Regularly Irregular

I don't know what I was expecting when I moved to Bolpur, but I certainly did not expect to feel lonely! It would be nice to have a friend that I could walk across and talk to in the evening or call over for dinner and drinks. But I have no such friend here. Sunil, God bless him, does drop in every now and then and if ever so helpful with directions and is genuinely full of concern. But he's a busy man and I don't like to keep him busy chatting with me because I know he gets to spend very little time with his family.

Archie, who was so helpful when I came to Bolpur the first time, has now become too busy to even answer my phone calls! I know he divides his time between Kolkata and Shantiniketan, but of late he's simply disappeared. I had hoped to spend time with him. Ah well... 

Shinja, Sunil's daughter, drops in once in a while and so does Aditi, her cousin. But these two little girls come at the oddest of times! When I am cooking lunch or busy working. And invariably they wish to play with MY computer. No other computer will do. So, sadly, I don't get to enjoy their company much. Often I have to say no to them, which makes me feel bad.

I would love to get on my bike and go for a long bike ride. But really, you've got to experience the weather here to know why I'm not doing that! Step away from the fan and you'll be drenched in perspiration within minutes. I never expected Bolpur to be this humid! I was told  that the weather is Birbhum (this region) is akin to the weather in Santhal Pargana. Bolpur is supposed to be hot and dry! I can deal with that. But unfortunately, this year, it is hot and humid. Almost rain-forest weather without the rains. Really, I wonder what happened to the monsoon this year. It's raining in all the wrong places and nowhere near where I stay!

Kolkata was dry when I was there. Roldih was dry when I was there. Delhi was dry when I was there! And now Delhi is flooded. Roldih and Kolkata have had their fair share of rain. But Bolpur hasn't received even a buckful of rain this year. There was some rain when I arrived in the start of July. That's all! Nothing after that.

I thought of escaping to the project. But Bhola says it's extremely hot there right now despite the rains. He keeps saying: "Don't come till it gets cooler"! When will it get cooler I wonder? In any case I will be going one of these days weather permitting or not. I would have left today, but Shinja has asked me to stay till Monday, which is her "happy birthday". So I decided not to go till the big event (if there's one) is over. I need to buy her a present. But I don't know what!

Bhola's wife is ill once again.  In fact, he was in Dumka yet again yesterday because her condition had deteriorated at night. He had to be taken to a doctor for more tests and given different medicines -- this time for some infection. Hope she'll be better. Bhola is quite tense about it because his inlaws expect him to be with his wife. He doesn't mind that. But they insist that he stay with his wife in their house. And Bhola doesn't wish to do that. They are refusing to let him bring her back to Devdand, to their own house. That way he could take care of the project and also of his wife. Dumka is a long commute and he doesn't wish to be away from the project and his work. I do hope his wife's condition improves and Bhola can stop worrying about her. And start worrying about dropping attendance in school.

Of the original 105, ten children have dropped out. A few among those left somehow can't seem to come to school regularly. As a result the daily attendance is hovering around 85... sometimes plus and at times minus.
One child who is regularly irregular is Parvati, Harish's daughter. Every since she's joined school, Parvati has been having problems attending school regularly. Whenever we speak to Harish, he feigns ignorance and yells at Parvati for not coming to school. "She has no work at home so I don't know why she doesn't come," he says. And yet we know that he is responsible for her absenteeism. She's either made to take care of the small children at home, or look after the cattle in the field, or tend to her bed-ridden grandmother. Talking to Harish does improve her attendance for a few days but it goes back to being the same -- regularly irregular. By the way, that's what my teachers used to write in my report card when I was in school! And believe me, we did not have cattle to look after nor did I have an ailing grandmother.