- For the Indonesian air marshal, see Omar Dhani
Air Marshal Omar Dani, , was commander of the Indonesian Air Force from 1962 until 1965. He was a leading leftist figure in Indonesia during the Sukarno era....
.
In North-West
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, a
dhaniis the smallest conglomeration of
hutHut may refer to:*Hut *Hans Hut , an Anabaptist leader*Hut Records, a British audio records company*Sunglass Hut International, largest American retailer of sunglasses*Software Hut, a computer software development company...
s. All families living in a Dhani are relatives of each other or at least are of the same
casteA caste is a combined social system of occupation, endogamy, culture, social class, and political power. Caste should not be confused with class, in that members of a caste are deemed to be alike in function or culture, whereas not all members of a defined class may be so alike.Although Indian...
. Most Indian villages are small; nearly 80 percent have fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, according to the census of India 2001. Most are nucleated settlements, while others are more dispersed. It is in villages that India's most basic business--agriculture--takes place. Here, in the face of vicissitudes of all kinds, farmers follow time-tested as well as innovative methods of growing Millets,
wheatWheat is a worldwide cultivated grass from the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
,
riceRice is the seed of a monocot plant Oryza sativa, of the grass family . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East, South, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies...
, spices,lentils, vegetables, fruits, and many other crops in order to accomplish the challenging task of feeding themselves and the nation. Here, too, flourish many of India's most valued cultural diversities. Unfortunately, villagers, having no means of stocking their agriculture produce safely and always lacking financial means, are forced to sell their produces just after harvest at whatever price is offered to them. The lion’s share of the money the farmer receives by selling his agriculture produce is spent in repayment of loans taken for purchasing seeds and fertilizers. Dhanis are ancillaries to the village. Those who want to live in proximity to their fields make their huts in the field and are able to take care of their crop in a better way. The crop when ready is a valuable asset and needs to be properly guarded from stray animals and enemies.
A socio-economic unit
A dhani is a complex socio-economic unitAccording to Revenue Actin India this is smallest viable unit. A cluster of few houses is known as “Dhani” in Rajasthan. Indian villages are definitely simple. A cluster of mud-plastered walls shaded by a few trees, set among a stretch of green or dun-colored fields, men sitting under some old tree smoking bidis with fellow villagers of own age group, ladies with veiled faces moving towards central well to fetch water,cattles making many types of noises, children playing typical village games like gulli-danda,satoliya a--all present an image of eternally peaceful bliss and harmony. Indian city dwellers often refer nostalgically to their native village and how they miss that life but soon are taken back by absurd ly hectic city life. City artists portray colorfully garbed village women gracefully carrying water pots on their heads, and writers describe isolated rural settlements unsullied by the complexities of modern urban civilization. Poets including Indian National Poet
Maithili Sharan GuptMaithilisharan Gupt was one of the most important modern Hindi poets. He is considered among the pioneers of Khari Boli poetry and wrote in Khari Boli at a time when most Hindi poets favoured the use of Brijbhasha.An admirer of Hindi literature can easily estimate the depth of immortal poet by...
have written poems in praise of village life. Social scientists of the past wrote of Indian villages as virtually self-sufficient communities with few ties to the outside world. In actuality, Indian village life is far from simple.
Transport
Bullock cartThe bullock cart is a common means of transportation used traditionally since ancient times in many parts of the world. They are still used today where modern vehicles are too expensive or the infrastructure does not favor them...
or
camelCamels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus. The dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the Bactrian camel has two humps. They are native to the dry desert areas of western Asia, and central and east Asia, respectively...
cart are still used in villages as means of transport. Though for travelling to nearby villages buses, jeeps, tractors are more popular.All villages are now connected with roads which may be pucca i.e. made of coal tar or kuchha i.e. made of gravel only. Most of the roads in the interior villages are motor able and have at least one government approved bus service.Each village is connected through a variety of crucial horizontal linkages with other villages and with urban areas both near and far. Most villages are characterized by a multiplicity of economic, caste, kinship, occupational, and even religious groups linked vertically within each settlement.
Caste system
Caste system plays key role in all types of activities. In one of the first of the modern anthropological studies of Indian Dhani life, anthropologist
Oscar LewisOscar Lewis was an American anthropologist who is best known for his vivid depictions of the lives of slum dwellers and for postulating that there was a cross-generational culture of poverty among poor people that transcended national boundaries...
called this complexity rural cosmopolitanism.It has a web of life where all are linked and depend on each other for survival. The layout of a village is also based on caste. The working class people mostly live on periphery of village and do not have access to public well. Indian village dwellings are built very close to one another in a nucleated settlement, with small lanes for passage of people and sometimes carts. Village fields surround the settlement and are generally within easy walking distance. In the deserts of Rajasthan villages are far and apart and located where probability of water was high.
Unfortunately the caste system is still prevailing with its full potency in all villages in India. Within caste are sub caste. Out of working caste like washer man, sweeper, cobbler, barber, labors, weavers, all are not untouchable.Only few like sweepers, drum beaters are untouchables. Tea at a tea shop in village is offered in a separate cups to them and they wash it themselves. Usually there is one caste that dominates the village like some villages are dominated by
RajputA Rajput is a member of one of the major Hindu Kshatriya groups of India. They enjoy a reputation as formidable soldiers and it is common to find many of them serving in the Indian Armed Forces. The British Government also accepted them and recruited them heavily into their armies...
(warriors), Jat(agriculturist),
Muslim:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits ". Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islam is the infinitive. Muslims believe that there is only one God, translated in Arabic as Allah...
, Vishnoi(environmentalist), Kumhar(potter), Meghwal(weaver), or Brahmins.The number of castes resident in a single village can vary widely, from one to more than forty.Typically, a village is dominated by one or a very few castes that essentially control the village land and on whose patronage members of weaker groups must rely.
Co-operation
Work is also done on cooperative basis. When ploughing, harvesting they make a group and work in each field turn by turn. This makes a burdensome task a pleasant experience, where a group of women are working in unison singing folk songs laughing and cutting jokes.
Arts and crafts
All villagers have some type of skill to generate money in case of draught.Also the basic needs of villagers are fulfilled by local craftmen who are for many generations engaged in a particular trade like-
tailorA tailor is a person whose occupation is to sew and scissor menswear style jackets and the skirts or trousers that go with them.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits,...
,
grocerBeginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and cocoa, tea and coffee...
,
priestA priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. Their office or position is the priesthood, a term which may also apply to such persons collectively.Priests and priestesses...
or pundit,
carpenterA carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who performs carpentry. Carpenters work with wood to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
,
blacksmithA blacksmith is a person who creates objects from iron or steel by forging the metal; i.e., by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut. Blacksmiths produce things like wrought iron gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious...
,
barberA barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, give shaves, and trim beards. In previous times, barbers also performed surgery and dentistry. In more recent times, with the development of safety razors and the decreasing prevalence of beards, most barbers primarily cut hair...
,
weaverThe Ploceidae, or Weavers, are small passerine birds related to the finches.These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills, most of which breed in sub-Saharan Africa, with fewer species in tropical Asia and also in Australia. The weaver group is divided into the buffalo, sparrow, typical,...
,
potterPottery is the ceramic ware made by potters. Major types of pottery include earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. The places where such wares are made are called potteries. Pottery is one of the oldest human technologies and art-forms, and remains a major industry today...
,
leatherLeather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable and versatile material....
workers,
street sweeperA street sweeper or streetsweeper is a person or machine that cleans streets, usually in an urban area.-History of Street Sweeping in the United States:-Urban job:...
, waterbearers, and so on.T he crafts men make artistic things even a
bullock cartThe bullock cart is a common means of transportation used traditionally since ancient times in many parts of the world. They are still used today where modern vehicles are too expensive or the infrastructure does not favor them...
may have many carving and improvisation depending on the imagination of
artisanAn artisan is a skilled manual worker who crafts items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewelry, household items, and tools...
.
VillageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
religious observances and weddings are occasions for members of various castes to provide customary
ritualA ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers, or dictated purely by logic, chance, necessity, etc..A ritual may be...
goods and services in order for the events to proceed according to proper tradition. The artisans of some villages are making many
handicraftHandicraft, also known as craftwork or simply craft, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or using only simple tools. Usually the term is applied to traditional means of making goods. The individual artisanship of the items is a paramount criterion, such...
item that have high demand in big cities for decorative purposes. In villages some professions are strictly traditional while few other have been adopted by people with pragmatic approach. Aside from caste-associated occupations, villages often include people who practice nontraditional occupations. For example, Brahmans or Thakurs may be shopkeepers, teachers, truckers, or clerks, in addition to their caste-associated occupations of priest and farmer. Villagers may move to other places in search of better opportunities but never forget their roots. In villages near urban areas, an increasing number of people commute to the cities to take up jobs, and many migrate. Some migrants leave their families in the village and go to the cities to work for months at a time. Much prosperous and thus much respectable. The pace of life is slow in villages. It needs to be admired like in
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenanceZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values is the first of Robert M. Pirsig's texts in which he explores his Metaphysics of Quality...
At slack seasons, village life in India can appear to be sleepy, but usually villages are humming with activity. The work ethic is strong, with little time out for relaxation, except for numerous divinely sanctioned festivals and rite-of-passage celebrations. Residents are quick to judge each other, and improper work or social habits receive strong criticism. Indian Villagers feel a sense of village pride and honor, and the reputation of a village depends upon the behavior of all of its residents.
Drug addiction
Still some bad habits like
OpiumOpium is a narcotic formed from the latex released by lacerating the immature seed pods of opium poppies . It contains up to 12% morphine, an opiate alkaloid, which is most frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade...
, Tadi, Country liquor, gambling.
GanjaGanja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city. It was named Elizavetpol in the Russian Empire, and Kirovabad in the USSR.-Foundation of the city and its etymology:...
are not looked down by society and have some sort of social acceptance specially on festivals like Holi or ceremonies like marriage..In Manaklav about 40 KM from
JodhpurJodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, it was the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
social worker
Narayan Singh ManaklaoNarayan Singh Manaklao is a noted social worker of India and a member of the Rajya Sabha, by nomination. He is also a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award...
has worked for de-addiction of opium takers.The opium milk is blackish condensed form of opium which is mixed with sugar and dried to form a solid cake.The pieces of this cake are consumed by opium addicts.During festivals grinded powder of opium is diluted in the form of liquid and offered by filling shallow of palm. Jodhpur Since all marriages are done in same or nearby village it becomes a compact society and villagers in India manifest a deep loyalty to their village, identifying themselves to strangers as residents of a particular village, harking back to family residence in the village that typically extends into the distant past. A family rooted in a particular village does not easily move to another, and even people who have lived in a city for a generation or two refer to their ancestral village as "our village."Even business communities who have shifted to far off places for business activities like traders from Rajasthan have shifted to places like Culcutta, Chennai, Assam make it a point to visit their native village for performing social ceremonies.
Village pond
Every village has a pond where cattle and children are bathing and playing.It is a romantic place where youngsters get a chance to steal a glance of there beloved. Indian Villagers share use of common village facilities--the village pond (known in India as a tank), grazing grounds, temples and shrines, cremation grounds, schools, sitting spaces under large shade trees, wells, and wastelands. Perhaps equally important, fellow villagers share knowledge of their common origin in a locale and of each other's secrets, often going back generations. Interdependence in rural life provides a sense of unity among residents of a village. The old tree outside the village is silent spectator of many generations. Outside the village or in the center a temple is must in every village. Near pond is always shiva temple with a Lingum where mostly young girls offer water to lingum praying for good husband. A great many observances emphasize village unity. Typically, each village recognizes a deity deemed the village protector or protectress, and villagers unite in regular worship of this deity, considered essential to village prosperity.They may cooperate in constructing temples and shrines important to the village as a whole. Hindu festivals such as
HoliHoli, also called the Festival of Colors, is a popular Hindu spring festival observed in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Srilanka, and countries with large Hindu diaspora populations, such as Suriname, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, the UK, USA, Mauritius, and Fiji...
, Dipavali (Diwali), and
Durga PujaDurga Puja , also referred as Durgotsab is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates worship of Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi , Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nabami and Bijoya Dashami...
bring villagers together. A woman born in a village in India is known as a daughter of the village while an in-married bride is considered a daughter-in-law of the village.This shows the depth of Indian Culture where a girl is a daughter or daughter–in-law of the whole villages and practically treated like one.
Village panchayat
Villages in India have their own judicial systemAll disputes pertaining to land, marriages, castles, loan, social obligations were solved by Headman sometimes known as sarpanch. In all this judicial body is made of five persons who are responsible for maintaining law and order in the village. The decisions of the panchayat , composed of important men from the village's major castes, who had the power to levy fines and exclude transgressors from village social life. Disputes were decided within the village precincts as much as possible, with infrequent recourse to the police or court system. The government supports an elective panchayat and headman system, which is distinct from the traditional council and headman, and, in many instances, even includes women and very low-caste members. As older systems of authority are challenged, villagers are less reluctant to take disputes to court. The justice was prompt and more practical. The villagers are either having their own field to plough or work as laborers in the field of land owners.The class of exploiters and exploited are eternally there. The disputes are amicably settled and rarely police or courts are approached by villagers. This shows that people have faith in wisdom of few old people and bow their head to verdict passed by them.
Local deities
Every region of
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
worship some local
deityA deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
.In
RajasthanRājasthān is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan...
,
Baba Ramdevji----Ramdeoji is a folk–deity of Rajasthan in India. He was a saint of the fourteenth century who devoted his life to the upliftment of the downtrodden. A magnificent temple was built around Ramdeoji's final resting place by Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner in 1931 A.D. Ramdeoji was a Tanwar Rajput...
,
PabujiPabuji is a folk-deity of Rajasthan in India. He lived in 14th century in Rajasthan. He was one of four children of Dhadal Rathore of village Kolu, two boys and two girls...
,Hadpuji,
ElojiEloji is a Gram-devta, folk deity or a “god of village”. We can find the statues of the Eloji almost in every village of the Western Rajasthan. He is shown as a strong man with moustaches exhibiting his long penis in any chowk [esquire], or center of a Dhani sitting comfortably with a pride on his...
,
GogajiGogaji also known as Gugga is a folk deity of Rajasthan state in India. He is an eminent warrior-hero of the region. Hindus and Muslims alike honor him. He is also venerated as a saint and even as 'snake-god'. He is known as Goga among the Hindus and Jahar Peer among the Muslims. The Kaimkhani...
are highly revered and worshipped.On certain date related to them fairs are held and thousands of villagers pay their homage to that deity.No matter however, strong the bond of the villagers is, it is an obvious point that their unity is challenged by a lot of conflicts, rivalries, and factionalism. The fellow villagers are prone to their disputes, strategic contests and even violence. Most villages of India include the prosperous, powerful people, which are fed and serviced through the labors of the lower class people. Unfortunately, no change can be seen in this class structure, due to the increased involvement of villagers with the wider economic and political world outside the village. Due to the expanding government influence in rural areas and increased pressure on land and resources, the populations are yet a target of factionalism and competitiveness in many parts of
ruralRural areas are large and isolated areas of a country, often with low population density.About 91 percent of the rural population now earn salaried incomes, often in urban areas...
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
. It has been for many years, that the life of a villager has always been the same. It includes an average villager struggling to make his ends meet by practising the age old occupation of
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
and also being bounded in the shackles of the rigid caste system throughout his life.
Life in Rajasthan villages
Village life in
RajasthanRājasthān is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan...
is more interesting due to its rich cultural heritage. Rajasthan has variety of village life depending on topography, history, caste system and traditional festivals like cattle fairs, Haat and religious fairs. The village dwelling unit popularly known as hut is usually circular in shape.. Its simplest hamlets, the most basic form of civilisation with a way of life that has probably remained unchanged since centuries, consists of a collection of huts that are circular, and have thatched roofs.The walls are covered with a plaster of clay, cow dung, and hay, making a termite-free (antiseptic) facade that blends in with the sand of the countryside around it.It is thatched with grass and haysticks. Sometimes clay moulded Kelu are also used. Boundaries for houses and land holdings, called baras, are made of the dry branches of a nettle-like shrub, the long, sharp thorns a deterrent for straying cattle. The huts so made are technically hygienic and give feelings of air conditioning. In summers they remain cool and in winters it remain warm.If a dhani looks bleak, it is hardly surprising: the resources for building these homes, which are the most eco-friendly living unit, are made with what is available at hand, and in Rajasthan, and particularly so in its western desert regions. This can mean precious little. A village that is even a little larger may have pucca houses, or larger living units, usually belonging to the village
ZamindarA zamindar or zemindar , also known as a jomidar or jamindar, was an official employed by the Mughals to collect taxes from peasants...
family. Consisting of courtyards, and a large Nora or cattle enclosure, attached to one side or at the entrance, these are made of a mixture of sun-baked clay bricks covered with a plaster of lime.
Mandanas are frescos
There is wide range of these mandana structures and graphics mostly depicting worship of nature, useful animals,trees.festivities etc.Decorative facades in such units are limited to creating a texture in the plaster in the facade, or using simple lime colours to create vibrant patterns at the entrance, and outside the kitchen.These homes capture, for many of its residents, the only cosmos they know. For the women, but for visits within the village community, the only social occasions were in the nature of pilgrimages which were usually combined with fairs. But it is when they step out that the stark desert and the village break into a feast of colour: turbans bob past in saffron and red; skirts billow beneath mantles that veil the faces of their women- if they didn't, the jewels that glint on their foreheads and faces would add to the shocking surprise of their magentas and their blues, greens and pinks.
Multicosmopolitan complex
A
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
is a multi-community settlement, the various castes creating a structure of dependence based on the nature of their work. While changes are being wrought in this structure, with ceilings on land holdings, and with young seeking employment opportunities in towns distant from their villages.
Superstitions
Every
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
has some popular superstitions. Some people even though educated are also not able to break the shackles of superstitions.
Staple food The pearl millet is the staple food of
RajasthanRājasthān is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan...
.The principal meal for the family consists of dinner, when freshly baked bread and porridge is served with a yoghurt curry called
curryCurry is a generic description used throughout European and American culture to describe a general variety of spiced dishes, best known in Asian cuisines, especially South Asian cuisine...
, and with vegetables that may consist of dried beans, or, now, increasingly fresh produce that is grown and transported from neighbouring states. For most families, breakfast is a glass full of hot tea gulped down with stale bread, before rushing off to attend to the day's tasks, and lunch is a frugal meal of unleavened bread known as sogra eaten with a spicy
chutneyChutney is an Anglo-Indian loan word derived from , a term for a class of spicy preparations used as an accompaniment for a main dish. Chutneys usually contain idiosyncratic spice and vegetable mix that complement one another....
of chillies and garlic. Rajputs and some worker class are non vegetarians.In villages they rear hens for
chickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other bird...
meat. Most meals are vegetarian, and though they eat meat, the Rajputs too do not consume it regularly. In the old days, game would be hunted, and the spoils shared with families in the village. With the ban on hunting, meat now comes from the goats raised in the communities, but they are slaughtered only for special occasions like marriages, festivals and celeberations.
Village Cot Surfing In Rajasthani Villages
With the advent of time, in the big cities of India the soul of Indian culture is vanishing rapidly.Hence the concept of
Village Cot Surfing was evolved by
Vipin Goyal which is getting popular amongst foreign and Indian tourists.Visiting a village in
RajasthanRājasthān is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan...
could be a most memorable event of your life. Travel Rajasthan and explore the hinterland of this magnificent land. Spend some time away from the hustle and bustle of chaotic city life, and view the colorful lifestyle of the villages, which will take your breath away. In remote villages, the colorful
turbanThe turban is a headdress consisting of a long scarf-like single piece of cloth wound around the head. The word "turban" is a common umbrella term, loosely used in English to refer to several sorts of headwear....
clad men breath life that is palpable, carrying in their jaunty strides, the spirit that is their destiny. You will be mesmerized by beauty of their life style,simplicity and smiling faces.
CamelCamels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus. The dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the Bactrian camel has two humps. They are native to the dry desert areas of western Asia, and central and east Asia, respectively...
safariA safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa, traditionally for a big-game hunt; today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph big game and other wildlife...
in great Thar deserts
Camel ride is very popular for an exotic experience to view the various colors of the villages in Rajasthan. Camping in close vicinity to the villages and participating in all aspects of village life is an experience that you would cherish for the rest of your life.
Hospitality
These villages have an amazing sense of hospitality. You may end up feeling ashamed of your response to visitors in your neighborhood back in your city. Agricultural practices in
RajasthanRājasthān is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan...
date back to the time of
Indus valley civilizationThe Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which centred mostly in the western part of the Indian Subcontinent and flourished around the Indus river basin....
and observing them is an experience in itself to cherish for a lifetime.
- Camels and buffaloes
The African Buffalo, Affalo or Cape Buffalo is a large African bovid. It is up to 1.7 meters high, 3.4 meters long. Savannah type buffaloes weigh 500-900 kg, with only males, normally larger than females, reaching the upper weight range...
are used for pulling the plough and most of the farmers wait for the rains to water their fields. Three important crops grown here are wheatWheat is a worldwide cultivated grass from the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, cornMaize , is a herbaceous plant domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents...
and millets. Beside this lintels, cottonCotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft,...
, spices also make important cash crops.Take a tour in the green field and watch women milking the cattle while the elderly and young take them out to pastures for grazing and when you are tired and feel thirst, take a bite of watermelonWatermelon refers to both fruit and plant of a vine-like herb originally from southern Africa and one of the most common types of melon...
or a glass of chhaj ( butter milk) which is a perfect way to quench your thirst.
The Panorama
The landscape and panorama of a
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
are breath taking.Some of the most admirable sights include women around a community well, people sitting in a group and discussing everything from world politics to domestic issues and the assemblage of children in an open air school. People are so friendly and hospitable that they would offer you almost everything without expecting anything in return.
Shekhavati
Adjacent to Thar deserts are
ShekhawatiShekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India.It encompasses the administrative districts of Jhunjhunu and Sikar. From the administrative and geographical point of view Shekhawati is limited to Jhunjhunu and Sikar districts only...
tract. These have well-built houses, more often then not with painted walls and beautiful decorations and wall paintings. The gold painted frescos are the highlights. If the villages of the Thar are dotted with jhonpas, the cities feature a variety of architectural forms and structures. They depict either varying forms of adjustment with the inclement weather or intense love and pride for architectural richness and extravagance. Some town like
LaxmangarhLaxmangarh is a town in Sikar district of Rajasthan in India. It is situated on National Highway-11 at a distance of 30 km from Sikar in north. The tehsil is also called Lakshmangarh.- History :Laxmangarh town came into being in the year 1862...
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SujangarhSujangarh is a town in Churu district located in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan state in India. Sujangarh is situated on Jaipur - Bikaner Highway . It is 200 km away from the Jaipur, 150 km from Bikaner and 360 km from Delhi.It is known for its temples, havelis and 18th century forts...
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RatangarhSee Ratangarh for disambiguationRatangarh is a town in the Churu district in Rajasthan, India. Ratangarh is famous for grand havelis with frescoes, which is speciality of the Shekhawati region. Ratangarh is also famous for its handicraft work....
,and
JhunjhunuJhunjhunu is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. It is located a 180 km from Jaipur and 245 km from Delhi. Thakur Shardul Singh Shekhawat conquered the Jhunjhunu in 1730...
are famous for Havelis. Villages of Rajasthan hold their own distinct charm. Though they usually lack any attraction in form of forts, palaces, gardens and wildlife sanctuaries, yet they are worth visiting for the simple reason that they present the life of
RajasthanRājasthān is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan...
at its most basic. The rural life of Rajasthan reflects the determination of the people to survive in even most difficult of circumstances. For a tourists visiting
RajasthanRājasthān is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan...
for the first time, it is actually difficult to find a village in the vast stretches of barren land. It is only when a herd of cattle is seen around that the tourist gets an inkling of a
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
in closeby area. Many a times, interestingly, even these signs are not seen and the tourists acknowledges the existence of a village only upon entering it.
Pearl Sansthan
Pearl
ie.Planned Efforts for advance Rural Life is a registered Non Government Organisationworking for all round development of villages in Rajasthan
Education
The target group is children of the age of 3 to 12 years who are supposed to attend a school for formal Primary Education,but for one reason or the other they are unable to do so.In last 15 years Pearl has provided primary education to about 200 children free of cost including study material.
Hygiene
Villagers need to be educated about health and hygiene care.Pearl organises camps in the villages with the help of doctors.The target group is pre and post child birth care.
Cottage Industries
Villagers have time when crop related activities are not happening.They utilize that time for some type of skilled job. These villagers do not have sources to sell their products.Pearl provides a platform by developing marketing infrastructure.They are providing net work for wooden iron and textile handicraft products.The current turn over of pearl is 3 million INC p.a.
Adoption of village
If some village needs constant care for a period of time for sustainable development then village is adopted and taken care of for a year.One such village is Bandai in the district of Pali-Marwar.
Social Vices
Some social vices like
veilA veil is an article of clothing, worn almost exclusively by women, that is intended to cover some part of the head or face. One view is that as a religious item, it is intended to show honor to an object or space.-History:...
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dowryA dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband in marriage. Compare bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both dowry...
,domestic violence,child labor, casteism,opium taking are prevailing in villages and needs to be eradicated by constant pursuance.
Opium Addiction
OpiumOpium is a narcotic formed from the latex released by lacerating the immature seed pods of opium poppies . It contains up to 12% morphine, an opiate alkaloid, which is most frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade...
is most popular form of intoxication in Rajasthan. Actually a large number of villagers are growing opium in their fields under the license of Government. There are outlets selling
BhangBhang is preparation from the leaves and flowers of the female cannabis plant, consumed in the Indian subcontinent. It is consumed either as a beverage or smoked....
,Opium and Doda(dried poppy flower).Many NGOs are working for de-addiction but with little success. This evil has its root in distant past in certain communities like Bishnoi and is part of all social rituals to the extent that if opium is offered and is refused it is considered as personal insult. Some of the interesting villages where
Villages offering Cots
Village Cot Surfing is being conduced in following villages:
- Beda
- Kakani
- Salawas
Salawas is a small village 22 km from Jodhpur and is famous for durries made by the local craftmen ....
- Bilada
- Sathin
- Gangani
- Khichan
Khichan is a village in the Jodhpur district of the Indian state of Rajasthan that in recent years has established a tradition of feeding wild birds, including Demoiselle Cranes that winter here every year...
- Satlana
- Guda Bishnoi
- Khejarla
- Sirdon
- Indolav
- Kherapa
- Zhalamand
- Jambo
- Mogra
- Birami
- Singhasni
- Lolawas
- Kakelao
- Kheevsar
- Dhoro Ki Dhaani
- Badli
- Bawdi
- Ghadav
- Rohat
Rohat is a village in Pali district, which is tehsil headquarters also. Rohat is located on Jodhpur-Pali route NH 65.-Demographics:According to Census 2001, Desuri has a population of 5,787, where male are 3,050 and female are 2,737...
- Kakani
- Luni
Luni can refer to:* Luni, Italy, a town in Liguria.* Luni, Pakistan, village in Pakistan* Luni River, in Rajasthan, India.* Luni Coleone, a rapper from California....
External links
- Indian Environmental portal-http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/home
- About Rajasthan-http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/taxonomy/term/5188
- About poverty-http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/taxonomy/term/3534
- District Level Availability Index- http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/4779/
- Women education-http://www.careindia.org/ManageProgramKey/VisitProgramDetail.aspx?ProgramKeyID=99
- Villages in India-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Villages_in_India
- Transport to Villages-http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/EXTSARREGTOPTRANSPORT/0,,contentMDK:21755700~pagePK:34004173~piPK:34003707~theSitePK:579598,00.html
- Travel in Rajasthan-http://www.rajasthantravelsguide.com/government-of-rajasthan.html
- Bishnoi-http://www.bishnoism.com/bishnoi_willing/willing.php
- How a 50 day internship stint in a Rajasthan village is for a student of rural management- http://www.pagalguy.com/plugins/p2_news/printarticle.php?p2_articleid=1649
- Rajasthan-http://wikitravel.org/en/Rajasthan
- Bishnoi-http://www.lifepositive.com/spirit/traditional-paths/tribal-faiths/bishnoi.asp
- Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation-http://www.rtdc.in/fair-festivals.htm
- Village Cot Surfing-http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=16725
- Rural India-http://ruralindian.rediffblogs.com/
- Manaklav-http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2003082906691100.htm&date=2003/08/29/&prd=th&
- Gandhi and villages-http://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/bhuimali.htm