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That Indian Smile!
A red ghoonghat (veil) can’t hide this young villager’s magnificent smile.
Like the rest of India, the Great Thar Desert is a beautiful expanse, full of contrasts.
At one end of the spectrum was the luxury tented resort where I, my tour companions, photographer Karl Grobl, and local guide DV Singh, were all staying; Manvar Desert Camp, amongst the dunes of the Great Thar Desert and just off the Jodhpur- Jaisalmer highway, feels like a serene oasis in the daytime heat. The dry air hums all around the beautiful, minimalist sandy exterior, while the interiors of the spacious tents are cool and quiet. The official literature states that: “Staying [in] the tents is really relaxing & soothing experience.”
I would second that: it is hard to describe the calm I felt while staying there.
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Manvar Desert Camp
A semi-circle of deluxe tents is a luxurious oasis in the Thar Desert sands.
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Quiet Time
The air sizzles with heat and promise.
Dining Tent
“Casual elegance” is the easiest way to describe the dining tent, with its canvas chairs and linen napkins.
However, step outside the boundaries of the resort camps – or, more accurately, ride a jeep outside – and the hardships that come from trying to eke a living out of the desert environment become more evident. We visited several villages during our desert stay (see: Life in the Thar Desert; Camels in the Desert; Opium for Breakfast; Living in the Thar Dunes; and Morning Portraits in a Thar Village). Each village impressed me with it’s simplicity: life is not easy here. But, even though they might work hard, people in the villages were always happy to come and meet the visitors.
Khiyasariya, about 120 km from Jodhpur, was one of the last desert villages I visited in the area. According to the 2011 Census, Khiyasariya has about 155 houses, 1166 hectares of land, and a total population of 993 people.
Come and meet some of them:
Men on the Wall
Everywhere you go in India, people are hanging around, draped as if they just are waiting for us to pass and photograph them.
Sacred Cow
You know you are close to a village of some affluence when you come across livestock grazing on the sparse desert grasses.
Walking to the Well
Women in Khiyasariya have a long walk to the closest water source.
Walking with Water
How the woman walk so gracefully with the full containers on the return trip amazes me!
Man with Pipe
Meanwhile, one of the village elders …
Smoking Man
… enjoys his afternoon smoke, …
Head Man
… pausing occasionally for photographs in the bright afternoon light.
Woman and Child
The young women of the village are happy to show off their bare-bottomed babies.
Washing Dishes
Kitchen tasks are all manual, …
Carrying Wood
… and like water, wood for fuel has to be gathered regularly.
Kitchen
Woman in Pink
… before looking at the camera with an open face…
Woman in Pink
In another window, a woman looks out from behind her pink ghoongat …
Woman in Pink
… and following us to the village gate.
Over the Fence
As we get ready to leave the village, people come out to see us off.
Woman and Child
Proud mums try to get their children …
Woman and Child
… to smile for the camera, …
Kohl-Eyed Infant
… but the kohl-eyed youngsters are not sure what to make of the strangers.
At the Gate
Villagers watch as we leave Khiyasariya…
Village Kids
… and the school-aged kids come out to wave us off.
Moustachioed Finery
Our jeep-driver sports a wonderful Indian moustache.
Old Man and a Goat
As we drive back to our camp, we come across one of the old men of the village.
Old Goat Herd
He is happy to stop and chat as he makes his way back to Khiyasariya …
Sundown
… and the sun goes down over his goats.
We headed back to our camp for a dinner and entertainment under the stars: the nights are filled with traditional gypsy folk music and dance (Celebrating Music and Motion).
Meanwhile in the village, life goes on.
‘Till next time –
Namaste!
Photos: 10November2013
