Sunday 14th November 2010 07.10
Well it’s my next to last day in Kanji so this will be my last blog. I can’t say the time has flown because two weeks is a long time in India.
I think I’m a day behind with my news, so I’ll go back to Saturday. This was a crazy Indian day – one where the only way to survive is to go into a state of complete acceptance, and a letting go of everything that is considered important in the UK: personal safety, time keeping, etiquette, diet.
Maria and I went to Tiruvannamalai to attend the engagement party of the brother of one of the teachers (known as Pe-Te because he teaches games). You know him Pam – he’s the one who is always blowing his whistle and drawing admiring glances from the girls. We hadn’t got 100 metres from the school when we had to return for Maria’s mobile phone. Back on the road we eased our way through Kanji then stopped at the road side to pick up Maria’s brother’s wife who was on her way to a hospital appointment in Tiru. Stopped again for diesel. The pump had broken down so the fuel was funnelled into the car. Stopped a few more times for fruit and other bits and pieces. We were dropped off at a small Hindu temple by a busy road while Raj, the driver, went to pick up Sister Jessy who had travelled overnight to visit us. 
Stood there for about half an hour and watched women performing their holy rituals – this was fascinating. Raj returned Jessyless. For reasons too complicated to go into here, she had to stay with the priest. So we drove to Grace and Compassion Hospital to drop Maria’s sister-in-law off and to take photos of our trainee nurses. Unfortunately, the nurses weren’t there because they had been sent to Chennai for work experience. So we went to the craft shop there instead and bought some artifacts and lots of leaf cards. I chose cards with a Christmas theme thinking they could be used for our FACS greetings cards – baby Jesus, strange Indian Christmas trees and candles.
Where next? Ah yes, the engagement party. We arrived quite late, but this was intentional as Maria said the ritualistic side would be boring. We were, however, in time for the photos – they included every variation of family groupings imaginable, plus groupings involving Maria and me. I felt like royalty. The restaurant wedding meal was served on banana leaves and was very tasty (‘tasty’ is a word Indians use a lot and I can’t resist saying it with an Indian accent). Sister Jessy had joined us by now so we caught up on her news over rice and curry. After the meal, Jessy hastened back to the priest while Maria and I went shopping.
By this time, every pore in my body was oozing sweat and my tummy was full. All I wanted to do was lie down and have a kip. Maria felt the same way. However, shopping is always high on Maria’s list of things to do in Tiru. so Raj (driver Raj, not school manager Raj) dropped us off near the temple by a sari shop. 
From this time on and for the rest of the day Maria’s phone didn’t stop ringing. Everyone serving in the shop seemed to be on their mobiles too. I half-heartedly tried on a chuddida or two, but the effort of trying to squeeze my damp, fat (by Indian standards) body into tight, prickly tunics was too much so I sat under a fan and sagged. In the end Raj came to my aid and he helped me to buy a little dress for Lenci, some tea towels, 4 saris and clothes for some of the children from Shanthi Lumine. Then we dodged (traffic, people, dogs, cows, holes, open drains, poo) along the main shopping road looking (unsuccessfuly) for a shop that sold plastic baskets. Maria revived me with a coke. The next hour or so was spent circling Tiru. trying to contact Sr.Jessy who seemed to have holed herself up with the priest somewhere. We eventually gave up and went back to Kanji.
After a 30 minute collapse on the bed I travelled in style on the back of one of the teacher’s scooters (lovely machines like souped-down motor bikes) to Shanthi Lumine. There we had a beautiful welcome by Lourduthamy, his wife and the children. I was given a tour of the garden which is looking so good. Then I talked to the children a bit and we sang some songs. I was brought a coconut which was pierced with a machete and drained into a glass – lovely. I left some little gifts for the children and rode off into the sunset hoping we were travelling faster than the mosquitoes. I had a tricky conversation with my driver revolving around the work ‘chilly’. I was referring to the temperature, but he understood chilli the spice. Pandy (I think that was the teacher’s name) stopped in Kanji, which was teeming with evening life, and treated me to a very, very sweet doughnutty thing floating in syrup. Then back home and bed.
When I staggered out of my room on Saturday morning, I was greeted by a pile of beautifully woven baskets, 22 of them, in three different sizes and very colourful. It was at this moment that the reality of transporting the baskets to England became apparent. To cut a long story short, 20 of the baskets are now wedged into my suit case, and most of the clothes I brought with me are wrapped in a plastic bag and stored away on a high shelf awaiting my next visit.
The first item on the day’s agenda was my ’fairwell’ (as it was billed in the programme and which I think is a much better way of spelling it). There was the lighting of the candle, a presentation of a garland of flowers and a shawl, a gift of fruit then a sung prayer. Ari, the principal, made a speech extolling my virtues (I have to say at this point, that I find this ceremony touching but embarrassing). He described me as being ‘broadminded’ and I’m still trying to work that one out. Then some of the older girls and boys performed lovely traditional dances dressed in gorgeous costumes and decked out with hair extensions, make up and bling. Lenci wandered around in front of the stage imitating the dancers. I gave a short speech, translated into Tamil by Maria, and finally Maria gave a speech in which she thanked all the trustees for the work they do for the charity.
(Ah – at last, the lights are back on. That was a long blackout. And the fan – ah, the fan. Bliss.)
At this point some priests from Don Bosco arrived, unannounced, to look at the kitchen equipment with a view to buying it. I don’t think it was suitable, but the whole visit took over an hour. They were most interesting people and are doing some wonderful work in the slums of Chennai.
Today we went to visit Sylvester, the man who runs the charity known as CORA. CORA is in financial difficulties because its Spanish backers have stopped sending money and Sylvester has had to send most of the children in his orphanage away. First we had lunch (a second lunch) at their house, then we went to the orphanage to visit the few children still being looked after. Sylvester expressed with great sincerity his gratitude for the money our charity had recently sent to him. I got the impression that our money has kept the place running these past months. He gave me a huge, bound document accounting for every penny we sent. He asked if we could repeat the gesture but I said it was a one-off donation. I won’t go into detail about the project, but it was really sad seeing these 20 or so orphans rattling around in premises intended for over 100. CORA desperately need someone to fund the place otherwise it will close down. CORA has done a lot of outreach work. I looked at piles of files describing help they have given to children and families affected by AIDS. Now all this has stopped. Such a pity.
I spent the evening forcing plastic baskets into my suitcase. I’m still not sure it will close. I have lots of other artifacts, some bought by Catrine and Maria, plus the Christmas cards from children to sponsors. Maria, bless her, bought me a large (and heavy) carved elephant as a present. This takes up most of the space in my hand luggage, so I’m coming home with more that I set off with!
Tomorrow at dawn, Maria and I will set off for Chennai. We’ve booked in at a hotel near the airport. We intend to take a taxi to Spencers – the mall in the main shopping area – where I can buy jewellery to sell back in the UK. If can’t squeeze it into my cases, I’ll have to wear it.
I’ve had a wonderful time here and can’t speak too highly of the work Catrine is doing. She understands the way things operate here and we must be sure to listen to her advice. But I shall be glad to come home. India is a full-on place and quite exhausting. I yearn for my own pillow and shall never moan about cold weather again. The teachers and Maria’s family have made me so welcome. Maria has gone out of her way to make my stay enjoyable. But she gets very tired.
Despite all the lovely and exciting things I have seen and done here in India, the images that will remain in my head for longest will be those of poverty; tumble down huts housing large families, poor people shouting at the gate wanting food, ragged and dirty children with open sores and eye infections, adults who are obviously sick, and so on, and so on. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to do much teaching this time, but what I have done has been useful in relation to knowing how best our charity should proceed. The school is a haven for many of the pupils. They don’t like Sundays and holidays because it means they can’t be at school. The students are definitely getting a good start to their life at St Antony’s. Shanthi Lumine is a joy to visit as the children there are so well looked after. We in the UK are doing a great job, and Maria and her staff in India are doing an even greater one.
Over and out. Veronica