Vendors

To get a sense of the lively nature of every village and city, one must keep in mind that the whole of India is approximately one-half the size of the continental U.S. but holds 1.3 billion people-- almost a billion more than the entire U.S. Though that conjures up a vision of no square foot of ground ever being visible, the areas we traveled through were very agricultural, with rice as a major crop. When stopping or driving through towns, however, the numbers of people were between large and very large, everywhere. The sense of 'personal space' is wholly different, as a result, and it is reinforced by a cultural commitment to community, starting with the extended family.

Many people sell their crops on the street near active areas, such as the temple I talked about a day or two ago. Though the number of vendors is staggering, the amount of foot traffic is so large that it must work out, somehow.