Blog 5 Happy Cow Pongal! In which we encounter some lovely lads and beautiful girls, who are benefitting from the One Candle Fund and are delighted

Blog 5 Happy Cow Pongal! In which we encounter some lovely lads and beautiful girls, who are benefitting from the One Candle Fund and are delighted to see us; eat another great feast and play an India v England cricket match.

The second day of Pongal is called Mardu Pongal or Cow Pongal, so you can expect to see some beautifully decorated cows, with ribbons on their horns. We have set aside today to go to Seeteramanpet to catch up with some of the families whom Brian and Pam got to know during their visits to collect information on life in an Indian Village for the educational website (www.kvkuppam.info) We cycle along the back way through Kavanur and Pam exclaims frequently at how much greener everywhere seems since our last visit-so plainly some rainy seasons have been better.

As we round the corner into Seeteramanpet we are spotted immediately by an alert Raghu who greets Pam immediately in clear English. Pam is almost moved to tears, because last time she saw him he was struggling to teach himself English early in the morning and late at night. Since then Raghu has had support to attend college in Vellore and has achieved extremely well. Prospects for a good job are excellent for him as he enters his last two terms. It subsequently becomes apparent that several of the village families have been awaiting our arrival all week, knowing that we are at RUHSA. A large feast is served to us by Raghu’s mother and other families are equally keen that we should take some refreshment with them.

They are so obviously genuinely pleased to see us and what follows is a really heart-warming day. We visit the daughters of one family, whose sadness about not being able to stay in school because their widowed mother could not afford it, led to Pam trying to find a way to help them. This was the story – one of many which she heard during her stay, of hardship and difficulty- which prompted the invention of the One Candle Fund. The name of this Fund comes from the Chinese saying ‘ It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness’ Through the fund, which provides a small bursary to children who would otherwise be forced to leave secondary school early, so far 32 children have benefitted. The two daughters of that family have succeeded really well at school and now college. Their widowed mother was always determined to get a good education for her girls and is clearly now very proud of them.

We notice also that there is a general appearance of improvement in the village e.g some new houses and sprucing up. This we take to have been made possible because a Self Help Group of weavers is now employed to weave cloth for BTC- Bishopston Trading Company. This has improved the regularity and rate of their pay considerably.

On our return to RUHSA that evening I write a poem about the day, which has been a very happy one for us all. It is uplifting to talk to young people who are so committed to using their chance at education in order to change their lives.

The Magic Box

I will put in my box

Raghu grown-up and greeting Pam in English

Balaji taller, more gaunt, with a black beard

Suresh mature and full of wit and sparkle

I will put in my box

The tiny beautiful mother serving us a feast

Banana leaves, crossed legs on the floor

And their delight at my ‘kunjum Tamil’

I will put in my box

Swarms of small children ‘What is your name please?

Photo please, one more photo

Garlands of acid yellow and purple flowers

The men showing off their speed weaving and India versus England cricket

I will put in my box

The beautiful girls who are the story behind the One Candle

The mother with new wet Mehndi hands

And her fat baby boy, woken to a sea of strange faces

I will put in my box

‘ Happy Pongal’, decorated cows, chickens riding on a motorbike

Rangoli colours and temple racket through the night

Balaji’s dead friend, his sadness and his quiet help with Brian’s bike

And the walls will be made of our attempts at each other’s language

With in each corner a candle of love across the cultures

And all of it wrapped in their gratitude for a chance at education

And our delight at the chance treasured and cherished