the jalari.

okay. so the entire purpose of my time in india is to conduct research for a personal project. i am studying the gram panchayat, or local government, of a local fishing village named peda jalaripeta.

the village has around 10,000 members, living in a mix of huts & cement structures. the majority of the jalari caste are fishermen. the men go to sea for a few days at a time. the women bid for the fish at the beach, & then sell them at the market in town.

on most days i go to the jalari & interview members of the panchayat or persons on the village's financial committee. the panchayat is a sort of village court; whenever a wife & husband quarrel, family disputes arise, or a land or property issue comes up, the panchayat members meet with the opposing parties & try to resolve the conflict.

i hear a lot of gnarly stories.

women getting slapped in the face. 30 year-old men abandoning their wives to elope with 16 year-old girls. adopted children being ostracized from their families. alcoholics beating their wives. the other day i heard a case about a murder in the village. the guilty party was sentenced to a year & a half in jail, but the entire case was dropped after some money changed hands.

my research is basically indian jerry springer.

the jalaris are an incredibly humble & genuine people. when i enter a home, no questions asked-- they pull out a lawn chair, order me to sit, yell at one of their kids to grab their guest a soda, & start putting every family photo they own into my lap. the children are always grabbing my hands, fingering through my hair, & beaming.

they are beautiful.

some days i feel far from home. & other days i feel so close.