Haldi is a tiny village in the district of Ballia. It lies adjacent to the river Ganga, the primary occupations are farming and fishing .
परवल की खेती होती है यहाँ
The people of Haldi are very much like this crop, RESILIENT.
The village floods each year around the month of september, the farming and the fishing communities combine resources to protect and provide for their homes.
The place that I come from is heavily guarded by caste barriers, the segregation is very evident. Racial slurs still run thick in daily conversations, clothing makes it very apparent ‘ There Is A Sea Of Difference Between Kurta Pajama Versus A Lungi Banyan and a crude preconditioned code of behaviour.
My experience in Haldi was an Exception, I had never seen people from different ends of the caste spectrum in my hometown sit together for a meal, engage in friendly banter and tell elaborate stories of a shared childhood. And most shockingly, share boundary walls of their homes.
The river running adjacent to the village floods every year and the main mode of transportation becomes The Boat. For a few days, Fish is the most easily available food and hence the lower caste Mallaah community becomes the Backbone on which the land functions.
The priority then is of basic survival and dependency. The caste boundaries are stark, and they exist. But so does a sense of friendship and camaraderie even if the origin of it all lies in the convenience and need of the upper caste community.