Sometimes it is not a good idea to consult experts. When I was shopping for a new laptop (my old one was very slow and obsolete), I told everyone, including the vendor, that I needed a fast machine in order to save battery power. I told everyone I did not have electricity and all I wished to do with my laptop was to write letters, etc. They all suggested the present machine I have. It is very fast and very efficient - state of the art. But what they did not tell me is that it will use up a lot of energy! The vendor told me it would give me 3/4 hours of battery backup. But in reality, if I USE IT, then it only gives me about 1 hour max! The power meter tells me that there's 3 hours of battery left. And withing 30 minutes the same meter tells me I have only 10 minutes of battery power left!

Mitali teaching in class. Here she is in Class III. I can't remember what subject she was teaching when I took this photo.

Meanwhile, I have set up a solar-powered battery charging unit. Once charged, the big battery should help me charge my laptop. Unfortunately, the weather has been strange -- at times hot and humid with lots of cloud cover. At other times, it's cool with lots of cloud cover. It rains, but not as much as the gathering clouds would have you believe. And as we all know, no sun means no solar power worth talking about. Hence, my own laptop is out of power most of the time. Bhola takes it home and gets it charged every time he goes home -- which is not very often. He went home this afternoon because he has to go to the market to buy vegetables for the project. Hopefully, there's electricity in Devdand and my laptop will come back charged. Meanwhile, I am using the CMPC that the children use. It works fine. The only problem is that the keyboard is too small for my thick fingers.

It's raining as I type. We have been expecting it to rain since Thursday. But it hasn't. The clouds would gather and it would become hot and humid. But there'd be no rain. At times, we'd get a strong breeze that would bring in very cool air. And also chase away the clouds! Thank God it's raining now. Tonight's going to be nice and cool and I will probably sleep indoors.

Thursday was school as usual. Nothing unusual. Bhola went off to Chandana Haat (market) and did not show up till evening. The others were conspicuous by their absence practically all day except during lunch and dinner. Bhola was not there to goad them to work. Friday was a repeat of the previous day. Bhola had gone to Dumka to buy stuff for his own shop and a few things for the project too. He came back at nightfall.

Saturday night is weekly meeting night. But since Nilambar was going away for a few days and Khagen too had to go home over the weekend, I decided to hold the meeting on Friday night after dinner. During the meeting, besides reviewing all that happened during the week, I also informed everyone that I was seriously considering closing down the "ashram" part of the project. They could live in Burhikura or Roldih or even Devdand and commute to school every day. They would be free of the "ashram rules" and the "ruler" too. They could, if they chose, also augment their income by giving tuitions. Nilambar is in great demand as a tutor but is unable to give tuitions as along as he lives on the project. I told them that all they had to do was come and teach and go home. For work on the project I'd hire people from the village. Only Suman and I would stay on the project. They were, needless to say, shocked beyond words. What I said to them has shaken them out of their complacency.

This poor snake got killed because of it's size. It's a harmless non-poisonous "dhamna". Suman spotted it near the new well. Thought it was poisonous and informed the villagers who came and killed it. It's been around for a while. I've spotted it many times. It eats rats, frogs and lizards.

Nilambar has taken the news in his stride as I think he found living on the ashram rather restrictive. I don't think it matters to Khagen either way. Devdand is not too far. Bansi, I don't think, has taken the news well, even though he said it was a good idea. I think he's already practising staying away because the only times I've seen him since then is at school and during meal times. The rest of the time he confines himself in his room which he shares with Suman --who will continue to stay on the project. He has certainly earned that right. Bhola will come and go as usual and take care of "outside" work.

Bhola is happy because of late he was getting really sick and tired of getting people to do even the minimum amout of work needed to keep the project functioning. He had to be after Nilambar to write the village visit report every day. He had to be after them to prepare the list for shampoo distribution every Saturday morning. He had to shout at them to help out in the kitchen. He had to even remind them to open the school gate on time! He used to end up doing all this himself. He feels (and so do I) that it would be good for them to fend for themselves. It's really very easy to become complacent on the project -- there's always someone to remind you what needs to be done. Meals are served on time whether you help out in the kitchen or not. You don't even have to go shopping. Just 3 hours of teaching and you can relax all day if no one prods you.

I asked Suman if the new arrangement would be hard on him. He said that since he would have to cook for fewer people, it would, in fact, be easier for him. In any case, Suman has been doing all the work here. He wakes up at 4:30 am and is the last one to go to bed.

I know that some people may quit teaching. But I am prepared for that eventuality. I'll stagger the school hours and teach two classes at a time. I've done this before and it works. It's tiring, but do-able. Besides, there are a few graduates in Burhikura and Devdand who want to teach here. The only reason I did not take them on is because I was looking for people who would live on the project. I've had this stupid hope that some day one of the "ashram" residents would take over from me. Many such people have come and gone. This place was just a stepping stone for them. And honestly, among those present now, I don't see anyone willing or capable of taking over or running the project. There's a lack of sincerity of purpose. It is very obvious that this is just a "job" and a relatively comfortable and secure place to stay.

Mitali left yesterday (Saturday). I hope she will be able to come every month to teach. It was good to have her here. She taught as many classes as she could -- including the periods that should have been taught by other teachers. The children have been falling behind on their English and Maths. I'm sure her intensive teaching has helped.

It's very peaceful on the project at the moment. It has stopped raining. It's cool. Everyone is away except Bansi, Suman and me. Suman is pottering around and preparing dinner. He also just gave me tea. No sign of Bansi. I suppose he's in his room as usual.

If this is how things are going to be when everyone's gone, I'm looking forward to it!

At exactly 3:00 pm storm clouds gathered over Roldih and extended upto the horizon to the North. A strong wind blew the low lying clouds swiftly southwards and for a while it seemed that it may not rain after all. But who's complaining. We've had enough rain to last us for a week at least.

The temperature dropped from 30C to about 25C within as many minutes and then it started to pour. Rain lashed the trees, the tin roofs of the project and for a while it seemed that it may be a hurricane. Fortunately, it did not last long. It rained hard for about 30 minutes and then the sun came out again. Good. But the temperature has remained at a comfortable cool 25C.

It rained this morning too just as the children were coming to school. As a result we had to hold assembly indoors. Then it was school as usual. It had stopped raining while we were saying the prayers.

It's been a quiet day otherwise. Nothing much happened. The project team has been pottering around. Bansi and Khagen did shovel some earth against well's boundary rim. Bhola is not here today. He went home last night because his father would be away in Barhait, a town in the next district. That's ok. I do want him to spend time at home too. He has a young daughter and a wife too. It's not nice for him to be spending all his time on the project. Besides, if his father isn't around he needs to look after the shop.

Khagen and Nilambar are just back from village visit. They went to Jitender Tudu's house today. His father had gone somewhere so they met his mother who told them that Jitender does not study at all and runs away whenever he is asked to study. Hmmmmm...

Today in computer class, I showed the children a pen drive and explained that it could contain a lot of information. I also plugged it in and make them listen to popular Hindi songs! This they loved! I've promised to let them listen to a song every day after class. I hope they like the songs that are in my collection. Bhola says my selection of songs would put people to sleep! I didn't find the kids falling asleep! On the contrary, I think they liked the songs I played for them -- Kajrare Kajrare... Hum Tum...

The storm is over. It stopped raining and blowing at about 9:00 am. The sun came out around noon. And even though there were distant clouds, it did not rain again. Just as well. I think we've had enough rain to last us a while -- all of Sunday night, all of Monday and all of Monday night. This morning too it was blowing so hard and raining so hard that the children could not make it to school. Only Kartik and Babuni showed up. Naturally, we had to declare it a holiday.

Even though the weather was stormy and at time we got very severe gusts of wind, there was no damage to life and property. The tin roof of my room rattled so hard that at times I thought it might be blown away. Fortunately, there was no damage to the project nor did I hear of any damage in the villages around. But Mitali was quite anxious about her family in Kolkata. Fortunately, they were all safe though the cyclone did create havoc in that city. More than 500 trees were uprooted, 7 people died and of course many shacks and roadside shops were demolished. The damage to places near the sea suffered a lot more it seems over 24000 people have been rendered homeless. We were quite apprehensive when we heard that the cyclone (named Aila) was moving towards Jharkhand. But fortunately, the cyclone lost its force the further inland it moved.

Once the rain stopped, Bhola and Nilambar toured the project to see if there were any damages. All the rooms were fine. Only my room leaks! We have lost all our mangoes. Fortunately, not the trees. Bhola and Nilambar trimmed a few of the trees growing on the hill -- fewer leaves and less chances of them toppling over. I wonder if the Banyan Tree will topple over in a storm? Yesterday a few of them got uprooted in Kolkata. I used to think they were too big to uproot. But now I am wondering if it's that sensible to be living under one!

Since the rain has made the soil soft, Bansi and Khagen did some earth work around the well. All the earth that came out when the when was being dug has to be removed. We'll put it on the path between the trees. Some of it will of course be spread around the well itself.

I'm glad the sun is up. At least the solar panel will now charge the battery. And I'm also glad it will remain somewhat cool for the next few days. It was quite cold this morning. But it's been pleasant all day despite the sun. If only it would rain more regularly and in moderation!

Mitali arrived yesterday morning and she brought the rains with her. Within hours of her arrival we had the first shower. Then another in the afternoon. And since last night it hasn't stopped raining! The temperature has plunged to 24 degrees with a wind chill factor of perhaps 20 degrees. It's cold! When she arrived she couldn't have believed that it would get cold. Cold? It could be cooler, but cold? I don't believe it, she said. But now she does.

Despite the overnight rain, we had school today. There were some absentees, but not many. And having Mitali helped. She taught English, Science and Maths in class 3 and Maths in class 4. I got an extra period in Class 4. After school we had computer classes. The children are really fast learners. Mitali was amazed at their confidence and ability to open documents, type and save their work.

No one else, alas, showed any interest. Bhola did. He came and observed what the children were doing and then asked if I could teach him too. Gladly! But then Bhola is Bhola. He's enthusiastic and curious about everything.

Someone suggested I provide incentives to the others to learn. I disagree. The opportunity we are providing is incentive enough. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink! Young students in Godda are willing to pay good money to learn how to use a computer. In fact, recently many "computer schools" have mushroomed in a lot of small towns like Godda. These centres are minting money by teaching people the bssics. And here we are providing people with an opportunity to learn for free! If they don't wish to avial of this opportunity, it's their loss. I'm also willing to offer free internet access because I pay a flat fee for unlimited usage. In fact, once the children and others know how to use the computer, I do intend to hook them to the net. But one step at a time.

Because of the rain, nothing much happened on the project besides school. I've been spending my time chatting in Mitali about the project, Bengali music and also a bit of gossip! It's nice to have someone to talk to. We haven't had a fight as yet, but I'm sure that's not far away either!

Clouds had been gathering all afternoon and we were convinced it would rain. But it didn't. The stillness and humidity was replaced by cool gusts of wind and the weather now is quite pleasant. It must have rained nearby. That's it. It's raining all around us but now on us!

It's been a busy day. School. Computer classes and then visitors. Rajinder, who used to work with me in Cheo (for a year or so) dropped in to say hello and we chatted about old times. He's a successful "doctor" in his village Lathibari. I had sent him to Hiranpur to study to become a lab technician and para medic. He came back and worked for a few months in Cheo. But then decided to go back to his village and start his own practise. I'm glad he is successful. I'm sad he did not stay on the project and do the same work for the people here. He's one of the few of "my people" who came learnt and left. But it's good he is serving some community somewhere.

It's also been a busy day for the team. Bhola had set them a deadline to finish painting the window grills in the volunteer room. Then they had to clean out the rooms and also the western toilet because Mitali arrives tomorrow and she will be using it. In between they also had to assist the handpump mechanic to repair the pump near the toilets that had stopped working a few months ago. It's working ok and we now can get water for the toilet and wash.

I'm happy as we now have three water sources -- the main handpump, the one near my room and the one at the well. So even if one stops working, we won't have a water crisis on hand. What's great is that the well hasn't dried up. In fact, quite a few wells in the area have dried up because of lack of rain. But our well has more than enough water for our needs and also for watering the plants. The good news is that the handpump mechanic has a relative who is also a well-digger. Since our original well-digger is not coming, we may get this new guy to complete the job on the second well. Let's see when he shows up!

Khagen is playing with the kids. Bansi is probably resting. Bhola and Nilambar have gone to visit a village. That programme is doing fine. The team has already visited the homes of all the children who come to school more than once. In the next phase, they will be visiting the homes of all the kids who have dropped out from our school to find out why and what they are doing these days. If the dropouts are going to school elsewhere, it's fine. If not, then the team will try to convince the parents to ensure that the child gets some education somewhere. They don't necessarily have to come to Baba Gyan Mandir.

The computer classes are going well. The kids are growing more and more confident every day. Unfortunately, the teachers don't seem to be interested at all! They are probably afraid that it's additional work for them. They may be worried that I may teach them and ask them to teach yet another subject? I really don't know. I am going to have a meeting this evening and hopefully I'll find out why. It was Bansi's turn to learn today. He didn't show up. In fact, he was sitting in his room reading the papers. Well, it's his loss. Not mine. Classes are held under the tree and I had hoped that Nilambar and Khagen would come and at least watch what the kids were up to. But they too decided to retire to their rooms once classes were over at 9:30. To their credit, however, they all started painting the grills at 11:00 when Bhola showed up and yelled at them!

I'm really getting very, very tired of this scenario. In fact, I'm now toying with the idea of closing down the "ashram" part of the project. I don't see why the "teachers" should stay on the project if all they are interested in is teaching. They can rent rooms in the village, come and teach and then get lost. They can take care of themselves. I don't care what arrangements they will make for food etc. This will save the project a lot of money and me, a lot of headache. I'll retain Suman to look after the project and hire labour if work has to be done. I've already discussed this with Bhola and he feels it's a good idea. Hmmmmm.... I'm still thinking......

It's unbearably hot and humid at the moment. And there's no respite in sight. There are a few clouds floating by. A few look promisingly laden with rain but they don't offload here. Just as well, because I'm sure it will only increase the humidity and the discomfort that goes with it. There's no breeze. So I'm waiting for sunset. It may get cooler then.

It's been a routine day. The heat has made me irritable and the children and the teachers have been at the receiving end. Nothing unusual happened. Bhola has gone to Godda. Hopefully he will get my bike repaired. The one he crashed a couple of weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Khagen, Bansi and Nilambar have been doing some painting work. I notice it has taken three of them almost a whole week to paint 6 windows. I guess it's the perfect excuse to show that they are busy doing something. Anyway, the window grills are getting painted and they are not just lying around in their rooms.

The new well is in action. The kids used it to take water to the toilet and also water the plants. God alone knows when the well-diggers are going to come back and finish the next well. In any case, there's no money in the bank to pay them. So perhaps everything works out for the best.

I'm keeping this entry short. It's just too hot to sit and type. Pray for some rain for us, please.

It rained a little bit a while ago. Had we been able to collect all the raindrops, we might have been able to fill up 10 buckets of water. And now I'm wishing it hadn't rained at all! The humidity is unbearable. It's like standing next to a furnace with someone sprinkling water into it! And to make matters worse, it is still. No breeze at all.



It's been a routine day. School early in the morning and then computer classes for the kids. Bhola and Bansi were supposed to have their class today, but neither of them showed up on time so I decided not to teach them! Bhola was at home and got caught up in something just as he was starting to come here. Bansi was in his room and did not show his face till Bhola arrived. So now I guess they will have to wait till day after to get a shot at the laptops.



Khagen and Duggan weaving the string cots.



Bhola has gone to Chandna. It's market day. The others are painting and pottering around the project. The kids didn't come to play this afternoon. I wonder why. Probably because of the rain. Like me they too probably thought it was going to pour.



No village visit today. I wonder if they will finish painting the window grills of the volunteer's rooms. They've been at it for the past four days. We've decided to replace the iron windows with wooden ones once we have some money. The iron windows are falling off and we can't repair them. We'll keep the grills and remove the "panes" and replace them with wooden ones.



That's all the news I have for today. And this humidity isn't making me feel very communicative either. I wish it had rained some more.

I was convinced it would rain today. It has been unbearably hot and humid, one indication that it might rain. Also the ants were moving their eggs. That's another indication of rain. The third thing that happened today was that we were making the platform for the first well. And every time we start construction activity, it rains. And sure enough, towards evening when the concrete was being poured for the lid of the well, the sky grew dark and ominous. Unfortunately, it did not rain. All we get was a dust storm. It did cool things down. But no rain.

Anyway, the first well is now complete. I'm not happy with it because the platform is crooked and the handpump is also not in alignment with the platform! It's immensely functional, but aesthetically not quite ok. I know it will rankle in my mind for the rest of my days. Unfortunately, I haven't been well enough to stand in the sun and supervise the work personally. Now I guess I will have to learn to live with this flaw.

It's been a busy day. Bhola was busy with the well construction work. Nilambar and Khagen were busy with painting work and Bansi was busy helping the string-cot weaver. We now have four string cots made of bamboo frames which can be used for lying under the tree during the day and for sleeping under the stars at night. I sleep outdoors most nights. But tonight I think it will be too cold. But I'm still wondering why it isn't raining here. It is raining in Dumka, Godda, Jasidih. In fact, everywhere except here! But I can't really complain. It's really cool outside.

Bhola and Nilambar have gone on village visit. Bansi is pottering around. Khagen is playing with the kids. Suman is busy in the kitchen. And I'm writing the blog.

It's been a humid day. Mostly sunny but patches of cloudy periods. No rain as yet. I can deal with the heat. But not this humidity. However, for once I am not complaining because the sunny moments helped me to recharge the batteries.

In the afternoon, everyone went out to the well to test the new hand pump. It works. In fact they used it to draw water from the well to water the plants. They also used a bucket to draw out water. The idea was to empty the well and clean it out. But there's too much water and even after trying to draw out water all afternoon, there was about 2 feet of water left. So they gave up. Meanwhile, the trees got watered. We'll probably need a pump to empty out the well to clean it. I'm sure Bhola will organize this soon.

We still haven't found a mason. Their tomorrow does not arrive! Anyway, someone's promised to be here tomorrow and hopefully work will start. This is the most frustrating part. Not finding skilled and non-skilled people when you need them. It's so difficult to plan ahead. I think it was a big mistake leaving the project when I did. I should have stayed and got the jobs completed before going to Bangalore.

But then, had I not gone to Bangalore, the computer classes wouldn't have started! Today the kids learned how to type. I started them off on asdf ;lkj. It was Prahlad and Anjana's turn today. Tomorrow Radha and Kartik are going to do this exercise and the day after it will be Raiman and Lalita. The kids now start the computer confidently, open a document on their own. Type, highlight words and save their work without any supervision. They know how to shut down too. It's amazing how quickly they learn.

Today the staff: Bhola, Bansi, Khagen and Nilambar learnt how to start and shut down the computer. From tomorrow they will have classes on alternate days. One day it will be Bhola and Bansi and the next day it will be Nilambar and Khagen.

Well, that's the only bit of exciting news today. Otherwise the day has been routine. Oh yes! Someone stole a few of our ripe mangoes! We suspect someone -- and ex-student. But since we can't prove it, we just let it pass. It's bound to happen. I used to steal mangoes when I was a kid!

I'm using the chilren's Classmate PC to write this blog. My laptop is in Devdand at Bhola's place getting charged. All the batteries on the project have run down except the one in the kitchen. But that's used exclusively to light the bulb there and so it's used sparingly.

The other batteries are depleted because they aren't getting charged properly. Ever since I set up the solar system the sky has been overcast. It makes the weather quite pleasant, but it is certainly putting a spanner in the works as far as battery charging is concerned.

What's wierd is that ever since we changed the routine and started school earlier because of the heat, it hasn't been hot at all! No sun, hence no heat. As I mentioned earlier, the weather is quite nice. It's quite cool. But at times humid, though not uncomfortable. But there's been no rain at all! That's amazing too. It has rained all around this place but somehow rain seems to avoid us!

I have some issues with this Classmate PC (cmpc). The keyboard is small and the screen too. While it is extremely portable and sturdy, it makes typing very difficult.

Sunday was not a relaxed day for anyone. Bansi and Nilambar were busy with painting work. Bhola was running around trying to find a mason and well-diggers. Khagen had gone home. Suman was busy in the kitchen. I spent most of my time setting up a new blog for the Intel Learn Programme. Check it out at www.intelroldih.blogspot.com.

I also moved the Volunteer's Dakshinayan blog to www.roldih.blogspot.com. It is now part of the Dakshinayan blog. I any of you can't access it or need permission to upload stuff, please contact me. I am hoping some more of you will write something there.

I woke up with a fever this morning. Nothing serious, but I do lack energy. I tried to rest but too much was going on. Bhola finally got someone to set up the handpump at the new well. I didn't have the energy to go there and get a picture. I'll do that tomorrow. More painting work was done and I was trying to work on somethings.

Anyway, that's all from me for now. I don't have the energy to write more. More when I get my own laptop back.

Connectivity has been restored! Hurray! So now I can type online without having to worry about how long and how much. It's an unlimited package and today I've made full use of it. I've been glued to the news channels watching the results of the recently held elections. The government that's going to be formed a the centre isn't to my liking. But I'm glad that they have the numbers to provide a stable government for the next five years. And I am hoping they will have the vision to bring about some long term changes and not resort to populist measures that harm the country and its citizens in the long run. Anyway, so much for politics. I'm glad it is all over and now hopefully those elected will get down to the business of governance.

It's been a routine school day. It has also been an overcast day like the ones before. But no rain! What's happening? It's raining all around us and not a drop here. Wonder why? Anyway, it is nice and cool and fortunately there's some sunshine too so the battery is getting charged somewhat. We need that to charge the laptops which I am using to teach in class.

The class 4 kids are getting the hang of the computer and are getting used to a mouse. Bhola brought one from Godda. I already had one. It was interesting to note that they couldn't get the hang of it for a while. But they'll get used to it. It's also interesting to note that the girls seem to be learning a lot faster than the boys! I thought Kartik would take to it like a fish to water. But he seems to be struggling the most. Today Prahlad was intructing him!

Attendance has not picked up as yet. I am hoping it will all change on Monday when those who have taken leave to attend various weddings are going to come back to school. The teachers woke up late -- just 15 minutes before the gates were opened and so they forgot to distribute shampoo! I forgot about them too as I was mulling over what to tell them about gambling. Apparently Babuni, the brightest kid in school, has been seen gambling quite openly.

At Assembly I asked them if it would be ok for me to get drunk during market days. They all said NO. I asked if it would be ok for me to gamble on the road. Once again they said NO. So I told them that apparently some kids have been doing such things and they were underage, so why are they saying no to me? They were quiet. Then I went on to explain to them that one comes to school not only to study but also learn good things. Their school has a good reputation and when any one of them misbehaves or does something "bad", it reflects on the school and indirectly on all of them. Think about this, I said. I am sure they will.

Today Bansi make "khichri". It was delicious. So good that I and everyone else took more than one helping of it. Suman was there looking quite unhappy and worried that Bansi might take away his job! Anyway, I do hope he learnt how to make "khichri" from Bansi, who does cook well when the mood takes him.

Today I sent Suman home to spend time with his wife and also get a haircut. I told him to cut his hair really short. He said that since he wears a cap most of the time, he would like to shave his head. I said go ahead. Let's see if he really does that. We'll know in the morning tomorrow.

The masons and well-diggers did not show up today either. I guess we can expect them on Monday. Meanwhile, Bhola brought the pipes and other things needed to fix a handpump to the completed well. Hopefully by the end of next week, if all goes well, the first well will be complete and work on the second one will have started.

Well, that's all for today. I'm going to watch election news now.

It’s been a relatively cool day. Overcast but no rain. That’s bad. We could do with some rain so that the trees don’t need any watering. And if we have a cloud cover, I’d rather it rains because an unproductive cloud cover is just that – unproductive. My solar panels don’t produce enough electricity to charge the batteries. I’ve suddenly become a sun worshipper!

There’s been some improvement in attendance. I have a feeling that from Monday it will get back to normal. I’m glad attendance in class 4 was was good. Five out of Six came to school. Raiman was missing. So he missed out on the first computer class.

Today I taught them how to start up the computer. Open a word document and type. They also learned to save their work. In English class they had been asked to write 7 sentences each. So that is basically what they wrote down in the word document. Today it was Anjana and Prahlad’s turn at the computer. Tomorrow it will be Lalita and Kartik. The boys have one classmake laptop. The girls have one. I do wish, however, that we had more laptops to go around. Then I could teach more kids at the same time. I’ve decided to start with class 4 and then once they are savvy, I’ll get them to teach class 3! By that time I hope to get a few more laptops. Know anyone giving away any? These classmate laptops cost roughly 15000 rupees.

Nilambar, Bansi and Khagen have been busy with painting work. They are painting the main gate and the iron doors of the volunteers’ room. They also did a bit of cleaning up work. I’m glad they are doing something and not just lolling around in their rooms. Bhola has gone to Godda to see if he could get me an attachment for my computer so that I could charge it directly from the battery. Right now I charge it through an inverter which sucks up a lot of power for itself and delivers only a fraction of it to the laptop. No wonder my battery gets depleted so soon after recharging. Setting up the solar system has been such a learning experience for me!

While in Godda, Bhola also tried to contact the Airtel people to see if he could get my connectivity problem fixed. The manager concerned was not available. But there’s some hope that the service will be restored by this evening or tomorrow. Failing which, I guess I will have to spend money all over again to get a new connection. I’m still getting online via my mobile, which, as you all know because I’ve cribbed about it so often, is very expensive. To conserve money, I type the blog offline and cut and paste it at the blog site. So if anyone’s wondering why they don’t get any email from me and yet find the blog post every day, it’s because I’m trying to save money. I’ll go back to writing mails once I have unlimited connectivity.

The kids have come to play football. I wonder what the girls play? I don’t hear them at all! The boys are, as usual, noisy. I wonder if football and swearwords go together? Today Khagen is not here to play with them. He’s gone on a village visit with Nilambar. Maybe he’ll come back in time. Or maybe today they won’t have to do any marching and PT. The girls seem to enjoy PT more than the boys. I wonder why.

Ramnath from Cheo came down for a visit (and also pick up his honorarium and some money). He brought news that has disturbed me a lot. It seems four out of the five “Ashram Boys” have passed their Board Exams in the first division. One of them failed. What’s upsetting me is that Sunil, who was the brightest of the lot and who used to, in fact, coach the others, has failed. Whereas the other four got first divisions! How is that possible? A little bit of prodding and Ramnath revealed that the four boys who have passed had to pay a bribe of Rs 3000 each to a private tutor to “fix” things. Sunil refused to pay. He knew his subjects. Studies hard. And hence refused to pay a “bribe”. He was confident that he would pass. But the system here is so damn corrupt!

Ramnath and the villagers are trying to give him hope and courage. I’ve also sent word to him that I am very proud that he stood against the system. I hope he will not lose his ideals and his faith in himself. I have also sent word to the others that I derive no pleasure or pride from the fact that they have passed. I know they bribed their way into a first division. I would have preferred that they had failed, like Sunil. I now feel Sunil is definitely head and shoulders above a lot of people in Jharkhand. He did the right thing. Ramnath feels he’s probably another Gandhi in the making! I feel he’s probably going to be yet another rebel.

Tomorrow the General Election results will be declared. Like everyone else I am anxious to see what happens. Which party will form a new government. Every time one feels a surge of hope and in a few months it’s replaced by apathy. It’s the same people who will be placed at the helm no matter what their party affiliations are. Will they make a difference this time? Or will they spend all their time feathering their own nests and vying for power? What difference does it make to a little village in backward Jharkhand anyway. Everything here is “Ram Bharose” – dependent on God (Ram) – the rains, the roads and even the net!

My internet connection is still not working. I’ve been busy calling up various Airtel officials to find out what the problem is. And finally yesterday I managed to make contact with a local manager to has promised me that the problem would be fixed within 24 hours. I don’t know if I can rely on his promise. But the fact that he called me up to say this gives me some hope. If at all the system gets fixed tomorrow, then I will have been cheated out of 15 days or 50% of usage time.

I couldn’t make a blog entry yesterday because my laptop was not charged. I realized that it draws a lot of power and so don’t want to use the Intel battery to charge it. It’s a smaller battery than the one I use and so it wouldn’t last even a day! And since we have been having cloudy weather, keeping the battery charged is becoming a bit of a problem. I wonder what is better – cool weather or lack of power? Given the heat spell we have been experiencing, I’d opt for cool weather any day!

It’s been relatively cool today. The sky has been mostly overcast. But there’s been no rain. The humidity level is pretty high. But there’s a nice breeze and so it’s not very uncomfortable. It was quite pleasant during Assembly today. We distributed the empty cement and limestone bags to the kids so that they could keep their school books in them neatly on their desks. They normally wrap them up in newspaper.

There have been a lot of absentees today. There are quite a few weddings and many of the kids have gone to attend marriage parties being held near and far. Instead of the usual 86/87, we only had 67 today. There were only 3 students in class 4 because Raiman has taken leave and Anjana and Lalita are ill. Yesterday, I was told that Radha is ill. But when I asked her why she hadn’t come to school, she told me that she had gone to attend a friend’s wedding. So the others were obviously lying! Anyway, attendance is poor these days. If it gets out of hand I’ll have to do something about it.

Bhola went home yesterday. He’s been spending ALL his time on the project since I left for Bangalore last month. He has a home and family and also a business to run, so I agreed that he should now operate from home. He can come here every day if he can. But honestly, he’s of more use to us if he is based in Devdand because then he can “get things done”.

Yesterday was routine as usual. But I had to say a few harsh things to one of the team members because he has been retiring to his room after school and emerging from it only to have his meals! In fact, I suggested to him that he could go home and stay there and that if he is very desperate for money, I could send him his honorarium. He didn’t even have to come to teach. That did the trick because I see him working now. I’m disgusted that one has to once in a while verbally “flog” people to get them to work.

Yesterday Bhola and Nilambar went to Gaddaparom for their village visit and they met up with Suresh’s father and discovered that Suresh would be going away to attend a wedding. He had applied for 3 day’s leave when actually he needed only one day off! Have the kids stopped liking school all of a sudden? Why does attendance drop whenever I go away for a few days? Attendance in Paharpur used to drop because the teachers would goof off while I was gone. Is the same thing happening here too? I don’t think so because I saw that Bhola is very keen to teach. In fact, I had to convince him that he is more useful to me as a non-teacher. “Teachers” here feel that it is their only work at the project!

As I write this blog, there are a few kids out in the field playing football. Bansi and Nilambar are rubbing down the iron doors of the volunteers’ rooms with sand paper in preparation of them being painted. Khagen is painting the gate and Suman is getting dinner ready. In about 15 minutes Khagen will go and teach the kids some exercises. Good. Some kids obviously love it here and would prefer to stay here all the time!

I’m waiting for Bhola to come back from Chandna market. I wonder if he has been able to find a mason who will complete the platform for the first well. The guys who were digging the well are both ill. They were due to come today. But are still too weak to cycle all the way to the project. I wonder when they’ll show up eventually. The rains will be upon us soon and I am anxious to get the work finished before then.

I’m sitting indoors to write this because it’s just too cold outside. I know you don’t believe this after I’ve been moaning about the heat in my last blog. Even I wouldn’t have believed that it could get this cold. In fact, yesterday at this time I had sweat pouring down my back. But it all changed overnight.

It rained this morning just as we finished assembly at 6:30 and got into class. It poured non-stop for till 8:00 am. The rain pounding on the tin roof was deafening and so we couldn’t not have classes. Hence we decided to declare a holiday. The kids were thrilled because it’s the first rain after weeks of hot sun and they were simply dying to get out and get wet.

But what’s amazing how quickly the temperature dropped from 38 degrees to 22! It became chilly and the wind that’s blowing is quite chilly. Suman quickly put on a pullover. I felt quite uncomfortable in my dhoti and kurta. That’s what I wear to stay cool. But this was cold!
Since school got over earlier than usual, Bhola decided to get the volunteers’ rooms cleaned up. It took them an hour or more to clean up the rooms and verandah. I don’t think it had been swept since Sharad was there last. That would make it almost a month! After this Khagen and Bansi put earth on the wet patches on the path in front of the classrooms. That took care of the morning.

There’s no need to water the plants today. In fact, we may not need to water the trees for a couple of days. There’s been adequate rain and from the looks of it, we could expect more rain tonight or even in a couple of hours. The sky is overcast and there’s an ominous cloud bank in the east. For once, I’m not complaining about the rain though I’m a bit upset that I can’t use the solar panels to charge the battery!

Nilambar is not back on the project as yet. He may come this evening. Bhola has been filling in for him and so honestly we didn’t miss him. By the way, Bhola had an accident yesterday. He had gone to Godda to attend a wedding on Sunday night and while he was coming to the project on Monday morning, he crashed into another motorbike. No one was hurt, but I believe the project’s bike (my bike actually) is badly damaged. Well, I’m glad that Bhola suffered no injury. But I am a bit upset about the bike. He should have taken his own bike (he has one) since it was a personal trip and had nothing to do with the project.

Today I got news from Sharad that he has received the contributions sent by Renee and Karoline and he is arranging to have the money sent across to us. This is great news indeed. The weather has improved and hopefully with the money in had we will be able to resume working on the wells. The men who were working on the well are supposed to come tomorrow. It will then be decided when they’ll start working and how much it will cost us to cut through the layer of rock.

Did I tell you that the kids are now wearing the “Baba Gyan Mandir” caps as part of their uniform? I brought the caps with me when I came from Kolkata this time. They are very proud of them and wear them all the time! The yellow caps are going to turn black soon.
Right now there are a few kids on the project. They’ve come to play football. The weather is great for the game. And of course, they are also wearing their caps!

It’s been a week since I got back to Roldih. I arrived back last Monday. The journey was pleasant because it had rained in Kolkata a few hours before I left. In fact, it was quite cold in the bus. But that was it! Ever since I’ve come back it’s been hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!!!! The mercury touches 44 degrees during the day. But thankfully, the nights are pleasant, if not cool. So one is able to get a good night’s rest. But the days are torturous. Having frequent baths provide no respite. The shade of the banyan tree does not provide much succour as the hot winds that blow throughout the day suck away any moisture in the body. It really is horrible here. And I’m glad we don’t have volunteers. I doubt if they would have survived this heat. I am barely managing to hold on to life!
The unrelenting heat is frustrating. And everything else these days. Work on the well has come to a stand-still. Even the first well is incomplete for reasons best known to people who were here. The second well is incomplete because the labourers hit a rock bed and nothing has been done to break up the rocks. It’s true that we don’t have the funds at the moment. But work could have continued. I guess it stopped because people stopped taking any initiative because I was not here.
The project’s routine has gone for a toss. Food is served sometimes half an hour early. Sometimes an hour late. The trees did not receive much water while I was away. And the village visit programme to has stopped! Why? Because the team has apparently visited every student’s home once. Hey! How about another visit? It’s been a month since the last visit. It’s too hot, comes the reply. I agree. But it’s quite pleasant after 6 p.m. So why not go then? In fact, they are more likely to meet the home owners when they go at that time.
This is precisely why I was reluctant to leave. Every time I go away I have to come back and set things right. What will happen to the project when I die? Nilambar has gone to get married and has not come back as yet. Khagen has been going off to attend various weddings. Bhola and Bansi too. The only constant on the project is Suman. What would I do without him? Even now, he seems to be the only one doing any work. The others – Khagen and Bansi – are finished for the day! They are in their rooms relaxing now that classes are over. School from today starts at 6:30 and ends at 9:30 because of the impossible heat wave conditions.
My trip to Bangalore was enjoyable and successful. I was able to bring back the necessary equipment to set up computer classes. Also, I was able to learn how to go about. All thanks to the wonderful people at Intel. I’ve already set up the solar charging unit we start computer classes from tomorrow. The kids are excited. So am I. We will start with class 4 and see how things go.
One positive development that has taken place while I was away is that the kids have started coming to school in the evenings to play. That’s nice. Khagen plays with them and (now that I’m back) waters the trees with their help. He’s also teaching them some free-hand exercises.
The most frustrating part was not being to get online. Till yesterday there was no net connectivity. Apparently the rains that made my journey to the project comfortable also knocked down a few telephone towers. Basic telephony has been restored and I am now able to connect to the net via my Bluetooth mobile phone. It’s very, very expensive. So I am keeping my online forays very brief. The usb modem is still not working.
I’ll try and keep you posted of daily happenings as and when I can. I may not be very regular. But you’ll keep getting news as long as my mobile works.