From sometime in September 2009, on the road near Karnaprayag, in Uttarakhand. These are the lower Himalayas, and on the Char Dham route (= the four pilgrimage location route). They are a regular sight and reflect on the dependence of the local women on biomass. They seem to work through the day, traveling further and about, harvesting fodder and journeying back with a heavy headload. I had a number of questions to myself, for I could not bring myself to stop them and ask them or delay them.
We were traveling from Haridwar by road through Rishikesh, Devprayag, Karnaprayag and Rudraprayag to Adi Badri. It was a most fascinating route, complete with surprises on every blind turn. Nowhere else in India would one come to such a limitless bounty of diversity and convergence.
Hats off, salaam and respects to the hill-women of the remote villages of Uttarakhand for having struggled to just live out their lives in the rugged Himalayas. The strongest of Indians.
