India has the most beautiful clothing in the world. Its embrace of color, drape, and texture makes the heart dance! What I didn’t realize before our December teacher tour of India, however, was the fact that many woman in India wear these remarkable clothes even when doing arduous manual labor.
What this means is that wherever you go in India, there are female manual laborers — bricklayers, hedge cutters, roadside merchants, farmers, and maintenance workers — toiling in the sun and dust wearing colored clothing so splendid-looking that residents of any other country would wear them only on the most special, fancy occasions.
Our tour group was fascinated by these women, but our guide, Manu, urged caution. “Tell her we think she’s amazing!” one of the teachers on our tour gushed to Manu after watching a female bricklayer (shown in the first photo) balance fourteen bricks on her head. “I can’t do that,” Manu replied, “because she’s just doing her job, wearing her normal clothes, and your comment might seem rude.”
So what are YOUR thoughts seeing these photos? Do you feel joy seeing the vibrant colors? Does your heart ache at the physical toil depicted? Are you shocked? Fascinated? Maybe… inspired?
I’m so curious to read your thoughts, experiences, and insights, below. Do leave a comment!
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
Tina
Monday 6th of July 2015
According to an old National Geographic, the brick workers have sold a kidney for their daughter's dowry, then husband rejected them because now they are not "perfect" - so they have no choice. The women even showed the scars where they had the kidney operation.
Lillie
Monday 6th of July 2015
Oh my gosh! What a tragic detail! Thank you for sharing it. I will look up the article.
Gloria @NomadicChica
Wednesday 13th of May 2015
Ooh this also really impressed me when I was traveling there last year. So much beauty everywhere! I was also noticing women working on any area, mostly cause it is so much different to South America, where women normally don't work on the construction area.
Shailesh Jangra
Tuesday 12th of November 2013
These are the normal daily routine dress of Indian women. They feel much comfortable in "saari". You can say this one is traditional clothing and they adjust their self in this type of clothing and believe me they feel much comfortable in this as compare to Jeans and tops. But young generation is following western culture. Now a days, Indian girl have many option to choose.:)
Lillie
Wednesday 13th of November 2013
Thanks for your perspective!
Michel
Wednesday 9th of October 2013
It seems that all country of the world like to be colorful except north American and some European countries. Your pictures reflects the joy of people to be fill of color like life is. Wow.
Eitan Herman | Places to visit
Wednesday 9th of October 2013
These women are wearing, but great color. Then, the balance of bricks and basket of them, they are for off-the-shelf on their heads - the runway, have the attitude.I think Indians women is very hardwoking