The public is invited to explore a remote tribal village in India with Pownal adventurer, traveler, lecturer and photographer Ronnie Jane Levin on Saturday, March 18 at 1 p.m. at the Bennington Free Library. The meeting, which is free, is sponsored by the Bennington Branch of the American Association of University Woman (AAUW) and will include refreshments following the program.

Ms. Levin’s talk, "Tribal India, Orissa," includes a slide show and display of artifacts gathered during her travels. In all societies, birth, marriage and death rituals are performed in a structured, patterned way. Attitudes, values and ideas are passed down from parents to children. Ceremonies and rituals connect us to each other, our society, the past, and prepare us for the future.

Did you know that:
*a women's tattooed face, nose rings and ear rings identify her status and the village where she lives?
*Sadus (holy men) are venerated and grow their hair to six foot lengths?
*entire villages, including the children, weave cloth?
*a large Hindu temple prepares more than 1,000 meals a day for worshipers during a festival?

Ms. Levin will discuss these and many other interesting facts about India and Hindu temples.