The Weaving Village
Background information
The village we visited during the third day of our trip is well known for its silk weaving as most of the locals practice it as a living. Vital to its identity is the Varanasi saree. In the past, Indian roialty patronised the craft and it flourished, absorbing influences from Hindu and Islamic traditions. This tradition has been resurrected recently as a way to preserve the local culture and as a means of economic development.
A saree can take from 2 weeks to one month and sometimes up to six months to complete. Shimmering silks with colorful metallic threads, drawing patterns of lions, tigers, elephants , horses – a whole range of flora and fauna – and sometimes mythological scenes. We have seen the craftsmen working on them, and I couldn’t overlook the fact that the system they used was so complex. There was this entire framework that went all the way down in the ground and then towards the top of the room.
What struck me the most was the way villagers happily lived in the small huts or a home, made by bricks or clay and the way the community was socially knit together, as we’ve seen the women gathering to a specific place, chatting, singing, and playing instruments together.
What is happiness?
How much do we need to say: I am happy?
Convenience, money, expensive cruises
An iPhone released a few weeks ago
The fanciest clothing we hadn’t before
What are our values?
Do you think they do really matter in life?
In constant pursuit of the better existence
We lose our senses, the taste and the mind
Creation was given to us – its a gift
Forgetting, we hunt day by day but for what?
And sometimes when we «suffer» from «big», «heavy» weights
Just seem to be funny in eyes of the God
Lets open the eyes and fill up the world,
Materialistic is senseless, but moral is all.
The one, who has nothing, can still have the joy.
Happiness is what we decide on the own.
By Stalina
I’m sure everyone’s favorite part of the trip to Varanasi was going to the Weaving Village, because everyone must have felt like they are celebrities. From the moment we encountered the village children, we were followed by a group of children everywhere, like the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Most of our adorable followers weren’t shy in front of a camera—some struck a cute pose or even pushed their friends away to be in the center of the frame. I adored their fascination with photographs so I decided to take one Polaroid picture of a few of them and give it to them. The shy smile of a girl who got the photograph warmed my heart.
I initially thought the source of their eagerness for being photographed to be young curiousity, but it soon vanished as we met a lady who was asking if we want photos with her and her baby. The villagers showed us the same, friendly smiles which were consistent with or without the lens of a camera in front their faces.
The act of not minding, or more so wanting, being photographed seemed as their offering of a gift to us, a gift to remember them and their village forever. After two full days of incredibly meaningful yet chaotic days, plagued by chaotic noises and traffic, we greatly appreciated the genuine interaction we could have with the local villagers and their warm welcome.
by Sharon
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