Each sandalwood idol is hand carved by artisans whose families have passed the craft down through generations. Each piece is carved from a block of sandalwood (though some have bases attached). Rubbing the idol with a soft cloth releases the scent of sandalwood from it. They shine and the colors deepen. The selfish part of me doesn’t want to sell them, preferring to keep them in my room to stare at when I can’t sleep.

I was a young boy that time when I went to India. It was morning in Varodra, where my father is from, and I was rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I wandered to the sink to brush my teeth. My uncle leaned against the open front doorway and watching the day as he gnawed on a cigarillo sized piece of wood.

What are you doing uncle?
Brushing my teeth.

Indians have used every part of the neem tree for thousands of years. Neem has become as much a part of Indian life as the banyan tree was for the Buddha. It provides cooled shade. Its leaves, seeds, and bark are ground for medicine, and of course, soap. Neem soaps and toothpastes clean a wide spectrum of micro-organisms with a light natural scent.