Uttarakhand is a state in India - formerly called Uttaranchal and formerly a part of the state Uttar Pradesh, which Agra is in. India offers interesting examples of how names and boundaries have marked the formal recognition of gradual formation of state identity. Thus making it easier for ignorant ones like myself to get a superficial understanding of how long it has taken for this process to take in different parts of the country.
The first stop I made in India after returning from the US (mid-July 2011) was in the foothills of the Himalayas. I went to vist an NGO that MIT students at DLab work with every year. I was in search of 2 things:
The first stop I made in India after returning from the US (mid-July 2011) was in the foothills of the Himalayas. I went to vist an NGO that MIT students at DLab work with every year. I was in search of 2 things:
- To witness personally how hygiene is practiced today in a pristine rural, naturally resource-rich part of India.
- Find space and tools for first round of prototyping hand hygiene enabling technologies
The stay was only 10 days but it was quite successful at accomplishing those 2 goals.
I did a brief homestay with someone who works with the NGO Avani. His home is a 3 hour walk, (and no alternatives to legs) out of Berinag, India. The walk winding through streams and pine trees, loosely tying the occasional dwelling to each others' doorsteps.
It was a beautiful time and place. It was a nice Brahmin family living on great land along a clear stream. The oldest son was called Aditya Pant, and looked strikingly like the Aditya Pant from Panch.
The family lives a very hygienic lifestyle. As Brahmins they also still observe religious practices at home. They have lots of water, built a toilet, maintain a perennial garden all around there house of vegetables to complement their rice crops. They have space to roam, outside and inside their homes. The daily routines of the mothers are very tied to maintaining everything clean, and for the men their hygiene seemed more tied with religious practice.
The men and women of this family worked side by side - weeding, cleaning and cooking. Not sure why such distinct seperation of roles has developed different elsewhere, in much more 'developed' parts of India.
Very nice place to surely experience India in its rawest form also would suggest to visit Kerala and to be in one of the homestays in kerala backwaters.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing information. It will help me because I am planning for Homestays in Uttarakhand.
ReplyDeleteHome Stay In Shimla is much better then a hotel. When visitor plant to come Shimla Home Stay Shimla is the best option. Reasonable price and quality of service with himachali tradition.
ReplyDeleteWow reminds me my childhood. As being from Berinag and my parents still living there, I remember the time of my childhood when economically we were not doing great. I have been through all of this. At that time this kinda lifestyle was not that good, lacking many basic daily needs. But now it seems perfectly fine when you have a good economical support from at least one person in the family. (I think my discussion took this away from the topic).
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