Rural Roots in Southern India

INDIA | Friday, 5 July 2013 | Views [1618] | View Smaller Image

“Fresh meat”. Another shop keeper was weighing and sorting fish when we passed by. Like the other shop keepers we met, he was eager to share his work with us. When we stopped to see what he was doing, he told us to wait and he would show us how he cleans and prepares the fish. His skilled hands didn’t hesitate as he peeled back the scales, pulled the head off and cut the meat into pieces to be sold.

Tags: fish, market, shop, butcher, work, india, village

“Eager to share”. While wandering through the shop-lined streets in Saraguru, we stopped to ask some of the shopkeepers if we could take pictures of their colorful shops. The language barrier was overcome with gestures and smiles, and when they saw that we were interested in their shops and their work, they were more than happy to open up to us and share about their livelihoods. They proudly showed their large piles of cotton outside and then motioned for us to follow them to another building where they had a large pile of lentil-like grain, which they again proudly showcased. So much can be said sometimes without understanding a single word.

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“Balancing with Nature”. The role of nature and people’s responsibility towards it is still unclear it seems in many parts of southern India. This river runs along the edge of Saraguru and while it is revered (a temple can be seen in the middle of the river) and valued for its role in agricultural irrigation and domestic uses, certain practices such as washing clothes along the bank introduces soaps and toxins into the water. This is affecting some of the fish populations and degrading the health of the ecosystem. Without the proper infrastructure to change those practices though, it is a hard battle to fight.

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Rural Roots in Southern India

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