I returned to Kolkata on the 29th after a rather tiring tour of UP and a brief visit to Patna in Bihar. I don't know whether it was the fluctuating weather, the long car journeys through the dusty countryside or if it was the "cheap" hotels I've had to stay in, no sooner had I arrived in Kolkata, I fell ill. I don't know what's wrong. I have low grade fever and a terrible cough. Hence, my plans to go to Bolpur upon my return and then on to the project from there, is now on hold. At least I have Raj and Mitali to take care of me here in Kolkata. There's no one in Bolpur and it would be suicidal to go to the project while ill as there are no doctors there!
So I'm trying to rest as much as possible. Watching TV, catching up on mail and paperwork. And hoping that I'll soon be well enough to travel to the project. Meanwhile though, I have been in touch with Roldih through Bansi, whom I call occasionally. He seems well settled. The project seems to be functioning without a hitch. And they managed to celebrate Republic Day without much help from me or Bhola. I'm a little disappointed that I could not be there as the occasion gives me the opportunity to talk to the villagers. The next opportunity I will get is on the 8th of February which is Basant Panchami, a day when students celebrate Saraswati Pooja.
Bhola has been in hospital in Burdwan all this while. The doctors confirmed that he has brain tumor. But since it has been detected at such an early stage, he can be treated with medicines. He will, however, have to go for monthly check ups. I've asked him to take it easy till he is completely well. His father informed me that they have sold his van. So Bhola will not be moving around too much. Just as well.
I have not been able to talk to Renee or Lucy, their phone seem to be switched off all the time! Or at least when I try to call. But Bansi tells me that they are ok and seem quite happy spending time on the project with the children. I suppose he's right because if they had problems, I'm sure they would have called.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Roldih Re-organized
It's was the worst bus journey from Godda to Kolkata I've had in a while. The bus was packed to capacity and the conductor insisted on taking on more migrant labour who were all over the place! They had no standing room. Some were sitting in the passage and other standing over them and quite a few falling over the passengers who were seated. I was one of the fortunate few who was seated. Anyway, Rajiv, Mitali and I survived the journey back to Kolkata from the project. Our brief trip to the project was over.
We almost didn't make it to Roldih on our journey there. Renee, Lucy, Rajiv, Mitali and I were headed out to Godda and everything was fine. Suddenly the truck in front of our bus braked and we slammed into it. Fortunately, Apart from shattered windscreen and windows and a few grazed knees, we got off without any major injuries. The bus' radiator was damaged, but the driver was resourceful. He patched it up with soap and we were on our way to Godda in a bus that was freezing because there was no windscreen to stop the wind. The passengers were somewhat sheltered by the partition of the driver's cabin. But we are lucky that the driver did not freeze to death! He brought us safely to Dumka. I had called ahead and so there was a taxi waiting to bring us to the project.
The three days on the project was rather hectic. People kept dropping in to meet me since I hadn't been there for a while. And to make matters worse, on the night we arrived, Bhola had yet another epileptic fit. He had just driven back from Godda with the volunteers and was laughing and joking with them in the kitchen while they were having dinner. And the next moment he came to my room to say he was not feeling well and before I could figure out what was happening, he started having a fit.
We called his father and his friends and they all came over accompanied by a local "doctor". But by that time he was back to normal but totally disoriented. They took him home and he was not on the project during my stay there. He was, however, able to attend the "final" meeting I had with the staff. This was good and necessary as I've made some major changes on the project.
Bansi is back. He has changed. For instance, he now looks like a Sikh after his year-long stay in Punjab where he worked in a nursing home. He wears a turban and has grown his beard and hair like a Sikh. But besides his outward appearance, he has changed as a person too. He is more self-assured and confident. He seems more serious and sensible. And what's more, he appreciates being back and also being on the project. He admitted that the project has really cared for him and he has discovered this by being away. He now wants to sincerely run the project with all his heart and soul. That sounds good. And I am hoping he will like up to his commitment.
So now Bansi is in charge of the project and the school. Shanku is there to assist him. Renee and Lucy are there to help him run the school along with Kartik and Raiman -- both of whom I could not meet because they had taken leave for Shankranti, an important festival for both tribals and non-tribals. School was open. Children came to study. It was good to have Renee and Lucy to fill in. Before leaving I made a routine for the school so, from today, the school has a routine and teachers had definite classes and subjects to teach. Renee and Lucy will be teaching English and Maths. The new routine was necessitated by Radha's departure. She will no longer be teaching in Roldih school.
Bhola too will not be living on the project any more. He will be associated with the project and getting an honorarium for doing "outside" work and liaising with the Cheo centre. This way he will be able to run his shop and taxi service and help the project with receiving volunteers, getting them registered at the police station, marketing, finding people for work on the project -- repairs etc. And since he will be "free" from Roldih, I am hoping he will visit Cheo once in a while to check on what's going on there.
I decided NOT to close down the Cheo project. I have reduced the honorarium we've been paying Ramnath and Chandrama and have told them they can now charge a monthly fee from the children who come to attend school and this money will also be part of their honorarium. Ramnath, who attended the meeting, agreed to this arrangement and is, in fact, very excited about it. He realizes that this is perhaps the first step in makin the Cheo school self-sustaining and independent. Since admissions to Cheo school will start in March, he has ample time to convince the villagers that after so many years of practically free education, they need to contribute to the schools survival. If they pay monthly fee, their own level of involvement will increase and the teachers' commitment and responsibility to run the school will also increase. The mission schools charge Rs 3000 per annum as school fees. Parents in Cheo will be paying only 800 per annum including a Rs 200 registration fee. The money collected from registration will be used for various annual events -- Independence Day, Republic Day, Saraswati Puja, Diwali, etc. We will also be asking for nominal contributions on these occasions like the other schools in the area. We all feel this is a good survival strategy which will ensure the projects continuance.
Perhaps we will do the same for Roldih too. This year, the children organized a picnic on New Year's day from personal contributions. We hope they will contribute to make Republic Day on 26th January, a memorable event. We are hoping there will be more active participation from parents if they contribute to the event. We will know soon enough.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend. In fact, I'll be away in Farrukhabad in UP on Republic Day for yet another trainning session. Life has been rather hectic for me since the 20th of December. I've been travelling all over central UP conducting trainning programmes and flying in and out of Delhi and Kolkata attending meetings and briefing sessions. Even though I feel very tired at times, I enjoy the work and that keeps me going. It also helps me earn enough money to guarantee the project's survival even if no volunteers show up! Thanks to some generous contributions I've received and the money I've earned in the past three weeks, I was able to clear up all project debts till the end of December 2010. It feels good to be debt free.
2011 is looking good so far. It's nice to have Bansi back. It's good to know that Cheo will survive and I don't need to close it down. School is going well. And I have a few assignments to look forward to. The only sad news is Bhola's illness. But since it has been discovered in the early stages, proper medication should put him back on track soon. Ramnath, who has a similar problem, has been hail and hearty for the past many years. Let's hope and pray that Bhola will also remain well.
We almost didn't make it to Roldih on our journey there. Renee, Lucy, Rajiv, Mitali and I were headed out to Godda and everything was fine. Suddenly the truck in front of our bus braked and we slammed into it. Fortunately, Apart from shattered windscreen and windows and a few grazed knees, we got off without any major injuries. The bus' radiator was damaged, but the driver was resourceful. He patched it up with soap and we were on our way to Godda in a bus that was freezing because there was no windscreen to stop the wind. The passengers were somewhat sheltered by the partition of the driver's cabin. But we are lucky that the driver did not freeze to death! He brought us safely to Dumka. I had called ahead and so there was a taxi waiting to bring us to the project.
The three days on the project was rather hectic. People kept dropping in to meet me since I hadn't been there for a while. And to make matters worse, on the night we arrived, Bhola had yet another epileptic fit. He had just driven back from Godda with the volunteers and was laughing and joking with them in the kitchen while they were having dinner. And the next moment he came to my room to say he was not feeling well and before I could figure out what was happening, he started having a fit.
We called his father and his friends and they all came over accompanied by a local "doctor". But by that time he was back to normal but totally disoriented. They took him home and he was not on the project during my stay there. He was, however, able to attend the "final" meeting I had with the staff. This was good and necessary as I've made some major changes on the project.
Bansi is back. He has changed. For instance, he now looks like a Sikh after his year-long stay in Punjab where he worked in a nursing home. He wears a turban and has grown his beard and hair like a Sikh. But besides his outward appearance, he has changed as a person too. He is more self-assured and confident. He seems more serious and sensible. And what's more, he appreciates being back and also being on the project. He admitted that the project has really cared for him and he has discovered this by being away. He now wants to sincerely run the project with all his heart and soul. That sounds good. And I am hoping he will like up to his commitment.
So now Bansi is in charge of the project and the school. Shanku is there to assist him. Renee and Lucy are there to help him run the school along with Kartik and Raiman -- both of whom I could not meet because they had taken leave for Shankranti, an important festival for both tribals and non-tribals. School was open. Children came to study. It was good to have Renee and Lucy to fill in. Before leaving I made a routine for the school so, from today, the school has a routine and teachers had definite classes and subjects to teach. Renee and Lucy will be teaching English and Maths. The new routine was necessitated by Radha's departure. She will no longer be teaching in Roldih school.
Bhola too will not be living on the project any more. He will be associated with the project and getting an honorarium for doing "outside" work and liaising with the Cheo centre. This way he will be able to run his shop and taxi service and help the project with receiving volunteers, getting them registered at the police station, marketing, finding people for work on the project -- repairs etc. And since he will be "free" from Roldih, I am hoping he will visit Cheo once in a while to check on what's going on there.
I decided NOT to close down the Cheo project. I have reduced the honorarium we've been paying Ramnath and Chandrama and have told them they can now charge a monthly fee from the children who come to attend school and this money will also be part of their honorarium. Ramnath, who attended the meeting, agreed to this arrangement and is, in fact, very excited about it. He realizes that this is perhaps the first step in makin the Cheo school self-sustaining and independent. Since admissions to Cheo school will start in March, he has ample time to convince the villagers that after so many years of practically free education, they need to contribute to the schools survival. If they pay monthly fee, their own level of involvement will increase and the teachers' commitment and responsibility to run the school will also increase. The mission schools charge Rs 3000 per annum as school fees. Parents in Cheo will be paying only 800 per annum including a Rs 200 registration fee. The money collected from registration will be used for various annual events -- Independence Day, Republic Day, Saraswati Puja, Diwali, etc. We will also be asking for nominal contributions on these occasions like the other schools in the area. We all feel this is a good survival strategy which will ensure the projects continuance.
Perhaps we will do the same for Roldih too. This year, the children organized a picnic on New Year's day from personal contributions. We hope they will contribute to make Republic Day on 26th January, a memorable event. We are hoping there will be more active participation from parents if they contribute to the event. We will know soon enough.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend. In fact, I'll be away in Farrukhabad in UP on Republic Day for yet another trainning session. Life has been rather hectic for me since the 20th of December. I've been travelling all over central UP conducting trainning programmes and flying in and out of Delhi and Kolkata attending meetings and briefing sessions. Even though I feel very tired at times, I enjoy the work and that keeps me going. It also helps me earn enough money to guarantee the project's survival even if no volunteers show up! Thanks to some generous contributions I've received and the money I've earned in the past three weeks, I was able to clear up all project debts till the end of December 2010. It feels good to be debt free.
2011 is looking good so far. It's nice to have Bansi back. It's good to know that Cheo will survive and I don't need to close it down. School is going well. And I have a few assignments to look forward to. The only sad news is Bhola's illness. But since it has been discovered in the early stages, proper medication should put him back on track soon. Ramnath, who has a similar problem, has been hail and hearty for the past many years. Let's hope and pray that Bhola will also remain well.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Just a few lines to say Hello
I don't really have much to say when I am not on the project. My days in Bolpur are mostly boring. The only bright spot is The English Adda, which happens every evening. Arindam, Kunal and Sunipa come around 4:30 and stay on till sometimes 7:00 and sometimes even 8:00. They seem to enjoy being here and I enjoy having them around. Young people are so full of energy and enthusiasm that I feel quite good just being around them.
I haven't gone to the project as I had planned to because when I arrived in Bolpur, the young people mentioned above were very anxious to continue with the spoken English sessions. All of them are going to be busy from mid December till mid January and were anxious to practise their English before that. I agreed. Especially as they seemed very keen and I noticed that they were making good progress.
The intial hesitation is gone. They now speak unhesitantly and can express themselves quite well. Now I need to work on their sense of tense and also pronounciation. A typical session consists of a bit of reading, learning the meaning of difficult words and pronunciation. This is followed by an "adda" when they all talk about what they had done the previous day -- thus learning how to express themselves. It's working very well.
I was hoping to start proper English sessions from January. But I have received news that I may have to attend a few trainning programmes in UP from mid December till mid January. So I'm afraid I will not be able to start anything new till that is over. Perhaps the beginning of February will be a good time?
As for the project, according to Renee, it is running by itself. Bhola has hardly been around for the past two weeks because his "taxi" has been hired for Panchayat Elections due to take place on the 13th of this month. Radha has been absent for a while and Raiman has been sick. Both are now back to teaching. But it seems that even though there were no teachers, the children behaved themselves and attended school regularly. It seems some of the teachers need more discipline than the students as they apparently spend more time on the cell phone and less time in class!
There's only Renee and Shanku on the project. Raiman spends the night on the project. Kartik is too busy with farm work after school. There's no question of asking Radha to stay over at night. But Renee says that she's quite comfortable and has no issues about her stay there. In any case, she's due to leave the project in a few days for a month long break. Hopefully some of the issues will be sorted out by the time she comes back in January.
It's wet and cold in Bolpur these days. The days have been grey for the past few days and last night it rained as if it was monsoon. Any plans I had made in my mind to make a quick dash to the project were scuttled. I don't even feel like going out to buy vegetables! It's not the cold that's bothering me. It's the grey weather and the threat of rain any moment. Last thing I want to do is get wet and fall ill during this season.
Well, that's all for the moment.
I haven't gone to the project as I had planned to because when I arrived in Bolpur, the young people mentioned above were very anxious to continue with the spoken English sessions. All of them are going to be busy from mid December till mid January and were anxious to practise their English before that. I agreed. Especially as they seemed very keen and I noticed that they were making good progress.
The intial hesitation is gone. They now speak unhesitantly and can express themselves quite well. Now I need to work on their sense of tense and also pronounciation. A typical session consists of a bit of reading, learning the meaning of difficult words and pronunciation. This is followed by an "adda" when they all talk about what they had done the previous day -- thus learning how to express themselves. It's working very well.
I was hoping to start proper English sessions from January. But I have received news that I may have to attend a few trainning programmes in UP from mid December till mid January. So I'm afraid I will not be able to start anything new till that is over. Perhaps the beginning of February will be a good time?
As for the project, according to Renee, it is running by itself. Bhola has hardly been around for the past two weeks because his "taxi" has been hired for Panchayat Elections due to take place on the 13th of this month. Radha has been absent for a while and Raiman has been sick. Both are now back to teaching. But it seems that even though there were no teachers, the children behaved themselves and attended school regularly. It seems some of the teachers need more discipline than the students as they apparently spend more time on the cell phone and less time in class!
There's only Renee and Shanku on the project. Raiman spends the night on the project. Kartik is too busy with farm work after school. There's no question of asking Radha to stay over at night. But Renee says that she's quite comfortable and has no issues about her stay there. In any case, she's due to leave the project in a few days for a month long break. Hopefully some of the issues will be sorted out by the time she comes back in January.
It's wet and cold in Bolpur these days. The days have been grey for the past few days and last night it rained as if it was monsoon. Any plans I had made in my mind to make a quick dash to the project were scuttled. I don't even feel like going out to buy vegetables! It's not the cold that's bothering me. It's the grey weather and the threat of rain any moment. Last thing I want to do is get wet and fall ill during this season.
Well, that's all for the moment.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Happy Diwali
We have just finished lunch. But I am not ready for my afternoon nap. Frankly, when it's this pleasant, one does not even feel like a nap. It's neither hot nor cold. The day is bright. The breeze is gentle. Perhaps a little later, I'll lie down for a while and rest because tonight is going to be hectic in a fun sort of way.
The kids came to school today. But there were no classes. Instead, they spruced up the classrooms, cleaned up the temples and other "public" areas and went home to come back this evening to light up the lamps and burst the few crackers we bought and also partake of the sweets we have ordered for them.
Bhola went to Devdanr to fetch all this. Unfortunately, there's a tractor stuck on the only bridge on the only road connecting Devdanr to Roldih and so he can't come through. He's stuck there and couldn't even make it for lunch. Meanwhile Chandrama from Cheo came to collect the sweets for the kids up in the hills. So I asked him to go to the bridge on his motorbike and collect Cheo's share. No point in his waiting here. It's so convenient that he now has a bike.
Acorrding to him almost every family now has a motorbike! Wow!! That's progress for you. Not so long ago, the Paharias did not even possess bicycles. And now, all the young people that I know, have shiny new motorcycles. Even Chandrama, who claims that the honorarium we give him is the only income he has, bought a motorbike! It's second hand, but it did not come cheap.
I asked Ramnath if he has one and he made a sad face and said he has no money. But today I discovered that his son, who is in college and has no source of income, has a new motorcycle! Where did that come from? Hence, it's obvious that the Paharias are definitely earning enough money from the sale of forest produce and the sale of cash crops such as beans and oilseeds.
Now my next question is, why can't they pay for the education of their children? Some do. They spend good money to send their kids to government schools elsewhere. And I've been told they often have to give a "bribe" of upto 5,000 Rupees to get their children admitted to these schools that are free. So why can't these people pretend to be peniless when it comes to paying a few rupees fees to the project school in Cheo?
I am now, no longer feeling guilty about thinking of closing down the Cheo centre. Ramnath and Chandrama can continue teaching theire and getting the parents to pay them a "tuition fee". Whatever they get will be extra income. I'm sure they are not dependent of Dakshinayan for their bread and butter. In fact, no one is. Everyone here owns some land -- especially the tribals. So even if the Cheo centre closes down (even Roldih) the "teachers" won't be affected in any way. I do admit that the children of Cheo may be deprived of "quality education". But it's not as if they won't be getting any education at all. There is always the option of the government schools. The Cheo school is more like a preperatory school. It prepares the kids to gain easy entrance to the government schools.
Bhola is here now. The road is clear. Chandrama has taken his sweets and gone back to Cheo. Some of the school kids have started drifting in. The celebrations are going to start early it seems. So let me wish all of you a Very Happy and Enjoyable Diwali this evening with family and friends.
The kids came to school today. But there were no classes. Instead, they spruced up the classrooms, cleaned up the temples and other "public" areas and went home to come back this evening to light up the lamps and burst the few crackers we bought and also partake of the sweets we have ordered for them.
Bhola went to Devdanr to fetch all this. Unfortunately, there's a tractor stuck on the only bridge on the only road connecting Devdanr to Roldih and so he can't come through. He's stuck there and couldn't even make it for lunch. Meanwhile Chandrama from Cheo came to collect the sweets for the kids up in the hills. So I asked him to go to the bridge on his motorbike and collect Cheo's share. No point in his waiting here. It's so convenient that he now has a bike.
Acorrding to him almost every family now has a motorbike! Wow!! That's progress for you. Not so long ago, the Paharias did not even possess bicycles. And now, all the young people that I know, have shiny new motorcycles. Even Chandrama, who claims that the honorarium we give him is the only income he has, bought a motorbike! It's second hand, but it did not come cheap.
I asked Ramnath if he has one and he made a sad face and said he has no money. But today I discovered that his son, who is in college and has no source of income, has a new motorcycle! Where did that come from? Hence, it's obvious that the Paharias are definitely earning enough money from the sale of forest produce and the sale of cash crops such as beans and oilseeds.
Now my next question is, why can't they pay for the education of their children? Some do. They spend good money to send their kids to government schools elsewhere. And I've been told they often have to give a "bribe" of upto 5,000 Rupees to get their children admitted to these schools that are free. So why can't these people pretend to be peniless when it comes to paying a few rupees fees to the project school in Cheo?
I am now, no longer feeling guilty about thinking of closing down the Cheo centre. Ramnath and Chandrama can continue teaching theire and getting the parents to pay them a "tuition fee". Whatever they get will be extra income. I'm sure they are not dependent of Dakshinayan for their bread and butter. In fact, no one is. Everyone here owns some land -- especially the tribals. So even if the Cheo centre closes down (even Roldih) the "teachers" won't be affected in any way. I do admit that the children of Cheo may be deprived of "quality education". But it's not as if they won't be getting any education at all. There is always the option of the government schools. The Cheo school is more like a preperatory school. It prepares the kids to gain easy entrance to the government schools.
Bhola is here now. The road is clear. Chandrama has taken his sweets and gone back to Cheo. Some of the school kids have started drifting in. The celebrations are going to start early it seems. So let me wish all of you a Very Happy and Enjoyable Diwali this evening with family and friends.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Bad start to November
A new routine, a little lecture about the plight of children who are slave workers in fireworks factories, shampoo distribution to regulars and warning to those absent for more than 3 days in October -- that was assembly yesterday. The weather was cool. The sky was overcast and there were a few drops of rain too. But nothing to indicate that it would start raining later.
Attendance was good. School started well. But I did not teach. No point in starting when I know I will be gone in a few days. It would unnecessarily disrupt the new routine. Renee is teaching English in four classes -- 1 to 4. And since Bhola is teaching the other subjects in classes 3 and 4, there was nothing for me to do but to sit back and relax. Besides I was feeling unwell.
I've been getting headaches every day since I arrived here. At first I thought it was because of the bus journey. Ten I thought it was because of the change in weather. But when I started shivering around noon, I knew it was malaria. So I decided to take a dose of my herbal medicine and that's what prevented the fever from rising too high. I lay around all day with a fever and by evening I was already feeling better. I'm fine today. Just weak from the effects of the medicine.
But November started badly for me. Not only did I fall ill. My phone stopped working! Bhola checked with the service provider and was told that for some mysterious reason, my sim card has been rejected. Then I tried to get on the net and discovered that my data card was also not working! It's still not working, but I've managed to get online on a borrowed one. So for those who have my old project number, please note that it is not working. I'm not giving out my new number here. But I'll be sms-ing it to individuals.
I am wondering if all this has anything to with the fact that someone called me on that old number and told me that I had won a million rupees and could I please give him my name, my father's name and my bank account number! Of course I did not. It was obviously someone phishing. I then got a call from the service provider saying that should I get a call asking me for personal details, I should not oblige! The warning came late, but was not necessary. I was cautious anyway. But that night, my phone stopped working. So I'm wondering if it's a coincidence or someone deliberately tampering with my phone.
That aside, yesterday was also a very bad day weather-wise. It started raining soon after noon and continued all night. The temperature plunged by 10 degrees celsius and it was horribly cold. I felt it more because of my illness. Bhola went out in the rain because he had some family business to attend to and came back with a cold. He's feeling under the weather today. I hope he will be well for Diwali celebrations. I'm glad I'm feeling better. I was a little worried about my health. I usually fall ill around this time. Strange, but true. I've spent many Diwali nights in on a sick bed. Or I fall ill a few days before or after Diwali. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that I was born on a Diwali night! According to the Indian calendar, my birthday is on Diwali. I, of course, prefer to celebrate it the Zodiac way.
Renee, after initially wonder if she could stay on at the project all by herself, has now "fitted in". She's happy teaching and taking part in all the chores -- cooking, cleaning, sweeping and of course spending time with the children. I've deliberately not interacted with her too much so that she doesn't feel my absence when I'm gone in a few days.
I have a hectic schedule ahead. As soon as I arrive in Kolkata, I will barely have time to pack my bags and head for the airport to catch a flight to Lucknow for yet another trainning sesson. I'll be back in Kolkata on the 12th unless there's a change of plan. I hope then I'll get a few days to spend in Bolpur. I'm expecting guests in the first week of December. I'm also hoping there'll be a few volunteers too!
Attendance was good. School started well. But I did not teach. No point in starting when I know I will be gone in a few days. It would unnecessarily disrupt the new routine. Renee is teaching English in four classes -- 1 to 4. And since Bhola is teaching the other subjects in classes 3 and 4, there was nothing for me to do but to sit back and relax. Besides I was feeling unwell.
I've been getting headaches every day since I arrived here. At first I thought it was because of the bus journey. Ten I thought it was because of the change in weather. But when I started shivering around noon, I knew it was malaria. So I decided to take a dose of my herbal medicine and that's what prevented the fever from rising too high. I lay around all day with a fever and by evening I was already feeling better. I'm fine today. Just weak from the effects of the medicine.
But November started badly for me. Not only did I fall ill. My phone stopped working! Bhola checked with the service provider and was told that for some mysterious reason, my sim card has been rejected. Then I tried to get on the net and discovered that my data card was also not working! It's still not working, but I've managed to get online on a borrowed one. So for those who have my old project number, please note that it is not working. I'm not giving out my new number here. But I'll be sms-ing it to individuals.
I am wondering if all this has anything to with the fact that someone called me on that old number and told me that I had won a million rupees and could I please give him my name, my father's name and my bank account number! Of course I did not. It was obviously someone phishing. I then got a call from the service provider saying that should I get a call asking me for personal details, I should not oblige! The warning came late, but was not necessary. I was cautious anyway. But that night, my phone stopped working. So I'm wondering if it's a coincidence or someone deliberately tampering with my phone.
That aside, yesterday was also a very bad day weather-wise. It started raining soon after noon and continued all night. The temperature plunged by 10 degrees celsius and it was horribly cold. I felt it more because of my illness. Bhola went out in the rain because he had some family business to attend to and came back with a cold. He's feeling under the weather today. I hope he will be well for Diwali celebrations. I'm glad I'm feeling better. I was a little worried about my health. I usually fall ill around this time. Strange, but true. I've spent many Diwali nights in on a sick bed. Or I fall ill a few days before or after Diwali. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that I was born on a Diwali night! According to the Indian calendar, my birthday is on Diwali. I, of course, prefer to celebrate it the Zodiac way.
Renee, after initially wonder if she could stay on at the project all by herself, has now "fitted in". She's happy teaching and taking part in all the chores -- cooking, cleaning, sweeping and of course spending time with the children. I've deliberately not interacted with her too much so that she doesn't feel my absence when I'm gone in a few days.
I have a hectic schedule ahead. As soon as I arrive in Kolkata, I will barely have time to pack my bags and head for the airport to catch a flight to Lucknow for yet another trainning sesson. I'll be back in Kolkata on the 12th unless there's a change of plan. I hope then I'll get a few days to spend in Bolpur. I'm expecting guests in the first week of December. I'm also hoping there'll be a few volunteers too!
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