Signs

Losing a loved one opens our minds to all sorts of possibilities.

On my grief journey. I’ve had some surprises.

Manjula, as a Hindu, believed in reincarnation. I supported her and completed the rituals to help her spirit find its new body.

I’ve read many books and gained support in trying to understand what might happen after death. But …

After watching this Netflix documentary I complained to Manjula that I’d not seen or heard a sign. Maybe I’d missed it.

The very next day, I was standing, with a friend, on the rug in the centre of the downstairs lounge at our old house.

A dragonfly (acknowledged as a potential messenger from the ‘other side’) flew in.

It tightly circled the two of us — one — two — three times as we stood in the centre of the room. It then landed on the ‘M’ (on Manjula’s pennant) on the wall nearby.

I opened the doors and windows and encouraged (arms flapping) the dragonfly to leave the house.

The next morning Sowbhagya found the dead dragonfly on the wooden cabinet, underneath the framed photo of MAnjula where we hang flowers and lights in her memory.

I’d failed to get it to leave.

This year we’ve moved to a new house. It’s extra challenging as the previous house is the one MAnjula and I had shared for nine years.

Most of the furniture had gone and so this was one of the last removal trips.

As I walked across the room there was a crunch underfoot.

It was the cow head that had been hanging between the two pennants. It had fallen on the floor and I’d broken it again as I stepped on it.

I looked up to the place it had fallen from. The two pennants were completely reversed and facing the wall.

How is that possible?

Seems like an acknowledgement, a message, a sign to me. Who knows?

I generally have an open attitude. A belief that anything is possible. Life is complex, much of which we don’t understand and there are layer upon layer to discover.

Clearly. I’m open to the signs.

Thank you MAnjula.

Maybe Billet-Doux was one too.

Billie too

A teeny tiny kit came to sit on my lap on a visit to the local chai shop.

I guessed — she wanted to be adopted.

I wasn’t prepared to, so I gently shooed her away.

Later that evening, the first image you can see on this video appeared on my Facebook page. It was from exactly five years before when MAnjula and I adopted a ginger cat.

We called him Billie, only to discover he wasn’t male so we changed it to Billi reflecting the Hindi word for cat.

He disappeared one day and never returned.

The next day after the photograph appeared I went out to find the new kitten.

It seemed like a message from MAnjula to adopt this new kitten in memory of ours, that we’d lost.

I announced this to my Facebook friends and called him ‘Billi too’ as a play on ‘two.’

Some of them were not impressed with the name as it clearly was a message from MAnjula and this should be acknowledged in the cat’s name.

So I callled her Billet-Doux which means sweet (or love) letter in French as it was a love letter from MAnjula.

Was this a sign?

How cool!?

The video also includes images of Billet-Doux and her kittens.

Manjula continues to be with us in many wonderful ways.

So what is CSR

(or Corporate Social Responsibility)?

You’d be forgiven for feeling confused. It can mean something seemingly quite different to many people but that’s not surprising as so many different individuals, groups and organisations have a stake in it. 

So here’s a quick rundown of some of the key perspectives. 

At its simplest it’s corporate philanthropy, (funding community organisations and projects), it works well when it also involves ‘help in kind’ through actual people’s involvement and action, but in its broadest sense it also means ethical standards, positive caring values reflecting how the business and its representatives behave. This might show itself  in who and how they recruit, how they treat customers, suppliers and employees, their role in the wider community. 

It’s therefore part of a wider agenda of CR or Corporate Responsibility and relates to all aspects of a business. That includes its policies and practices, its people’s behaviour and is reflected in how they’re perceived as a part of wider society. 

Strategically it relates to the business overall and its success beyond making a profit.  It covers policy, management, marketplace, workplace, environment and community. Handled well it actually enables it to be a more successful business.

Nowadays it’s sometimes known as environmental, social, and governance or ESG

It’s actually about doing good and having a positive impact. 

..,

The legal situation for businesses in India

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India is a legally binding obligation. Under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013, eligible companies are mandated to spend at least 2% of their average net profits from the preceding three years on approved socio-economic and environmental initiatives

Lifted from the Internet.

India leads the way in making CSR mandatory for certain larger businesses. It’s voluntary for smaller businesses and all throughout the world.

Stephen 

Now lives in Mysore South India. He’s worked in all sectors, community groups, Non government organisations, government itself, large and small commercial businesses. 

All of those are relevant to this subject. In particular he was a consultant and trainer (he prefers facilitator) on corporate responsibility (includes CSR) and developing people , communities and changing organisations; utilising leadership, experiential learning, managing diversity.

In particular he worked for HRH the Prince of Wales’s (now King Charles) NGO called ‘Business in the Community’ and continued to deliver workshops (on CR) for them until 2019.

He’s worked with commmunities and businesses in U.K. and India and it’s included: 

Princes’ Seeing Is Believing events and related events in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore 

Workshops on Corporate Responsibility (delivered by Stephen to hundreds of businesses in U.K. and India) , motivating employees, stakeholder dialogue, diversity and managing change. 

Individual consultancy, leadership and team development.

Working with Oracle, CISCO, TATA, Veolia, Royal Mail, EDS, E&Y, KPMG, Camelot, amongst others.

So he’s lived and breathed the subject through all his careers. 

He now leads a small tourism business in South India that proudly engages in supporting young people in its local community. 

More than mango.

These are all in the street opposite our house.

Gulmohar (Delonix regia) is a stunning tropical tree famous for its fern-like leaves and vibrant, flame-colored flowers. Native to Madagascar, it is widely planted in India and tropical regions worldwide as an ornamental street tree

The Tree (Royal Poinciana)

Often called the Royal Poinciana or Flame Tree, the Gulmohar thrives in warm climates and blooms brilliantly during the hottest summer months (typically April through June). [123]

… lifted from t’internet.

SB rises to the challenge

Climbing trees

Finding and moving house

Looking after Kaveri

Shopping

Welcoming Guests

Eating

Activity

Tolerance

Robustness

Nursing

Holidaying

Mango cropping, making Lassi and clearing up afterwards

Thank you Sowbhagya

A garden takes work

Our garden provides enjoyment.

I’m sitting out in it now awaiting someone from the MCC to take away the waste.

It’s not only for sitting out.

It’s also provided hundreds of Mangoes for friends, family and neighbours (plus squirrels, birds including parakeets, and fruit bats) to share.

There’s still the later fruit smashing into the ground around me now. — They were too high to reach and crop.

We already know the MCC horticultural department and the commissioner from our partnership to creating Manjula’s memorial garden (see below).

We hope they can pick it up. We don’t want to see more waste dumped by the roadside.

Kaveri’s team

Manjula’s Mysore has now Supported Kaveri for over three years.

We’ve sponsored Kaveri’s education, extra tuition and a few other activities, including holidays in Kannur and Wayanad

Our ….

Network of friends in India and abroad with experience as parents, teachers, educationalists, theatre, communication, child development, social work, women’s empowerment, diversity, and community development. 

Are impressed with the physical, social and educational progress she’s shown.

Thanks to …

All of you. You know who you are. It’s made a big difference and Kaveri has become an important part of my life

Learning includes:

Holidays 

Exploring

Meeting new people 

Beliefs and Behaviour, effective communication has begun and will include:

Establishing Morals and values while developing competencies and life skills including: 

  • Thinking skills. 
  • – Lateral and Innovative 
  •  – thinking hats
  •  – mind mapping 
  • Critical thinking 
  • Kohlberg’s stages of moral development 
  • Effective Communication
  • – Listening 
  • – English Language, spoken and written 
  • – Presentation 

If possible: 

  • Theatre 
  • Martial Arts 

To me she’s a real star.

An adventure

The three musketeers went into the city to negotiate for a new piece of art we’d seen the day before

Their mission was to get a good discount on the asking price

They were a great success🙂

The winning Musketeers are Kaveri with her two new friends: Naimishambha and Pragathi, lovely, confident girls.. daughters of Deepak who works with our friend Florian.

They’re seen here with Maïlis, Sowbhagya and Stephen

It’s got pride of place in our new lounge, highlighting Manjula with her pals Lucie and Ganesh

Billet-Doux had to get in on the act.