I'm still trying to catch up with myself here, so bear with me!
Last week was marked by flooding around the Hostel - not a huge surprise considering the torrential rain that had been battering us for three days straight. It's happened once before although this time it was a lot worse, with water which must have been three or four foot deep in places. While we revelled in the rain which served as a nice reminder of home and had a welcome cooling effect, we were unaware of the extent of the flooding in the rest of the city - those living in tents and shacks in the slums would have been completely helpless. Many villages in the Krishna district (our's) and neighbouring Guntur district have been completely washed away, and roads made impassable. The disaster management department of the Atheist Centre has been busy bringing food supplies to the worst-affected areas. According to the paper, many farmers have turned to fishing their fields as alternative income!
After exam leave, the degree students are now back so we've got a (relatively) full timetable once more. We've also been increasingly involved with activities at SKCV. The founder, Matthew, (or "Pitagi" - father - as the children call him) returned last week having been in hospital in England for a number of months. He'd been in the UK fundraising, visiting family and generally networking when he fell and broke his back. Only now has he been able to return "home" to India. It's been interesting to talk to him and learn how exactly SKCV began. Having been living in the USA, he came to India for a few months, turning away from a potential career in the film business in search of a spiritual path. While living in Mumbai, he would meet streetchildren during his morning walks on the beach. One of these, named Raju, had some English and befriended him. One night he brought a small boy, suffering from malaria, to Pitagi, who took him to a doctor he was aquainted with. The boy recovered, and Pitagi suggested to Raju that he tell the other children that they could come to a one-hour class at his small flat in the evening, provided they bring some vegetables with which to make a communal meal. As word spread, more and more children came to the class, and the thing snowballed, with the doctor offering free treatment and a neighbour, who was a retired teacher, taking over the teaching of everything except English (so that the children could learn in their mother tongue). The group started receiving donations, and eventually grew into what is now SKCV. It's an impressive story.
On Saturday evening there was a welcoming event at the boys' village for Pitagi, involving dances with fire from the older boys, much letting of of fireworks (by all ages) and a viewing of an excellent new DVD made about SKCV. It was an enjoyable time and great to finally meet the man from whom the whole thing originated.
On Sunday we visited the site of the new girls' village. At present, they're in a small rented house which, although better than nothing, is not really adequate for the needs of the growing group. The opening ceremony is due to take place on the 9th of January (Pitagi's birthday) although, needless to say, it's not expected to be completed until around April. It's looking good, though, with a large school block, canteen, hostel and lots of outdoor space. There's also going to be a swimming pool and a stage. Watching the girls wandering (many barefoot) around the building site (a three-storey building with, as yet, no external walls) was slightly surreal, coming from a country where Health and Safety reigns supreme. In India, the idea is very much to look after yourself, and the suing culture seems a world away. Balance, I think, is best.
I'd love to put up some pictures, of which I have lots, but it still doesn't seem to be working! Ach well. I know the site is going through some changes (and looking very good) so I'll sit tight on them until the problem's sorted.
Dunbar Pride
Paul Raffaelli
Friday 01 December 2006