2011-January
During my visit to Kalyan, India in January 2011, I came across this tribe of Goat herders, on a visit to the Badlapur dam. This wandering tribe with a herd of over 500 goats, keeps moving to find the grass for their goats during the dry, pre monsoon season.
They had 5 horses (ponies) 4 dogs and these 500 or more goats are seen high on the hill in the background. Unfortunately they were on the move and so could not pursue them across the rocky river bed.
- One of the Children picking scrap and examining to see if there is any use for it.
The women in the picture were extremely clean and well attired. The pouches on the ponies had a a few goat kids, obviously, some of them just born. Shepherding the goats that were grazing on the top of the hill, were their husbands and children. Apparently they are supposedly to be quite well off with a goat herd of that size.
The five ponies carried their tents, utensils and everything needed for overnight stays in the open, as they walked their herds through several miles of gras slands. At the end of the day, they would tent up for the night under the stars and wander off again in search of good grass lands to graze their goats.
From time to time the women and men would pop tobacco (local name – tambacoo)into their mouths. It is rolled into a ball and tucked in between teeth and cheek!
Readying to chew tobacco or tambactu
Their prized possessions, horses, Asses and Dogs. Rhe assess carry their mobile homes, tents, cooking utensils, etc.
- The Goat herders with their horses and dogs, watering the horses downstream of the Badlapur river during this dry season. During the monsoons its a raging full blown river with these areas covered with water.
- View of the spill over from the Badlapur dam and in the background on the skyline at the top of the hill, you could see the goats and their herders. I did not have a zoom on the camera.
-
The horses and dogs being tucked into one of the folds in the hills before night falls.
We had lunch at a Restaurant upstream of the Dam. The spicy Indian food was excellent, cheap and good value.
Below a picture of the dredging of the river upstream for sand to be used in building construction. 
The sand is sucked from the bottom of the river using a home made dredger above, piped and then passes through the sieve to remove the pebbles and stones that come through the pipe connected to the dredger.
