A rainy day

 8th January 2024, when English rain falls in KVKuppam. 

We woke this Monday morning to the sound of heavy rain outside the window. In all the many January visits we have made here, this rain is a first. It’s another sign of climate change as it’s affecting the area. During our last visit 5 years ago we realised that farmers were again cultivating paddy fields, as they commonly did in the 1990s. During the first years of the century there had been drought, so insufficient rain to support rice cultivation. Now the very bright lime green is everywhere in water-filled fields. 

Today’s lunch date was at the home of Vimula, the other SHG cook who works the second half of the month when Indra works the first two weeks. On the way we called in at Pachaikili to get guidance about where exactly Vimula lives. Here we discovered that school was closed, it was an official ‘rain day’. All schools were closed by government order- as communicated via television. I explained to them that we might close schools in UK for snow, but that if we closed for rain we would rarely be in school! 

Vimula served us, of course, a lovely meal. Our first puris of the trip- very nice circular wheat flour cakes which puff up when dropped in hot fat. As always we sat at the table, just the two of us with banana leaf plates, and the women served us. It suddenly occurred to me that we are a kind of spectator sport.

All Vimula’s family were there, her daughter, son in law and two grandchildren. I remembered that five years ago her daughter was staying with her because she had just had her baby boy. It is customary for a mother with her new baby to go home to her mother for a short stay, while she settles into life as the mother of a newborn. I wondered why the whole family was living with Vimula. They explained that the family moved in when Vimula’s husband died a few years back. The home was too big for a widow on her own, and the young family needed the space. It does seem to have worked out for them all.  

Rani fixing my flowers; Vimula’s daughter who is deaf. 

Vimula with her two grandchildren 

Rani dishing up for us. Note the puris! 

We have visited Vimula’s home many times but I have not, I think, ever met her son in law. I certainly had never realised that he is deaf, as is her daughter. Son in law communicated with visual signs, but not in a proper sign language. I think both daughter and her husband have some spoken language. It is very unlikely that either will have had any special help with their education. They showed me an official book they have which I think must entitle them to a certain allowance/ pension. I was intrigued to see the term ‘ differently able’ on the book. So often in the past we have been shocked at the attitudes to disability here, eg lack of provision of any kind. Perhaps things are changing a little at last. 

Lunch over, we went back to Pachaikili to await the arrival of Allan, Ruhsa administrator, in a vehicle, as we were bidden to the central Vellore district police station. Here we were to arrange ( well, Allan was arranging it) a C form which was necessary and has been mandatory for years now, which is permission for the visit of aliens. Somehow at Ruhsa previous admin people have failed to get this form filled in. Very Indian. Also quite like French bureaucracy too I thought!