We enjoyed a beautiful walk through farmland and buffalos being led to grazing. Our destination was a nearby village of some 200 people. It is still absolutely freezing, so Sue and our friend Paul were well and truly rugged up (as the Australians say) as we departed:
I was charmed by the various scarecrows we saw in the fields, particularly the skull – though whether it made any difference to the birds, I am not sure:
We met some very nice people on our way including this guy who looks as if he could be in a fashion shoot:
We had a wonderful demonstration of the way the farmers keep monkeys off their crops. They have tiny little shelters from which they keep guard (the shelters even have charging points):
To keep the monkeys off their crops, the farmers fire air guns – watch this all the way through and note the bit at the end when the gun breaks:
We also met this fine man as we entered the village:
We visited the shrine and watched someone complete his ablutions and collect water before making an offereing to the temple:
And then the kids spotted us! So pictures had to be taken. But first, the kids needed to be ushered into a group:
And here they are:
Paul and I were mobbed – some kids clustered around him to see their photos while others demanded that I take their pictures as well so here we are:
And here’s the picture I was taking:
A woman came up to ask if I would take pictures of her with two kids:
We came across interesting bits of technology including this machine for shredding leaves for the goats:
No wonder the goats look happy and well-fed:
Rosalind was searching for some straw of the right thickness so that she could weave a basket and Piyush, our companion from The Sarai, was trying to assist – this one? This one?
I had also been taking endless photos of buffalo because I wanted to show readers the hairiness of the little ones – and at last, I got what I wanted (many photos have been deleted in pursuit of this one):
And coming back home, we came across this beautiful red berries which, Ragu tells us, were used to weigh gold at one time.
Buffalo reminiscent of highland coo!
Yes, indeed – slightly dopier looking in this particular pic ( as she says, M has several hundred photos of buffalo, some heroic, some fierce and others just ambling along)…
Some stunning photographs. Need to take a Polaroid as well to give a copy to people like that mother with children. Such a gorgeous one
Yes, I’ve thought about a Polaroid but fear in this situation, you’d simply never be able to leave as the demand for photos would be huge. I agree about the woman and her children – she was strikingly beautiful.
What an amazing set of faces and such pampered goats!
The goats did indeed seem to be living quite a charmed life – not being eaten probably helped..
I love that village walk. People so keen to see you and be photographed. Charlie sends prints back to Sarai for Jaypal or Devendra to distribute. Also love the old style houses.
I think we’ll have to send some prints back – the children were so excited and so enthusiastic!
I too loved this collection of moments – really shows not only these people but also how you see them and connect with them. A Polaroid seems like a great idea! I was impressed by the devotion of someone willing to get half naked and wet in that cold.
People did seem very relaxed to meet us – having someone from the Sarai with us made it all work easily. Completely agree about the man making his offering on a very cold, grey morning – but that’s devotion for you!
Beautiful people and dare I say beautiful buffalo.
The photos seem to capture the beauty of landscape, a streetscape and the lifestyle of the locals.
There are many more buffalo pictures we can share next time we see you! The landscape and the people in it were very beautiful – tough lives though.
I love your interactions in the village. Gorgeous kids pictures
Kids in India are incredibly photogenic and completely themselves in front of a camera – they look straight at the lens in a very unselfconscious way – it’s extraordinary.
I’m always struck by how much people understand about posing. They know how they want to be represented- adults too. Some of the poses adults adopt are almost Victorian in the way they choose to stand or sit.
Yes, you’re completely right – I remember a woman in a market in Chattisgarh who, once she’d laughingly granted permission for the photo, then adopted a positively stern and regal look – just beautiful.