Shilpgram

We went to the Shilpgram Craft Village yesterday. It was a little similar to the place we went to in Jaipur, but we were practically the only ones there. We were hoping to learn more about Indian art, but were greeted only by people selling the same stuff they try to sell tourists in the cities. It made us kind of sad, like there was no way for us to break into Indian culture, to be anything more than tourists, walking money bags. I was hoping that it would be something like an Indian Hida No Sato, and when I saw that it was I realized that I really wanted it to be a Hida No Sato in India, a place away from the hagglers but close to the crafts. It was far enough out of the city that the air smelt fresh and the streets weren't filthy. There were great views of the hilly scrub desert, too. It was hot, but it was a good kind of heat. Dry. It reminded me of Arizona and I suddenly wanted to go back to Arcosanti, but the feeling only lasted a minute.