Village vignettes - the reality of dal

 

This defines my life in Paalaguttapalle, Dalitwada in so many essential ways.

Last week, I cooked this dal (amapakaaya), along with rice as our lunch - for three of us. As Eashwaramma walked in and opened the lid my heart sank. And then Lakshmikantha. I was consumed with guilt.And this has been a daily occurance, even though we have simplified our lives quite a lot.

A family of six would use these many beans (anapakaaya) over four meals. Making it dilute, and adding a lot of chillies to cover up. Our consumptiom, even at a very basic level, is so more than theirs. To live in an undernourished community takes a high order of thick skinnedness. And also am ability to take much pain.

India is poor and malnourished.