Should I mention the traffic? It is hard to believe people drive at any speed at all since the roads are crowded with all types of vehicles, people, and even oxen. The roads are marked for 2 or 3 lanes but in reality there are closer to 5 lanes all vying for the front on most major roads. The country road was a paved curving road that may, in places, have been 2-lane but certainly appeared to be one lane most of the time. Vehicles use their horns to indicate their presence and then speed up and pass. I think this requires great faith that there is not an oxen cart, bicycle, person or car coming the other way.
We did two distributions in the area of Karjat since the villages were not too far apart. The children were awaiting us dressed in their new outfits and sitting on tarps on the ground in cramped quarters. The area was quickly assessed for possible flow for distribution and then we laid out a bedkit for the photos. The school personnel and the Rotarians are invaluable as they assist in the lining up of the children and generally moving them forward for the photos. They translate our needs to the children and parents and we smile and gesture a lot and it all moves along with some degree of smoothness. Our first twenty children today were physically disabled from a nearby orphanage. Even with their tough lives they showed a determination to get about.
Many of the children we meet are physically tiny but are giants in their good behaviour and alertness to their surroundings.
The Rotarians took us for lunch at a private weekend home of Bipin Barot and his wife. What a spectacular site for their retreat, on a bank overlooking a rocky river side. Then we were off again. After our afternoon distribution we were entertained by some of the children who sang and danced a traditional dance for us. The performance was very touching and had obviously been practiced carefully and was presented with pride.
We were all exhausted when we piled out of the cramped van at the end of another busy day, ready for a quick supper and bed.
The current date/time in Mumbai, India:
Day 4: I can no longer go day by day because our lives are so busy we can’t write every day. Our distributions are running one into the other so we will do some overviews. We are consistently impressed by the patience, discipline, and anticipation of the children who are always sitting crosslegged on the hard ground waiting for us. Some days their wait is over 2 hours as we get delayed in traffic jams and accidents. (Note: They are served a healthy snack while they are waiting.) The children’s need is visual in their faces, their tiny bodies, and their bare feet. They are lined up for their photos and often appear timid and fearful of this event. This quickly gives way to amazement and delight as they discover the bedkit that we give out after the photos. For them, the photo would be gift enough. When people are living in survival conditions, a mirror would be a frivolous extra. So for many the photos that we take of them are the first images of themselves that they have seen. We are finding that the people we are meeting, particularly in the rural areas, are delighted to have their photos taken. They poke their faces in front of you as you take out your camera. If we have time, we quickly show the digital photo to them and their reaction shows that they seem to be honoured by what we have done. Their behaviour is extremely respectful as they bless us by bowing to us, hands clasped together and saying “Namaste.”
Cathy and Donna,
On behalf of the SCAW 2008 Mumbai Team
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