Things to see in the human zoo

We are watching Indians. Milkmaids walking their cows or goats, men doing their puja rituals, families of six on motorcycles, a man bicycling a full-sized refrigerator to someone's house, women gathered around town pumps washing themselves and their clothes, men lying on cots in the shade in front of their shops, rice pickers in the green fields in their colourful sarees, a man brushing his teeth as he drives his friend around on his tractor, old men in dhotis walking along the side of the road, giggling red and gold clad new brides, babies with kohl lined eyes and bare bums, boys walking along holding hands or with their arms around each other's waists, women carrying huge loads in baskets on their heads, newly married couples leaving turmeric handprints on the temple for luck, wee tots holding baby goats and chasing our car yelling "bye bye."

When we stop we join the human zoo. On our way to Orchha we stopped at a side road for a picnic and a village came out to watch us. They just lined up along the road and stared right at us. "Look at their white skin. See how that one eats like a cow. None of the women are married; no one is wearing anklets or toe rings," I imagine them remarking in Hindi. BL engaged them in a sort of conversation with her limited Hindi and their limited English and they seemed enchanted. "Give us money," a few asked but that was not happening. We gave our leftover picnic to our driver to distribute as he saw fit and some of the boys on bicycles accompanied us back to the main road with waves and broad smiles.

Weddings are big draws in the human zoo and February is a big month for weddings. Wherever there is drumming, dancing, fireworks and craploads of gold flashing there is likely a wedding. There will be women dancing around a girl covered in red and gold veils. Somewhere there will be the extended groom's family dancing and catching up on gossip. The groom will nervously be preparing for his entrance on a chariot, a white horse or an elephant. If it's in a town with any tourism, it will be ringed three deep with tourists snapping photos. No one does weddings like the Indians.

Indian penises are frequently viewed in the human zoo. Shiva's lingam, often fitted snugly in Parvati's yoni is everywhere and is widely worshiped by Hindus. Jain idols are nude. Some Jain holy men refuse to wear clothes. This can cause problems when they wander through Muslim areas where there are women present. Baby boys in rural areas don't wear bottoms. Really, why bother? Grown men often eschew the far too fragrant pissoirs placed around towns and unzip wherever the need strikes. In Canada, we are used to our media showing us copious female nudity, while male nudity is still a big thing. Here, women are modestly covered but there's a lotta dick on display.

Amongs the lovelier things in the Human Zoo must be the women in their brightly coloured sarees and salwar kameez. Even the poorest village women look elegantly attired. One of the things that is very evident on this central India trip is how women were erased from view in the past. Particularly in the more western areas both the Hindus and the Moghuls kept their upper class and royal women literally behind screens. Buildings where women were allowed had elaborate carved screens or porches, which would have been covered on the inside with black fabric. The women would have had to stand close to see anything of outside street life but no one could see them. The Palace of the Winds in Jaipur is a beautiful example, created so women could watch processions through the Pink City. The palace at Orchha had tiny slits for women to throw down flowers when the men returned, victorious, from war. The carvings and chambers painted in crushed gemstones were exquisite, but an exquisite prison is still a prison.

I enjoy the Indian Human Zoo both as an observer and a specimen. I love Indian faces - I find them very attractive. I have to admit that I also enjoy all the compliments I get here. I am frequently told I have a beautiful Indian face and men respond as if I'm a hottie. I have to enjoy it while I'm here. In Canada this face garners a response akin to that of day old cat food but here, I'm just another pretty animal in the zoo.