August Ends

Out of 95 kids presently enrolled in Roldih, 93 came today -- the last day of the month. But attendance on the whole has not been very good throughout the month. I mentioned this to Bhola and so he is now summoning the parents of all the children who missed more than 3 days of classes in August. A "talk" with the parents may do the trick.

I also wonder if the drop in attendance also has anything to do with the fact that we are no longer giving "incentives" (soaps, pencils, etc) on a weekly or monthly basis. One of the reasons why we stopped giving weekly and monthly "prizes" for attendance because we can't afford it. The other main reason is that we didn't want that to become the main reason for children to come to school. I did get to hear that some sick children were forces to come to school by their parents so that they wouldn't miss out on receiving the shampoo sachets that we gave out every week! Apparently, the mothers were more interested in the shampoo sachet than the education of the children.

This is the last week for the volunteers. They'll be leaving on Saturday. Hopefully, I'll make it to Roldih before they leave.  I'm looking forward to the long ride. And hopefully this time I'll get to rest a bit before I have to return to Bolpur. Bhola's wife is doing OK. She' being treated for jaundice and is apparently responding well. Bhola's father, by the way, knows about herbal medicines that are a "sure cure" for jaundice.

It rained a lot on Bolpur yesterday. But today it's sunny, dry and hot. I hope it will be cloudy tomorrow so that my guests have a pleasant ride and it won't be uncomfortable if they wish to go sightseeing somewhere. Unfortunately, tomorrow is Wednesday and the university and all the shops will be closed. Maybe they'll just wish to rest after the long drive.

To Give Or Not To Give?

Today is Sunday. In Bolpur it's a strange day. Some schools, institutions, shops and establishments are closed. Some others are open. The same thing happens on Wednesdays. For an "outsider" like me, it is very confusing and at times, very inconvenient.

It's still early in the day and I am already bored with it. I've tried reading, watching tv, surfing the net... but I still feel bored. So I thought I'd write a few lines in Dakshinayan Diary to see if it can change my mood!

I wish it were as convenient to get to Roldih as it is to Kolkata. I would love to talk to people face to face and explain something rather than doing it over the phone. There's so much scope for misunderstanding when you do that. Worst is not being able too gauge the other person's reaction to what you are saying!

This morning Bhola told me that the volunteers were planning to buy copys and pencils to distribute among the school children. Apparently, Tom and Roisin did it and so they too wanted to do something similar. So I had to call up and explain over the phone to Fran (the one who was on the phone) why I disapprove of this. It's a bit hard to explain, but the main reason is not wanting to encourage dependence and/or expectation.

Not all volunteers want to or can afford to give the children gifts. So what happens? The children feel that the "gift-giving" volunteer is a good one and the one who did not give them anything was "not nice". This has happened in the distant past and hence, I put a stop to the giving of gifts. I may have relaxed this rule a bit now -- the volunteers can give the project gifts which will be eventually given to the children. We use the gits as "motivational tools" at times. Soaps and copies and pencils are given out for regular attendance. Even material for uniforms were distributed to those who "passed the exam and got promoted". The children are always informed about the "source" of the gift. But it's very, very rarely that the "giver" is allowed to distribute the gifts themselves.

This has caused a lot of "heart burns" in the past and no dount will continue to be a debatable point in the future too. I'm quite ambivalent about this myself. Sometimes I feel, what's the harm? Let someone give a gift if they feel like it. But then, I start worrying about the children starting to EXPECT gifts from visitors. It's natural. Children "expect" visitors to bring them gifts -- chocolates, toys, etc... and our children at Roldih and Cheo are no different! But what if the visitor can't afford it or doesn't with to give gifts?

Bhola has gone to Godda to attend a Patanjali meeting. He is a member, I believe. I can't help feeling that he should perhaps have stayed on the project today (considering he's been absent quite often lately) and seen to the cleaning up of the project. If he's going to be an absentee coordinator, I could run the project from Bolpur over the phone! 

My Backside and not My Back!

The corn plants with flowers -- promising!

Though I was a bit tired after the ride from Roldih, I was without aches and pains. I was a bit worried that I'd feel my protesting muscles in the morning after a night's rest. And I did have a good night's rest because it had rained a lot last evening and it was nice and cool. When I woke up this morning (a little later than usual), I felt absolutely fine! Hey, it's good to know I'm a lot tougher than I think I am! I really did expect my back to give me trouble as it has always been somewhat weak. But it was my backside and not my back that seemed a bit sore.

The arhar saplings. They'll grow to be much taller.

I spoke to Bhola a while ago. In fact, I called because I was somewhat worried about the fact that he hadn't called all day to give me any news of his wife. It turned out that he "forgot" to call me! Amazing lapse of memory I must say -- specially since I drove him to Siuri because of the so-called emergency situation. Anyway, it turns out that his wife is feeling much better. When he took my call, Bhola was on his way to the project after having dropped his wife and in-laws at their village.

Corn patch -- view from the well

I also spoke to Kaori to find out how they were while Bhola was away. She said they were all  fine and followed the daily routine. Shanku and Suman were tending to the corn. Actually, in all the excitement about the bike ride and Bhola's "emergency" I forgot to mention the crops on the campus. I was quite pleasantly surprised to see that the premises looked quite "groomed". There's a lot of grass, which is normal for this season, but the paths have been kept clear of growth. Even the grass in places have been cropped. But what actually surprised me was the patch of corn between the well and the toilets. And the space between the path and the wall in the east has been planted with lentil (arhar) which is also growing well.

The cemented paths leading to the toilets

With bricks lying around, they've paved pathways leading to the toilets. This is great. I'm happy they are taking the initiative and doing things. But it upsets me that I am not informed of these changes -- before or afterwards! I'm having to arrange for the funds and it would really help to know what's going on at the project. I'm glad I can hop across more often now and find out for myself what's going on. And if all this sprucing up was done to impress me, at least my frequent trips will ensure it's done more frequently!

Ride to Roldih (and Back)

Me and my Bike

It's pouring rain in Bolpur. Quite unexpected. There was not a cloud in the sky when I was riding to this place. But this is India and nothing is predictable. As usual, they have disconnected the power supply to this town. So I'm grateful for the inverter. I'm looking at my motorcycle as I type. She's drenched. And I think she deserves the shower. I needed on badly when I got back this afternoon. I washed my face at a restaurant where I had lunch and when I wiped my face with my handkerchief, it became instantly black -- the handkerchief, not my face! I guess, for some people it's black anyway!

The road from Shantiniketan to Siuri

In contrast to my ride to Roldih yesterday, todays journey was a little tiring. Probably because of the heat. And also maybe because I had a pilion rider -- Bhola. In fact, he's the reason why I decided to rush back today. As you know, his wife has been ill and admitted to a nursing home in Siuri for treatment. It turned out that along with malaria and urinary infection, she also has jaundice. Though weak, she was apparently ok. But last night Bhola received a phone call from his father-in-law saying that he should reach Siuri as soon as possible because her condition had become very "serious". We couldn't leave last night, so we decided to leave for Siuri this morning. Siuri, by the way, is the district HQ of Birbhum and the first city on the way to Roldih from Bolpur. It's an hour's drive from here.

Lush green paddy fields

We left at 7:30 am this morning -- as soon as assembly was over. I dropped Bhola to the nursing home, saw his wife, who looked very weak and met his mother-in-law, who very apparently is a "drama queen". Bhola's wife is ill. But certainly not "seriously ill" or "dying". I do hope she responds to the medicines and gets well soon. I don't know when Bhola will go back to the project. But if he needs to stay back in Siuri, then I'll go to the project. Shanku, Suman and the three volunteers are doing fine and will be able to manage without Bhola or me. But I feel responsible, especially because the volunteers are there. Let's see.

So here I am in Bolpur. Feeling quite fresh and relaxed after a short nap and a shower. It's amazing that last evening at this time I was sitting on my veranda and watching the moon rise over the "hill". And this evening I am sitting under a fan writing a blog and smelling the scent of rain-soaked soil. Roldih is literally "round the corner". So I can simply jump on my iron steed and head for it any time I feel like it. It will certainly be fun to do the journey in winter.

The Masanjor Dam -- a nice place to rest

Everyone from Agiya Mor to Roldih couldn't believe their eyes when they saw me riding the bike! And even though the people at the ashram knew I was coming, they did not really expect me to make it. One friend had even assumed that I had probably turned back and gone home (Bolpur) after a few kilometers. To be fair to everyone, I had grave doubts myself. I'm a couple of years short of 60 and in India, that's OLD! I'm proud of myself and feeling very confident at the moment. Maybe I will invest in a better bike and go off on long drives. It's a cheap way of travelling great distances. It's also a great way of touching, feeling, breathing the environment of the places that you travel through. Go offroad if you wish. Stop and stare at a body of water, a forest covered hill or just switch off the bike and listen to the sound of the birds and trees when you are driving though tree-lined highways. And Bolpur to Roldih has all this and more to offer. It's really a picturesque journey.

I had breakfast here

I left Bolpur yesterday at 7:00 am. Sweat was dripping from my nose when I started my bike. It was that humid. But once I was on the road, the weather became pleasant. I had cloud cover all the way it that made such a difference. The first stretch from Shantiniketan to Siuri was through woods and lush green paddy fields. I was in Siuri by 8:00 and so was able to cut across town without encountering much traffice. It's a very busy city normally and prone to traffic jams and road blocks.

Colourful cables on the roadside

I kept on till I reached Shaorakuli police barrier. There I stopped for a breakfast of puffed rice, curried chickpeas and potato chops. Quite tasty really. I also had some lemon tea. Again very tasty even though I prefer milk tea. My next stop was Masanjor's Mayurakshi Dam. We always stop there and eat Jhal Muri (puffed rice mixed with an assortment of things -- chopped onions, green chillies and ginger, finely chopped coconut, chanachur, boiled chickpeas, pickles and lots of chilly powder! It's quite tasty. And a cup of hot tea afterwards tastes even better!

At the morning assembly before leaving

After that I rode non-stop through Dumka and stopped only at Karbinda, about 40 kms short of Roldih. Had a cup of tea and then headed for Roldih. When I entered the gate at the ashram, it was 12:00 noon! Hannah, Fran and Kaori greeted me in Bengali. Bhola had been teaching them a few phrases. Their pronounciation was excellent -- "Nomoshkar, aapni kemon achen"!

School has already been over for an hour and so I did not get to meet the children till assembly this morning. I don't know if they were disappointed that I was leaving immediately. But I did promise to spend more time with them in September when there would be no volunteers. I think they understood why both Bhola and I had to rush off. But I was happy to note that they were all still very disciplined. And surprise, surprise, some even spoke when I spoke to them! Great....

View of the cornfield from the well

They were all very happy to hear that Eri, Renee and Dani are coming back. I'm surprised how well they seem to remember the volunteers! I tend to forget people. But then I've always had a bad memory for names and people. Quite embarrassing really.

Unfortunately, I did not get to talk to the girls much. I did expect to spend time with them and get to know them. I did not expect circumstances to change so dramatically and drastically. They seemed happy to be on the project. They seemed very well adjusted. They didn't have any complaints! And the project staff had no complaints regarding them either! In fact, I was told that the nursery kids absolutely adore Fran. I do wish I could have stayed to see what is it she does that makes them feel that way....

But I'm really happy that I made this trip. The fact that I made it there and back on consecutive days also proves that I'm still fit. It's good to know that the project is a 5-hour bike ride away. It's do able. And I think it's good for people to be aware that Guruji can appear out of nowhere on any day!

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.