IMPRESSIONS OF INDIA, so far
Namaste.
Exotic mysterious. Another world. Off in the distance and extreme up close. There is a mystery in the air, trees coming out of the mist, buildings with unique structures silhouetted against the sky. Full moon, hazy yellow sun ball of light.
Busy. Hazy.
People. Hard working. Content and smiling. People wanting to please others. Peaceful. Tragic deformations, intense eye contact
Brown barefoot and some with sandals. Women carrying items on their heads, using no hands. The body is a vessel of manual labour. Scarves. Bright coloured women with grey clothed men. Chiseled features, black hair, deep eyes with big smiles. People wanting to be close to us, have their picture taken standing close.
Sacred animals wild and tame. Dogs, monkeys, cows, Brahma Bulls, horses, peacocks, chipmunks, green parrots, large dark birds of prey, chickens. Beasts of burden pulling carts of produce.
Chanting. Haunting music and bells, sounds of prayer. Music of India heard on the streets. Honking of cars, tuktuks and people, airplanes overhead.
Spice markets, scent of incense, florals, urine and dust. Vehicle exhaust.
Crowds of people on the roadways, on sidewalks and in doorways and businesses. People walking and carrying goods. People in rickshaws hauling heavy loads with strength of their legs. Gentle mothers cradling babes in their arms, holding hands with children close by, walking behind the men. Heads covered and shawls draped around covering shoulders and breasts. Skirts long to the ground, bright red can be seen from a distance. Single worker in the fields.
Green and orange and white flag waving with pride. Tents and cardboard huts for homes, clothes out on the line. Stacks of rooms where people stay, hundreds upon thousands of new apartments being built in the suburb area outside of the center. Town center in old area is busy and crowded, bodies touching as they go about their business. Men working in shops of countless varieties. Selling sarees, spices, food stuffs, clothing. Bare necessities of life. Jewellery adorns faces and necks. Henna designs on hands and feet.
Palaces and structures of ancient times, poetry in marble. Preserved and visited historical monuments to a time of Royal reign. The Taj Mahal took my breath away.
Namaste.