The move itch struck us again, after all it had been 2 whole months since nosotros had gotten away - therefore nosotros decided a quick weekend getaway to Bhandardhara, Maharashtra (180 kms from Mumbai).
After whizzing on the Bombay Nasik Expressway (NH3, multi lane, smoothen drive), nosotros cutting off at the Ghoti Toll to the Nagpur-Aurangabad-Mumbai Highway (bumpy, unmarried lane but amongst neat countryside views)!
Enjoying the countryside on this road (even ameliorate inwards monsoon, but non bad inwards winters either), nosotros crossed a huge 'maidan' (ground) amongst what looked similar a gzillion people in addition to wait.. also cattle!
It was a cattle fair - people from the neighbouring villages had gathered to purchase or sell cattle. Truckloads of cattle (literally) of all sizes, breed in addition to color were offloaded on this ground. People seemed to stimulate got camped upwardly at that topographic point for a dyad of days. To run into the sheer pose out of cattle at that topographic point was a 'moo-ing' experience!
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| Cattle of all breed & sizes made the Cattle Fair a colorful sight! |
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| People seemed to stimulate got camped upwardly at the Cattle Fair for some days |
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| Cattle beingness brought in, inwards trucks & tempos from neighboring villages |
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| A draw of shops sold diverse adornments for cattle |
Remembering nosotros had a goal to hit, nosotros drove farther on.. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few kilometres ahead - on a barren landscape inwards the backdrop of a scarcely light-green loma - was a petty hut.
On the outskirts of Ghoti village, this mud hut had cattle & poultry merely about it, chillies & beans set out to dry, ii not-so-lush trees providing shade from the scorching Sun in addition to the lady of the draw of piece of occupation solid busy inwards the courtyard. The chocolate-brown barren beauty of the hut compelled us to halt..
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| The petty mud hut |
The lady must've been inwards her 60's. Sitting exterior her hut, she was flattening out cow-dung into discs therefore it could endure used for cooking (and other) fires... Bio liberate energy at its best - done inwards almost hamlet homes inwards India.
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| The onetime lady making cow-dung cakes in addition to leaving them out to dry |
'Aamhi hya govri baghu shakto ka?', I asked her ('Do y'all take away heed if nosotros run into the moo-cow dung cakes that y'all are laying out?')
She was thrilled to host us.. She fifty-fifty taught our iv twelvemonth onetime fille to brand cow-dung cakes inwards iii slow steps: mix cow-dung amongst straw, flatten it into cakes past times paw in addition to larn out the cow-dung cakes inwards the Sun to dry.
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Our fille trying her paw at making cow-dung cakes nether able supervision
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The cow-dung past times the agency has other utilities likewise apart from bio fuel - moisture moo-cow dung is spread across the walls in addition to floors of hamlet huts which dries upwardly to brand solid walls & floors. It is also used equally agricultural manure.
The lady in addition to therefore took us to a calf tied merely about the tree exterior her hut in addition to nosotros fed it some hay.
After the petty 'activity class' (that's what our fille idea it was), the lady took our fille close the hut in addition to washed her hands off a bucket of water. I after realised how generous that was since all the H2O she had inwards her draw of piece of occupation solid were 2-3 bucketfuls (perhaps from a H2O heart or a flow some distance away).
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| Washing the moo-cow dung off their hands |
She was form plenty to stimulate got us within her hut - 8 sq mtrs, housed vi identify unit of measurement members. She introduced us to her identify unit of measurement in addition to offered us a form of khichdi (steamed rice amongst pulses) made on her indigenous 'choola' (cooking stove).
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Their humble abode - amongst meals cooked on the indigenous 'choola'
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Much equally nosotros were tempted, nosotros politely refused, non wanting to 'eat into' the family's portion of lunch.
We thanked her for her courtesy in addition to bid the identify unit of measurement practiced bye, glad to stimulate got experienced some business office of their life. What seemed chocolate-brown & barren to us was mayhap gilded for them!
With that, nosotros drove ahead to Bhandardhara. But indeed equally the platitude goes - the journeying was equally interesting equally the destination..!
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