Reporting from Talegaon (Pune) India

Summer has arrived with a bang. The heady scent of jasmines, the frenzied call of the koel bird, and the mango trees laden with fruit- these are a few of my favourite things. Up on the hillock in this sleepy little town, one gets a bird'seye view of the valley below. The train carrying work weary passengers to Pune is a distant streak of blue as it meanders through the hills to its destination honking importantly. Lion the resident dog surveys his kingdom from atop the hillock one paw elegantly crossed over the other. An interesting blend of labrador and mongrel this gentle dog is a stray who gambols around and wins hearts. Stella his mother and Bella his sister are engaged in a mock fight that ends as usual with a loud and prolonged howl of agony from Bella. A black crow looks on with interest, cocks his head to one side and lets out a guttural caaaw. The distant tinkle of bells heralds Hanmya (short for Hanuman the monkey god, and a common name in these parts), the cowherd. Hanmya lopes along with a peculiar gait that looks like he is walking on his toes and in danger of toppling over. Leading this procession is Mangli the beautiful brown cow with her lovely curved horns and the owner of the tinkling bell. Behind her trot the lazy, slow, and slightly dim, water buffalows egged on by generous flicks from Hanmya's whip. Hanmya weilds the whip as a matter of habit rather than necessity and is the last in the procession. Now Hanmya of the loping gait is the village idiot, village gossip, and self styled guardian of the hills all rolled into one. He takes his role seriously. So does Mangli the cow who is a tad more intelligent than Hanmya and is not afraid to show it. She shepherds the buffalows to their destination and back. She waits and lows until they arrive where they are supposed to be, and gets generously whipped and stoned for the trouble. This picturepostcard scenario belies the sinister reputation of Talegaon as a town where murders routinely happen, where robberies are an everyday affair and where cobras repose snugly in a corner of your bedroom. I hope to add some pictures in my next blog. It's unbearably hot and so I must away. Ciao!