Marwadi Song

Our two and a half day Water March over the dunes ended on Friday at a GRAVIS convention on water issues. Along the way Ruchi and I stopped in the shade to chat with these women and their children. They said that none of them had seen a westerner before. Here is the beautiful song they sang for us. It ends as abruptly and crisply as it starts.

I suppose I should tell you a little about our trip!
Four groups of 15-20 participants started on wednesday in various villages in the desert to meet in the middle at Gravis's field station at Pabupura on friday. The participants were Gravis field workers and villagers who were passionate about spreading awareness as to how people could help solve the water problems here. We handed out calendars and fliers, and had people sign commitments to water conservation and use of traditional practices. everyone was very supportive. the men in our group busted into chants and hindi songs, dancing like bollywood stars across the dunes. I chimed in as i picked up on the tunes.

going from village to village was very much in line with Gravis's commitment to principles of Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave.

We had a tractor as a support vehicle carrying our water and blankets and we stopped at villagers homes for chai and rest. I remember being huddled up in my blanket in a stone hut, gazing through the open doorway out at the brilliant milkyway stretching across the sky. i don't think i've ever seen such magnificent stars!

we sang songs at night accompanied by harmonium (a piano-accordian hybrid)and hand bells that we would cla together. with ruchi as translator, i told a long arabian nights story that seenmed quite appropriate for the desert. i couldn't think of many songs to share, but ruchi and i did sing "this little light of mine" to the enjoment of our fellow walkers.

i was thinking of joey and alana with your beautiful voices and the ways you both can just bust out into song.

anya with your harmonica, people would have loved that!

jake with your mandolin and contagiously joyful attitude.

julianne, becky, emily, david - oh how i was wishing you were there to run with me over the dunes laughing into the night!!
thinking of all of you with love!