I came to India a year ago to find a village in which I could live and write but it was many mont before 1 settled down happily in this Himalayan community. I wasted a lot of time looking for "typical" village. Yet no such thing exists. Conditions vary too widely. But the villages I stayed in ha much in common-poverty, dirt, ignorance. Often the villagers themselves were puzzled, suspicio Why had 1 come? I had put, aside my work as a political journalist because my ideas had changed had come to believe that was happening in the Third World was more important than anything el But to understand how three-quarters of the world's people live, and how their future meill ours, I felt that I first had to try and share their way of life In the end I chose a mountain- Whenever I stopped to catch my breath, there was a magnificent view. After several hour's walk the Then came a rough walk down a steep path to the river After this I began the climb into the hill, the bus from along a village came into view