Women of the village

The women of the village were absolutely amazing. There was something very special about the way they lived. The men may be the backbone but the women are the lifeblood of the village. In general, life in the village is hard but the women made it look easy. They were the first to greet all visitors with a true servant's heart. Every now and then the women would take time to converse and relax, but most of the time they were either gathered in a circle on the floor chopping vegetables for the next meal, taking care of the children, tending the cows or carrying some large basket on their head or hips. Everyone knew their role and their responsibilities. The women lived life with energy and a sense of being as tough as the land. They also appeared very confident and secure. When I took photographs, the concept of smiling for the camera was somewhat foreign as most would quickly get serious and solemn looking, but I can assure you that the women smiled a great deal and random outbursts of laughter occurred often. Of course they may have been laughing at me but that's beside the point!

There also appeared to be no difference from the way an Indian woman of the village dressed and the way women of the city dressed. Every day I saw them dressed in very elegant and colorful sari's no matter the time or task at hand. In the mind of this western man the country is filled with princesses (ha ha). Maybe it's because the colorful sari dress is so different and boldly bright compared to U.S. fashion, or maybe it's the way a princess is portrayed in my childhood fairy tale books but that's the feeling I get when I see someone dressed that way.

Needless to say, the Indian women I encountered in the village define the words hospitable, tough, beautiful and VERY unselfish.