Faces of India – 346, from McLeodganj Himachal

Faces of India from Mcleodganj Himachal

Faces of India is a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country whom I met during my travels. I bring back souvenirs, frozen moments from my travels, why not some memories of people I have met and interacted during the travels. Faces of India is a weekly series in my blog since MARCH 2011. See more here…

Faces of India from Mcleodganj Himachal

She was knitting away ferociously; I had to call out twice to catch her attention.

Kitna hai (How much for this)? – I asked pointing to a small sized woolen neck muffler.

Sau ka ek didi (It is 100rs for one) she replied hurriedly getting off her seat and proceeded to show some more, all the while holding on to the woolen ball, her incomplete work on the knitting needles.

This was in the local market of McLeod Ganj Himachal Pradesh.

Colorful woolen neck mufflers

I didn’t have the heart to bargain. I am a huge fan of local handicrafts and never lose the opportunity to pick up local handicraft stuff. This is one great practice of responsible travel we all can follow.

While we bent over the pile choosing the various colors of scarves I asked her how many did she knit on a day averagely?

She replied around 10, sometimes lesser. And on good days she could sell more than 10. Her family too contributes making them. She had school going kids whom she had to take care too. She seemed cheerful.

Moreover I wanted a picture for my Faces of India from Mcleodganj Himachal series. Buying one of their products cheers them up and they are willing to pose too.

Humans of Himachal

What do you sell in summers? I tried continuing the conversation. She said she had other fabrics for sale then. The deal done she moved on to the next customer rummaging through her woolen scarves, socks and caps. And I too moved on in my hunt for a good souvenir or for a face to photograph, may be both.