We arrive at `The Land’ at around six in the morning and are welcomed by Imo and a cup of tea. After a few hours of sleep we get up and eat the first delicious lunch of our stay.
An introductory talk by Imo precedes our exploration of the village.
People are very friendly. Children gather around us, `What’s your name?’ they call. Three boys on bikes stop to talk. They are on their way home from school to their village of Pakengowda Pallia.
Women working in the field stop and wave a friendly greeting. They are winnowing Ragi, a type of millet, which is the main cereal crop of people in the area.
Other women sit in small groups chatting in doorways, or washing clothes. One elderly woman greets us with a Namaste. We see her sitting in this place, sometimes looking rather lost, as we pass the house each day.
The corner where the bus stops is a hive of life. Children mill around in groups and call to us `What’s your name?’
In front of the church a group of boys hit small sticks with longer sticks. It makes me think of the Yorkshire game of Knurr and Spell.
Later we walk with Kiran along paths that take us north of the village. We pass people walking and others on motorbikes going home. A small lorry passes us laden with propane gas bottles and one more heads towards us decorated with the elaborate patterns that are so unique to South Asia. Further on lush vegetables grow in small allotments and Indian cattle wait patiently in the field and rest.
Brickworks!
Night sounds
The lingering sound of a distant train rumbles across the flat fields. A chorus of cicadas hangs in the blackness of the night, their pulsing sound punctuated by the cry of a baby and the bark of village dogs.
Tags: India, Silvepura, village
