A Rural South Indian Village

Today I share some shots of Osur village, in rural South India. We went there in 2013 to witness blessings for a temple. During a stroll around the handful of streets that are the village, my eye was drawn to textures and glimpses of things. As you will see, I was probably more intrigued with capturing parts of things than the whole. Because often the whole wasn’t pretty. It was tough reality. I guess this was my attempt to make it feel pin-worthy. That is not passing any judgment on the village — it’s more a reflection of, maybe, my privileged need to make things “pin-worthy.” That’s heavier stuff than just taking photos, for sure.

If this is making you feel melancholy and maybe a little lonely in this world, well, that’s the effect many scenes here had on me too. But things are looking brighter …

Here are some scenes of the streets:

There were very few people. No children to be seen around. Most adults might have been at the temple’s ceremony, though I spotted a few people peeking warily through windows.

Some of these women adjusted my sari. And it’s surprising how the sari can go from making you feel like a caterpillar confined uncomfortably in a shapeless cocoon that you keep picking at, to a silken goddess gliding on air effortlessly. I thank them for making me feel that way!

Workers are building modern blocky concrete homes next traditional styles:

And that is Osur village. I’ll share later my fantasies of designing an Indian courtyard country house and images collected on a Pinterest board. Big contrast from what life really is!