India's colorful hospitality
The sandals make a soft grinding sound in the sand. Followed by the short rhythmic tapping of the goats who put their hooves firmly in the ground. They know the way home, here in Madhya Pradesh , in the Indian countryside. The green of the fields is regularly interrupted by shades such as pale pink or sea blue: like everything in India, the mud houses are also provided with a layer of color. If you travel through the interior of India, you will find people working everywhere. In the fields, but also in the yard. Hindu god Krishna watches from a picture frame on the outside wall as saris are washed, pots of clay are drying in the sun, and grain is pulverized between a millstone. Yet in this busy existence there is always room to receive guests with a cup of fragrant masala chai.
In the big cities, the footsteps are no longer audible. City sounds take over the environment. But the hospitality remains. Just like the color. The Janpath market in Delhi combines colorful pieces of fabric, herbs and jewellery. Former street children show you the city from their perspective. The smell of incense from the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib temple mixes with the aromas of spicy curry, available on every street corner. Zigzagging between temples and palaces in Rajasthan . Climbing between the peaks of the Himalayas in mountain region ladakh . Or surrounded by birds and butterflies in the Indian jungle. The diversity of India is endless. Even when you are deep in the jungle. Because with its countless shades of green, the jungle is at least as colorful and varied as the market in Delhi.
