also had four to five chains of gold beads attached to it on one side, in semicircular manner. Avva tied it around her waist. She carefully adjusted it so that the chains sloped down the side of her waist up to her left thigh, while the biggest of the peepul leaves covered the mound of her pubis. While adjusting the leaf she stroked herself lightly, closing her eyes momentarily as a surge of pleasure washed over!

She picked up Chandrahaar, a gold necklace with multiple bands of varying lengths. Carefully, avoiding her hair ornaments she put it around her neck. The bands cascaded down her neck and settled down in a wave to just below her navel. They covered half her breasts in filigree and leaving the other half invitingly open. She nursed a half-smile seeing the naughty nipples peeking from beneath the gold curtain. She next wore on Chinchpeti, a choker necklace, along with Tanmani, a string of pearls centred by a ruby. On her right arm Avva slid on Waki, woven thickly out of pure gold threads and adjusted it to a desirable fit. Its big blood red ruby sparkled even in the dim light. It was then the turn of Goth, Todey, Patlya and bangdya the ornaments for forearms and wrists. Patlya, and Todey, followed the Goth. Leaning over to adjust her anklets; she cut a picturesque figure on the background of the dimly lit, well-decorated bedroom and looked as if she had directly stepped out of a Raja Ravi Varma portrait!

The embellishment over, Avva turned around again and gazed into the mirror searchingly looking over the change that the adornment had wrought. She gazed endlessly. Then, she pulled over a pure silk sari embroidered in gold threads and draped it around herself casually.