Grace and India may not have been the first things I would have put together in my mind when thinking of this large country bursting with people, commotion and poverty. But grace is what I found.

In September I travelled through Kerala in the southern tip of India where I found verdent greens ...

large stretches of rice paddies,

wide, expansive rivers..

and plantation 'forests'.

The people - natural,

Two of the skippers on my river cruise. 

My gracious and friendly host on my home-stay at his plantation. 

proud

Near by villagers.

....industrious.

Bathing the elephants

A personal demonstration on how rubber trees are harvested.

I loved watching the graceful way in which people went about their work.

Workers seemed happy at what they did. 

Wise...

My wise doctor at the Aryvedic camp in Northern Kerala. 

and friendly.

Nearby villagers who graciously invited me in for something to eat.  I was assured by my guide that these humble abodes were no measure of wealth.  I concur - but my understanding of 'wealth' has grown. 

It was a wonder to visit Kerala where the literacy rate is higher than most western countries and where employment - also very high - is considered a privilege regardless of the occupation. The noise level was highest in the ayruvedic retreat where nightlife nature screamed during the night and murmured lazily during the day. Otherwise the India I visited was very quiet and contemplative.

The clinic where examinations, consultations and all  massages were done.   (I had two different massages every day)

Each visitor had their own cottage. 

Yes there is noise and commotion on the highways and in the cities, but to counter that, there was an extraordinary insularness in the quiet confidence of the people -

A bird sanctuary..and not another living soul throughout the park.

My guide was an interesting young man who had an uncanny instinct for finding  birds .  He was extemely knowledgeable and even the most experienced bird watcher could find no fault in his intense passion for nature and the birds that live here. 

Can you spot the birds in this foliage? 

A mystical landscape 

The lotus flower rules along with the birds - when the water recedes.

A fitting find for the end of an amazing adventure in the bird scantuary.

One wonders if the land dictates the nature of the people living in it. I cant help but appreciate the grace of the Keralan Indians amidst abundant, pulsing, noisy nature against the intensely disciplined wildness of Balkaners in the harsh uncompromising extremes of their climate and terraine.