Midnapur was supposed to be a trip from Kolkata, but the wise Rotarians learned that there was going to be a political rally, with what turned out to be 1.5 million people. So we left our distribution on Wednesday and booked into the hotel near Midnapur. A delightful time with our Rotarians in the hotel garden looking at the stars and sharing pokura before dinner and then a good sleep. The result was a quick trip to Midnapur the next morning.Some unique features of our day. Being in a different region of India, we found the approach to things to be different. More chaotic and loud, not due to disorganization, but just a cultural difference. In the midst of the chaos, we saw something that was unique for a distribution. Each child was asked to speak his or her name into the microphone just before receiving their bedkit as a way to connect with their parent/guardian/teacher. Usually a Rotarian does this. A nice touch.
In contrast to loud speakers and voices was a wonderful cultural ceremony to start the day. A group of seven young girls played out what appeared to be an historical dance reflecting on the glory of India. This was followed by a charming dance by a classically trained teenage girl who was beautiful and graceful beyond belief. She had had been training for 13 years and was possibly going places because of her grace and sparkling movements.
Another unique dimension of the day was the fact that many of the children had been bused in on Rotary-sponsored buses with the Rotary/SCAW banner proudly displayed on each bus. The implication was that we were seeing the underprivileged of the underprivileged. Midnapur is a poor town and children came from even poor villages. Some children were overwhelmed by it all, especially when they were separated even for a few minutes from their friends. We carried teary kids to the head of the line so that they could reconnect. We were also told that some of the children might have been overwhelmed because “we were a lot of everything”. White, tall, broad, speaking a different language, lively.
The team as usual had fun. Warren has become the team tattoo artist with his black and red markers turning bare arms into Maple Leaf Canadian flags; drivers, helpers, team members included. Not going to turn into a second career since this is the only tattoo he can do.A wonderful meal at the end of the distribution featuring regional dishes and then on the road back to Kolkata. Wish us luck getting through the political rally!
We did get back without delay except that we had two close shaves – Don and Warren had Indian shaves with a straight razor and all. We were a bit worried when the barber said a brief prayer before he started!
Team Kolkata 2014
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