A break from the monochrome was vital. So Hampi's neighbor, Anegundi to the rescue.
The enthralling view I witnessed on our second day was promising enough to get me back here. Today's plan of getting to the other side of the river was to solely sit on the rocks by the stream, a landscape that deserved to be relished in the moment. Unfortunately, we didn't get that convenience but we did get a new experience. It happened to be a special day that called for celebration, so families came along with bags filled with clothes and offerings to the God; as they would bathe in the river and change clothes, pray and relish the temple offering which was cooked under the large boulders. The cave formed by the rocks became a makeshift kitchen for the day. Men and women has separate bathing areas and being barefoot was mandatory. In the midst of all the celebration, our only relief was coconut water.
Coming back to the village of Anegundi, we conversed with locals, found our way to the banana fibre workshop and ended up shopping. Meeting the workers in the workshop was a lovely engagement. They have such skills and commitment, worthy of being inspired. Doing their home chores, taking care of their families and managing working, these women are simpletons with great skill. Another workshop that we happen to visit was a more commercial one, where they delivered handcrafted banana fibre goods all across the globe. The striking weaves, moderate pricing and the fact that this is the closest I could get my hands on a very authentic takeaway from my trip, called for some retail therapy. We were lucky to chance upon meeting the woman behind this cottage industry, Shama Pawar. A common statement running through the village was - women in this village are the breadwinners of their homes while men either laze around or work on farms. Posing the same to Shama, a friend of mine questioned her strategy of employing only women in this industry, not the men. To that she said, that men have limited and temporary interest and offer no commitment whereas women are dedicated and committed to the work, a passion essential for their growth and empowerment.
Anegundi was an insightful town where almost every person, every animal and even the inanimate had stories to tell.
The enthralling view I witnessed on our second day was promising enough to get me back here. Today's plan of getting to the other side of the river was to solely sit on the rocks by the stream, a landscape that deserved to be relished in the moment. Unfortunately, we didn't get that convenience but we did get a new experience. It happened to be a special day that called for celebration, so families came along with bags filled with clothes and offerings to the God; as they would bathe in the river and change clothes, pray and relish the temple offering which was cooked under the large boulders. The cave formed by the rocks became a makeshift kitchen for the day. Men and women has separate bathing areas and being barefoot was mandatory. In the midst of all the celebration, our only relief was coconut water.
Coming back to the village of Anegundi, we conversed with locals, found our way to the banana fibre workshop and ended up shopping. Meeting the workers in the workshop was a lovely engagement. They have such skills and commitment, worthy of being inspired. Doing their home chores, taking care of their families and managing working, these women are simpletons with great skill. Another workshop that we happen to visit was a more commercial one, where they delivered handcrafted banana fibre goods all across the globe. The striking weaves, moderate pricing and the fact that this is the closest I could get my hands on a very authentic takeaway from my trip, called for some retail therapy. We were lucky to chance upon meeting the woman behind this cottage industry, Shama Pawar. A common statement running through the village was - women in this village are the breadwinners of their homes while men either laze around or work on farms. Posing the same to Shama, a friend of mine questioned her strategy of employing only women in this industry, not the men. To that she said, that men have limited and temporary interest and offer no commitment whereas women are dedicated and committed to the work, a passion essential for their growth and empowerment.
Anegundi was an insightful town where almost every person, every animal and even the inanimate had stories to tell.
A monster of auto
Our place of solace, temporarily occupied
The current
Anegundi's color palette
Banana fibre workshop-Thwaag
Hands-on work with the fibres
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