field work visits

after a brilliant weekend with deb in shillong i went back into the field. visited some villages right on the river banks, and in one case practically in the river! its a fascinating place. one thing that strikes as strange is that no matter how poor the villagers are saying they are, and that they cannot produce enough food to sustain themselves, i can guarantee that a mobile phone will ring at some point during the meeting! the are everywhere!! it has taught me not to judge poverty from a western perspective. i think in Assam that mobile communications may be the first development tool, instead of representing a consumer culture like they do in the west.

anyways, ill try not to bore you all with the inner thoughts of a weary field tripper and give you some pretty pictures instead...

new rice crop planted and fishing nets in tribal village
making cloth in tribal village
inside an immigrant population village
immigrant population village is surrounded by the sands from the brahmaputra. it is based on the sand banks of the river and during the monsoon months becomes an island.
brick factory in an assamese village.