Believe me, I've been wanting to write and inform all of you of the many changes that have been taking place in my life and also at the project. But somehow I just did not get around to it. Perhaps it's because I'm riding to Roldih every alternate week and so need time off to rest and recuperate. Perhaps it's because the internet connection is so damn slow that I fall asleep waiting for connectivity. Perhaps I simply don't know where to begin. Perhaps it's because I am plain lazy.
Ok, now that I am here and actually writing, let me start by telling you that even though the Cheo Centre no longer belongs to Dakshinayan, the school hasn't closed down. The villagers have handed it over to a Hindu religious organization that I do not care to mention. I'm disappointed. I had hoped that Ramnath and Chandrama would run the project independently and persuade the villagers to contribute towards their salaries and the upkeep of the project. That has not happened.
What actually happened was quite shocking. One of our staff members, it seems, has been quite involved with the above organization. In fact, it was he who convinced me that Cheo was a drain on our resources. That it was not possible to monitor what was going on there, etc. etc. But no sooner had I taken the decision to close down the school at Cheo, the same staff member made several trips to Cheo and convinced the villagers that they should hand over the property to this particular organization. Now I realize that it was a well thought out conspiracy.
It's not too late. I can still go to Cheo and convince the villagers to let Dakshinayan to re-start the school. But I don't wish to do that. I'm just sad that instead of choosing self-reliance, they have chosen dependence. Also, I'm not convinced that this new organization will actually do anything for the people. This organization produces herbal ayurvedic medicine and the hills are rich in resources. So that's why they want a centre there. To build a new one would now cost a fortune. But now they have got a well maintained property for free. That's really heartbreaking as I would have preferred to hand over the property to a new organization that is short of resources or funds. The yoga oriented organization that has "usurped" the property (in a way) is rolling in money.
And what about the "Judas"? He's still "working" at Roldih though I have made it very plain to him that I know exactly what kind of game he is playing and that if he has any designs on Roldih, he should forget it as the ashram will go to this above organization over my dead body. So why is he still there? He's there because I have no solid proof against him and also because he is a local there is no way I can remove him suddenly without creating problems for Shanku who has been practically living alone on the project.
But there's good news now -- we have been joined by a Santhali couple from Dumka, who have been working in a grassroots organization known to me. If they stay on, it would be prefect for the project. Shanku will no longer be alone on the project and both husband and wife could help up organize and expand the work of the ashram. Right now, they are both teaching and living on the project. Shanku and Bhola teach two sections of nursery class. Raju, the husband, teaches class One and Susanti teaches class Two. Yes, these are the only classes we have. So what happened to the kids in other classes? It seems they were "encouraged" to go to other schools.
In fact, when we started admissions this year, I was shocked to see the lack of children wanting to join our school! Up until now, there used to be a mad scramble for kids to join Baba Gyan Mandir. But this year there were hardly any children to begin with! I later discovered that the villagers had not been informed about admissions and some were even told that the school would close down!
The conspiracy was that if there aren't enough children, I would close down the project and of course guess what would have happened to it? That's when I decided that I would spend every alternate week on the project to ensure that the faith of the villagers would be restored in us. I've already started doing that. One Sunday I ride my bike to Roldih and the following Sunday, I ride back to Prantik, where I now live. I cover the 180+ kilometres in roughly 5 hours. Had the roads been good, I may have been able to do it in less. Not a bad feat for a an almost 60-year-old?
The week that I am on the project, I teach English to the kids. Now that every class has a designated teacher, there's very little else I can do. I'm also keeping and eye on expenses and my presence is, I think, helping people to realize that Dakshinayan isn't dead as yet. But I do wonder how long I will be able to keep this up. Even though I leave at day-break, by the time I reach my destination on either side, the sun turns into a scorching oven. But surprisingly, though my back and bum hurt for a while, I'm ok.
As for what else is happening on the project? Not much really. It's too hot. Those of you who have visited us during summer know that it's not possible to do anything between 10 am and 4 pm except lie about in a stupor. Despite the heat, however, we were able to celebrate foundation day on the 15th of April -- a day after Bengali new year. The 60 odd children and their parents were invited to come and participate in the feast that was entirely organized and run by the school kids. It was great fun. At least 500 people came and ate "khichri" (mixed rice, lentils and vegetables) cooked by the children with some help from the staff.
