This series is inspired by two things. One, my visits to rural Indian homes; and second, a hashtag that I came across on Instagram when I tried to upload a picture from rural India.
Let’s go one experience at a time.
I’ll start with my favorite: The sights, sounds and colors you can savor along the way.
It’s amazing, how roads have been laid, even in places we would consider extremely remote. Good roads, bad roads, tar roads or cement roads! Doesn’t matter! The fact that we can drive-in is great. After you have left the concrete jungle behind, and taken the turn that leads you into the belly of the country, you enter rural India! The best part is that there are no high-rise buildings. The sky stretches itself out, above you, as if it were a huge color-changing canopy. Depending on the rains, the time of the year and which part of India you are in, the earth lays out different hued carpets for you to gaze upon. Winged beauties flutter around, their different sizes, shapes and colors, making you awe in wonder, about nature’s creations.
You will find mind boggling practices as you drive through! For instance, agricultural produce is laid out on the road in small rectangular sections. Yes, right in the middle of the road! The people there want you to drive over this. Reason? To separate seed from husk! So, the more the number of vehicles that drive on top of the produce, the easier their job of separation is! Now this is what I call ‘Jugaad’. For those of you who are new to the word, it is a Hindi-origin English word, which means “a flexible approach to problem-solving that uses limited resources in an innovative way”.
If you are driving through roads with fields on both sides, and if you are in a ‘green’ water-fed zone; you could try and identify what the farmers are growing! I’ve always found that interesting. It helps if your driver is a local/ if you have a community health worker with you. On my recent visit to Gangavathi taluk, Koppal district; We saw watermelons! A huge field with tons of watermelons! Turmeric, paddy, jowar, maize, bitter gourd, grapes and sapotas! There’s something wonderful about seeing those plants give birth to stuff that will eventually find their way to your plate.
Once you get off from your vehicle and take a walk around the village, (which typically takes very little time, especially if it’s a small village) other sights beckon you. Homes have cattle and goats tied to small iron or wooden sticks driven into the ground. Most doors are wide open and people are generally welcoming. There are some sights that would disturb you. For me, a let-down is the open drainage system. I wonder when our villages will be blessed with a sanitary environment! You will find young kids running about and using the open drains as open toilets. Well, waiting for a sanitary revolution! Hope I live to see that day and age!
The customary village ‘katta’ or hang-out place where older men are seated and usually hooked on to beedis is another interesting setting. Sometimes, you may find them engrossed in a game of cards, for which they gamble small amounts of money. There’s also a ‘petti-kadai’, a tamil word for ‘small shop’ , round the corner with a lot of unhealthy snacks and other paraphernalia for sale.
All said and done, the best part is the ‘khatirdari’, a Hindi word for ‘indulging guests’. Of the 300 odd homes I’ve visited in rural India, most of them have been extremely welcoming. I’ve never been shooed away. I’ve always been offered a seat and something to drink/eat. The generosity is very evident. People who have very little are willing to share the little they have, and they are happy about it! Something we need to learn and appreciate!
The peace, the pure air and the people have called! And I must go…