Rude Awakenings - Forest Sangha Publications

^0 F R I E N D S H I P 06dhoti. The Indians wearing these would walk along with the end piecesflapping slightly and, when outdoors, one corner held in a hand to keepthe bottom from getting dirty. Without any conversation that I canremember, our all-white guide showed us the way, walking ahead likesome guardian angel. The sand undulated, and much of it, as we got fartherfrom the river, was covered in a mixture of tall grasses and scrub.There was standing water in places and small tributaries of the mainriver to be waded through. Then our guardian would hold his whiteskirts up higher and indicate us to follow his route through the shallowestparts. He had no need to take off his plastic shoes but our leathersandals had to come off and then be put back on for each crossing, whilehe waited patiently. Every so often we would come upon a patch of whatmust have been better soil, which someone was cultivating.Eventually the path climbed to a higher level and we were not onsand any more. Ahead of us the bicycles were mounted and ridden off,Our guide, having pointed out our path, had to leave us. We found ourselvesalone walking on a wandering dirt track through fields, trees, andsmall villages. My map told us that we were in fact on an island but gaveno idea how to proceed. I had to go on into the unknown, trusting theguide’s directions. The path eventually brought us of its own to theother branch of the river. Past undulating desert-like tracts of sand inwhich the poor villagers were trying to grow a crop of some leafy greenvegetable, each plant sitting in its own hollow in the shade of a large,cut banana leaf placed above it on sticks. There were long parallel linesof them with the occasional toiling cultivator carrying water from thedistant river in old cooking oil drums slung from a pole across his shoulders.When we reached this branch of the river, we found it was muchsmaller than the first, and we were able to wade across, following thetracks of the cultivators and up to our thighs in water. So we returnedto the land of metaled roads and the motor car. We were also now inBihar.1 1 3