November 5 - Winding Up

Winding Up

Time just seems to have flown by over the past few days.  Enjoyed speaking to the student body on Sunday morning during chapel.  Speaking to future leaders is an awesome responsibility when you realize you are speaking to ordinary people with a passion to change their villages, provinces and country for the better.  Many young people drop out of school early making their individual futures even bleaker.  It is encouraging to meet young men and women who have pressed on to get such degrees as their Masters in Business Administration, etc.

The rest of the day we spent interacting with small groups of students as we slowly and sadly began packing to leave early in the morning.  Only one suitcase was coming home with us loaded mainly with gifts and souvenirs.  Carsen and I trimmed down on the amounts of clothing we were taking, leaving a suitcase full, either for students needing items, or for selling in the market to generate funds for the school.

Sunday night was our last supper with the students in the dining hall.  Mixed emotions were evident.  We have come to love this amazing group of students and will leave a part of hearts here.

Monday morning we are up and gone at 5 a.m. It is still dark and the traffic is light.  We stop only to get some breakfast at a Subway and then carry on to the Ramoji Film Studios.  This film site has made the Guinness World Book of records for being the largest film studio site in the world.  We did some little tours of the amusement park with demonstrations of the making of a movie and a stunt show.  Then we took a tour around the grounds with duplicated villages and train stations, airport, hospital and church.  Crew were filming projects as we drove. Y.  We walked through some areas from one bus drop off point, to a pickup point as the tour progressed through the scene backdrops for various film settings.  It is massive and it would take a whole day or even two to appreciate the intricacies that have been developed there.  By midday, it was really warming up and we found a bus that would return us to the parking lot.

From there we continued to Hyderabad where we went to the Golconda Fort. It is the most amazing historical site I have been to.  It was built In the early 1500's, destroyed once and rebuilt.  The British colonization saw the Fort ransacked and today there are just the remains of massive walls and staircases and arched rooms.  Some are built in such a way as to carry sound to the top of the hill by magnifying the acoustics.  In one room, Carsen stood facing a corner of the room and I stood facing the opposite corner about 75 feet away.  We could speak to each other as though face to face due to the acoustical engineering.  We climbed up ancient stone stairs through many ruins.  Carsen made it to the top, well almost, as there was a Hindu temple at the very top that prevented one from entering the king's chamber.  We marvelled as we were told the king was taken up every day by porters carrying his throne chair to the top where he would have a half hour meeting and then go down again.  There were special arched rooms where royalty could sit and watch the activity below without being detected.  Of course, that tour like so many others, took longer because of the constant request to pose with youth and adults alike for a photo op.

Eventually it's the Hyderabad airport and onward to Mumbai on a domestic 737.  We got into Mumbai 15 minutes early, picked up our one piece of luggage, found a taxi and were at our hotel before midnight.  Mumbai has its own unique smell and we were quickly reminded of the never ending bustle of a city with 37 million people.

We had breakfast in the hotel Cafe where we met travellers from Sweden and Israel and had an interesting conversation about our travels and theirs within India.  Of course now we had experiences we could share with first timers to this country.

We took a taxi down to the southern tip of Mumbai, Colaba District, for souvenir shopping.  Little did we know we were almost at the Gateway to India site with its massive stone structure.  Building started in 1912 and it was completed and inaugurated in 1924.  It was only a block away and we only stumbled on it because we wanted to see the harbour and the boats.  This is a staging area for boats to Elephant Island.  Masses of people mingled in the square in front of the huge arched gateway.  Tourist hunters wanting to take our picture, for a fee of course, and others wanting to get a picture posing with us.  One cannot go right inside the overpowering arch, as it is fenced off from public access, but we got as close as we could.

Hindu priests wanted to bless us with little flowers and wrist bands.  Carsen had to physically fend one off as he tried to put a spot of red dye in the middle of his forehead. I, too was approached for a similar encounter, but said, No, but I will bless you instead and right then and there prayed for him.  He stood there a little stunned.  We carried on and encountered a young man with a baby boy who wanted some rice and milk powder, refusing any cash.  So I broke down and purchased 5 kilos of rice and a can of milk powder, all of which would supply food for a month.  After checking out the many stalls for curios, we crossed the Main Street to the other side, we found there were no pedlars, but higher end shops.  A security guard suggests we go and look in one particular shop. So we did.  At the front were the usual tourist figurines, but farther in was a showroom for carpets.  Rolls of carpet wee pulled off shelves and rolled out for us.  They were very beautiful and made of Kashmir wool or silk.  Prices started as high as U$3000, but today there was a 50% off deal with free shipping.  Being reticent is good, because the price finally came down to $1000 with free shipping.  I was skeptical as to whether the shipping would even materialize.  While sitting and talking, now there were 5 salesmen putting the pressure on, I began to feel woozy and actually fainted and rolled onto the floor.  Must be blood sugars as it was 3:30 in the afternoon and I hadn't had a meal since be breakfast.  Eventually, I wobbled out of there, no purchase, and we found a MacDonalds nearby for chicken nuggets and fries that had me feeling better in minutes.  But to be safe, we took a taxi back to the hotel.  We rested and spent the early evening walking to the Reliance Superstore.  When we found any kids, we divested ourselves of the last of our rubber bouncy balls.  Now we are close to the end of our trip.  On Wednesday, we make our way, slowly, towards the International Airport.  This is almost the last post.

Three Busy Days as Substitute Prof

Busy Days in Kothagudem

I hadn't planned on teaching at the Team Leadership Centre when I left Canada, but circumstances prevailed.  A professor from China who was to be here this week was delayed until next week due to visa delays "and they had three days with no guest professor....except me.  So my "spare" time was taken up preparing 3 hours of lessons for three days.  It went well and I actually just about needed more time.  The classes were well received, so much so that they have insisted I return to teach a two week course in the future.  My, what an honour!

We did take time to get a few breaks.  One afternoon we travelled out to the water project which is large' reservoir.  Our hopes were to see some crocodiles, but we didn't have any luck in that department.  We did see a large herd of fallow deer that had been fed by the Wildlife Conservatory.  There were quite a few monkeys darting in to steal their food.  At the parking lot there was also a large group of monkeys that you had to watch or they could grab your camera or anything in your hands.  Mommies with babies clinging to them and male guardians that bared their teeth at you if you got too close.

We drove past a massive thermal generating plant fired by coal.  The large reservoir we went to also served these generating stations with cooling water.  I expected a lot of pollution from a coal fired operation, but this was remarkably clean.  President Modi wants to clean up India.  He'd better order a whole shipload of garbage cans because people here don't even think about those things.  Garbage piles up everywhere and the pigs, goats, chickens, monkeys AND cows rummage through it for anything edible.  The cows walk down, lay down or simply stand their ground in the middle of busy streets!  The streets and boulevards are not recommended for night walking without a flashlight!

There are no traffic rules here as far as I can tell.  Driving was intended to be left hand lane, but motorcycles, rickshaws and even automobiles will drive against the traffic, do u-turns right in front of you and zigzag through traffic as if in an obstacle race.  Really!  And that goes for buses too.  They pull out and pass and Anya oncoming motorcycles often have to veer into the ditch to avoid a collision.  Funny thing is, I have not seen one collision.  We did see a tanker truck that had jack-knifed and rolled.

Carsen got to ride a motorbike with three on board at speeds I don't want to think about and through horrendous traffic.  Needless to say, we left the reservoir canal before them and they beat us home.  We had 14 crammed into the Toyota heading out and 13 heading back because Carsen got on the motorbike.  We had taken a half hour drive to the canal as 5 students wanted to be water baptized as a profession of their faith, students who came from Hindu homes.

One evening we walked over the bridge to find a fruit stand where we could purchase oranges.  They have delicious oranges here.  A couple of the students caught sight of us and joined us "in case we needed interpreters".  We had a lot of fun putting our hands together and saying, "Namascarm", the Talooga local greeting.  Our student interpreters didn't know Talooga.  Everyone wants to come and shake our hands and ask us where we are from.  There is a lot of handshaking and laughter.  Very friendly people.  Makes ME feel good when they ask if Carsen is my son!

Finding a lot of interesting cultural things in dealing with students from 17 states or provinces.  Indians don't generally ask questions. Children seldom touch their fathers out of deep respect and fear.  No hugs.  There are many languages used in India.  So different that students who have come from different states could not even understand when they were asked their names.  Since enrolling in the Leadership program, they have improved remarkably.  And each of the 32 states in India have their own cultural uniqueness.  It's amazing, the variety in India.

I was educated by the students on various Hindu practices and how they were brought up in Hindu homes.  It's been a challenging three days, but very rewarding.

Tomorrow is a relax day and I'm looking forward to it.

On the Road to Kothagudem

Mon-Tues Oct. 27,28

Monday was our day for sorting out the things we would leave behind at the hostel.  There were still things we wanted to bring along with us to our next stop.  Our laundry was pretty well dry and ready for the suitcase.

Pastor Dillip wanted to take me to visit a Bhuddist family near the hostel.  Actually, the mother has worked as a cook at the hostel for over 20 years.  She has watched it grow from 70 boys to 510 boys now.  Dillip told me the family had an 8 month old baby, so I took along a quilt as a gift.  He never told me they had a 4 year old girl. We took our sandals off at the porch and went inside the living room where we were invited to sit.  The young mother went into the kitchen behind curtains and brought stainless steel cups of water for each of us.  Then she disappeared again and brought out two plates of sweets and nuts. I then asks about the baby and she went outside somewhere to fetch it as if going toget a pet. Another family member was babysitting.  I gave her the quilt and tried to wrap it around the baby she was holding.  Well!  You would think I was trying to kill her with the screams that erupted.  Mommy took her into the kitchen with the quilt and emerged with the child to go out the door and give the baby to someone unseen.  She was very happy with the quilt and I explained through Dillip that my mother had made the quilt to be given away.  Eventually, the man of the house came in from the vegetable stand he operates in the morning to get ready for work on another job.  I think he is a carpenter.  He went to shower after greetings and change into other clothes.  We were asked if we wanted tea and so we waited again thinking this would be the occasion for a visit.  Tea came and the man came out and sat on the couch and said not a word.  With him sitting, now the women could sit. The most conversational one was the 4 year old. Well, tea done, we were done.  It was all simply a way of honouring foreign guests into their home.  No conversation was necessary apparently. And we left with many thanks for the hospitality.  Well, that was disappointing, but Dillip explained they were shy and the man grew up in the hostel and had always been very withdrawn.

The rest of the day was spent visiting with our hosts, trying to get Frank's computer to communicate with the new photocopier.  They had brought the wrong drivers to install.  We shared videos and pictures taken during the week and wound things up.  Then it was tandoori chicken for the last supper and gather the bags for the trip to the bus.  The bus was a luxury semi-sleeper with reclining seats and flip up leg rests.  It was quite comfortable, especially since they provided nice, warm blankets to fend off the cold air from the air conditioning.  The bus left at 10 p.m. enroute to Hyderabad, which was supposed to be a 9 hour ride.  This was a Mercedes-Benz bus with smooth suspension and very quiet after they turned off the Indian music video.

About two hours out of Nagpur, the road turned for the worse.  The size of the potholes was astounding!  At times I thought the bus would end up on its side!  Violent enough that luggage began to fall out of the overhead storage.  At one point the bus was crossways on the road trying to avoid the deep pits.  If the tires had gone into some of those holes, it would have high centred on the front bumper, seriously.  At times the bus was crawling at 2 km per hour.  It was pathetic and I began to wonder if taking the bus was wise.  The train was full or on standby basis for another three days, so there wasn't much choice.  In about an hour we finally finished driving through the minefield, because that's what it seemed like.  The road split into a divided highway, a few more bumps and near misses with transport trucks trying to negotiate the potholes, and the highway became smoother, the pavement more consistent and the speed ramped up to 80+ kph.  We arrived in Hyderabad at 7 a.m., waited through a few stops to discharge passengers, and finally Carsen and I were the last on the bus.  Next stop we were motioned to get off.  We got our luggage and stood at the sidewalk with half a dozen rickshaw drivers offering us rides, or take our luggage int the hotel.  I texted Joseph and told we were outside the Hotel Pearl City, Raj Towers.  He punched that into his GPS and showed up within 10 minutes!  What a relief.  We I,mediately made our way out of the city to avoid the worst of the morning rush hour.  About 2 hours later we pulled off the highway into a food court area and had lunch at a Subway.  Could not believe it!  And then at Coffee Day, (Indian Starbucks) we got hot chocolate and a latte before heading for our destination 2 more hours down the road.

Our arrival at the Team Leadership  Centre was astounding!  60 young men and women from 17 states in India, lined the approach to the Centre, smiled as though the President had arrived (or rock star Carsen), and placed wreaths of flowers over our heads.  We then walked down the line and greeted each one personally, had photos taken, were ushered into our private room where we were served curried chicken, rice, chapatis and fruit. And told to relax.  Wow!  It blew us away.  Moments later I entered the classroom, just for a look, and all the students stood up to welcome me in.  Wow!  And again I say, wow!

We have something to learn in Canada about welcoming the stranger into our circles.  What honour they give to strangers!

Sunday in Nagpur

Sunday morning (Oct 26th) it was time for church at 9:30 a.m.  People came together from among the staff, children and folks "outside" the compound.  About 80 or 90 people gathered for the service and it was encouraging to see their fervency in prayer and worship.  I had been invited to address the congregation and shared some simple, but relevant stories.  Carsen and I were honoured with gifts and mementos of our visit to Prem Sewa.  I also presented some gifts to some mothers with babies under two years of age, a handmade crib size quilts. They were very appreciative.  A number of brave souls came to interact with us at the close of the meeting.  They shared some of their stories with us and it was a very encouraging time.  I left three more quilts with the pastor for mothers who were not there to choose a quilt for their child.

Sunday afternoon, the new photocopier arrived and was installed.  The home here is trying to make songbooks for the children and the inexpensive printers were failing consistently.  Tomorrow the installer will come and teach the staff on the proper use of the copier.

Since we are leaving tomorrow, I needed to get our clothes washed and dried.  Because there was a light rain falling intermittently, I needed to dry the clothes inside using the ceiling fans at high speed and draping the clothing on hat stands and mop handles stretched between chairs.  Hey, it worked.  Later, when we were heading for bed, the "drying room" was full of people.  What?  They were on their way home to Mumbai after a nearby conference and needed a place to rest before catching their midnight train.  I apologized for the drying laundry, but they didn't have a problem with it.  They laid on the floor, used the facilities and recharged their cell phones.  There were two pastors and about 10 young men in all.  So of course, there was an opportunity for discussion and they exchanged phone numbers for Mumbai in hopes we would have time to visit them there.   What nice people!

It's been a nice relaxing day with a few interesting interruptions.

Ramtik Hindu temple

Saturday October 26

Today was an interesting day with a field trip to an ancient Hindu Temple and historical site.  It was only about an hours drive from our compound up to a prominent hill out in the country.  The Temple can be seen from several miles away.  Our car wound up the backside of the mountain on a narrow road and we finally came to a parking lot where we parked the car and walked the rest of the way.  Looking up at the walls from the lot, we noticed our first monkeys perched atop the walls.  We wandered through tarpaulin covered eating areas where people could sit and relax in the shade to eat.  But today was overcast and a great day for strolling outside and it wasn't unbearably hot.

At first, we looked down into what appeared to be a sinkhole, walled with bricks and stone and adorned with walk-in grottos that overlooked a deep, litter strewn pool.  It is an old archeological site.

We turned to trudge up the hill towards the main temple.  It wasn't a short walk and the path was lined on one side or the other with stalls selling coconuts, flowers, nuts and other items to be used in worship to the multitude of Hindu gods.  The monkeys became more plentiful and often ran past the stalls grabbing a bag of nuts or whatever they could grasp and run.  Eventually we saw about 40 or 50 monkeys throughout our visit.  The monkeys could be fed by hand but when they become a nuisance, some of the men use slingshots to chase them away.  They are pretty smart too, because as soon as they see someone pick up a sling shot, there is a mad pellmell to escape out of reach of the rocky artillery.

The closer we got to the actual temple, the more serious things became.  Crushing coconuts, burning incense and offering flowers or foods at various shrines.  At one point a couple of Hindu men asked me where I was from and was I visiting various shrines in India.  As our conversation proceeded, I asked about the Hindu religion out of genuine curiosity.  How do you decide which gods to worship out of the more than 3 million Hindu gods?  Well, you pick one that you like, one that reflects your personality, one that suits your needs or your character, and that's the one you go with.  You can go with more than one.  The one gentleman said his personal favourite was Lord Shiva.  I asked about the one with the elephant nose.  That one was Ganesh.  Since they shared their personal favorites, I shared that I only worshiped one God.  They guessed questioningly, "Jesus?"  I replied in the affirmative and they carried on with their visit to the shrine.  I tried to get closer as well, and was asked to remove my sandals and leave them behind. I did get to see the inner sanctum where a Hindu priest was handing out something to the line up of individuals passing by.  I didn't follow them but slipped out a side door.  I wasn't permitted to take photos on the inside.  There were gold-gilt images and pictures behind bars behind the priest.  I don't know what they were exactly.  But in the dim room and through the haze of burning incense it was difficult to get clarity.

I continued my tour and found a deep pool, deep in the sense there were many stone slabs that protruded down the wall to the pool on one side and regular stairs and another entryway to the pool through an arch and more stairs into the pool itself.  I spoke with another man who explained it was a pool where in ancient times, priests came came out of their forest habitats to bathe and rest.  Hence the name of the place was Ram (god) and tik (resting place) or Ramtik, the name of the temple.

At first glance, it appeared to me that the site may have been an early fortress with gun or archery embattlements from early days under British rule, and then in a later period developed into a Hindu shrine.  But I was informed that it was always a Hindu holy site perched atop the hill overlooking the wide expanse of the valley and village below.

Carsen enjoyed chasing monkeys and coaxing them with peanuts he bought at one of the many vending stands.  And it didn't take much to coax them either!  He had fun as there were a couple boys that came along from the orphanage.  They climbed all the high viewpoints around the perimeter walls and poked their heads through stone arched windows wherever they could..

All in all, it was an interesting site to visit and gain some insight into.  One person I spoke with said there was another holy site at Kothagudem where Carsen and I  will be going in a couple of days.

In the afternoon, we stopped at some roadside markets to get vegetables.  At one point I had a standoff with a cow grazing from a box of red onions.  I planted myself between the cow and the box and when it tried to dodge around my legs I shifted to head it off.  Then in frustration the young cow put its forehead against my shins and began to push, and none to lightly.  So I yelled at the vendor to look after his own produce and left the cow to it.

Carsen also found firecracker vendors and bought some.  A bag of 100 for 30 rupees or 60 cents.  They had fun back at the orphanage with the boys lighting them off in an empty echo chamber of a room.  As if we hadn't had enough by this time!

A Dahlit day

Friday October 24

The Dahlit people are the lowest grouping in the Indian caste system.  The Brahmans are at the top.  I don't think I have met any of those.  But I was looking forward to meeting and interacting with some Dahlits.  Only because they are considered "the least".  I had my opportunity today.

Akash works in the kitchen in Frank's home with a number of other boys.  He is Dahlit and Frank suggested we go and visit his parent's home somewhere in a colony near the nuclear power plant.

We were driven as near as possible to the neighbourhood until the streets got so narrow one could only walk.  We walked through narrow pathways between rows of houses, under clothes lines and finally came to the edge of the river where women were hand washing clothes and scrubbing them on the concrete-lined river bed.  There was a recently constructed two-room house that was all ready to move into.  Akash's mother and brother had built it out of brick, plastered it, and Akash had painted it.  By neighbouring standards, it was beautiful.  While waiting for his mother and father to arrive, we visited with the neighbouring aunt and uncle.  His uncle is a contractor building a new cooling tower at the nuclear power plant.  It looks almost finished to me, but there is another year before completion.  It is massive.

Anyway, Uncle hopped aboard his motorcycle and went to get bottled water and Mountain Dew that we shared around in small glasses.  While we waited we were introduced to Akash's cousins and some of their friends.  We have the younger boys toy cars and some marbles.  Everyone got Costco dark chocolates.  The girls complained, there is nothing for us.  Oh yes there is!  One by one they sat in a chair in front of me.  I donned latex gloves and applied nice body lotion to their arms from the elbow down.  They liked the smell of the coconut lotion.  It was improper for me to do that for the married women.  I asked if there were any babies, but the cousins were teenage girls and there was a lot of laughter over that.  One girl ran and found a happy 10- month old baby and I dig out a baby cap which proved to be too small.  So I had one crib-size quilt that I gave instead.  One cousin who recently got married, is expecting her first child so I left a couple of infant caps as a gift for the newborn.

Eventually, Akash's mother and father showed up and showed off their newly completed home.  They invited us in and brought us tea from somewhere (the kitchen is still not finished) and we sat on a bed and on the floor of a 12x12 room adjacent to a kitchen less than half that size.  The toilets outside are still under construction.  They have been renting for twenty years and are now looking forward to living in their new home and eliminating that monthly expense.  To celebrate with them, I suggested she get herself a new dress, and a new shirt for her husband.  I made a contribution to that end and demonstrates a happy dance in their living/sleeping room.

Their symbol of respect for guests is to bow down and touch your feet.  As I tried to reciprocate, they restrained me from bowing down and doing the same.  It was very humbling.  We went for a short walk through the neighbourhood to visit their rental quarters.  Again, basically a one room, all purpose dwelling that cost 1000 rupees per month.  Their monthly salary is less than 3000 rupees a month.  Of course, we were introduced to the landlady and other neighbours and everyone seemed to want us to come into their home, stretching out rugs and gesturing us in.  Well, we had a driver waiting patiently for us at the road, so we put our hands together, bowed and said "Danyawal".

As they accompanied us to the road, there were a few other wide-eyed kids who got a ball, a car or some chocolate.  What a fun day!  It was truly an eye-opener and a contrast to what we are familiar with.  I could have spent a lot more time there.

In the evening, Carsen and I got to share some real life stories with the boys at the chapel through an interpreter.  A different experience for Carsen, but it was also a fun time with the boys.  Many of them don't understand English, so it was a way of letting them know a little bit about us.  Afterwards, we had a late supper of rice and goat meat.  It was delicious.  Then contacts with family back home and wearily found our welcoming beds.

Diwali

October 23 - Diwali

Diwali is a Hindu celebration of "light overcoming darkness" and "good overcoming evil".  It is celebrated with generosity (gift giving), bright lights (just like Christmas) and fireworks!  Lots of fireworks.  Did I say lots of fireworks?!  I have never seen anything like it!

Our day started with a pancake breakfast at Frank's and it was delicious!   Then Bapo, the administrator, took a box of goodies out to the edge of the playing field and distributed bags of chips and wrapped cookies to the 50 or 60 boys.  I went and got the wrapped semi-sweet Swiss chocolates from my room and also gave each boy and some of the staff a piece.  They thought the chocolates would be sweet, but you could see by the look on their faces that it was a bit of a shock.

Afterwards there was a lot of litter on the ground, so I asked Bapo to announce a contest.  The boys who came up with the most litter would win a prize.  In 15 minutes the grounds were clean.  Four boys got a tinker toy car for having the most litter, and five boys got 2 marbles each for honourable mention.  I can't believe what they will do for a marble!  What a hit!

It was laundry time and I helped the little Hoover out by dumping in buckets of water since the filler tube was so very slow.  Laundry washed and hung out to dry on the refurbished clothes line.  It's hot here so it didn't take long to air dry.  Oh, there is no dryer.

During the day, Carsen hangs out with the boys in the orphanage, plays soccer, rides a bike giving rides to kids, chases after geckos and moles or rats, and generally has a good time.  The kids love him and they all get along well.  And I am constantly accosted with "Uncle, uncle!"as they try to get another marble or a car out of me.

In the evening, Akash led us down to the neighbourhood colony for a meeting at Pastor Dillip's home.  A half hour before we got there, he had killed a cobra snake in the front yard. Apparently, they are quite plentiful in the grassy fields around here.  After the meeting, we were served a dish of sweetbread, nuts and a banana.  There were 48 people in the living room!  

It was around 8:00 p.m. when the fireworks started in earnest and we made our way to the rooftop to watch.  The entire skyline in every direction was lit up with fireworks and the sound of explosions.  It was like a war zone.  And it didn't just last for 20 minutes like we are accustomed to in Canada. This went on til after midnight!  The neighbourhood kids also had a stash of fireworks that we set off in the alley.  The local dogs were panting and running to find refuge, but there was none to be found.  

Then a neighbour invited a few of us into his home for banana milkshakes.  Wow! What an amazing evening.  Then we walked home in the dark, to the flashes and bangs of continuous fireworks displays to have a late supper and head for bed.  The sound of the ceiling fan and air conditioner helped mask the thunder and we slept like dead men.