Today is Day 11 of my experience and "Karwa Chauth", the day in which wives fast from dusk till moon rise to ensure a long life for their husbands...hmm now there's some food for thought, especially why isn't there a day of fast for husbands? The women wear their most decorative saris, complemented by henna on both the hands and feet and numerous glass bangles. There was speculation another National holiday would be called for today resulting in the closure of my school however thankfully that wasn't so.
Today's visit to the school was significant for a few reasons. Firstly the teacher couldn't make it today so it was just little ol' me teaching English to children whose first language is Hindi. Secondly part of the road into the shanti township has been sealed overnight - no more dust, pot holes and broken bricks. Thirdly the little girl who rushes up to Anisha and I every day did so again today. She was most excited as I too had henna on my hand today. She is the sweetest little girl, probably no older than 5 years of age. Each time we visit, she stops whatever it is she is doing and runs over to us to say hello. My heart melts everytime.
This afternoon we had a lecture on Women's Rights/Empowerment in India. It was interesting and made me think of all the cultures throughout the world where women suffer significant discrimination and domestic violence. Papua New Guinea (PNG) definitely rates right up there. I'm starting to think it's worse in a country such as PNG where there is such limited awareness on such issues vs say that of India where there is an increased awareness not just locally but internationally. The question the lecturer left me with was Why? - Why do we do the things we do? Is it because we truly believe in the tradition or because the tradition is so deeply ingrained in society?
Namaste x
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