Village Women. Editorial Image

Village women going to collect water. The Sundarban island has no paved roads, no electricity, no public sanitation and no motorized transport as yet. There is a small part-time post office about 14 miles away in main market. With a majority of its over 1 billion citizens still living in small villages, rural life remains central to India’s identity. According to the 2001 Indian census, 74% of Indians still live in 638, 365 different villages.