This Is India

This is India: Goats in shirts hanging out on the railroad tracks when I'm walking to work.

This picture sort of sums up the absurdity included in daily life in India. Sometimes there are things here that just make no sense what so ever, and have no clear explanation. The day I took this was cool, but only sixty degrees Fahrenheit at the lowest. These goats were not in any danger of being cold. But obviously one of the children that lives in the compounds along the railroad tracks decided that these goats needed an extra layer against the elements. They don't seem to mind it. (Note the laundry in the background. In the absence of clotheslines the railroad fence and sometimes the rocks beside the tracks themselves become the favorite spot for drying clothes!)
In other news, I wanted to follow up on my post about the theater exercises by saying that I have been told the ladies have been discussing the game we played about family all week long. They particularly felt moved by the discussion Sarah Lance led afterward about how they could break the cultural tradition of hitting children for any and all punishments. The ladies agreed strongly when Sarah pointed out that often the reason we hit our children is that that is the way we were dealt with by our parents. But she pointed out that the ladies have the power to change that trend in their own households, where they are already breaking tradition by becoming bread-winners and leaders. The ladies where heard to discuss during the week feeling bad for hitting their children for offenses such as not studying for exams, and talking about alternative forms of persuasion. I feel so blessed to have been part of facilitating these discussions. It is truly an embodiment of what I want to do with my art for the rest of my life!

More "This is India" Photos to come! Stay tuned!