Natham Market - Betel Nut Merchant
I'm absolutely loving it here in Madurai. I got down here a few days back and since arriving have been privileged to have Sekar, Prof. Willis's "brother," showing me around and plugging me into life here. Yesterday, he rang me up in the morning and invited me to head out on a ride with him.
The day was sunny and beautiful as we drove north beyond the edges of Madurai and out into the countryside. We stopped first at a farm where Sekar checked in with the villager who is maintaining the plot of land he owns. We then continued onwards to stop briefly at a Gandhian NGO center that trains activists from throughout the country in non-violent means of achieving social and economic reform in their communities.
After parking his bike a short ways down the road from the NGO center, Sekar led me onto a passing bus which took us out to the small town of Natham. Sunday is the day of the weekly market in Natham, which we spent the afternoon wandering around in. The market was bursting with life and color, vibrant and beautiful.
It was too good to pass up the opportunity to take a photo or two, so with the help of Sekar,I asked a couple of the merchants if it would be okay to photograph them. The merchants cheerfully agreed, I took the pictures and then I showed them the shots on my digital cameras display screen.
My photo subjects were surprised to be able to see the photos instantly displayed. The excitement seemed to spread quickly through the marketplace. Next thing I knew, merchants from throughout the market were waving me over and coming to fetch me to come and take their photos. By the end of it all, I had a data card full of beautiful photos and a marketplace full of new friends.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67916188@N00/tags/nathammarket/
No comments:
Post a Comment