reflecting on a passage to India

herewith the first of an abundance of images snapped whilst hurtling through the whirlpool that is southern India. it's a country of strong contrasts; beautiful and terrible at the same time. exquisite flowers with rich perfumes, jewel-coloured houses, clouds of dragonflies and rainbows of sarees struggle for memory space alongside plastic-infested soils, sad-eyed dogs, terrifying traffic and skinny cattle.  somewhere in there is also the hint of the shadow of a passing  leopard. 

the purpose of the excursion (organised and financed by Beautiful Silks) was to assist the people at Vikasana to establish a training program that will eventually allow presently un-waged and homeless women to earn money and build ecologically sustainable housing amid organically managed vegetable gardens. it is a good dream.

my specific role there was to determine the feasibility of developing a natural dye project there. more on that later. it's taking some time for the wee brainchip to process it all...