Sunset Safari?

Bolpur's Latitude is roughly 23N whereas Delhi is approximately 28. Delhi's Longitude is 77E and Bolpur's 87. Perhaps this explains why whenever I check the temperatures of these two cities, they seem to be the same. Both these cities are 31 degrees Celsius whereas Kolkata seems to be cooler at 30 degrees. How accurate are these temperatures on iGoogle, I wonder. It's certainly cooler now at 6:00 pm than it was at noon, when it was showing 27 degrees for both cities!

It's been raining off and on. Short bursts that wet the clothes hanging on the clothesline. The sky is overcast for longer periods now. But it's still hot and humid. Very uncomfortable. But what worries me more is the fact that we are going to have a drought in many parts of this region this year. Some districts in West Bengal have been declared drought hit. In neighbouring Jharkhand too, the situation is grim.

Prices of food items have gone up substantially and many items are now out of the reach of common people. Even the upper middle class is feeling the pinch. And a drought is not going to improve matters. What will happen to the poor people? Those who don't have money to buy grains at exhorbitant prices? And then we have strikes that deprive the daily wage earner even the means of earning his daily bread. What's happening to this country? The picture is so depressing. Politicans are giving themselves bigger salaries and perks and precious little is being done for the poor people in the slums, on the streets and in the villages. Food rots in warehouses or out in the open while children cry themselves to sleep while we get ready to host the CWG and show the world how much we have progressed.

But this is not the forum for my personal frustration. So let me not digress. I meant to write about the project. Not that there's much to say. All goes well. Bhola was, however, supposed to be in Bolpur today. He was supposed to be here yesterday, in fact. He was bringing his wife to Siuri for a check up at the hospital and so I asked him to drive the extra few kilometres to come and see me. Since his in-laws were coming, he would be free and was probably grateful for the excuse to get away while all the tests, etc. were being conducted.

But yesterday was the strike against rising prices. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the strike caused a lot of hardship to the common man. Besides, once again depriving the poor a chance to earn their daily wage. But how can you convince these pro-poor politicians that they've got it all wrong? Most of them have grown old advocating strikes at the drop of a hat. The most disruptive tool they had. So how can one expect them to change. But even more sickening is to have to watch yesterday's rable rouser, who called block roads and called strikes at the drop of a hat, now saying strikes are bad!

So Bhola did not come yesterday. And he did not come today because the doctor said he will not be able to see his wife till Saturday. Well, meanwhile, I have ample time to think of all the things that he should bring for me from the project -- a few books, some clothes, etc.

But when I spoke to Bhola this evening I forgot to share the sad news that Eri is not coming in the beginning of October as she can't get a visa because she's applying from the UK. Apparently she needs to have at least six months stay left on her UK visa before the Indian High Commission will grant her a visa. What's the logic? God alone knows perhaps. I'm sure those high paid bureaucrats in the foreign office don't have a clue. Their motto: "Ours is not to question why... Ours is but to do or... " Die, they won't. Eri though she'd visit India on her way back to Japan. Makes logical sense. But bureaucracy and logic don't go hand in hand. So, no volunteer to teach English in the first half of October.

I am feeling guilty about not going to Roldih and doing a bit of teaching. But I really don't wish to go and suffer in the heat. I think I've done enough and I feel that staying well at my age should probably be my top priority. Also, I do need to stay put in Bolpur. I moved here in July and was in and out the whole month. It's only in August, when I stayed static, that I managed to get to know a bit about this city and meet some of the people. I know it sounds like an excuse, even to me. But honestly, I just don't feel like going to the project at the moment. What I really want to do is get on my mobike and head into the sunset with my camera clicking away. I wish I had the courage!