BLOG 5

January 16th

Today in the morning Sekar from Ruhsa came to talk about our plans for this stay. We identified main aims, 1) to inaugurate the centre for the elderly 2) to do further training with the teachers and give them support to develop 3) to establish a plan for programmes of teacher training at the centre and 4) to plan for developing the outside area.

Sekar agreed to set up meetings with the relevant bodies and explained simply to me how the area is divided politically at local government level. The village of Kamanchemanpet has an H L F (habitation level forum) which is responsible for managing the playcentre. The HLF in Seetaramanpet will be taking the same responsibility for the elderly centre, and we will begin with a meeting with these people to find out what they would like to happen and which members of their community they think would benefit.

As a result of this discussion with Sekar I have decided that I will spend the maximum time in the school, working alongside the teachers and playing with the children, so I've given myself a very attractive sounding plan! Pam will focus most on the elderly project though we will all be able to attend meetings about it and help with resourcing.

Someone will have to administer a very big kick up the bum to the chief engineer at CMC, the mother-ship organisation for RUHSA, because in a year they have failed to decide where to sink the bore well for the playcentre. Blog followers from last year will recall the hilarity of the old chap who divined water with a coconut ( to be parodied later by Andy and Brian with a lemon). Unfortunately the CMC engineer believes the water is in quite a different area of the plot and consequently a Large Nothing has occurred since last January. Ruhsa have historically been quite adept at procrastination, especially when CMC are involved.

After the discussion Brian Pam and I cycled to lunch in Seetaramanpet with Raghu's mother, whilst Marilyn stayed to meet with Arul about her project to teach English to some of the BTC workers. She now hopes to meet with staff on Monday morning to begin to move it forward, and Pam will stay with her to take notes.

Lunch was, as we knew it would be, delicious and evidentally a lot of care had gone into making a special meal. Raghu's family are delightful and his parents are always smiley. They are especially grateful for the help with college fees for Raghu which has enabled him to continue his education and to attain a position with a good company (TVS) Raghu talks often of his determination to give back to the community when he has a permanent position and has finished his training and we are quite sure that he will do this.

After lunch we went again to see Nagadevi, their very sick neighbour, who is home for the weekend. I have used poetry again to try to express some of the powerful emotions we all felt. We then organised to get a taxi to take her on Monday to CMC hospital in Vellore after hearing that she planned to go by auto, which is a dreadfully uncomfortable ride even under normal circumstances, and is unimaginable for someone in constant pain.

Nagadevi

Even now, your life reduced to barest bones

A cage for monstrous pain,

And all your fierce woman's flame

To bitter ashes

Even now, you struggle upwards from the bed

Whispering of coffee

Hospitality still imperative

And you the mother in this home

Impotent the words in both our tongues

No comfort in regret

The shock of your diminishing

Is shouting in our eyes

Perhaps you feel our sorrow

In the touch of fingertips

For silenced by the pity here

Compassion's all our gift

To you, the mother, heart and soul

Beloved in this home