Saturday, June 05, 2010

INDIA: CHILDREN AND ANIMALS...

There are children and animals everywhere. Take a photo of a child and ten, twenty more appear, all posing for the camera and swarming around asking for more. There are camels pulling marble slabs, donkeys with sacks of bricks on their backs, elephants carrying god knows what. Monkeys hang out on a wall under a tree. There are goats and dogs and cows wandering casually in the streets amongst the auto rickshaws and motorbikes, the cows especially safe in the knowledge that no one will harm them and they'll be fed. I still managed to get headbutted by one - thankfully its horns went either side of my torso but I'm sure being headbutted by a cow signifies some kind of terrible fate in Hindu culture. Oh, and the cats: small and skinny, Egyptian looking with big ears, constant loud miaowing - it took all my willpower not to smuggle a kitten home.

4 comments:

franki said...

Great photos - I especially like the fourth one down, with the little girl looking through the bars.
It must have been amazing in India, I'd love to someday.

Oh, and I'd have been exactly the same with the cats!

Unknown said...

great photos claire!! really!
and wow...every photo is so rich..i can and cannot imagine how it is in real life!

andrea said...

These bring back so many memories - so beautiful. And cow's are akin to, and sacred like, mothers there. So maybe being headbutted by one is just a reminder to call your mom. *smile*

Claire said...

Andrea - I was thinking all sorts about the cow! Like why did it choose me - I was just walking along and there were other people right next to me. And what did it mean to the entire village who all looked on with their mouths gaping open? I was thinking I did something bad because you're supposed to leave them alone, but I didn't touch it, it went for me! And it looked pissed off! I was a little in shock afterwards...I guess even cows get the blues harhar...