VILLAGE

On the last day in Pathrie, just before leaving we visited a village where people of the “backward caste” live. Actually, I believe that it is not even accurate to call them backwards caste.

A group of young ladies washing their clothes with water from a well. In the background is one family's home. It is a wood framed hut that is open on three sides and plastic over the top to protect from rain.

The government is trying to change the terminology for the castes. There are four major castes in India; the upper two castes are now called forwards castes, and lower castes are now called backwards castes. Not sure if that really changes the perception at all especially since the government also prohibits discrimination based on caste.

A little boy watches as a group of white people walks through his village. The distended belly is a sign of malnutrition.

All that to say that the people who live in this village are called Dalits. They are below the caste system, also referred to in some places as the untouchables. This particular village is known as a snake charmer village because the men make money by taking cobras to places frequented by people especially like Hari Dwar to charm them before and audience and earn some money. It was not until recently that their homes were made of bricks instead of mud or simple wood framed straw huts.

A man taunts the cobra with the back of his hand. The snake struck a few times but I think it was too small to do anything. This particular snake is new, and in training so none of us white people were allowed to touch it.

The government is trying to help these people by giving them bricks to make more stable homes. The school in Pathrie is given several of the kids in this village a scholarship to attend their school. The teachers say that these kids are some of the brightest in their classes. If it were not for the school in Pathrie these kids would not go to school at all, even the government schools.

This is one of the mud hut homes in the village. Until the government bought bricks this was the most stable structure in the village.

The assistant principal Ajay has developed a great relationship and rapport with villagers. They trust him so they send their kids to his school.

A few boys from the village who are school age. They are fascinated by a digital camera. I take their picture and they love to see themselves on the screen.

The government has even outlawed the catching or killing of many kinds of animals, including snakes, which is how these people typically make their meager living. If they are caught with animals that have been recently trapped they can be fined or arrested. They trust Ajay enough to bring out the snakes for him and for us.