BURWA
Himachal Pradesh
Burwa is a small village in Northern India, neighboring the Himalayan ranges. It is surrounded by snow-peeked mountains. In the winters everything is covered in white, spotted by the vibrant colors of women’s traditional clothes.
In Burwa two different sounds break the silence and stillness of the mountains - both made of water. One is condensed snow running down the mountains in chutes that pass through the village, used as open-sky washing machines. The other is vaporized water exploding from the pressure pans, expelling the scents of a range of condiments and spices into the air.
Burwa’s 5,000 inhabitants are Hindus and speak their local Kullu language as well as Hindi.
They have apple trees which bloom in white and pink flowers in spring, when they hang bags with different flowers to increase pollination. They plant potatoes, beans and most households have their own cows, from which they get milk to make their own yogurt and butter.
During Burwa afternoons, while children are at school and men are working in nearby markets, women of all ages walk up and down in socks and sandals, carrying various things in wicker baskets on their back.