Pashmina

After putting on the pashmina, Priyanka is magically transported to a beautiful version of India, where everything is in color. She is greeted by a friendly, talking elephant named Kanta and a talking peacock named Mayur; they have been anticipating her arrival. Kanta and Mayur give Priyanka a tour of a beautiful palace, and Priyanka sees a mysterious shadow of a woman on the wall. Kanta and Mayur pretend that they cannot see the shadow woman, and when Priyanka asks about her, they claim that she isn’t important. Priyanka thinks that the shadow woman looks familiar, but Kanta and Mayur don’t want to discuss it. Priyanka, Mayur, and Kanta plan to go get samosas, but when Priyanka’s pashmina falls off, she is magically transported back to her home in the US.

Priyanka puts the suitcase back in the closet but puts the pashmina under her pillow so that she can use it again later. Priyanka’s mom returns, and Priyanka asks her about her mother’s sister, Meena Mausi, who wrote the letter that Priyanka found in the old suitcase. Priyanka’s mom says that she and her sister were close, but being a girl in India was difficult, and Mausi was bullied because she wore hand-me-down clothes from Priyanka’s mom. Priyanka points out that girls in the US are also bullied over their clothes, but her mom still maintains that it’s “different” in India. Priyanka’s mom and Mausi used to enjoy going to the movies and looking at clothing. Priyanka’s mom wonders why Priyanka is suddenly so interested in Mausi. She says that Uncle Jatin and Auntie Deepa missed Priyanka today at the hospital and that baby Shilpa will likely be sick for a long time. Priyanka claims that she “couldn’t” make it to the hospital. Priyanka’s facial expressions suggest that she feels guilty about not visiting the baby and for praying for the baby’s demise.

Priyanka goes to her room and cries alone; she then puts on the magic pashmina, which transports her back to the idealized version of India. Although she usually wears glasses, she realizes that they now make her vision blurry; the magic pashmina has cured her vision. Mayur the peacock takes Priyanka to a sari fabric shop, where her clothes are magically transformed into fancier ones and her hair is magically styled. The shadow woman appears again; this time, Mayur can definitely see her and tells her to go away, which she does. Mayur still maintains that the shadow woman is “nothing” and that Priyanka shouldn’t worry about her.

Priyanka is transported back to her bedroom but finds a piece of thread from the sari shop in her hair. The next morning, Priyanka doodles during English class instead of paying attention. After class, Eddie asks if she’s okay, and she tells Eddie about the suitcase but not about the pashmina or her magical trips to India. Mr. Perry tells Priyanka that he submitted her comic to the contest, and she won. Her comic will be published, and she’ll receive a $500 prize. Priyanka is delighted. Eddie has been telling her that she’s good at making comics, and now she finally starts to believe him.

Priyanka tells her mom about winning the contest, and her mom is proud. Priyanka then suggests that they take a trip to India so that she can finally understand what it’s like there. However, her mom says that she personally never wants to return to India. She changes the subject to food, but Priyanka claims not to be hungry and leaves the room.

In her bedroom, Priyanka puts on the magic pashmina and transports to India. Kanta and Mayur greet her and ask what she’d like to see. Priyanka shares that her ancestors were Rajasthani, from the state of Rajasthan. She wants to go there, but Kanta and Mayur say that it is such a big state that they wouldn’t know where to start. Priyanka expresses interest in seeing a tiger in the jungle like her Uncle Jatin once did, so Kanta and Mayur transport her to the jungle, where they pick fresh mangoes. The shadow woman appears again, and Kanta tells her to leave, which she does. Again, Priyanka asks who the shadow woman is, but Kanta and Mayur still claim that she is not important, although they seem nervous about her. They see a tiger lounging by a pond, and then Priyanka is transported back to her bedroom even though she didn’t remove the pashmina.

Because Priyanka’s mom doesn’t want to go to India, Priyanka asks if she can go alone, using her prize money from the comic book contest. The fact that $500 is not enough for a plane ticket from California to India is never addressed. Instead, Priyanka’s mom says that Priyanka can’t go because it’s not safe, plus they’d miss each other too much. At school, Mr. Perry tries to chat with Priyanka about comics, but she doesn’t want to talk and walks away. Her pashmina is in her backpack, and she gets transported to India even though she doesn’t put the pashmina on.

Priyanka, Kanta, and Mayur eat at a restaurant and then sample fruits that Priyanka has never tried. The shadow woman appears again, and Mayur shoos her away. Priyanka demands to know who the woman is and why Kanta and Mayur don’t want her to speak to the woman, but they don’t answer. Priyanka is transported back home.

Priyanka’s mom says that she’s worried about Priyanka because she spends excessive time alone in her bedroom. Priyanka’s mom shows her pictures of Hawa Mahal, a palace in India that she visited when she was young. She says that women weren’t permitted to show their faces in public but that the palace was designed so that women could see out of it. Priyanka is surprised by these gender roles. Priyanka says that she “needs” to go to India and doesn’t understand why her mom won’t let her. Her mom admits that India is beautiful but warns that the beauty “isn’t what it seems” (78).

In her bedroom, Priyanka uses the pashmina and is magically transported to India. She asks Kanta and Mayur where the shadow woman is; they say she’s gone. Priyanka believes that the shadow woman wanted to tell her something and asks why Kanta and Mayur won’t let her speak to her. They don’t answer. Priyanka sees the shadow of her own hand in the water and is then transported back home.

Priyanka and her mom go to Uncle Jatin and Auntie Deepa’s house for a meal; the baby is still at the hospital. Priyanka’s mom explains that Priyanka is angry at her because she won’t allow her to travel to India. Priyanka explains that she wants to go so that she can understand her heritage. Jatin reiterates Priyanka’s mom’s concern that it would be too dangerous for Priyanka to visit India alone. Priyanka hasn’t been coming to the hospital to visit Shilpa, so Jatin reminds her that she’s welcome, but her mom says that maybe visiting is “too much” for Priyanka. Jatin changes the subject to tea.