Simple things in life

Family and Community

For women in the rural areas of Tharparkar, family and community form the core of their existence. They spend most of their time taking care of the household, raising children, and supporting other women. The joint family system provides company and help during tasks. Women find joy in cooking meals together, celebrating festivals as an extended family, and caring for each other's children. Strong bonds between neighboring women add comfort and purpose to their lives.

Domestic Duties

Most daily activities of women involve completing domestic chores like fetching water, collecting firewood, cooking, cleaning, and caring for livestock. While physically taxing, these duties give structure and keep them occupied. Simple meals are prepared from scratch using local ingredients like bajra, vegetables and milk. Cleaning the house and courtyard with a broom made from twigs is almost therapeutic.

Spirituality and Faith

Offering prayers, reading the Quran, and attending religious sermons provide spiritual fulfillment. Observance of religious festivals and rituals like Eid and Ramadan fasting are highlighted. Visiting dargahs and mosques gives them a sense of peace. Faith gives them the strength to accept life's difficulties with patience.

Creative Pursuits

In their spare time, women engage in handicrafts and art to earn supplemental income or as a hobby. Some popular art forms include tie-dyeing fabric, embroidery, sewing, pottery and woodwork. Storytelling, folk singing and dancing during festivals are enjoyed. Poetry recitation is a much-loved tradition. These simple creative outlets provide mental stimulation and joy.

Celebrations

Occasions like childbirths, marriages and religious festivals are celebrated with community feasts, henna application, singing and dancing. Preparations for these events give purpose and excitement. Traditional dresses, jewelry and hairstyles add to the festive cheer. Quality time with family and neighbors over special foods makes hardships fade away, if only temporarily.

Appreciating Nature

Taking care of livestock, farming and collecting fodder give women a chance to spend time outdoors in nature. Stargazing, watching seasonal changes and enjoying natural vistas are simple pleasures. Nature's beauty and rhythms impart calm during difficult times.

Appreciating Small Joys

Little pleasures assume more prominence. Glimpses of rare rains, sighting migratory birds and flowering plants in the arid landscape are appreciated. Sunset views, stargazing and bonding over campfires become highlights. Humor and laughter during get-togethers lighten the mood.

Savoring Simplicity

Meals become sparing but are savored with gratitude. Traditional dishes prepared from scarce ingredients taste delicious. Clean water from faraway sources is relished. Shelter and warmth of home become more valued. Appreciating simple gifts of life enhances well-being.

Hope for Rains

With each passing rainless day, hope and prayers for rain intensify. Women perform rituals and keep a watch for rain clouds. The sighting of the first raindrops brings immense joy. When rains finally arrive in abundance, celebrations spread across the region. Green pastures and prospects of a good harvest lift spirits.

Community Support

When drought hits the region, the community comes together in solidarity. Women help each other fetch water from faraway sources. They share whatever scarce resources they have like food grains and fodder. Neighbors look after each other's children and livestock. This support system helps them cope with hardship.

Conserving Resources

With water scarcity, daily tasks require more effort. Women walk longer distances in the heat to collect just a few pots of water. They use it prudently and find ways to reuse it. Meals are planned carefully using stored grains and vegetables. Fires are lit judiciously and food is cooked in bulk. Conserving every drop and morsel becomes critical.

Sustaining Faith

Spiritual faith gives hope and strength during difficult times. Women pray for rain and divine intervention. Religious discourses and recitation of holy texts impart comfort. Faith in a higher power helps accept circumstances with fortitude. Annual pilgrimages and festivals renew their spirit, even if celebrated in a low-key way.

For women in remote Tharparkar, fulfillment is found not in lavish luxuries but in simpler joys of togetherness, spirituality, creativity and appreciation of nature. Their lives revolve around nurturing relationships and community through fulfilling traditional gender roles.