Writing from Badami + A cheerful old woman
I am at Badami, and for the first time posting something when I am on the road. The journey yesterday night was mostly sleepless. The roads were smooth for first half of the way, but it was too early to sleep. In the second half, the sadists who designed the roads decided to place a hump every 25 meters, ensuring that no one can travel in comfort, forget sleeping. That means I landed here bleary-eyed, and spent more an hour or two napping in my hotel in the morning. The only good moment on the way was seeing the overflowing Tungabhadra Dam at Hospet in moonlight. It must have been full moon day or the days adjacent to it.
Later in the morning, I had my breakfast and walked towards Agastya lake. The narrow path to the lake goes through densely packed houses. Most of the houses has some women or children sitting outside and killing time. When I heard two such kids pleading for a photo, I was glad to oblige and pulled out the camera from the bag. The next was a turn of an old lady, who was equally eager as the kids. She was with a group of 3-4 women on the veranda, and had spread some grains around them for cleaning. She laughed jovially and asked to be photographed. Again, I was happy to oblige. There was a bit of excitement among the ladies when I took out the camera. They barely spoke first, but got chatty as soon as they realized that I speak Kannada. In these parts, they still think you are from a faraway country if you are hanging out with a backpack and a camera.
If I remember correctly, the lady’s name is Eeravva. She tried to pose and became stiff when I pointed the camera at her. I pulled back, smiled at her and said ‘you are supposed to smile’. The women around laughed, and Eeravva joined them too and said ‘I have a very big mouth’, indicating that she may not look very good smiling. The ice broken, I took a few pictures as she smiled. I was invited for tea soon after the photo session, but I politely declined. The conversation that ensued between us on the street was very typical – I was asked about my whereabouts, my family and what do I do for a living. Eeravva blurbed her story, and about her children unasked. I was invited for lunch that afternoon before I continued further towards the lake.