Lilies

"Observe the lilies, how they grow. They neither labour nor spin. And yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was as beautifully dressed as one of these."

These is about Indian women. They are beautiful, shining like little havens of grace, tranquility and feminine strength through the misery and trash you find everywhere around. Adorned with these amazing colorful saris they totally change the landscape. I’ve always thought India to be extremely conservative and traditional especially in terms of gender roles. Still, urbanism seems to elicit its own traditions, one of which is social liberation of women. In Chandigarh I seem to come across women who look self-reliant, content and free in self-expression. During the short stroll at the famous lake here I noticed dozens of couples holding hands and hugging in public. Though the very next day I heard of a story about an Indian woman who committed suicide because her husband would not let her keep in touch with her family… Go figure…

I promised a story on sari shopping but I’ve got to leave this for later;-)