Chennai: Nellore Report

From Chennai Photo Album 2009

Up at 5:00 a.m. and off at 6:00 a.m., this time by cars as it cost 3,000 Rupees in each direction across a State boundary for our bus. We cleared the city without much delay and embarked on our trip traveling north on a four-lane highway. The highway was as good as you find at home. That, however, is where the similarities end. The highway was thronged with all kinds of conveyances: lorries big and small, cars, buses, oxcarts, motorbikes, bicycles, motorized rickshaws — you name it. For a so-called high-speed highway there were times when the traffic moved anything but high speed. This blend of vehices sure made our driver keep on this toes and aware of his surroundings.

We arrived at Nellore at 10:30 a.m. to the greetings of the local organizing hosts, several city policemen, and scores of people. A red carpet was laid out for us to walk along to the building where our greeting was to be held. Young school girls lined the walkway, throwing flower petals over us in the traditional greeting. They were delighted to see us and made us feel like visiting Royalty.

Once inside, we saw the children all dressed in their SCAW clothing. To their deafening cheers, we mounted the stage to be greeted by the local dignitaries. Every newsman and photographer in Nellore must have been there: a phalanx literally covered the front of the auditorium we were in.

Then the entertainment began. Four beautifully dressed young girls, the youngest about 3 or 4 years old, dressed in traditional Indian culture dress, danced to loud music. It was very enjoyable for all of us to sit and watch.

Then the distribution began again, accompanied by the newsmen and photographers. There were so many that we had to hold a special photo session to allow them to "shoot" their required pictures and then leave us alone to do our work.

After the distribution, the girls at the nearby Girls Academy invited us to visit the exhibitions they had been preparing for our visit for over one month. Each classroom was a special lab, prepared to show some of the many learning activities they are involved in. They showed off their self-prepared wares for:

• Religion,
• Green Plant Management,
• Horticulture,
• Crafts,
• Clothes Manufacturing,
• Cooking and Baking,
• Nursing and Wellness.

On the second floor there were more displays depicting the core studies program such as:

• Social Studies,
• Law Enforcement,
• English Language,
• Their own Teluga Language,
• Hindu Language,
• Mathematics,
• Biology,
• Geography,
• Digestive Systems,
• Space,
• Music and Dance.

We were all amazed to see the detail and extremely high quality of the students' presentations. Some of our hosts wanted to push us along so we could go to a luncheon that was awaiting us, but the Team Leader sure put a stop to that! How could we waste such a well-prepared thing such as this? We spent close to one hour going into the classrooms and examining the unique displays. It truly was inspiring.

The young girls, aged 12-15 years of age were so happy that we took the time to visit them. Their excitement and honest inquisitiveness were a delight.

Afterwards, we proceeded to the home of one of our sponsors/hosts for a sumptuous lunch. Drinks, traditional Indian cuisine, and some Westernized dishes left us "fully" satisfied. At 5:30 we headed back down the highway most grateful for one full day and the 400 children who were beginning to settle down in their new beds for the first time.

Tom Belton
for Team Chennai 2009

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