A WALK IN THE FOREST

“It's not nice to sit at someone else’s door, no?”

“My day is spent doing the household chores,”

said Jayshree as she laughed, probably wondering in her head whether the two young, urban, educated women were thinking if she had a lot of time to idle by. I wake-up at 05:30 in the morning, make my tea, brush my teeth, have tea and leave for the market. I come back with goods by 09:00–clock and hand them over to my daughter-in-law. Then she sets up the stall at Kanheri. By the time I come back home, have a bath, eat some food, and leave back for Kanheri. Then she comes back. And then I spend the rest of the day there in Kanheri. Me and my daughter-in-law come back in the evening. Both of us prepare dinner and have it with everyone. Then, by 10-10:30 at night, we go to sleep. We are tired by then. It's not nice to sit at someone else's door ... Because sitting at someone else's place and talking is like committing a crime here (… Laughs …) As you know things spread very quickly… So better not to step at anyone's door … Our two-three houses here ... Like my house, my sister’s house, Gharatkar’s house ... A few of us get together and sit somewhere … Around 10-10:30 (pm) we set up a fire and chit chat … And then we get back and sleep at our places … Our doors are usually kept open while others close them … Till 11-11:30 (pm) … Sometimes even till 12 at night we keep on chit-chatting about the situations at home … Like only these two to three houses … And we live together nicely …