Catching up

Bharat Bharti
We've finally sorted out the contracts with the management. Our activities there are as follows: Monday, Tuesday, Friday - English; Saturday - crafts and physical experiences. Additionally, audio book recording and OCR scans (my favourite s o far). We arrive by 10 o'clock, and the kids surprise us: "Good morning M'am, Sir". They can literally smell and feel us. Following Aristotel, me and Anine should be made of "ether”, or the sixth matter :)

The first thing to do before engaging in any activities with the blind would be learning their names. In our first classes I haven't met this article properly. I'd thump the table space next to a desired kid to gain his attention. We were asserted 13 of them - youngest ones. They already know how to take the full advantage of the remaining sensory perception, they'd mastered Brail long ago, move freely around ashram unsupervised. They are 5 to 9 years old.

Besides the name, we learned the extent of their disability as well. Majority were born completely blind, whilst a few show dark/light sensitivity. Most importantly, a few have a so called MD (multiple disability), usually mental retardation. Getting their attention, working with and anticipating the feedback are challenging, patience consuming.

Third and the final rule, never help a blind one to move around the ashram. For example, there is a beautiful 5 year old girl, with fully impaired vision. She is new in the school, and just started learning how to be independent. Sometimes me and Anine couldn't resist the temptation to help her around when she was going to the toiled or coming back from it. in contrast, the others are sharp orienteers, no assistance needed. Well, not the clearest explanation of my point, but nothing is certain here anyways :)
This Saturday we had a massage session. Even the elders showed up as it's a school free day (2nd Saturday of the month is a Hindu holiday). Girls and boys sat separately, facing forwards each others back on a mat, and massaged. Anine knew a great deal in it, I contributed my own moves as well. We played Chopen and Steve Vai. Kids love solos!
Our award, a lunch with the blind, was sponsored by the local wedding. We'd been hearing the wedding march for a few days then, and knew that smth big was happening. Now, the jigsaw solved itself and manifested in a great WEDDING FOOD. Traditionally, too much food is made for Indian weddings, hence the orphanages and schools for poor are given the surplus. That day I enjoyed rice and curry, black beans, cauliflower, mango pickle and "an unnamed long white vegetable".
I couldn't imagine a better beginning...

Still digesting the sloppy lunch remains, we headed towards Dhalpur and Kullu hospital in particular. Behind it, Kullu electricity transformators reside. You can hear the electrical orchestra playing in the wires. Tajender's father is a manager there, and Tajender himself is one f our beloved Bharat Bharti students. He kindly invited Anine and me to have a dinner.

His Mom and Papa showed extraordinary curiosity about the lifestyles of Norway and Russia ;D As a rule of thumb, if a person fails to realize Lithuania's lcation on the globe, I concede being a Russian. What a paradox, to say the least! They were shocked to know that "Russians" eat pork, beef, mutton and chicken. Even more, "we" have it for lunch as well. Despite the cultural abyss, they loved me and served their best foods. Matar Paneer, Alu Ghubi, Shimla apple and for desert - sweet rice with Ghee. Importantly, everything was made from their own products. Tajender's family has big farm in Shimla, they grow apples worth 4 lakhs and 3 cows. Ghee is not atypical butter, because it's liquid and warm. Certainly a product of the backward refrigerator industry. We talked on "love" and "politics".


Manali School
We've finally had our first class with the Nepali kids in Manali. There are 20 students o both gender and ages from 3 to 13. The elder ones speak a great deal of English and play basketball at NCAA level to say the least. We agreed to spend 5 hours each Wednesday and it'll stay as our main priority. School is a 4 room building undergoing a re-construction lately. There is no electricity, nor the 6 walls.

Cobblers
I've finished the 1st season of The Wire. Why did I start watching it? Probably, to compensate for the lack of Western culture. Vicariously watching people die and sniff crack. Eerie, but familiar :) Not as if I was a great fan of these activities, but I'm simply missing Hollywood, and He is missing me. It's challenging for the Bollywood producers to sell violence (not as much as it was 30 years earlier though), as long as melodramas and "soapy" movies prevail.

Throughout the last 10 days lots of personal issues prevented me from "opening up". I was reading on neuroscience "Foundations of evolutionary neuroscience" and Marx. I always regretted not taking a closer look at the latter, instead of perversely slandering his image.

Dushera starts soon, and tomorrow Papu's bringing us to Manali - a real Indian wedding. He promised us a delicate cultural pearl, we'll see about that.

Meanwhile, the calendar strikes 13 months. Our first kiss being 13 months old, I'm a happy father, though 13 is a sad number. Probably one day we'll stop counting months, as they'll be shadowed by the years, decades, and from what I've read and future medical care promises - centuries TOGETHER! You stir up my temporal lobe - I cannot remember my name, You cause lesions in the orbitofrontal cortex - I lose my mind... Sheldon couldn't have said it better, but those things happen when I think of You!