Woman with Water Pots
A “simple” life is not necessarily an easy one.
The Thar Desert, or Great Indian Desert, is an arid region that forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. A relatively large area, it spreads across four Indian states (Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan) and two Pakistani states.
The Thar Desert is the most densely populated desert in the world, with 83 people per square km. This population lives in small villages, far apart from each other. The people are often nomadic: moving when their sparse water supply dries up.
Life in the desert is not easy (see: Life in the Thar Desert). As one website puts it: “The life is miserable and uncertain in Thar but full of action and thrill for […] tourists…” Another simply states: “The life of the people in the desert region is very hard. The population is very thin and the villages are situated at quite long distances from one another.”
In most villages, the familial generations live together in one complex, and any money earned by family members becomes the common property of the family as a whole. A walk around the small village of Khuri, within the boundaries of Desert National Park, and only 45 km from the World Heritage city of Jaisalmer, demonstrates how little people make do with.
“Welcome Khuri”
It’s a simple sign that welcomes visitors to a simple village.
Camel –
Camels – which provide rides for tourists – …
– in his Finery
… are the village’s economic mainstay.
Skinny Calf and Fallen Laundry
Most of the houses in the village are simple clay-and-dung walled huts with thatched roofs and packed-earth courtyards.
Water Pots
Water is carried – not piped.
Family at the Gate
Most houses have a fenced-off courtyard. Clearly, the lifestyle is simple, …
Woman at the Gate
… but the smiles are generous.
Child at the Window
Rajasthani Girl
Children, with their dark eyes rimmed with kohl, are everywhere, …
Rajasthani Boy
… though it might take a little while for some of them to come out of the shadows.
Goat
The presence of livestock – goats and cows – signals that this village is doing well.
Sweeping the Housefront
Most tasks are performed manually, …
Machine-Worker
… but there is some electricity, running off a generator.
Man on the Stoop
Woman and Children
Firewood or clay pots are stored on flat roofs. There are surplus bricks scattered all around the place; …
Woman and Child
… I can’t tell if they are from buildings going up or coming down.
“Washed” Pots
I suspect these utensils have been sand-scrubbed. Water is at a real premium around the village; …
Women with Water Pots
… as I ride into the dunes on one of the camels, local women are returning to the village with water pots on their heads.
Camels on the Sand
Like most tourist who visit this part of Desert National Park, we are there to ride the camels into the dunes.
Dancing Boy
In the falling afternoon light…
Dancing Boy
… a young boy entertains us with dance …
Musicians in the Sand
… music and song.
Riding the Camel
I was travelling as part of a photo-group with Karl Grobl and local guide DV; …
Running the Camel
…. we were in the dunes to take pictures of the camels against the lowering sun; …
Walking the Camel
…. a few of which I shared with you last some time ago (see: Camels in the Thar Desert).
I admire how these people make lives out of very little –
and I’m very pleased not to have to trade places!
The simple life is not an easy one.
Namaste!
