August 16, 2010

Please feed the birds...

I won't swear to it... I've surely been known to be wrong before and, in the face of reasonable evidence, will readily admit it... but I do think this woman I saw sitting on a busy, dusty, dirty, noisy, hot and overwhelmingly stinky street in Old Delhi was selling various kinds of bird seeds. In the minutes that I watched her, I did not see anyone pop anything bought from her into a mouth. My guess is further strengthened by there being a mosque across the street:  feeding the pigeons in sight of Allah is considered a form of repentance.

Whatever she is selling, this woman, so elegant in her simple way, and her wares make a colorful mosaic of mellow yellow, rich red, bright blue and pale purple.

Delhi, 2010

Click on Mellow Yellow Monday for more links to takes on that color and click on Mosaic Monday for links to more creative mosaics.

You can see my mosaic better if you click on the image once, then after it opens in a new tab, click again.

18 comments:

Liz said...

Her garb is very colorful and yes it turned into a wonderful mosaic.

Happy MYM!

Liz @ MLC

☺lani☺ said...

I think she's selling herbs or beans... anyways, thank for reacting in my MYM post, I made it late at night and never bother to re-check it ;)

Have a great week!

Pondside said...

Some of her wares certainly look like dried beans.
The colours are gorgeous!

cieldequimper said...

Yes, the colours are gorgeous. In my culture, pigeons are just birds that p... on my windowsills and lay their eggs there when I'm gone for two days...

Unknown said...

wow,am i so glad i stumbled upon your blog...surely, your globetrotting excites me,
but most of all, you light up my PATRIOTISM...
thanks for calling MANILA...YOUR NEST AND REFUGE.
have fun on your travels:)

Anonymous said...

The small paper back looks like being the right size for some bird seeds...
Great photos, indeed ;-)

Julie said...

That would appear to me to be a form of repentance that is achievable by the ordinary person on the streets of India. It is also a good and simple way for someone to earn a living. I do adore the palette that you have created here with your mosaic. I was going to buy THAT book today when I was in the city for my French lesson but forgot. I am meetibng my son in Chinatown tomorrow where he hopes to buy me just the netbook that I need. I will go to the bookstore afterwards. I will read it on the plane to Paris on 18 September. You might just have a convert. Shall let you know.

Mo said...

Very colourful

eileeninmd said...

Very colorful mosaic. Great photos!

Francisca said...

@Julie - that's even a form of repentance I can handle right at home: we live in a bird sanctuary and we regularly leave out crumbs for our feathered friends. :-)

[The book is perfect for airplane reading.]

VP said...

I think you are right about what she is doing and even about the rest. The mosaic shows perfectly the simple elegance of her hands.

Louis la Vache said...

This is a fine mosaic, Francisca...very evocative.

EG CameraGirl said...

The colours are incredibly lovely together. I can't help but think of what a hard life she leads, though, although she may actually be happier than most North Americans - I cannot know for sure.

Thank you for showing us this slice of Indian life.

Bobbi Ann said...

Hi, Wonderful mosaic and photos! Hope you have a lovely new week!
hugs...
Bobbi

shirley said...

Very interesting subject - her colorful clothes and the plain sacks of seed. I love the collection!

tapirgal said...

A fascinating form of repentance. It does cost something to buy the food, but beyond that, it seems all pleasure unless you don't like pigeons. There's a lot to think about here.

Unknown said...

Amazing colours. Very nice mosaic.

Unknown said...

Wonderful collage with great details! Well done, Francisca.