Step Wells, Village Shopping, and a School
Near the retreat where we were staying is the now "ghost town" of Abhaneri, a town of very little note except for the step wells nearby. These were built apparently beginning about the 10th century and consist of steps leading down to a pond in which there is water. The level of the pond rises and falls with the water table and the idea is that you walk down the steps to the water in order to retrieve some water for your use. Unless, of course, you are royalty and you have your own "showers" down there. But this is clearly one of the those many times in which a picture is worth at least a thousand words.
We then went to a local government school in the area. (There are also a number of "public" schools in the British sense.) This school is from level 1 to 5 (or about ages 5 to 10) and has nearly 40 kids from nearby villages. There are two teachers and two rooms besides the big assembly room ... all in the fairly open to the outdoors style of much northern Indian buildings. We did not see any books or school supplies.
Near the retreat where we were staying is the now "ghost town" of Abhaneri, a town of very little note except for the step wells nearby. These were built apparently beginning about the 10th century and consist of steps leading down to a pond in which there is water. The level of the pond rises and falls with the water table and the idea is that you walk down the steps to the water in order to retrieve some water for your use. Unless, of course, you are royalty and you have your own "showers" down there. But this is clearly one of the those many times in which a picture is worth at least a thousand words.
As you can see, it's one of the most glorious stairmasters ever created. It should be noted that this is one of the deepest step wells. And it is clearly worth a detour to see. And, yes, that's a Hindu Temple in the background in this photo.
The issue of water in this part of India is important. There are a number of places where there are lakes and even more where there are dry lakes. And, apparently, the continued overuse of water is causing a reduction in the water table level. In a land where about 70% of the population lives in villages and depends on agriculture to make a living (such as it is in many cases). The amount of available water is difficult in regular cases as shown by the step wells. We had heard that the retreat where we were staying was thinking of putting in a swimming pool. I left a note in the guest book asking them to reconsider this decision given the severe water shortage and decreasing water table in the area.
We then visisted the shopping area that was near the main highway. The street food was very tempting but I stuck to good practices so as to not get a side dish of dysentary or cholera. I recognize that the risks are fairly low but they are considerably higher than in the US. And even if I escaped those more serious ailments, there are a number of things I could catch just from not having the required antibodies or intestinal flora and fauna. So I consoled myself by "eating" photographically.
We then visisted the shopping area that was near the main highway. The street food was very tempting but I stuck to good practices so as to not get a side dish of dysentary or cholera. I recognize that the risks are fairly low but they are considerably higher than in the US. And even if I escaped those more serious ailments, there are a number of things I could catch just from not having the required antibodies or intestinal flora and fauna. So I consoled myself by "eating" photographically.
Also in the area was a medical practitioner who promised to cure nearly anything (according to our tour guide who is fluent in Hindi).
I will leave to those who are fluent in Hindi whether he is correct. Unfortunately there was no sign that he accepted my medical insurance.
We then went to a local government school in the area. (There are also a number of "public" schools in the British sense.) This school is from level 1 to 5 (or about ages 5 to 10) and has nearly 40 kids from nearby villages. There are two teachers and two rooms besides the big assembly room ... all in the fairly open to the outdoors style of much northern Indian buildings. We did not see any books or school supplies.
Our group leader says that the problem remains that even though there is mandatory public education, it is more an aspiration than a reality, especially in the very rural areas such as where we were. I was happy that our visit to the school did provide some additional funding for that school. And we did get to hear the national anthem of India sung by the school children (and I will post that video later).
That afternoon we "learned" how to play cricket, which we were told is the national sport of India. At least the basic rules were explained and I learned enough so that when I watch cricket on television now I sort of understand it. Of course, the finer points of the game will take much more time. We were invited to try our hand at hitting the cricket ball and Irene acquitted herself admirably.
That afternoon we "learned" how to play cricket, which we were told is the national sport of India. At least the basic rules were explained and I learned enough so that when I watch cricket on television now I sort of understand it. Of course, the finer points of the game will take much more time. We were invited to try our hand at hitting the cricket ball and Irene acquitted herself admirably.
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