“Distant Postcards” is a weekly series in which NPR's global team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
In the one-horse town of Marikavalasa in India's eastern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh, I spent the day chatting with working women on the main street. Patterns emerged: women dressed in neat saris sat in front of neat stalls made from salvaged plywood and propped up with a few bricks.
Women agreed to chat or be interviewed, but quickly apologized. There was a deal to be made: to sell an eggplant, colorful bracelets, a religious lamp.
Many of these women were in debt to their neighbors to pay for medical care and school fees. They patiently explained that they needed to pay their dues to remain in good standing in their community.
But as dusk fell, the smell of fried tortillas wafted across the road, and some of these women allowed themselves the small luxury of an evening snack at a brightly lit stall selling small items. Tiffins is a traditional Indian lunch box usually consisting of flatbread, rice, vegetables in a spicy sauce and pickles. For these hardworking women, it was a moment to enjoy food, banter and a moment to relax before heading back to work.
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