On my recent visit to Dumka, I along with my friends headed for a morning walk to a small village on the outskirts of Dumka. A 30-minute walk brought us to a quaint little tribal village. We were surprised to see people in action at 6 a.m. Villagers here start their day very early in the morning.

While little children were seen playing on the narrow unpaved roads with marbles, the older ones were brushing their teeth at the village tube well and getting ready for school. The hens and goats running around added to the morning hustle. The women were fetching drinking water from the tube well while a few others were cleaning the area in front of their houses with brooms. What amazed us most was the cleanliness of the village. Each house was spick and span with walls nicely painted and decorated with floral designs. The villagers use bright organic colors to decorate their houses making them look fabulous. After a long and leisurely walk with the chirping of birds following us, we all returned home deeply satisfied. The cool breeze and swaying of lush green trees all around and people carrying on their day’s business offered a sneak peek into village life. Hungry after the long way, we jumped in to savor the delicious breakfast made by my mother. The same afternoon we were driving back to Kolkata via Shantiniketan. Jharkhand has the most amazing roads in eastern India and we were all looking forward to it. As expected, the drive was most amazing.