India: The Great Bazaar

A Snake Charmer!

I've enjoyed wandering through the markets in India with all their food stands of sizzling deep fried snacks and saris and bangle bracelets.

One of the things I love most about India is the clothing. Women usually wear saris or a salwar kameez. Saris are long pieces of fabric, usually silk, between 5 m and 9 m long, and 1 m wide. They are folded, wrapped and tucked around the woman without the need for pins or buttons. They come in every possible colour and make the streets of India alive with brightness.

A salwar kameez is another common choice for women, which is a dress-like tunic (or long shirt) worn over pants. Some men still wear the traditional dhoti, which is like a loincloth, pulled up loosely between the legs, but it's more common to see men in cities wearing dress pants or jeans with a button-up dress shirt.

I noticed that in Delhi, more women wore pants and long-sleeved shirts like women do in Canada, but in the smaller towns, saris seen to be the norm. You'll notice in my pictures that I've tried to dress conservatively to respect the Indian culture, either by wearing long skirts or pants with loose-fitting tops. I also generally carry a shawl with me, which is common.

               

Pushkar, where these photos were taken, is a city between the larger cities Jodhpur and Jaipur. It is most known for its ghats, or holy bathing areas. Hindus will visit Pushkar to bathe in the lake that they believe cleanses the body. You can see wet saris spread out to dry in the sun after people have washed in the sacred water. One of the ghats is famous for being a place where Gandhi's ashes were spread.

Pushkar's Ghats