More Observations of India

We find our senses are constantly filled with so many new and different things. We will describe just a few:

Rice paddies. They are the most beautiful spring green color. Kumaraan calls it the color of happiness which aptly describes the sunny feeling they have. The amount of labor is enormous producing rice. Flooding he fields. Hoeing the fields by hand. Building walls around it to keep them wet. Planting the seeds. Transplanting the seedlings further apart. Weeding. Raising morel fish in it (they aerate and stir up the soil which increases the yield and then can sell the fish too). Cutting it down when mature. Drying it out. Beating it to release the rice. Shaking it in baskets to remove the extra bits of plant further. Then left to dry on the hot pavement to dry further before sending it off to have the hull removed. The women work hard on the latter tasks. Their brightly colored sarees and the white herons are a sharp contrast to the vivid green paddies.

Motorcyles. This is often a family affair. Some women ride facing forward often with small children sandwiched between mom and dad. I saw a small infant sleeping one day wedged in between. Other woman ride side saddle some appearing to balance perfectly without holding on.

Coconuts. They have different coconuts. They are green and the coconut milk is clear and slightly sour. Many stands sell the coconut milk with a straw in it. Then cut it in half for you to eat the gel like substance in the middle. It is highly regarded for every day health and for sacred ceremonies at temples.

Cashew Trees and Plantains. From a distance they look like slender evergreens. But as you get closer you realize they are fine leaves. There are huge groves of them around. On the coast, they planted many of them as a source of protection from Tsumani’s. There are huge groves of plantains near the rice paddies. They too are flooded because it requires lots of water to grow the fruit.

Banyon Trees. What clever trees!! As soon as the limbs extend very far from the trunk and are too heavy to support themselves, the tree sends down roots from the branches and creates another trunk to support it naturally.

Auto Rickshaws. For the crew that went to Guatemala – also known as Tuk Tuk’s. I have seen a slightly larger version here that has two benches instead of one which means there are 6-8 people in one.