Like she does every morning, Smita untangles her daughter Lalita's hair.
She has never had it cut before: in India, women do not usually cut their hair;
some never cut it in their entire life, from birth until they die.
Smita divides her daughter's mane into three strands that she then intertwines in a braid.
Today, however, is not an ordinary day.
Today is Lalita's first day of school.

Como todas las mañanas, Smita le desenreda el pelo a su hija Lalita.
Nunca se lo ha cortado: en India, las mujeres no suelen cortarse el pelo;
algunas no lo hacen jamás desde que nacen hasta que mueren.
Smita divide la melena en tres mechones que luego entrelaza en una trenza.
Hoy, sin embargo, no es un día cualquiera.
Hoy es el primer día que Lalita va a la escuela.