It's a brush!

I brought it all the way back from India for Carol, what a lot of planning, careful packaging, worrying, discussion etc went into this cheapest of presents. And it was a great success, she loved it. It eclipsed the other presents I got for her! It's called a jharu in India and Carol and I grew up with these kinds of brushes, they're used every day to sweep the floors, they're an integral part of Indian life.