It seemed surreal to be standing in the middle of in an entire village made of marble. But these weren’t palaces or majals. The inhabitants of this marble village in Rajasthan, India are desperately poor and lack basic amenitites like running water and electricity in their homes. Traditionally nomads, these families chose to set up their homes in the middle of a dusty industrial zone so they could repurpose, re-use and upcycle the waste from an adjacent factory to build dwellings.
I visited the village with I-India, a not-for-profit organisation in Rajasthan, India. The dedicated staff provide education and support to some of Rajasthan’s most desperate children, feeding 3000 kids a daily meal without which their bellies would remain painfully empty. I-India provides services to this area.
A young woman standing behind her marble fence and in front of her marble home which is rendered in mud. The roof is made of plastic tarps.
A home built from marble off-cuts, partially rendered in mud. Larger marble pieces are used to tile the courtyard and build a solid fence.
Women I encountered walking together in the village. They generally aren’t allowed to work so they stay home during the days with the children.
“Take a picture of my moustache” he requested. I found Rajasthani men to be very proud of their mo’s
Despite living in poverty many women throughout India take a lot of pride in their appearance, wearing bright fabrics and elaborate jewellery
En elder woman standing in her courtyard by a clay urn used to keep drinking water cool in the desert heat. Like others in the village, her home was built from salvaged materials
One of the best things about India is that almost everyone I met was so very happy to have their photo taken
The marble off-cuts that the resourceful folks transformed into homes
A local man in the village, his arm adorned with bracelets from Brother-Sister Day, a national holiday to celebrate silblingship
Two young ladies in their everyday clothing
Decorating the body with jewellery and tattoos is an important part of traditional Indian culture. The different styles make it easy to identify which region and ethnic group you are from.
The marble factory in the background cuts huge slabs of marble, leaving behind the offcuts used to build fences and homes in the village
I-India set up a school for this community, as there were no educational facilities available to them in the area. To see the basic facilities that these children learn in with such gratitude was so inspiring. Read about it HERE
If you’d like to read about yet another I-India school project I visited, go HERE
