Arunachala2013: Thirteen

The lengths I have to go to to be able to use electricity, I have to get the adjustment just perfect. Take note of the little wedgy bit of folded card to give it the right bit of lift in that one corner while various bits of tape twist it all in different directions in order to make contact. And then it crackles away anyway. The other day in the "cafe" the water filter wasn't working and I noticed there was no plug, just wires. Needless to say Logo just came and stuck wires into the socket in just the right way again !

This man was very proud of his home and generally speaking, as filthy as these places look they keep themselves and their homes very clean


Men walk around with goats like this, often large numbers of them, looking for whatever food they can get. They usually have long poles with curved knives on the end with which the can pull down or cut tree branches.

As is typical, this truck was driving along and they saw me with the camera. Truck stops, out they hop and in the flash of any eye they strike a pose. Then off again....it's a very funny thing !

Another sunset from the farm

Carting the hay

Looks like he was doing a dance but was actually itching his foot

A typical village farm laborer

The village children are mostly always smiling and very happy

I can never figure out where farm ends and home begins, I am not sure there is a difference

This village man came out of his humble home, adjusted his headress and posed proudly for photos

Here's a young goat man with his long pole and they have amazing control over the goats. I have felt if I was working here doing anything I think I would be a goat man

Late in the evening one of the final tasks for Priya is to make flowers up for the next day. In this case she is making something up for her husbands auto rickshaw. Every morning they have a little ceremony before he leaves in the rickshaw for his days work and the flowers hand inside the cab

Look through the front door of most of these village homes and this is the kind of thing you see

Village boys will even stop a cricket game to strike a pose

Typical little house

A little old village man sitting watching the world go by

So many of these women working away still manage to look immaculate

These "drawings" done in various coloured granules poured onto the ground with great skill appear daily out front of many houses. They are highly skilled and even I have had difficulty figuring out how they do them

This is one done at the farm by Priya (yest another of Priyas tasks and recently during the Pongal celebrations she was up till well after midnight finishing them as there were so many.

A little Cairn on Arunachala

They are called "colons" but I am not sure of the spelling. Even the most humble homes will have them. Check out the little girl in the doorway and in a later photos see the pose she strikes when she sees the camera.


A local cubby-hole sign shop


This cute dog is very healthy for an Indian dog. She has a couple of puppies as well, I often give them a biscuit on the way up to Virupaksha Cave. I don't show photos of most dogs because it's heart breaking to see.