A Tribal Bride in India
A newly married woman in northern Gujarat stares placidly into the camera. She sits with her sister-in-law, watching her prepare chappattis. Her clothing is the everyday dress of her tribe, but the large nose ring is a rather special touch for the early days of marriage. Later, she will wear it for special occasions only. It is heavy and is held up by a ribbon attached to a strand of hair.
I added a distressed look to this portrait. I am interested in the era of the Raj, when England colonized India. In my imagination, this looks as if it was printed a hundred years ago.
A good book about the English in India is The Raj Quartet by Paul Scott. It was written in the late 60’s and early 70’s and was on Masterpiece Theater. Watching that production made me want to learn more. Later I read all of Scott’s books and quite a few other books about the Raj. J.G. Farrell wrote a great book called The Seige of Krishnapur, a very readable account of the great Indian mutiny of 1857. If you like to read about Indian or English history in novel form, you’ll love both of these books.