Take me to the River, September 26, 2008

What an amazing day! First day I've had to relax in a long time with no agendas and no place to be. And the weather has just been amazing! Monsoon season seems to have ended with the days sunny and bright and in the high 80's F Low 30's C. Perfect, perfect weather.

After a leisurely breakfast at Alias I did some work on the computer, had a quick lunch at Anu's and then Christian and I headed to the river. I was keen to see if I could follow Caron's directions since we ended up going with Stuart the last time and he knew a different way. Sure enough, a left on the main road out of Gokulam, follow that until it dead ends, then another left and a right at the pink temple. The river was at the end of a long dirt road. The scenery was beautiful! See full photoset.

It may have just been the quietest place in India. We ran across a couple of groups of men who were napping after having a picnic. The place was also teaming with birds. Herons and others that I know I should know the names of. A bright teil Kingfisher flew right in front of me as I was riding back, dipped into the water and past me again. Very cool.

After the long ride in the sun we were ready for some ice cream and went to the gelato place. Yes, believe it or not, there's a great gelato place in Gokulam. My first time there but apparently Christian is a regular. Yummy!

Tonight it's popcorn and chick flicks! No practice tomorrow and I plan to have a lie in...until 6 or 7 at least! :)

Kabini days two and three. The picture says it all. An unbelievable 3 tigers spotted in 2 days!!!!

Just realised I never linked the pictures yesterday. See here for complete photoset.

After my lie in until 6AM I got woken up by a rap on the door. Tea or coffee? I’ve succumbed to coffee once again. It’s so good in India being grown and roasted here. The jeep came a few minutes later to take us back to the jungle. A few deer and peacocks today, nothing more. We were treated to a ride on the river in a round boat made out of bamboo and tarpaulins. We saw cormorants, egrets, one kingfisher which I couldn’t spot and lots of beautiful scenery.

We were taken directly to breakfast at 9. Mixture of east (dosas, halva, rice, sambar) meets west (toast, jam, eggs, potatoes). It was good.

I spent a nice, leisurely afternoon sitting outside on my patio overlooking a cricket game. Tonight we went back into the jungle by boat. We took a motor boat up the river to watch for game on the banks. There were 2 boats and the other saw elephants. Unfortunately there were none for us to see.

What we did see though was an amazing 2 more tigers! These guides have a sixth sense as to where they will be. Our boat driver saw some movement on the river bank and idled up slowly to the shore. Sure enough. Tiger! Unfortunately we had part of a corporate group with us and they weren’t impressed and wouldn’t shut up until Neha, one of the women on the boat started yelling at him. You go girl! In fact, I was impressed by both Neha and Jyothi...more on them later...but the Durga really came out in them.

The second tiger was fleeting and all we really saw was his hind quarters as he ran away. We started to come away and about 200 meters later there was another one! We saw this one in it’s entirety and he posed for us. First full on face then profile. Amazing to say the least! He was only about 20 meters away. The other boat got so excited they ran into us!

My pictures came out blurry but the one above was caught by Pranev (not sure I spelled his name right). A very smart, very charming 11 year old Indian boy who wants to be a chef and likes Chelsea Football Club and Iron Maiden. Not exactly a combination I would have expected...especially from someone his age.

The weather was nice and the 6 of us (Pravev’s parents Ajit and Jyothi, Rakesh and Neha and myself) intended to go to the campfire. We made it as far as Rakesh and Neha’s cottage for a drink (my first in months) and then to dinner. The 6 of us ended up going on 3 of the 4 safaris together (only Ajit and myself made the last one) and got to be friends. I really enjoyed meeting all of them. Ajit and Jyothi are from Bangalore. He’s an accountant for HP and she’s a writer for a marketing company. Rakesh and Neha are from Pune and he owns his own business and she is a psychologist working for a media company. Meeting them made my trip even more enjoyable and confirmed what I’ve always found before that travelling on your own can be quite fun.

Rakesh and Neha went on to Mysore and I actually caught up with them for breakfast this morning (Monday). They’ve invited me to visit them in Pune, which I’d really quite like to do schedule allowing.
Pranev, the 11 year old Iron Maiden fan proud as punch after taking the "money shot" of tiger #3.

Me, Pranev, Jyothi, Ajit, Neha, Rakesh on our last morning.

Again I have the wrong clothes, one of the weirdest massages ever and, oh yeah, I saw a tiger!!!!, Kabini River Lodge, September 19, 2008

Story of my life. For someone who hates being cold I never end up with the proper clothing when I travel. I just blissfully think that where ever I go will be warm. Why would I choose to go someplace cold when I hate the cold??? That’s crazy right?

Normally it’s not so bad. An excuse to shop, really. Hard to do though when you’re in an Indian national wildlife refuge, owned by the government of Karnataka (the state I’m in) and one of the few places that has not succumbed to commercialism. So unfortunately, there are no “I saw a tiger in the wild and lived to tell about it” sweat shirts for sale in the gift shop (in fact there’s no gift shop). Looks like I’ll be in the same pair of denim capris and Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute sweatshirt (which I actually brought to sleep in) for 3 days. Oh well, who do I have to impress?

So, where is this haven of non-commerciality? Kabini River Lodge, where the Maharaja of Mysore used to come to hunt, is now one of the leaders in eco tourism in the world. Kabini is at the edge of Nargahole National Wildlife Reserve. I didn’t know a lot about Nargahole until I saw a doco they showed before dinner (which was served at 8:30! Wayyy to late for this yoga student.)

Nargahole has been protected since the 1970’s and is a model of wildlife conservation. They have one of, if not the largest numbers of tiger populations in the wild. That bodes well for the entire eco system since the tiger is at the top of that.

There are 3 things to do at Kabini: see wildlife (there are two safaris a day), have a treatment as the ayurvedic spa (one of the weirdest massages ever...see below) and rest (I actually took one of the very few naps in my life here this afternoon.)

I arrived this morning around 10:30, driven as usual in an old Ambassador (is there any other kind?) Ganesh’s driver was, as usual, courteous, safe and without very much command of the English language. He was very nice and tried to point out landmarks along the way, but all I really got was the identification of a sporting field at Mysore University (which I could have figured out myself by the appearance of what I was looking at and the sign above it saying “Mysore University”.) He did manage to communicate that the road we were on for the last 10 kilometers was the old road (to say the least, there were more holes than road) and that the new road was “black”. I’m still trying to figure that one out.

When I arrived there was the usual Indian flurry and conferring amongst several individuals. I knew right away they didn’t have my reservation (luckily I managed to keep track of and remember to bring with me the booking slip I got from Seagull Travel when I paid for my room) but they never told me that. They gave me several stories including that the previous guest had not checked out (when it was obvious they were far from full). I figured I’d be okay because they were so empty so I went to the restaurant to get a chai while they figured it out. To compensate for my inconvenience they gave me a huge room in the Maharaja’s bungalow itself. Newly renovated and quite nice.

After I’d settled in I decided that I’d quite like to treat myself to a massage. I’ve had 2 ayurvedic massages in the past and they’ve both been pretty weird. This one was no different but had the added angle of being highly uncomfortable since I was laying on a big wooden table with absolutely no padding. Even the Three Sisters (see previous post) had a rubber mat on their garage floor (the door of which being secured by a fork). This had nothing, nadda, zip. I have an extremely protruding tail bone, so needless to say it was not comfortable whilst on my back. My front was not much better since they made me lay with my chin on a vinyl cushion and not turn it to one side. I thought I’d developed lock jaw after being in that position for 1/2 hour.

The massage itself was okay. Two women worked on my simultaneously. It seems the object of this type of treatment is to pour as much oil on me as they possibly could and to rub me in long sweeping motions as vigorously as possible. It was more for circulation than muscle tension relief. They were going at it so vigorously in fact that my g string (useless thing that that is) came loose several times and they had to keep tying it (why they bothered is beyond me since they were now familiar with every other inch of me.

To make matters worse I could barely hear myself think because the guy in reception had the TV on as loudly as possible so he could get the latest breaking coverage of the bomb blasts in Delhi. More bomb blasts in Delhi (yawn).

Something must have worked though, I was actually able to fall asleep as I lay down to nap.

Then at 3:30 I went back to the restaurant for my first safari. I’ll let the pictures tell the story. Lots of deer, monkeys, peacocks, a few wild boar and just before we left the park the jeep came to a screeching halt! The guide jumped out and wildly exclaimed tiger, tiger, tiger! About 300 meters away we saw a shape walking along the far side of the river. All we could really make out without binoculars was that the shape was orange. With the binocs we could clearly see...tiger! He (for the guide said this was a male) had the courtesy to lay down for use to watch him for about 15 minutes before he got up and strode back the way he came.

Even though Nargahole has one of the largest populations of tigers they are still a rare sight as they keep to themselves. The doco described them as ghosts. I felt quite lucky and awe inspired to see this majestic beast in its natural habitat. Long may he remain there!

New Apartment, September 16, 2008

I’ve moved into a new apartment for the remainder of my time here. I LOVE it! My own space (which is a bit weird after living with people for the last 2 1/2 months.) It’s much quieter than Joseph’s (no barking dogs!!!) and having a two bedroom apartment all to myself gives me a lot more space! The internet connection is exponentially faster which makes life a lot nicer as well.

The apartment belongs to a woman named Saskia, who lives here fairly permanently apparently. That’s her dog on the living room wall. She’s had the same maid, Camela, for 5 years. I wasn’t here to meet her today but came home to find my bed made, dishes done and the house completely clean. Well, all but the bathroom. Apparently that’s below her caste. I was able to arrange “a boy” from Tina to come over so I got those done this morning and (I think) arranged for him to come over twice a week. I say “I think” because all I really got was a head wobble when I asked him. He’s charging me an arm and a leg by Indian standards, but it’s only costing me $3 NZ to get my toilets cleaned. A bargain in my book!

New Kirtanist, September 14, 2008

Alia’s (Om Cafe) hosted a new and I think professional Kirtanist who’s just arrived in Mysore. Ganesh played the Tablas again. Both were wonderful! I walked out of there buzzing! The night also collected donations to benefit “Operation Shanti”.

New Coconut Guy, September 14, 2008

I was sitting at the pool today reading the Bhagavad Gita (as you do). The chapter I was reading talked about cycles of life. Actually it talked about the creation and dissolution of the universe and the endless cycles of that creation and dissolution. That was a bit too much to get my head around so I related it to the cycles of life. And so too I was met with a new cycle today. One that I wasn’t sure how I felt about until I learned who he was.

As I walked from the shala there was a truck parked more or less where Bek used to park his, but turned the other way. A young man was tentatively chopping coconuts for the students, assisted by an older man. The young man had a great smile, which should have tipped me off but it wasn’t until later that day at conference that I found out who he was.

Sharath said he didn’t want anyone to take Bek’s place as Bek had served yoga students coconuts for 15 years and he wanted everyone to think about Bek. But then Bek’s son approached Sharath and asked permission to take his father’s place. How could he deny that. And so a new cycle begins, and I’m happy to give my 20 rupees over to him.

The bitter and the sweet, September 12, 2008

It's been a bitter sweet week this week. The bitter of course being the news that Bek, the coconut guy passed away. That's been very sad but some sweet things are coming out of it as well (see below). The big sweet being Saraswati's birthday yesterday. It's fitting that one of the most beautiful women on the planet was born on a day that will be remembered with grief, pain and sorrow. To all things there is a balance.

Joseph bought her a beautiful eggless chocolate cake from the Southern Star and Robbie (one of the world's nicest men and Joseph's newest guest from San Francisco) and I bought her flowers. We went down at 4:30 when she was teaching the locals. It was awesome! She was so pleased. Several other students brought her flowers as well and by the time we left (after trying the cake) the stage was filling up rapidly with her gifts.

The other sweet is the outpouring of generosity by the students towards Bek's family. There has been a memorial set up where his coconut truck used to be. Many donations are being collected and many students are stopping to say prayers. Thomas at Santosha is also preparing another vegetarian feast tonight for a fund raiser dinner for Bek's family. Matt Corigliano is planning to lead whoever wants to go with him to Bek's house on Monday to present the money to the family.

There are a few other things happening memorial wise as well. Apparently Sharath is going to do a prayer for him at conference on Sunday and on Tuesday Matt is taking a few of us to a place on the river where there are several temples and they do pujas for the dead. We'd been talking about going there for the last month. It seems the time is right now.

The big sweet for me is that Sharath suggested that I learn a specific type of pranayama for my asthma so I got instruction on that and have been practicing it. I don't know if it's that or what but since I've been doing pranayama my meditations and my savasanas have been awesome! The other day I felt like I was floating even before I laid down to go into savasana.

The other sweet for me is that I was finally back in the shala today after missing 3 days for "ladies holiday." Good practice. Nice, even breath, lots of strength and flexibility. Fell out of headstand though. I was really confident going into it and I think I got cocky. Got up right away and went right over. At least I had the presence of mind to flatten my hands so I didn't squash my nuckles like I did the first time. Couldn't get back up so Sharath came over and held my legs for the rest of the 15 counts. (I thought I'd gotten past this! :( ) Then he put me into the 1/2 bend which about killed me. After enough whimpering he finally let me go. My last goal before I leave Mysore is to get up and stay up in headstand for his full 15 counts!

Funny week this one. After 3 days out I finally went back today and tomorrow is rest, then another led class Sunday, Monday moon day and then the rest of the week. I'm missing next week's led class on Sunday too for a trip out of town.

I decided to have a lazy Mysore Friday today. I've been doing too much running around and needed a day of rest. I had a leaving breakfast for Laura from San Francisco this morning (bought some killer pants from her that she's just designed which I can't wait to wear). After my 2 1/2 hour breakfast I wandered over to the salon across from the shala and had a manicure, pedicure, hair trim, brow shape and a great facial...all for $19 US.

Now it's time for some reading before I head over to Santosha. I also think I'll try the Kirtan at the Rama Krishna Ashram this evening (if I can stay awake until 8:00)!

Farewell to Bek, we'll miss you! September 10, 2008

My friend Sarah left today and I was going to write about the transient nature of life in Mysore and how that shapes the community, shapes your experience within the community and maybe even shapes your own life. People come and go in Mysore. It's a fact of life. People arrive every day and people leave every day. But during the time you share with people here you can get to know them really deeply. Sometimes in just a few days. You can get to know them so well that you feel like you've known them for a lifetime. You may not even know their last name until you hurriedly exchange email addresses before they catch their taxi to Bangalore or what they do for a living, but those details pale in comparison to what you do know about them; their hearts desires, their fears, their goals, how this practice has changed their lives. This is what I was going to write about today.

Then, at lunch, I heard some news that pointed out the transient nature of life. As changeable as life is in Mysore there are certain constants. One of those constants, for years, was Bek. Bek sold coconuts to the students as we left the shala after our practice. He was there every day with a cart full of coconuts. As soon as he saw you leave the shala he'd pick one from the pile, hack the top of with his machete grab a straw, stick it through the hole and it would be waiting in his outstretched hand by the time you reached him. If there weren't a lot of students around he'd be there with your second or third as soon as he heard you slurping the last dregs out of the bottom. He knew how many you liked to have after practice, he knew whether or not you liked to eat the meat inside or just liked to drink the juice. He always wore the biggest smile and remembered students from years gone by. And if you didn't have the 10 rupees that was okay, "pay me tomorrow". Unfortunately today, tomorrow never came for Bek. He died of a heart attack last night. No one knew how old he was exactly, but his family was certain he was not yet 50.

I cried when I heard Bek died. I cried because I'm going to miss his smile. I cried because I didn't realise how much he had touched my heart until I heard he was gone. Most of all I cried because I never took the time to find out that he had 5 children who are now without a father, or that he was a Muslim. Details of a life that were unknown to me until I learned of his death.

It made me start to think about how many other people in my life that I take for granted. How many people I interact with on a daily basis who's names I don't even know. It made me start to think about the uncertainty of life and how it can change in an instant.

Hindus believe that this is but one life out of many and that life is a continuous circle of life, growth, change and death. My beliefs are and have been much the same. I believe that Bek, who brought so much happiness to so many in his own small way, will be reborn into a life that will reward him for the impact he made in this one. At least I hope so. But that belief won't stop me from missing his smile when I walk out of the shala tomorrow.

Thank you to Kyle for supplying the great pics.

Magic Afternoon, Saturday September 6, 2008

You know those afternoons or evenings that are just magical? You go to a restaurant and the food is good, the ambiance good and the company and conversation superb? I had one of those experiences today. I met Sarah (my new friend from Sydney) at the palace and took a tour. She didn’t know where Rashinkar’s was so I took her there so she could go mat shopping. I bought one myself (a Mysore rug) which I had embroidered with my name. It cost all of $9.

Afterwards we met Stuart (also from Oz) at the Metropole. I’d never been there for their lunch buffet and had heard great things about it. I wasn’t disappointed. I thought the food was superb!

But better than the food was the company. Sarah and Stuart had met only briefly but Sarah wanted to reconnect with Stuart so I set this lunch up to do so. I’ve gotten to know both of them within the last week or so but it seems like I’ve known them both for a lifetime. And it was one of those conversations that went deep, really deep really fast.

It’s such a pleasure to get to that level with people. Without all the bullshit. Just real feelings, real emotions.

All of us are on the same page. All of us want to deepen our spiritual practices, to actually find a guru (or teacher) that we can learn from and all of us are going to be making some changes when we get back home. We are all worried about being able to keep up what we are learning and fining most valuable in India. We’ve agreed to be a support network for each other.

It was time very well spent.

Why a big, pink, elephant headed man in serious need of weight watchers has taken over India. Friday September 5, 2008

Wednesday was the start of the Ganesha Festival throughout India. Ganesha is probably the most ubiquitous of all deities in India, being revered by all sects and even other philosophies, such as Buddhism. I used to think that Hindu Gods and Goddesses were garish, childish (those who know me well know that I can’t stand animation) and just ugly. I couldn’t relate to them at all. But the longer I’ve spent here the more I’ve grown to like and even love some. I have to admit, I love Ganesha. He’s got the head of an elephant, the body of a man, a big rotund belly and he’s riding a mouse. He’s just as cute as all get out. I love his symbolism as well. Here's what one of the websites says about Ganesha:

“Ganesha's head symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties.

The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata. The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. The laddoo (sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman. His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.”

So how does one celebrate an elephant headed God? See pics here. Well to start off, you go buy a statue of him at one of the many stands along the road.
These statues are typically made of clay and can range from 6 inches to 20 feet tall. Then you set up an alter and do pujas or prayers. Of course it’s not enough to do puja in your own home, you need to go to the local Ganesha temple to pay respects as well.

Luckily we have a Ganesha temple catty corner from our local coconut stand. This one comes complete with its very own fig tree which is quite auspicious being one of the 3 best places to pray. The queues started forming outside of the temple very early in the morning and did not abate until late at night.

I, myself chose to do my puja at Jayashree and Narasimhan’s house in the morning and to go to the temple around 5 in the evening. I met a friend at the temple and then we drove to the Rama Krishna Ashram to check out some classes we’d heard about followed by a light dinner. Light being the operative word for me since I now get up at 3:30 AM every day to practice by 4:30.




There was a laundry across the road from the cafe we were eating at and they’d set up an alter there. When the sun went down they lit some candles, and performed their puja including breaking a piece of crockery on a flame they’d lit in the middle of the road. I don’t know what that was about but it was beautiful! So beautiful I went over and asked if I could take a picture. Well, as soon as any westerner shows interest in them the usual happens, they invite you into their home. We got invited into the laundry and into the next two houses down as well.

A puja is not a puja without food so after my very purposeful light meal I was offered (and of course had to eat every bite of) some sort of sweet chapati (they called it something that sounded like Umberto) with coconut. It was delicious and very filling. We also got about 4 bananas each from doing the rounds of these 2 houses and the laundry. Thankfully I was able to politely decline the cookie they shoved into our hands as we walked out the door. It was actually very sweet and wonderful and what I’m beginning to realise is a common occurance in India.


After our tour of alters we headed back to Gokulam and I checked out the festival grounds where they are having free concerts....apparently for the next 10 days. Everyone was dressed to the nines. There were so many pretty sarees to be seen. Sorry about the blurry pictures but I just had to include them all. I didn’t want to use a flash so I just put my camera on 800 speed ISO but there was too much movement.

So that was Wednesday and it’s now Friday. The celebrations are still going strong. As I write this I can hear the loudspeader blaring announcements and music from 3 blocks away. Sleeping is going to be interesting to say the least. Ahhh, India. If New Zealand is the most beautiful place on Earth, India has to be the loudest.

Why driving a motorbike is a pre-requisite to a mid life crisis. Sunday August 31, 2008

Ever wonder why so many people (usually men) in their 50’s and 60’s suddenly get the desire to drive motorbikes? I used to think that they were trying to recapture their lost youth, and that certainly may be the case for some. But I never drove a motorbike in my youth, never thought that I would drive a motorbike. I’ve heard too many stories of too many horrific accidents. And I’m a sensible person, right?

I was until I was introduced to my lovely Scooty Pep (Indian brand) with the big, pink Ganesha sticker on her front. Okay, so she’s not technically a motorbike. You don’t straddle her like some male conquest. You rider her in a civilised manner with your legs together, making wearing a skirt infinitely more doable. She can’t get up to the high speeds the big boys can attain, but I’m more than satisfied, thrilled really, with dizzying 55KPH (34MPH) I’ve rocketed her up to.

I must have spent a previous incarnation in India or some other equally whacky traffic haven riding one of these because it turns out that I’m infinitely comfortable dodging traffic, vying for a clear path on the local roundabouts, or blazing a trail down a country road rife with potholes. And big trucks and busses don’t scare me no matter how loud their horns are. They can just wait for me to go where I need to go. I have as much right to the road as they do.

Now anyone who knows me well knows that I’m not the most coordinated person in the world and not the best driver. But somehow that works to my advantage here.

Yoga teaches you to go with the flow and I’ve seen no better example of that then driving here. Traffic driving down the wrong side of the road; no problem. People doing crazy crisscrosses around traffic circles; nothing to worry about. It’s all in your non verbal communication; a nod of the head, meeting someone’s eyes, even your posture. Anything that says, “I’ve got this one” or “You go, I’ll wait”.

It’s just so much damn fun! It’s almost as good as being given a new posture at the shala.

So, why is riding a motorbike a pre-requisite to a mid-life crisis? For me it’s the exhilaration of the wind on my face and having nothing between me and the view. It’s also the shear challenge of it!

So what have I done with Scooty?



On Saturday last week Stuart led Christian and I through some really pretty scenery in back country “old India”. Our ultimate destination was the Cauvery River. Several others had been the weekend before and I wanted to see it. Not getting the best directions before they left we relied on Stuart and he took us the way he knew...to a really good restaurant with the best Gobi Manchurian I’ve had yet. On the way back we stopped at a local village and had some chai with the locals.

The boys alloted me exactly three picture taking opportunities on the ride back: two rice paddies, one cane field and a goat. I never saw the goat but got a pic of a woman carrying an enormous bale of hay on her head. While I was taking pictures of one of the rice paddies I saw a family eating a picnic. I asked if I could take their picture and they invited us to eat with them. Here are all of the results.





Then on Sunday several of us carravanned out about 30 kilometres to a big Shiva temple. The temple was nice, but the ride was great. Not as pretty as the day before but fun to drive that long way. See pics here.

One of the girls ran out of petrol so I volunteered to drive to get some more. We asked where the nearest petrol station was and several hands waved us in one direction and said, “two kilometers, madam.” I drove those two kilometers and asked a rickshaw driver, “petrol station?” he pointed down the road in the direction I was going already and said, “two kilometers madam.” When I got two kilometers further I came to a dead end at a major highway, but no petrol station in sight. Guess what? The guys at the bus stop assured me it was a further 2 kilometers. Much to my surprise I ran into one in about 750 meters. Of course I didn’t have a gas can so I carried a litre of petrol back to the bikes in an empty water bottle, praying the entire way I didn’t blow up!

This week I also graduated to taking passengers as well. I’ve been driving someone back and forth to philosophy class downtown and even went through KR Circle, the busiest area in Mysore. I’ve now taken several passengers several different places and am feeling quite confident.

If the weather is nice tomorrow I may head back out to the river. To feel the wind on my face I’ll happily play the part of the stereotype. My new motto is: if the mid-life crisis fits, wear it.

Pratham, August 29, 2008

Today I was lucky enough to see a truly grassroots program in action. Pratham is an educational program run all over India. They go into slums and enlist educated women, who’s husbands don’t let them work, to become teachers. They then recruit as many kids as will fit in their living rooms and teach them in a really fun, supportive way.

This is one of the charities supported by Guruji’s charitable trust so we were invited for a tour. I was one of only about 15 people who accepted the invitation and I’m so happy I did.

Now, I am not overly enamoured with children, as most of you know...but I loved these kids and got some of the best pictures I’ve ever taken. Their faces are incredible! See for yourself.