13th and 14th January, a day in school and Happy Pongal

January 13th, in which I learn the days of the week in Tamil and forget how to say Happy Pongal.

We arrived at school fairly early today and were able to see some different games and activities.We also saw more of the period of about ten minutes in the morning when the children sit in small groups with the elders to talk.This is such a brilliant innovation since we were last here. The teachers have obviously gone on developing the work- perhaps also in conjunction with the organiser for the elderly, Rani. I'm just enjoying observing at the moment and trying not to look too Ofsted- heaven forfend! The way they all interact with the children is so kind and so encouraging, which isn't by any means the norm for schools in India, apparently. Next week with Sekar's help and interpreting we will talk more with the staff about the daily curriculum, ideas they have and some reminders from their training ( took place over three days and now 6 years ago!) I did see one teacher holding a child's hand whilst the child was drawing - something I used to see the occasional nursery nurse doing when I first trained as a nursery teacher. It is tempting for a teacher to do this when they are focused on the end product and we will talk again to them about following the child's development and valuing what they produce and the process. After lunch and after the children's midday nap we presented them with their Christmas gift from RUHSA of a new tiffin box each. Each child obediently repeated Thank you mam, or thank you sir. The speed at which they pick up English is amazing. Parents do like their children to learn English even in a Tamil medium school, for obvious reasons I guess.

 Children playing in the new outdoor sandpit. The papaya trees, planted for shade, are only a couple of years old.

The teachers showed us a photo of a child who was in school last time we came and of whom I have many photos, because she was a real live wire. I remember her telling me to sit in the home corner and to be the visiting partee ( granny) whilst she would make me a cup of tea. The recent photo showed her receiving a prize for story telling, at her new school, from the District Collector. Her mother has presented the framed photo to the school to show how grateful she is for the start she had at Patchaikili. Hurrah! As tomorrow is the beginning of Pongal the teachers had decorated the front of the school with column patterns and with the words 'Happy Pongal'. I learned how to say Happy Pongal in Tamil but did not get a chance to practise it because all the children said it to us in perfect English  one by one as they made their farewells at the end of the day.

January 14th in which we survive a trip to Vrinjipuram temple on motorbikes.

Balaji and Partiban came to RUHSA this morning to collect Andy and I for a trip to the temple at Vrinjipuram, which we have never before visited. Despite some small apprehension about cycling helmet-less through the streets of KVKuppam, the journey turned out to be really enjoyable. There were a couple of false starts as  Parti's bike got a puncture so we had to detour to Seetaramanpet to swop with his friend; then a further mile or so on the bike ground to a halt due to lack of petrol ( or whatever goes in motorbikes) Balaji duly siphoned a small amount from his bike, to get us to the petrol station. Upon arrival there however, no petrol available. However, as Balaji explained, once the garage man had realised that English People were on board these bikes, he managed to siphon a water bottle full out of his own bike. Onwards and upwards, always an inventive solution in India! Great way to see the countryside anyway once you have relaxed, as it goes by quite slowly and you also get a nice cooling breeze about your helmet-free head. We went right over the very wide Palar river, which is very much an ex-river. No sign whatsoever of water and we have never seen any in our twenty years of visiting. 

The temple village is about seven km from KVK and was really quiet and pleasant this morning. No sign anywhere in fact of the loud music and crowds of people we usually associate with Pongal. We did a gentle tour of the very impressive temple buildings, which a small boy with very good English told us dated from the Chola period. Andy reckons that means from about 800 A.D. We saw various shrines to Ganesh and other gods- a whole room of lingams which looked pretty phallic, and seemed to bave something to do with Ganesh's father, who might be called Ishwar(?) Pam is usually our resident expert on Gods of the Hindu religion. We stood before the priest and he gave me some jasmine flowers and then we all had holy ash, vibouti, to put on our foreheads, followed by a red paste, such that Andy thought I looked as if I had been shot. I thought of cousin Marilyn and how she would have tried to avoid this. My resident atheist was quite happy to go along with it, however. 

I would have to record this visit as quite the least stressful and most  hassle-free temple visit I have ever done. It was really enjoyable and as we drove round the whole site finally, looking at the elaborate carvings, Balaji pointed out two large dents in the walls caused by English cannon, some years back I presume. My grasp of history, like my geography, is poor in Europe, let alone with all the complications and colourfulness that India presents! Just nod and go with the flow is my motto and it serves me well! 

            Special patterns for Pongal, just opposite the gates of RUHSA.

Inside that dark shrine is a beautiful Ganesh, the elephant god. Taking of photos strictly forbidden inside the temple.

Back home at Balaji's house we were invited to have a rest before lunch at one and mats were put down on the floor for us. I discovered that though an extra covering doesn't help with being saddle sore, it certainly does help when you are lying on the concrete floor. Lovely quiet nap under the fan. Lunch was then as always super. Santi- Balaji's mum- even ordered a dosi to be produced when she asked me if I liked them and I said yes. A lovely first day of Pongal festival. 

 

Back at RUHSA flat we found Jude who had had some interesting chats with resident students over lunch. A gaggle of young nurses became very giggly indeed at the sight of photos of her beautiful son Joshua! Was he here with her? What a disappointment! Then the Singaporean medical student from Sydney uni whom we have already met told her that next weekend when he has obtained an extra day of leave to add to a weekend, he plans to train to Chennai, fly to Delhi, train to Aggra for the Taj Mahal, then return all the way back by train. That's youth for you I suppose!! 

 

We then tried to skype Pam so that her boys, Parti and Balaji- could talk to her, but we caught her just about to leave the house. She said 'it's snowing here'. My, that was difficult to get my head round!