There is a wonderful tradition that was described to us by Sandiya of Storytrails this morning as we walked through the backstreets of Chennai, India.
Every house we passed had a chalk-like drawing on the pavement in front. I asked Sandiya “what are these drawings?” (my new shoes are visible in most of the pictures!)
She told me “Every morning the woman of the house draws a picture. She can draw whatever she wants. If the family is celebrating, it will be colourful and large. If the family is mourning it will be small, or maybe even non-existant. Each morning she expresses herself and the mood of the house.”
I thought “what a wonderful way for a neighbourhood to know each other. You don’t have to say ‘how are you?’ it is written on the street as you pass each house”