India has an incalculable number of personalities; it is a vast, self sufficient continent and the enormity of all its offerings can be overwhelming.
Each state has its own dialect, then they converse in the united language of Hindi; on the world stage and amongst travellers the tongue is, most thankfully, English.
And so I find myself, in the depths of Goa’s abundance and spiritual wealth, one friend, one ‘Woman of The World.’ I think of her now (see photo) as I return home to Britain and remember clearly her perfect English, her smile and her story.
Her name is Natasha, dressed in a purple patterned sari, with bangles and necklace. She was married at 15, it was an arranged custom. She has 4 children: 3 girls and one boy, her eldest is 20. She loves her family, and does not wish her daughter to be married at such a young age. She wants her to study, to learn about life and to experience her youth.
Natasha is from ‘out-of-state’ and has a shop in the Goan market selling many Indian items.
I may never see her again, she shared some of her life with me, as I did with her. It was a brief yet significant encounter. We could well have been the same age, with greatly contrasting lives, but we are both ‘Women of The World’ and subjects of our country.
Travel is more than just a sun-bed and a sun-seeking attitude, it is an explosion of new and wonderful personal adventures…mind, body and soul…
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