καιρός remembered

Young and lovely

Apart from the fact that these girls have clearly been sent by their parents to find something edible to put in their baskets, they are young and radiant, just as we like to see children of this age.

This is how the story for these girls might well unfold in just a few years’ time. I’m quoting from what my wife wrote about another girl we knew when she was just as young and cheerful as the girls in the photo.

“Last night I lay on a bed outside with R. looking at the stars. She told me how enslaved she is in her husband’s joint family having to do all the cleaning, cooking and washing clothes for a family of ten from 5 am to midnight every day with just an hour or two of rest in the afternoon. The sister-in-law who is unmarried does nothing at all – doesn’t even wash her own panties. Neither does the mother-in-law. She and the other daughter-in-law who has two unruly kids have to manage everything. If she goes out of the door to talk to a lady neighbour she’s called back in. A couple of months ago R. was very ill, semi-conscious for a while and weak. She’s enjoying the rest here back home for a few days because of Rakshabandan but is dreading going back to her in-laws family”.

Sent from paradise into slavery in the space of a few years: the fate of many a girl in India to this day.

Photos of the week: Girls in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, India 2007