Bharath is a Holy land

Do we need, we women, one day be set aside for us? Are we in danger or have little presence to remind us that we exist? We are probably too modest to show how we are exceptional.
If all women are wonderful, the Indian woman is admirable.

I would like to describe the morning of an Indian village woman, as I've seen her at work :

Getting up early in the morning (4 am) stepping carefully over the sleeping ones aligned in the small lounge, she sweeps the porch and the sandy threshold of the house. With a dexterity of her own, she wets the soil, an area of approximately twenty square feet, drawing from her bucket, using the palm of her hands, a mixture of water and fresh cow dung (once dried it gives a rigid road and avoid germs).
Before the soil absorbs the mixture, bent in two, she draws a Kolam (see future article on this subject) by dragging between your thumb and forefinger a white powder, a mixture of rice flour and limestone : a gift to insects and birds, a good action in the morning. It is also because the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi enters only clean and welcoming houses.

She then goes into the kitchen, carefully empties the water of the previous day in a pot to wash the jars that contain it.
Then she puts one jar on her head, other one on her hip, after rolling up her sari decently to do easily one kilometer, accompanied by her neighbours aged between 18 to 75 years to the nearest drinking water point . Some men use their bicycles to carry the water but they must wait for women to be served first. In India, water is rationed and available only a few hours in the morning and evening , one hour at noon. By day, priority for farmers to irrigate their fields. In times of drought, water can not be used and each family must dig at home to find ground water. Water is precious.

Back home, with her load of water (approximately 30 L), she closes the pitchers with a plate. The water remains cool in any season.
Then in the backyard, she uses the manual iron water pump located in an old well's place to fill buckets and jugs. Water is undrinkable and is slightly salty, slightly opaque but is used for dish washing, laundry and bathing. In the light of oil lamps, she cleans her "stove" made of three clay hearths put on the floor, coating it with liquid cow dung, then draws beautiful kolams and lights the fire with wood provided in the backyard, a little kerosene and cakes of dried cow dung with straws. She blows in an iron pipe to stoke the fire and when the three homes are supplied, she puts huge jugs aluminum or terracotta to heat the bath water for the whole family.


Meanwhile, sitting squatting, having handy in a half empty coconut shell full of " soap" made of ash, mud and cow dung and a sponge made of coconut fibers, she washes first of all stainless steel dishes, and then vigorously rubbed the pots and containers in terracotta blackened by fire wood. She rinses the dishes using a bucket of water, her left hand holding the dishes and her right hand pouring the water on them. Then she plunges them into a clean water in another half bucket. She puts upside down all the dishes in the sun to drain and dry.

Before the household wakes up, she goes to the barn, sweeps and collects the valuable dung in a bucket. Then she milks the cow, speaking softly to her.

She goes back home to make coffee for everyone: good roasted and grounded coffee, then filtered with its aroma rising the nostrils of the big sleeper. She boils the milk because no one drinks coffee without milk in India. She takes out two ladles of milk to make her yogurt and add a quarter of water to the boiling milk or more depending on the number of people at home. When there are less people, she sells out some to the milkman who supplies the houses that have no more dairy cows. The coffee is ready, sweet and kept warm in each cup by the fire. Everyone serves oneself but she will serve her husband herself, a way to wish him good morning.

Meanwhile, she takes "her bath" or a shower rather quickly in the bathroom where she has previously completed and cooled slightly the water from the boiling jugs in a large bucket of copper she has carried so far. She rubs a piece of dry saffron on a stone to clean her face and uses a scented Ayurvedic soap that removes the smell of dung. She leaves her clothes to soak and wash them later with the clothes of her family. She will then do her make up in front of the mirror: cream, sandalwood powder, kohl and the traditional pottu (red dot on the forehead with either a liquid or Kumkum, red powder obtained with dried and milled saffron).

While other family members go to shower one by one, she prepares a strong breakfast : idlis (cakes made of dough with steamed rice and white lentils soaked and ground , steamed in round shaped pan) with coconut or tomato chutney.

At around 8:00 am, everyone is sitting cross-legged on the floor, in front of a small banana leaf and waits to be served by the hostess.

For her, the day has just begun ..

Should we admire or complain her?