tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67366148203743617292024-03-13T09:27:49.100-07:00Phil in IndiaPhil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-38559371233702350522013-04-05T16:45:00.001-07:002013-04-05T16:45:08.110-07:00Friends of Vellore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Friends of Vellore are to be found all over the globe - people who have worked at CMC Hospital and College, or who were trained here, or people like us who are so impressed by what is happening in Vellore. <br />
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This link will take you to the Spring 2013 newsletter. There is an article on the Rehab Mela we attended in February, and talks of developments planned to enhance CMC provision.<br />
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<a href="http://www.friendsofvellore.org/images/newsletter/FOV_ISSUE_139.pdf">http://www.friendsofvellore.org/images/newsletter/FOV_ISSUE_139.pdf</a></div>
Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-22957311754251295552013-03-13T15:27:00.003-07:002013-03-14T02:47:16.873-07:00Incredible India!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Just four of us visited the Taj Mahal on our last full day in India. Sue didn't join us, as she was scheduled to visit it a week later with her friend.<br />
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Getting to the Taj this time was very different. The road, the Yamuna Expressway, from Delhi to Agra was amazing! It's a six-lane toll road, built by the Jaypee Construction and Hydropower Group to create a corridor of development between New Delhi and the East.<br />
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The road was formally-opened last August, and already the Buddh International Motor-Racing Circuit and Stadium is up-and-running. This will be followed soon by many other stadia for various international sporting events, and accommodation for those who are benefiting from the way India's economy is going (which is not that large a percentage of the population of India). If you didn't know the other side of India (that's most of it) and only saw this road, the nice bits of New Delhi, and The Taj Mahal, you'd be forgiven for thinking that India is all that it is cracked-up to be.<br />
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But India is not like this.<br />
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Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-19666727001423839732013-03-13T11:58:00.006-07:002013-03-13T12:02:24.427-07:00"Incredible India"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
.... I saw it on a poster at the entrance to the show-piece Dilli Haat Market in New Delhi, the Indian Tourist Board's own market, ensuring that tourists leave with a bit of marketable India to take home with them.<br />
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The Staff and Students we met at Gurukul Theological Seminary cited "Incredible India" as an appropriate slogan for the Government and the Tourist Board to use. Through Indian eyes, India is indeed incredible. Development in India has most-certainly arrived, but it has come at great cost for most, benefiting only a few.<br />
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The Government is most-certainly incredible in the depths it has plummeted in corruption. We found out at Karigiri how the government had "massaged" statistics regarding leprosy, giving the impression that the disease had been eradicated, so justifying a "no spend" on leprosy care and research, when the reality is that leprosy is more-prevalent in India than anywhere else in the world, with more cases each year.<br />
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Perhaps even-more disturbing was the Government pronouncement that hardly-any wage-earners in India fall below the minimum. That India has a complex system of minimum wages,which are not applicable to all workers and set up often arbitrarily by different authorities, making it difficult to monitor and enforce, makes a farce of it all.<br />
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It has been said that the Government minimum -wage figure is as low as 24 rupees a day. Not even the lowest of the lowly-paid worker in India is likely to fall beneath that level. That is not to say that the average wage for the majority is actually an adequate amount for people to ensure a basic standard of living including health-care, dignity, comfort and education, and to provide for any necessary contingency that might arise.Bearing in mind that a litre of petrol now costs 72 rupees, then a worker on the minimum wage will have to work about three months to fill a tank with petrol! "Incredible India" - where the rich are becoming much, much richer, and the poor, of course, the vast majority of Indian citizens, are not. India is incredible only for a few.<br />
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The challenge to today's Indian Christians? To set an example of integrity, where there is no place for corruption, and where such corruption in high places is bravely and courageously questioned and brought to account. Indian Christians are called to be "Good Samaritans" - people on the margins of Indian Society ministering where they can with whatever resources they can find to become good neighbours. We ourselves were challenged to look after our own neighbours, and not to feel we had to "do good" out of a sense of guilt (because we have so much, or because of former colonial ties).<br />
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When we asked, for what should we pray as far as the Church of today in India is concerned, the answer was "for honesty" - at government level, and even in the Church; and "for human rights" -for Dalits, for women (again, even in the Church women find it hard to feel that equality exists), and for the many, many poor in "Incredible India".<br />
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Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-922256610421237412013-03-13T10:39:00.003-07:002013-03-13T10:42:57.212-07:00Touching the Untouchable.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sunday 24th February is well-over a fortnight ago now; the day we had arranged to meet with theological students at Gurukul Theological Seminary in Chennai. Why meet with them?Because twelve years ago, on my first visit, I and a small group of people from "Christians Aware" were taken to the Seminary by the charismatic former Bishop of Madras, Bishop Azariah. It was most-impressive to see just how Gurukul College was engaged with some pretty tough issues, including the one which was highest on Bishop Azariah's agenda, the place of Untouchables in 21st Century Indian Society.<br />
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At that time, Bishop Azariah was at the forefront of Dalit Liberation, and he brought to the campaign a Christian perspective. "Dalit" is a Sanskrit word, used by untouchables in India to describe themselves. It means "crushed", "broken", and is how the Dalits see themselves, people who have been oppressed, treated as sub-human, for far too long. My first visit to India in 2001 followed the United Nations Organisation "World Conference against Racism,Racial Discrimination Xenophobia and Related Intolerances", which took place in Durban, South Africa,in August and September that year. Bishop Azariah, a Dalit himself, was a key-speaker at the Durban Conference, where he emphasized that apartheid, now a thing of the past in South Africa, was still a present reality in 21st century India. Bearing in mind that there are some 170 million people classed as Dalit or Tribal out of a total population of 1.4 billion people, then the scale of this problem can be better understood. It is remarkable that more is not said about this, especially in view of the "hype" of India as a developing world leader.<br />
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The Dalits, along with "Tribal" peoples, are detailed under Indian law as being of "Scheduled Caste" status, which, thanks to Gandhi, and since independence in 1947,was to give them significant rights and entitlements to make up for the lack of such over the last two or so thousand years.<br />
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That's the theory.<br />
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In practice, Dalits and "Tribals" are still treated as less-than-human, and the rights that might be theirs under law are in reality out of the grasp of most concerned. That would appear to be true now in 2013, just as is was in 2001, just as it was in 1947.........<br />
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The presentation given by Bishop Azariah has been documented in the Conference Report as follows:<br />
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<i><b>"The system of ‘Hidden apartheid’ based on caste practices of distinction, exclusion and restrictions denies Dalits’ enjoyment of their economic, social, political, cultural and religious rights, exposing them to all forms of violence and manifests itself in the segregation of housing settlements and cemeteries, segregation in tea </b></i><i><b>stalls (‘two-cup’ system), denial of access to common drinking water, restaurants, places of worship, restrictions on marriage and other insidious measures all of which inhibit their development as equals."</b></i><br />
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The question we brought to the staff and students of Gurukul was "What about the Dalits now? Is this still as big a human rights issue as it was in the 20th Century? In our recent Week of Prayer for Christian Unity material was prepared by South Indian Christians, expressing concern still for the plight of Dalits. What should we be reporting back to the UK in this regard?"<br />
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To begin with, people in the room seemed reticent to answer this. The reason became clear as we progressed. 80% of the students meeting with us were Dalits. A similar number, 80% of Indian Christians, are Dalits. It is significant that Christ's message of reaching out to those who are broken (Luke chapter 4) really means something in India. It is the "broken", the "crushed", who find something significant in what Christ has to say to them. Some of those present felt that even the Church was not above displaying an attitude of casteism; that it was not always as exempt as it should have been, and that the task ahead of the Church in this regard has a long, long way to go. Others amongst the students talked more-encouragingly of the way in which Dalits were empowering each other and themselves; that things were improving simply because people were determined that they should. The Dalit problem will remain a problem for many years to come, but Dalit determination and resolve to rise above it all is evident.<br />
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This Dalit Champion, Bishop Azariah, died nearly a year ago, but there are plenty of good, informed, faithful folk here, who will keep his torch alight to bring this darkest of situations to an end.<br />
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Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-16066010536295879742013-03-13T05:46:00.001-07:002013-03-13T05:46:56.377-07:00Shanthigramam Leprosy Village. Pattu and her son. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qMVF85_o4b0/UUB1PpBP8rI/AAAAAAAAAPI/7hNT5OQZ4cA/s640/blogger-image--1855434254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qMVF85_o4b0/UUB1PpBP8rI/AAAAAAAAAPI/7hNT5OQZ4cA/s640/blogger-image--1855434254.jpg" /></a></div>Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-39136670090295036182013-03-13T04:27:00.001-07:002013-03-13T05:00:01.752-07:00Karigiri Hospital<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Schieffellin Institute of Health Research and Leprosy Centre at Karigiri (which is squeezed down to "SIHRLC" for short, and is situated near Vellore), was founded to care for leprosy patients in and around the Vellore District and to set up a research institution to probe into the many problems of leprosy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Institute was named after an American, William J Schieffelin, who was at the time president of the American leprosy Mission, which funded the building project. Dr Ida Scudder, who had been the driving-force and foundress (in 1900) of the vast Christian Medical College and Hospital in nearby-Vellore, was guest-of-honour at a ceremony to mark Karigiri's foundation in 1952, and the buildings were completed and opened in 1955.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Since that time SIHRLC has treated thousands of leprosy patients, carried-out state-of-the-art research to understand the disease, and trained people at all levels in the management of leprosy. The top man of all time in this field, Doctor Paul Brand, spent a lot of his time at Karigiri and at CMC, and did much to further important work and research in the field of leprosy treatment.</span><br />
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Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-68945587665557227282013-03-13T04:18:00.001-07:002013-03-13T05:14:24.770-07:00Leprosy eradicated? Hardly!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We were thrilled to be able to stay at SIHRLC Karigiri Hospital Guest House for nine nights during our tour. We were given the chance to have a look around the hospital itself on the first full day of our stay, and were able to pick up on its related activities throughout our stay, including the Shanthigramam Leprosy Village which we support. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Hospital seemed busier than when we were last there five years ago. The impression given to the West, by people "in the know", is that leprosy is not only curable, but that it is declining. </span>What became abundantly
clear to us as we went around Karigiri was that leprosy has NOT been eradicated , particularly in
India. The Leprosy Mission, and other similar organisations are giving less
support than previously, simply because it is believed that leprosy is now “a
thing of the past”. It is not. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Just six years ago, a lot of the routine leprosy care had been "shifted" to an outpatients department in Katpadi itself, and at that time the hospital at Karigiri was very much quieter. This has been viewed since by the Hospital Directorate as a retrograde move. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Certainly, it was a step forward to take the care of leprosy patients into the community, which in itself showed a gradual understanding by the general public of the nature of the illness. But what it also meant was that those who cared for leprosy patients found they had to travel between two sites, rather than be based in one place. Thus an awful lot of time was wasted in travel, and resources were spread more-thinly as a result. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The hope had been to to open-up the hospital to the care of diabetic patients. Some of the problems experienced by leprosy sufferers are common to diabetics also, as diabetes in India is fast-becoming an epic problem. There is still room for this to go on at Karigiri, as well as concentrating the effort in leprosy care back on the one site. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Leprosy
sufferers, if they seek treatment early enough, can do a lot to halt the spread
of the disease in their own bodies, but still nobody knows<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>how<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>leprosy
is contracted, and when it is, it can take up to ten years for the symptoms to
show. Given that it is a disease which cuts people off from their families and
friends, then a leprosy sufferer is not going to be in a hurry to mention it to
others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">130,000
Indians are diagnosed with leprosy every year – more than in all other
countries put together. It's partly because the country's population is so huge
but also, campaigners say, because the Indian government, along with international
donors, are neglecting the fight against the disease. Hundreds of thousands of
Indians suffer from leprosy and its debilitating after-effects.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The Indian Government announced it had eliminated leprosy in 2005. According to
a target set by the World Health Organisation, countries can announce
'elimination' when there are fewer than one case for every 10,000 people; so,
given the scale of the country’s population, then perhaps they were right!
Since then, the government has channelled funding previously dedicated to
leprosy back into the general health system. Leprosy charities say that
donations have fallen significantly, and some projects have had to close. Karigiri
is hanging on “by the skin of its teeth”. Because of the present stance of the
Indian Government, and, of course, since this is a “Christian” rather than a
Government Hospital, there is no money forthcoming from that area!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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A recent unpublished government study of the number of new leprosy cases in
India suggests that the official figures don't show the true scale, and it may
be much higher. In one Indian state, health workers found the number of people
infected was five times the official estimate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> A
leaked copy obtained by Channel 4's Unreported World of a recent unpublished
Indian Government study of the number of new leprosy cases in India suggests
that the official figures don't show the true scale, and it may be much higher.
This was the first time in six years health workers have carried out extensive
surveys. In one Indian state, health workers found the number of people
infected was five times the official estimate. The programme reporting on
leprosy today in India, broadcast 25th<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>March,
2011, had this to say:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“
Many leprosy sufferers face lifelong rejection, stigma and discrimination.
There's a widespread fear that the disease is highly contagious. In reality,
95% of humans are naturally immune, which is why campaigners call it the
world's "least contagious communicable disease". While doctors are
still unsure exactly how leprosy is spread (it's probably by airborne droplet
infection such as coughing and sneezing), it is easily treated with highly
effective drugs available for free thanks to collaboration between the WHO and
the pharmaceutical company Novartis. Nevertheless, even those who have been
cured and are no longer contagious are shunned by society and forced to live as
outcasts. India has an estimated 1,000 leprosy colonies that are home to
hundreds of thousands people living their lives in the disease's long dark shadow.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
at St John’s have been privileged to play our small part in bringing dignity to
the lives of a few leprosy-sufferers, in our support of Shanthigramam Leprosy
Village. This is something which we have been able to do for the last ten
years, and I hope that St John’s will continue to support it for many years to
come. There are very few contributors to the work of Karigiri or to
Shanthigrammam. There is, however, another group in the UK who are supporting
both Karigiri / Shanthigramam and MBKGP Orphanage in Kasam – The Sebastian
Hunter Memorial Trust, based in London and Vellore (“Seb’s Project”).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
trust has this to say about Karigiri – “When the hospital opened, 60% of its
funding came from western donors. Now only 12% comes from foreign sources. As
leprosy has almost completely disappeared from countries in Europe and North
America, people in the West do not recognise its grave effect on people
elsewhere. The hospital sees over 2,000 leprosy patients a year; though this is
only a small proportion of those thought to suffer from the disease. Further
funding for leprosy research is still needed – how leprosy is contracted is
still unknown.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-24550310855342911342013-03-05T10:47:00.001-08:002013-03-05T10:47:24.503-08:00Kasam <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-u3npgablv1U/UTY9rnn5JKI/AAAAAAAAANo/TjY5vXaPRDg/s640/blogger-image--672658539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-u3npgablv1U/UTY9rnn5JKI/AAAAAAAAANo/TjY5vXaPRDg/s640/blogger-image--672658539.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-NLyznHgTuQA/UTY9ujbNgSI/AAAAAAAAAN0/1oybQ0dVcZA/s640/blogger-image-1388542134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-NLyznHgTuQA/UTY9ujbNgSI/AAAAAAAAAN0/1oybQ0dVcZA/s640/blogger-image-1388542134.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YjUff96cASw/UTY9pwyO-hI/AAAAAAAAANg/B3noqc7XwM4/s640/blogger-image--2089228507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YjUff96cASw/UTY9pwyO-hI/AAAAAAAAANg/B3noqc7XwM4/s640/blogger-image--2089228507.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wTR5ljALdXA/UTY9s9_FeCI/AAAAAAAAANw/HuHQp_eOnLA/s640/blogger-image--30595242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wTR5ljALdXA/UTY9s9_FeCI/AAAAAAAAANw/HuHQp_eOnLA/s640/blogger-image--30595242.jpg" /></a></div>Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-34811887929537033522013-03-05T05:24:00.001-08:002013-03-05T05:24:34.813-08:00"Our" ChildrenOne of the main reasons for our Indian visit was to catch up with the children we are sponsoring at the Orphanage in Kasam (near Katpadi, Vellore). What a wonderful opportunity that was! We were greeted so warmly on the Sunday afternoon by Daniel, Ratna and the children themselves. Trisha was really pleased to meet her young lady in person (up to now they has only come to know each other through correspondence). Barbara was able to meet up again with Peter, now a fine young man of twenty three, who has been a great role-model to others at the Orphanage in the scale of his academic achievement. We met up with those who had been sponsored by our church members. I was thrilled to meet up with a young lad aged fifteen who is to be sponsored by Chris, our eldest; and similarly a bright young twelve-year-old girl who I am starting to sponsor. <br />
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Barbara was able to meet her newly-allocated young person, who happens to be the twin sister of my sponsored child. What a lovely afternoon we spent with them, followed by a feast of a supper, and a tour of every cottage and person afterwards. The folk there can be justly proud of what they have been able to achieve for the young people in their care. The young people themselves can be proud of what they have been able to achieve. Here are the young people we mentioned.....<br />
Deenith, sponsored by Chris, is the tall young man on the right; Barbara's twin is standing with her, and my twin is in the middle of the other picture with a lovely smile. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-orcL9j0a-CQ/UTXyBsVxEfI/AAAAAAAAANA/VCbRpjzlDUM/s640/blogger-image-92033397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-orcL9j0a-CQ/UTXyBsVxEfI/AAAAAAAAANA/VCbRpjzlDUM/s640/blogger-image-92033397.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aa8YZW_glCA/UTXyEcnta8I/AAAAAAAAANQ/mixQ1ELTGHE/s640/blogger-image--1725831200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aa8YZW_glCA/UTXyEcnta8I/AAAAAAAAANQ/mixQ1ELTGHE/s640/blogger-image--1725831200.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-074jpxz6_2Y/UTXyDNXblHI/AAAAAAAAANI/ueyb_vdFTDU/s640/blogger-image-2124442159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-074jpxz6_2Y/UTXyDNXblHI/AAAAAAAAANI/ueyb_vdFTDU/s640/blogger-image-2124442159.jpg" /></a></div>Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-83638368198001119482013-03-02T10:58:00.001-08:002013-03-02T10:58:47.178-08:00Shanthigramam -Village of Peace and Hope......It inspired us ten years ago, and still it is a humbling experience to visit this place and it's people. The one who stood out for us this time was the guy who has cultivated a large area of formerly-scrub area, and is producing tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, aubergines, radishes.... you name it, he's growing it! He has no fingers. Incredible how he manages to do this! <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rt-zPNCa31c/UTJL2f_-rSI/AAAAAAAAAGE/Lnb5HvzbF9o/s640/blogger-image-779356800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rt-zPNCa31c/UTJL2f_-rSI/AAAAAAAAAGE/Lnb5HvzbF9o/s640/blogger-image-779356800.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WlvIlyW2a44/UTJL3p_kALI/AAAAAAAAAGM/8L2XL-PWc4g/s640/blogger-image--684471150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WlvIlyW2a44/UTJL3p_kALI/AAAAAAAAAGM/8L2XL-PWc4g/s640/blogger-image--684471150.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0zV4GJXUTac/UTJL1M0gL7I/AAAAAAAAAF8/tXKA2GG50Ao/s640/blogger-image-581345636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0zV4GJXUTac/UTJL1M0gL7I/AAAAAAAAAF8/tXKA2GG50Ao/s640/blogger-image-581345636.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Do5CiiSVzxc/UTJL5Xd-KqI/AAAAAAAAAGU/dK3O6HLxHts/s640/blogger-image-1516737886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Do5CiiSVzxc/UTJL5Xd-KqI/AAAAAAAAAGU/dK3O6HLxHts/s640/blogger-image-1516737886.jpg" /></a></div>Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-11491842464991221982013-03-01T13:24:00.001-08:002013-03-01T13:24:46.273-08:00Kiting over KabulI'm writing this post 10,000 metres above Kabul, with a Scotch and Soda in my hand at 10.30am London time. Dreadful! However It is 4pm Delhi -time, and our bodies tell us that we are overdue for lunch, so pre-lunch Scotch is fine.<br />
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My stomach in particular is screaming at me that it is high time to return home. Indian hospitality has been far too generous, and all of us, without exception, have thoroughly enjoyed the diet to which we have been treated. My clothes still fit, but there seem to be some bits of me which have become more generous than they were on arrival. Unfortunately the foods we have been offered have been really delicious, and I know we're going to find the English diet terribly bland! As for desserts; it's a sugar- heaven in India! Indians really know how to make puddings!!!!!<br />
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I have had a smashing time with my companions, Barbara, Nancy, Sue and Trisha. We've got on together really well, and it's been helpful to share our experiences and reflections, as much of what we have seen and heard has been beyond our normal comfort-zones. <br />
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What I both love and loathe about India is that everything is in your face, OTT. The sounds, the smells, the colour, the vibrancy, the beauty of its exotic flora and fauna, the noise of the motor-horn, the precise way Indians drive chaotically, recklessly and carefully, that's India. Laundry washed in putrid rivers that comes out sparkingly-clean, slum-dwellers freshly-pressed and dressed for 9 to 5 in the office who look as good and work as well as any, that's India. Children who want to achieve because there is so much competition in a population of 1.4 billion, children from the lowliest places with the highest hopes of a bright future, that's India. People who would give you their right arm, people who would take your right arm, people who would give you their last rupee, people who would extract your last rupee because that's the way those in positions of authority get things done, well. that's India too. <br />
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Lots more photos and reflections on return to the UK, which will happen in about seven hours' time<br />
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Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-22674678179608049422013-02-28T17:47:00.001-08:002013-02-28T17:47:16.050-08:00Bollywood Statues....... <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YZQ2_wo2Kek/UTAIl_MYK7I/AAAAAAAAAFk/l8SctgFGMMU/s640/blogger-image-964268305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YZQ2_wo2Kek/UTAIl_MYK7I/AAAAAAAAAFk/l8SctgFGMMU/s640/blogger-image-964268305.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tjGqSES18QE/UTAIkF0T3QI/AAAAAAAAAFc/jjKJeZ24SzA/s640/blogger-image-123992952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tjGqSES18QE/UTAIkF0T3QI/AAAAAAAAAFc/jjKJeZ24SzA/s640/blogger-image-123992952.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dnu7qB6n1YQ/UTAIh0F2O0I/AAAAAAAAAFU/EFpOjebaKnI/s640/blogger-image-428083226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dnu7qB6n1YQ/UTAIh0F2O0I/AAAAAAAAAFU/EFpOjebaKnI/s640/blogger-image-428083226.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a3pTs1tQIn4/UTAIoIYqmRI/AAAAAAAAAFs/s8tFpWTkzAE/s640/blogger-image-1044685668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a3pTs1tQIn4/UTAIoIYqmRI/AAAAAAAAAFs/s8tFpWTkzAE/s640/blogger-image-1044685668.jpg" /></a></div>Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-13960591796899960712013-02-28T09:36:00.001-08:002013-02-28T17:37:53.137-08:00Home is where the Haat is.....It seemed strange to be going out yesterday morning into a city thousands of miles away (in many respects) from Alresford, to meet-up with Rosie. What was equally good, we were also going to visit her daughter Liz "in situ"'. Liz lives with Pete her husband, and her lovely family in a part of Delhi not far from where we are staying, and the arrangement was to meet at Dilli Haat, a Delhi Tourist Board initiative designed to dupe tourists into believing that this is what a rural market is like in the Indian countryside that those visiting the "Golden Triangle" are unlikely to witness. It is definitely geared to the tourist, but it is great fun if you happen to enjoy retail, and get a buzz from bargaining with the stall-holders. We had an excellent teacher in Liz, who, with her good command of Hindi and her firm approach encouraged us in the art to good effect. <br />
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The highlight of our time with Liz yesterday was to visit Dwaar, a Church Centre that has been established in a not-very-fashionable part of Delhi. We were led down a very narrow passage full of people and we noticed we were deeply into "the effluent society", the bouquet of which has become so much a part of our lives during our stay. Suddenly, above a shop called "Reliance Fresh", we came to some steps, and we followed our ears to the place from whence came energetic sounds of a youth programme in progress. Young people between the ages of 9 and 13 were enjoying craft, others were playing games, or generally running about having a great time. These were children from a poor background, living in the most part with their parents and siblings in one room. Some of the youngsters had problems, others just needed a little encouragement to help them overcome obstacles that would once have seemed unbeatable. these were mainly children of no faith, who were pleased to be welcomed into this enormous space - enormous for those who live at home in cramped, too-close-for-comfort conditions.<br />
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"Bollywood Statues" was the ideal game devised by the helpers to last the maximum amount of time, effectively tiring-out even the liveliest of youngsters. It certainly did that for me! These young people made us feel so welcome, and seemed to enjoy having us around. We brought some chocolate bars for each of them. On handing them out, one boy came up to me to return a bar, I had given him two, and everyone else had received only one, so rather than keep quiet about it, he returned the bar! <br />
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The approach being taken by Dwaar (which I think in Hindi means "Godly", "Divine") is to create space for people to be themselves, and to discover God's potential for each individual. I was impressed that they were not going for the "hard sell" which many foreign mission agencies are doing at the moment in India. Dwaar seems to be doing things "Christ's way" was my impression, meeting people where they are, meeting the needs of the people, and letting the actions speak of Christ. Their's didn't seem to be the usual story of mass- conversions, notching up numbers as a guide to success; rather it was the difference made in coming into contact with Dwaar that shone through.<br />
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Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-59706184998945435582013-02-28T09:21:00.001-08:002013-02-28T09:21:50.115-08:00Last night in DelhiI never thought I'd say it, but I'm going to miss being in Delhi. With all the talk of Delhi being India's most dangerous city, which I am sure statistically-speaking it could be, containing as it does 16 million people (or is it 20 million, nobody seems to know!), nevertheless, we have met some great people and heard some tales, some good, some not so good.<br />
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I thought I'd share this view outside of my hotel bedroom window taken just a little while ago this evening. Chris asked for a picture of auto-rickshaws, here's a few to choose from....<br />
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What I'm sorry to say is that the state of India is even worse than I imagined. Some of the folk we have met have managed to rise above it. Most have not. India boasts of itself that it is the largest democracy. Democracy comes at too great a cost for the majority of the population. I read yesterday that 60% of the world's poor are in India. From what we have seen and heard, that would appear to be correct.<br />
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Our time spent at Gurukul Lutheran Seminary yesterday proved to be a most - worthwhile exercise for us and, I'm pleased to say, for the staff and students. We've an open invitation to return! When I've had some time to make sense of my notes, I will post another blog about our time spent at Gurukul.<br />
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Meanwhile, back to the packing.<br />
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Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-36692721035995206772013-02-23T21:06:00.001-08:002013-02-23T21:20:55.800-08:00Hello Blogfriends,This blog will be a bit quiet today, as I am hoping to scribble down some words of wisdom for tonight's service which we are sharing at Gurukul Lutheran Theological Seminary. We will be meeting with a group of students at 3.30pm. I have asked if we could discuss the following questions:<br />
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What is "the truth" about India? The line that is being given to the Western nations is of a country growing in prosperity, one of the top nations globally. Our Prime Minister has been in Delhi this week with other UK business people to "court" the Indian economy. Our perception in the west is of a country that is fast-becoming a key world-player. Having been here for nearly three weeks now, that is not what we are picking-up at ground level. We have experienced power cuts worthy of any third-world nation, and the poor still seem pretty visible. So, what is the true India?<br />
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What are the main challenges facing Christians in today's India?<br />
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What about the Dalits? Is this still as big a human rights issue as it was in the 20th Century?<br />
In our recent Week of Prayer for Christian Unity material was prepared by South Indian Christians, expressing concern still for the plight of Dalits. What should we be reporting back to the UK in this regard?<br />
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How is the Church in India perceived by those outside of it? What would Gurukul see as "best practice" in extending the Kingdom of God and it's mission in India today?<br />
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How would Gurukul prepare those training for ordination in today's UK, where mainstream Christianity is fighting for survival, and only the more-fundamental seem to be surviving and growing at the moment?<br />
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More later on this after it has happened, and a report on our whistle-stop tour of Chennai yesterday.<br />
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Back to sermon preparation............Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-61077720080938050682013-02-22T17:35:00.001-08:002013-02-22T17:59:41.844-08:00Madurai ................. is a beautiful city; well perhaps it's exaggerating to say that, the main Temple is exquisitely-fine, but we didn't have time to visit it yesterday. We were making our way to the airport, but our driver took a detour through the city for us to glimpse it as we passed. <br />
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What WAS amazing was the new road,which took us there from near to Dindigul. The new North -South corridor road from the Kashmir border right down to the Southern tip of India has been (almost) completed. In good Indian fashion, at one minute it's a perfect piece of dual carriageway, and then suddenly you're back to potholes for a stretch. Add into that the Indian style of driving, and, don't get me wrong, Indian drivers are, have to be, the most-skilled drivers in the world, but what they execute with great gladiatorial skill at 20 kph, is a little-more-challenging at 100 kph!<br />
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The second amazement was Madurai airport, which now makes Southampton Airport look small and parochial, whereas five years ago it was very much the other way around. What is more, there was a notice, plain for all to see, about NOT paying bribes, and that anyone expecting to receive such should be reported. In the previous tin-shack incarnation of the airport, we were fleeced by an airport official who "took charge" of us, and that included him menacing us for money. We experienced the same in the Temple five years ago, where another official demanded a "handling fee" for sorting-out our photographic passes. By that time my righteous indignation over-rode my "sensible" side; I told him to get lost, and he did!<br />
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Today we're being tourists, and we've arranged a trip by car to see the coast and coastal sites; a temple or two, a basilica or two, the old fort we left behind, and the Chennai marina. Should be relaxing, except being driven in Chennai is always akin to sailing down Niagara Falls.<br />
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More later, and a much more theological day tomorrow, as we meet students and staff at Gurukul Lutheran Seminary, to find out how they are preparing ordinands to minister in today's India.Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-61049975141265978132013-02-21T08:49:00.001-08:002013-03-14T02:32:04.029-07:00Athoor, and the marvellous work of Joe Homan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have known of Joe Homan's work in South India for quiet a while. His brother, John, was an active member of Whittlesey Catholic Community when I was in ministry there, and we often would hear about the work initiated by Joe in his "Boys' Towns". Before a previous visit to Tamil Nadu, and knowing that we were going to be spending some time near Madurai, we had been asked to take a parcel out to 'a Joe Homan home for girls' (the only address we had). I couldn't locate it when we arrived in Madurai; after all, Madurai is a big city! I mentioned the parcel to our host, Dr Chris Lucas, and asked him if there was any way in which I might be able to send the parcel to it's proper destination. "I'm having supper with Joe Homan tonight" was his reply! Unbeknown to me, Joe Homan was living next door to where we were staying! I resolved that the next time we visited Tamil Nadu (and Cardamom House), I would try to visit the man himself, and see some of his work, of which I had heard so much in our "Fenland" days.<br />
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On the second day of our stay at Cardamom House, a group of men were meeting with Chris Lucas, deep in conversation from before breakfast through to lunchtime. Being of an inquisitive nature, I wondered who they were, but thought no more of it, until after lunch I mentioned to our splendid guide, Pandi, that I would like to have the opportunity to meet Joe Homan sometime. "He's here now." he replied. What a thrill to meet the man himself so unexpectedly.Joe arranged for us to visit the nearby Athoor Boys' Town, and he would travel down from the hills (he was no-longer living next door to Cardamom House) to show us the complex and to introduce us to the lads the next day. These pictures are of that visit. Joe, now 83 years old, has dedicated his life to lifting the lives of thousands of boys and girls (literally) out of the gutter into something really worthwhile. Degradation to dignity, through care, education and a sense of purpose and worth. What a privilege to meet him and to see the fruits of his work.<br />
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Who is Joe Homan? Thanks to his book "Miles o' Smiles" (a signed copy of which he gave to us as a memento of our visit) there is a convenient "shorthand" account of his life at the back - here's a shorthand version of the shorthand version........<br />
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"Joe was born of Dutch parents who emigrated to England in 1934. As a twelve-year old, he was a boarder at St Joseph's College in Ipswich; on leaving school he went back home to work in horticulture for three years, but a vocation to the Christian Brotherhood took him back to his old school for six years. He was sent by the Order to Pakistan for a year, before being moved to South India to help pioneer work amongst poor youngsters. The sight of malnourished children, existing on the platforms of Madurai Railway Station, filled Joe's heart with compassion. He felt God calling him todo something about this. He returned to the UK, left the Order, and sailed back to Tamil Nadu. He had just £200 in his pocket, some of which he was able to convert into 48 transistor radios (the return on which was good enough to help him get started on his first Boys' Town near Madurai).<br />
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In ten years he established eleven Boys' Towns, and one Girls' Town, in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and Thailand.Alongside of this, he pioneered his "Rural Development" programme, and through a "Child Labour Prevention" programme was able to help some 15,000 poverty-stricken girls to exchange their Child Labour Bond for five years of secondary education, lifting them out of the bondage trap and into the security of proper work.<br />
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His own experience in the family business of Market Gardening was never wasted. In the first twenty years the Boys Towns specialised in giving the youngsters a grounding in good farming, so that each would leave with farming skills and milking buffaloes, sheep or with a pair of oxen, a cart and a plough, and so leave the poverty into which they had been born behind them. Latterly those with the aptitude were encouraged to opt for college or Industrial Training Institutes, of which many are springing-up in Tamil Nadu. Joe has devoted forty-five years of his life to uplifting the poorest of the poor, and has vowed to continue this until his last breath! The Joe Homan Charity HQ is in Peterborough, and the website - www.joehoman.org.uk<br />
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Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-67855689795477814552013-02-20T22:29:00.001-08:002013-02-20T22:29:33.172-08:00Our trip into Athoor yesterday....took us into various people's homes, shops, businesses, in this place of similar size to Alresford. We were shown around a farm, which grows and processes the coconut from the palm tree to finished product. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fzvq0ZdzGB0/USW-sSLcZ2I/AAAAAAAAADA/TvzkzkdWyr4/s640/blogger-image-399963107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fzvq0ZdzGB0/USW-sSLcZ2I/AAAAAAAAADA/TvzkzkdWyr4/s640/blogger-image-399963107.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-IJzYmCk-wcA/USW-uug2V5I/AAAAAAAAADI/Xie56Q6jSfk/s640/blogger-image--1746923408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-IJzYmCk-wcA/USW-uug2V5I/AAAAAAAAADI/Xie56Q6jSfk/s640/blogger-image--1746923408.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--IQEu2pX3dA/USW-wWxn4zI/AAAAAAAAADQ/bQAbPzmVVxw/s640/blogger-image--1572680196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--IQEu2pX3dA/USW-wWxn4zI/AAAAAAAAADQ/bQAbPzmVVxw/s640/blogger-image--1572680196.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tOyxPLrkit8/USW-yaFPKRI/AAAAAAAAADY/BzBN9wpOn3Q/s640/blogger-image-266082308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tOyxPLrkit8/USW-yaFPKRI/AAAAAAAAADY/BzBN9wpOn3Q/s640/blogger-image-266082308.jpg" /></a></div>Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-40593261042202384422013-02-20T22:23:00.001-08:002013-02-20T22:23:05.316-08:00Cardamom House.....at the foot of the Western Ghats, just ten degrees north of the equator, amidst stunning South Indian scenery. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aaUvhyA1FkI/USW9L72zo2I/AAAAAAAAACc/MQaSTcMcZwg/s640/blogger-image-1722884932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aaUvhyA1FkI/USW9L72zo2I/AAAAAAAAACc/MQaSTcMcZwg/s640/blogger-image-1722884932.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lqz5iE8bMFg/USW9PkROVMI/AAAAAAAAACs/X4PKvvFZFwE/s640/blogger-image-1132434458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lqz5iE8bMFg/USW9PkROVMI/AAAAAAAAACs/X4PKvvFZFwE/s640/blogger-image-1132434458.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5Plje5HyS8k/USW9NqR7coI/AAAAAAAAACk/BxmVV45pA_g/s640/blogger-image-343050332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5Plje5HyS8k/USW9NqR7coI/AAAAAAAAACk/BxmVV45pA_g/s640/blogger-image-343050332.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-b_CjK_L1o_M/USW9RbirJlI/AAAAAAAAAC0/UkQbOBpZNTU/s640/blogger-image-1667396319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-b_CjK_L1o_M/USW9RbirJlI/AAAAAAAAAC0/UkQbOBpZNTU/s640/blogger-image-1667396319.jpg" /></a></div>Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-88927667118533230422013-02-20T18:33:00.001-08:002013-02-20T18:33:39.995-08:00Air-conditioned beetle at Karigiri <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-AlGiV9kftRQ/USWHgRHejsI/AAAAAAAAACI/gMPhsCv9b7I/s640/blogger-image-1456795936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-AlGiV9kftRQ/USWHgRHejsI/AAAAAAAAACI/gMPhsCv9b7I/s640/blogger-image-1456795936.jpg" /></a></div>Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-1911934891501605382013-02-20T18:18:00.003-08:002013-02-20T18:18:37.388-08:00Beetle Drive<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Slept well last night, but it took a bit of time to get off to sleep, for a number of reasons. One is simply because all this is going so well. It has taken a tremendous amount of organisation, and India being what it is, a mixture of over-organised and " tomorrow will do" there continue to be many things which hang in the air until we nearly reach them, but it all happens in the end. The group continues to gel well together, and there is so much to learn, and so many good people around to help us in the process.<br />
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So what else prevented me falling to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow? A strange clicking noise behind the wardrobe. Do you remember from your childhood those strange things called "jumping beans"? When I shone the torch along the back of the wardrobe, I saw what little dust there was leaping about intermittently and as it was doing it, making a clicking noise on landing. It was a beetle of average length (not the size of the one that dropped out of the air-conditioning at Karigiri. Fortunately there was just the implement I needed in the bathroom to deal with it, and I was able to persuade the "jumping bean" out of the door, dust and all. As I performed this act of charity in my night attire, it was a jolly good job everyone else was asleep. </div>
Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736614820374361729.post-39674435402038227182013-02-20T09:41:00.001-08:002013-02-20T09:42:40.145-08:00The view from the breakfast table........ <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-a4t_pnKwYMw/USUKz96TOVI/AAAAAAAAABs/H7A3qumt1aI/s640/blogger-image-1551185588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-a4t_pnKwYMw/USUKz96TOVI/AAAAAAAAABs/H7A3qumt1aI/s640/blogger-image-1551185588.jpg" /></a></div>Phil in Indiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928072793624161492noreply@blogger.com0