We were expecting to book out of the hotel this morning as we had been told on booking in that it was full tonight due to a ceremony relating to a wedding so we had just about finished packing when the receptionist called and told us we could stay a further night. The call came almost directly after Ashok had sent a message “Is this your hotel even today” and I suspect that he had something to do with it as we had told him yesterday that we needed to find another hotel. However it had come about we are grateful as though it’s not the classiest establishment (though it could be so around here) it is comfortable enough even though housekeeping is next to not existent
As we were walking up the stairs from breakfast an older Indian man was coming down, he stopped offered his hand and then hugged us both all the time speaking in his language-all we could respond with is the traditional Namaste greeting and bow and we went our separate ways.
Got to Ashok’s and found Gita, his sister and Riya asleep - we can understand Gita being asleep as she was at the last ceremony until 5.30am then came home and fed the buffaloes before having a quick nap and then got back up and milk them, she had earned the right to do so. She is Ashok’s rock.
The people around here are something special!
It was very hot today though the weather app suggested it was only 38 degrees and the village was “dead”; a combination I suspect of the previous day’s activities and the oppressive heat.
Ashok needed some sleep so he went into the yet to be completed “guest room” for a snooze while we sat in the bedroom where Gita was sleeping under the aircon.
Sitting around doing nothing is not us so around 2.30pm we decided to accept the challenge and to walk around the village. Did I say it was hot, it was 🔥🔥 and we moved slowly from area of shade to area of shade. About halfway round a family came out and it was obvious they were saying “what the hell are you two old farts doing walking around in this heat, come inside for a drink”. We managed to convince them that we would decline their invitation so it changed to “Come inside so we can take a photo, only 1 click” so we did so but the one click quickly became many clicks”
When we finally managed to get away and finish our walk we commented that it was again humbling that strangers would show such concern for us as they don’t go outside in the heat of the afternoon.
The people around here are something special!
Finally got back home and Gita had woken while Ashok still had a little to go. When he did join us with Gita, Sherry offered Gita her saree as we couldn’t see that it would be worn again and Gita gratefully accepted.
As this was our farewell visit and Ashok would be driving us through to Delhi in the morning it was appropriate that we thanked them both for the invitation to come to the wedding and the hospitality that they had showered on us and we reimbursed them for the extra cost they had incurred in feeding us, the petrol Ashok had used in driving us from and to Delhi and back and forth to hotels and the cost of the jutti shoes he had purchased for me to wear at the wedding as well we gave both of them some personal money and also some funds to be put into Priya and Riya’s wedding accounts.
By now the temperature had fallen (just a little) so we started a walk to visit some of those folk who we had contact with and say goodbye.
We firstly went to Sireta’s home, Ashok’s best women friend, and spoke with her and another lady who is always there around milking time. She wouldn’t let us leave without sharing a coffee and by now it was obvious that this wasn’t going to be a “hi bye thanks for having us” type of walk.
Before leaving she insisted that we return for her son’s wedding at a future date though as yet the likelihood of a marriage is not in the same post code let alone the same street.
The people around here are something special!
Onto Virender Singh’s house and again invited in and offered a drink. An inter generational family of 7, Virender’s mother and father, he and his wife, his daughter and her husband and their child. Again it was difficult to get away – we thanked him and his family for their hospitality he thanking us for coming to the village and “that our presence had been good for the village”. When we thought about that later it struck us that we may well have been the only non-Indian folk to spend time in the village and I had noticed that as we had interacted with the various groups of younger men he had been observing from a distance.
Before we left he invited us back for any future village wedding!
The people around here are something special!
Onto Ashok’s big brother’s house, Bir Singh Sapna’s dad. The house is directly linked to Ashok’s old house which with the greatest of respect is almost uninhabitable though his mother and father live there. There was a room to keep the buffalo, an animal food storage area, a kitchen and one bedroom all very small. The daily cooking of chapatti is over a stick fire on a stair landing. How Ashok lived here as a family of 4 defies belief but he said he was very happy there and it was Gita who suggested they build a new house.
The people around here are something special!
Further up the lane lived his cousins brother a gent with a sizeable tummy and because of the fact that he has a large multi-storey house Ashok jokes that he needs 2 rooms as he can’t fit into one hence the size of the home. We were shown, very proudly through every room of the home which would have been the equivalent of a Remuera home in comparison to most of the others which might be regarded as being of South Auckland standard.
As they walked they were chanting/singing and yes Sherry had to be in the procession but one of the old dears who had taken a shine to her helpfully took her arm and shepherd her through though I don’t think trying to get Sherry to dance to the singing was in the script.
As they returned to the starting point the old dear started massaging Sherry’s lower limbs all done with a smile and she then approached me and bent and touched my foot showing her
The people around here are something special!
Finally we moved to get into Ashok’s vehicle but to get into it we had to get past a bevy of women and Virender who had all come to see us away. An emotional send off!
The people around here are something special!
Arrived back at the hotel and as we got onto our floor who should be coming out of his room but the gent who had greeted us this morning and he approached and gave us both a strong hug
Over dinner in the hotel we chatted about our time in the village and agreed that when we first came to India and travelled the north with Ashok and passed through the villages we never thought that we would or could ever spend time in that type of environment as it wasn’t us and now having spent the better part of a week doing so living there is still not us but without question the people we have met and the traditions that we have been part of certainly change one’s perception of how life should be lived. People with very little, possibly a lot on a subsistence income only with no possibility of improving themselves have the biggest hearts imaginable, hospitality beyond description and show total care and respect for their fellow villagers and guests like us.
The people around here are something special!
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