I read about this on Warren Ellis' blog. Two Rajasthan nomads have been killed, and five others injured, in what is thought to be a minor meteorite infall.
Curious about what sort of people would be subject to the personally-appointed wrath of the heavens, I did a little research and fell in love. God can bite my ass. These people are slowly but surely losing what little remains of their traditional way of life, and the fat bastard has to pelt them with space garbage. Well, fuck that. Chicago should have taken that rock right in the kisser.
There are several different nomadic tribes in the Rajasthan region, but they're all referred to as "gypsies" and "snake charmers" by the Indians who rank above them in caste, which is all of them. Their biggest claim to fame is the graceful dancing of their women, some of which has been co-opted by the American "tribal" belly dance movement. There's series of Kalbeliya YouTube vids, and I especially liked this one. The dance is very light and graceful, with a subtlety to it that makes the littlest moves very charming.
This mother and daughter pair is Gulabo and Rakhà Sapera. I love the way one drapes herself over the other while they both perform the little hand movements.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=
