Posted on January 23, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with 3 comments

Me, Sister Beena and Sister Josie

Hard to believe, but I have reached the halfway point of my six month sojourn in India. I can’t think of one day when something unusual didn’t happen. India is full of surprises and revelations… and I have only seen a tiny fraction of the country.

As many of you know, I “ entered the convent” on December 30^th. There are two large gates that open on to driveway before you reach the property. Most of the time the gates are closed. One of the staff lets traffic in and out but he has many other duties so often the gates are unattended. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the grounds are quite lovely with many large palm trees and plenty of flowers and vegetation giving it a tropical, paradisiacal feel.

Besides all of their charitable work, the Sisters operate a B@B on the premises and the office faces the gates. With the best internet connection on the property, the patio outside the office is a gathering spot for staff and guests. With people coming from all corners of the globe, it is a great venue for sharing life and travel experiences.

So, the other day a small group of us were chatting when I looked up and saw a large, black cow grazing in the flower garden, 50 feet from the office next to a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I looked up and sure enough, the front gates had been left open and the cow had ambled down and found a patch of sweet, green grass.

How many of you remember the 1960’s sitcom, “The Flying Nun?”  It was about a surfer girl who decides to become a nun. She weighed 90 pounds and when the wind was right, she could fly and often got herself into predicaments, much to the chagrin of the Mother Superior.

Sister Josie, one of the Daughters of Mary, happened by and when she say the cow, she took flight. I don’t think Usain Bolt could have covered that 50 feet any quicker. She started yelling and the cow, realizing its life was in peril, took off up the road towards the gate. I learned later, that Sister grew up on a farm. With her habit flapping in the breeze as the chase unfolded, I was thinking that I’ll call Sister Josie, “ The Flying Nun” from this point forward.

And while we are on this bovine theme, you are probably not aware that there is a major protest going on in Southern India right now involving bulls. Kanyakumari is in the state of Tamil Nadu and this state has a tradition called Jallikattu which is celebrated during the festival of Pongal. Somewhat akin to the “running of the bulls” in Pamplona, Spain, bulls are released into the streets while multiple human participants attempt to latch on to the large hump of the bull with both arms. The bulls are returned ( alive )  to their owners after the event has taken place.

PETA ( Persons for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ) convinced the government and the courts to ban the practice,  siting cruelty to the bulls. The long and short of this is that the state has ceased to function. Quiet and respectful student protests have turned into massive rallies throughout the state forcing the cancellation of school and universities. Railways, a key transportation link for people, have been shut down and just about every business has closed its doors. As I write this, it appears that the government is going to back down and reinstate the practice. I posted a video clip the other day. Just when you thought India couldn’t get noisier, the Jallikutta protests have turned the decibel levels up a few notches. At Saturday mass, the Jesuit priest spoke for several minutes before mass started. I quizzed him afterwards and he told me that his mini lecture was about Jallikutta. He is 100% supportive of the protests.

Thanks to the generosity of people back home, the Sisters have been able to purchase 5 wheelchairs and 5 wheelchair tricycles for the leprosy community next door. I will be posting a story later this week about some other projects that require financial assistance.

“ When E.F Hutton ( Smith Barney ) talks, people listen.” Those of us collecting Old Age Security ( still not crazy about this name. I don’t feel “old”. ) remember the successful ad campaign from this iconic investment bank. I have my own version of this slogan: “ When Mother Superior speaks, Len listens.”

While I didn’t receive the message in person, I was asked (?) if I would give English language training to 8 noviciates for the month of February. These are young women who are planning on joining the order. Mother Superior wants them to have a working knowledge of the English language. True, I was a school teacher way back when but I have never taught ESL so I reached out to a friend from back home for some advice. She suggested that I keep things really simple with such a short time frame. I was thinking that I would start them off by having them learn the words to “Barrett’s Privateers” or “American Pie!”

Once again, I will be dusting off an old skill set. All jokes aside, I will definitely use music as a teaching tool.

At the end of my e-mail exchange ( thanks to E.M.I. ), my friend left me with these words: “ Good luck, Len. I’m sure the Sisters will do well. Motivation is a powerful tool.” To which I replied, “ I know the Sisters will do well. I’m more concerned about the instructor!”

Play your “trump” card this week. Be kind to others.

Have a great week.

Posted on January 19, 2017 under Faces in the Crowd with no comments yet

“ My dream is to be a small business owner. I would love to be self sufficient.”

Meet B. Krishnamma.

Krishnamma was born in the small Indian village of Chowtakunta Palli. She has two sisters and two brothers. Her father was a farmer who died in 2016. Because there were so many mouths to feed, she and her siblings could not go to school. Every set of hands on the farm was important. Hard work is all that she has known since she was a child.

She married and she and her husband, B Anjaneyulu , have two adult sons. Her husband has not been able to work for some time now because of bad knees. Krishnamma is a landless farmer, working as a labourer for other farmers. Her income is important to the family but she is quick to point out that her son, Prakash is the major bread winner in the family. He drives a tractor and his income is crucial to the family’s well being. Their other son is in the army.

She has been a member of a Self Help Group ( SHG ) for close to 15 years. “Many small villages in rural India are faced with problems of poverty, illiteracy, lack of skills and  poor health care. These are problems that cannot be attacked individually but can be better solved through group efforts. Self help groups have become the vehicle of change for the poor and the marginalized.” ( VOICE 2008 ).

People are born to be leaders and the community recognized early on that Krishnamma was the best person to give a voice to the community. For many years, she held the position as leader of the village SHG.

Just over a year ago, nine landless women formed a group with the assistance of MAS. MAS is an organization dedicated to providing technical expertise and education to groups like the landless women farmers. It was no surprise that Krishnamma was elected as group leader of Kanaka Durga Sakthi Sangham. They meet on the 23^rd. of each month to discuss challenges and look for solutions. They begin their meetings with a song about empowerment. The lyrics are powerful :  “ There is light in our lives. All together we can defeat poverty. We must have unity.” Each member of the group contributes 50 rupees a month and this money is used to loan money to the poorest of the poor in the group when the need arises.

As leader of the group, Krishnamma, feels that she has gained a sense of empowerment. “ While we may be poor financially, we all feel mentally stronger and more confident due to the interventions of MAS. One of the most important things that MAS has done is to make our group aware of other programs that we can access through various levels of government. And being able to loan money to ourselves, has been the biggest change in our lives.”

Krishnamma realizes that there is a long way to go before she and other members of the group can improve their lot in life but she is confident that this will come in time. As mentioned before, hard work and determination define Krishnamma and her neighbors.

Her neighbors and friends speak about her glowingly. “ She is our leader. She is a good listener and a good speaker. She has picked up a lot of knowledge over the years which she shares with us. “ They dream some day of collectively owning their own enterprise like a flour mill.

When that day comes and they cut the ribbon to officially launch their business, don’t be surprised to see Krishnamma holding the scissors. She wasn’t able to go to school but she has been a student her entire life.

Her greatest gift to her village is her leadership.

“ Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world.” Margaret Mead

 

Posted on January 17, 2017 under News & Updates with one comment

 

The leprosy community adjacent to the Daughters of Charity convent in Kanyakumari, India  requires  5 specialized hand powered wheelchair tricycles for individuals who are unable to pedal. The cost of each tricycle is $200 Canadian ( 10,000 rupees ).

Their home is about one kilometer away from town, the market and the ocean and for some, the only way to get there is by auto rickshaw or cab . For many, this is not an option because of the cost.

Providing a means of transportation gives them options, opportunities, dignity and independence.

If you , personally, or a group of your friends , would like to purchase one of these tricycles, please private message me or send me an e-mail at lenpdmacdonald@gmail.com.

Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely,

Len