A Day in the Life
My name is Priya and I am ten years old. I live in a village in northern India where the fields are flat and wide and full of color. Right now the mustard plants are blooming and the whole countryside is bright yellow, like someone spilled paint across the earth. When the wind blows, the yellow flowers wave back and forth and the air smells sweet and sharp.
Every morning my mother lights the cooking fire and makes roti, round, thin flatbread she rolls out with a wooden pin and cooks on a flat iron pan called a tawa. The roti puffs up with steam and she flips it directly onto the flame for one second so it balloons like a brown pillow. We eat it with dal, which is thick lentil soup cooked with turmeric, cumin, and a spoonful of ghee, clarified butter that makes everything taste rich and warm. My mother says a good Yadav woman can make dal that tastes different every day even though the ingredients are the same. I do not know how she does it, but she is right.
My family keeps water buffalo. The Yadav people have been cattle herders for as long as anyone can remember. We believe our ancestors were connected to Lord Krishna, who was a cowherd in the old Hindu stories. Because of this, cattle are very sacred to us. Every morning before school, I help my father milk the buffalo. Their milk is thick and white and my mother uses it to make fresh paneer, soft cheese she cuts into cubes and fries with peas and spices. She also makes dahi, cool, creamy yogurt that we eat with everything, especially in the hot season when the temperature climbs past 110 degrees. Have you ever been that hot?
After school I walk home through the mustard fields with my best friend Sunita. We pick wildflowers and put them in each other’s hair. Sometimes we stop at the sweet shop in the village and the owner gives us a piece of jalebi, bright orange spirals of fried batter soaked in sugar syrup. They are crunchy on the outside and dripping with sweetness inside. Jalebi is my favorite thing in the world.
At our home there is a small puja room where my grandmother prays every morning and evening. She rings a brass bell, lights a stick of incense, and places marigold flowers in front of small statues of Krishna and other Hindu gods. The room smells like sandalwood and flowers. She closes her eyes and chants softly. I sit next to her sometimes because I like the quiet and the smell. My grandmother says Krishna watches over the Yadav people because we are his family.
During festivals our village comes alive. For Holi, the festival of colors, everyone throws colored powder at each other, pink, green, purple, yellow, until you cannot tell who is who. My brother dumps a whole bucket of blue water on my head every year and I scream and chase him. By the end of the day, the entire village is laughing and covered in rainbows.
In the evenings my family sits on our charpai, a simple rope bed with a wooden frame, out in the courtyard under the neem tree. My father tells us stories and the fireflies come out and blink in the dark. It is the most peaceful time of day. What do you do in the evenings with your family?
Fun Facts
- The Yadav people trace their ancestry to Lord Krishna, one of the most popular Hindu gods, who is always shown as a cowherd, this is why cattle are central to Yadav identity and livelihood.
- India has more than 300 million water buffalo, more than any country in the world, and Yadav families are among the most important dairy producers in northern India.
- Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated across India but is especially important to the Yadav because it is connected to stories about Krishna’s childhood.
- A charpai (rope bed) is made by weaving cotton or jute rope across a simple wooden frame, it is cool in summer, portable, and has been used in Indian villages for over 5,000 years.
- Mustard is one of the most important crops in Yadav farming villages, the seeds are pressed for cooking oil, the flowers attract bees for honey, and the leaves are cooked into a dish called sarson ka saag.
How to Pray for the Yadav
- Pray that Yadav families who care so lovingly for their cattle and their land would come to know the one true Shepherd who cares for them.
- Pray for Yadav grandmothers like Priya’s who pray faithfully in the puja room each day, that God would reveal Himself to them and draw them to His Son Jesus.
- Pray for the 24 million Yadav people across India who have almost no access to the gospel, that believers would find ways to share God’s love with them.
How Kids Can Help
- Pray: Every time you drink a glass of milk or eat cheese, remember the Yadav people and their buffalo, and pray that they would come to know Jesus.
- Learn: Find northern India on a map and learn about Hindu festivals like Holi. Share something you learn about Yadav culture with your family.
- Share: Tell a friend that India has more unreached people groups than any other country in the world, and the Yadav are one of the largest.
- Give: Ask your parents about supporting ministries that share the gospel with Hindi-speaking people in India through radio, film, or Bible distribution.
Scripture to Remember
“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.” (Psalm 86:9, ESV)