Anti-campaigning

December 28, 2024 SFLeave a comment

Anti-nuke

In the 1970s and 1980s, in my early adult years I joined political campaigns and demonstrations. I believe — that’s part of our democratic rights — nowadays the right wing media might label it woke in a divisive way.

We marched and disrupted against war in principle and the locating of US Cruise missiles in the U.K., in particular.

More recently I’ve revisited one of those places and had people from the military on my training workshops. For example, I participated in research about drone bees on Greenham common ewhere the cruise missile airfield is now closed. I’ve also had a manager from the warfare research institute attend one of my corporate workshops (on ethics 🤔🤭) in London.

Non-violent campaigns.

There’s a long tradition of this around the world, given focus and energised by Mahatma Gandhi in the campaigns against the autocratic, racist British colonialists in India

In addition to anti-nuke demos from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament or CND (1950s onwards so before I was born) we campaigned against apartheid and fascism.

Modern day examples might be seen as the response to Gaza

BUT in countries around the world governments (for example in the U.K.) are legislating against peaceful demonstrations or intimidating demonstrators through arrest (or in India demolishing their homes.)

Our democracy is diminished through these actions. Our rights to challenge and demonstrate are critical parts of an active participative democracy.

Footnote

Let’s be absolutely clear and challenge a blatant untruth here in India.

The demonstrations in the west against the inhuman attacks on Gaza are organised and attended by a great big mix of different people from all communities including Jews and Muslims.

How people find us

December 28, 2024December 28, 2024 SFLeave a comment

Even in our first year we were no 1 in Mysore on Trip Advisor but there were no contact details. Guests couldn’t quite believe it

As they realised, I’m Yindian, (Indian by marriage, Yorkshire by birth) the Yorkshire bit means I’ll not spend money unnecessarily. (that’s one way of putting it)..

We’d also joke that we only wanted guests that would put the effort in and find us!!

Our Facebook entries also meant we were on Google. All that helped.

AirBnB was our other big thing. We’re still on it but sometimes forget as most guests come as returners, byword of mouth or recommendations.

Just to prove it, here’s some of the reviews from our lovely AirBnB guests.

We can assure you, that we don’t chop people’s heads off

Yours, Alice

Peaks and troughs

December 19, 2024December 19, 2024 SFLeave a comment

The last few weeks have been quite difficult.

In Didion’s book ‘a year of magical thinking’ (well it lasts for longer than a year … like forever) she writes about the vortex, I call it being bushwhacked.

One is ….

Attacked for no apparent reason, as the sadness arises — mainly due to recollections that appear — as if from nowhere.

There’s also a regular hidden sadness that surfaces as intolerant anger.

Sorry everyone.

I’m dealing with CBB — can’t be bothered — but it’ll get sorted.

Here’s the letter I wrote to MAnjula after she slipped through my fingers.

I stumbled across it today. It was as I began my journey through the tunnel of love paddling the thick grief gravy and I remembered….

Manjula the ever-smiler, radiated love like the rays of a sun.

When I can —- I recall the wonderful light she brought into my life — puts the awful loss and memories of her slipping away, into the shade.

So of course, I’m very fortunate.

Keep tidy

December 19, 2024December 19, 2024 SFLeave a comment

Slivers of paper, pencil sharpenings, crisp packets,

Neighbours blame the inconsiderate young people but let’s look a little closer….

Yes it’s adults with babies dumping their diapers (nappies)

A bag full goes in our bin to be collected by the city corporation (MCC).

Why can’t the people give their rubbish to the MCC who collect most mornings?

The fading Firangi (foreign pensioner) chooses to clear it up. My neighbours blame the students and it’s partially true but on closer inspection — it’s the babies shit now smeared all around by the dogs — who’ve adopted the park that’s made it worse.

So all ages are responsible together with their team mates, the dogs…. It’s not just due to the corporation not clearing up. People need to learn to put things in a bin and not expect other to clear up after them.

We had similar problems in the U.K. in the past.

So there was a countrywide campaign, decades ago to stop people littering.

Creativity Days

December 6, 2024December 6, 2024 SFLeave a comment

Were organised by Manjula’s Mysore at Kaliyuvamane, the ‘open’ school that Kaveri attends in Mysore and separately for an NGO working with visually impaired young women.

Why?

… because it’s an ‘alternative’ approach we think reflects our way of thinking and that of the school.

Betty Edward’s writer of ‘Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain’ puts it well…

“throughout many cultures … there is much talk of creativity and our need for innovation and invention. “ …. Yet …

“our education system seems bent on eliminating every last bit of creative perceptual training of the right side of the brain, while overemphasising the skills best accomplished by the left side of the brain: memorising dates, data, theorems, and events with the goal of passing standardised tests.”

Edwards believes that “with careful teaching transfer, drawing and reading together can educate both halves of the brain.”

Indeed the management guru Tom Peters declared innovation as the no 1 competency for successful, thriving organisations. That was also reflected in the work of John W Gardner author of ‘excellence’ and ‘self-renewal: the individual and the innovative society’

As I look into this more, I realise that creativity helps us develop and use the right side of the brain to enhance our perception and to bring meaning into our increasingly complex worlds.

It’s therefore no accident that we’ve promoted “two vital global skills: reading and drawing.”

I hope MAnjula was happy and proud that in her memory we’ve tried to better equip young people for the challenges they’ll face, bringer greater equilibrium and help them find their passion.

Details of our creativity days are here and here

How amazingly

December 3, 2024December 6, 2024 SFLeave a comment

fortunate am I?

A beautiful wife — of many wonders — one of my many gifts from India.

Now in addition to my MAnjula

memories living

in my heart there’s a little thing

Helping fill my life and manage my grief …

Putting it in its place. …

Thank you

MAnjula and Kaveri.

a man, his dog a girl and a tree

December 1, 2024December 1, 2024 SFLeave a comment

Yesterday evening as I was waiting outside a shop selling dots for one’s forehead —

—Manjula used to give them as gifts as we travelled through England—

A woman asked where she was.

I pointed to, inside the shop and after a perplexed reaction, realised she wasn’t asking about the little girl (Kaveri) or Manjula, for that matter, but the dog (Lucie).

The girl was stocking up for the return to school.

I’m well known in my area and in Mysore generally but usually because of my appendage.

I am nothing, not even a number.

…

I once walked into a hotel (restaurant) right on the other side of the city, for the waiter to ask me where’s the dog. He also lived in Siddarthanagar.

So I’m well known for who I’m with …

As of this morning, as I realise, I stick out like a sore thumb as generally there’s rarely other firangis (foreigners) here. There’s a new appendage.

A tree

As I was tossing and turning in the midst of my AWOL, nightly sleep I realised there was only this morning for me to be able to decorate the tree for Christmas.

Kaveri will be going back to school.

Kaveri is here for less than 24 hours and we’ve decorated it together for the past three years since we met. I’ll not see her again until a few days after Christmas Day when we’ll belatedly celebrate Christmas.

A bit too late to do the tree

Plus our usual totem is now too big and heavy for the hall aka lounge.

What to do?

Easy

Get up before the girls and after walking as man and dog, I go out again, to the nearest ‘nursery’. It’s run by guys from UP on the roadside. I haggle with them from the Firangi-Gora (white) — tax – price, to something resembling the price a local would pay. About half.

Then as I’m trudging home— convincing myself that I’m exercising my muscle diminishing 60+ years arms —- with very regular rests. I realised I’m another spectacle of the foreigner ‘variety’ who is entertaining the locals, especially the men at the chai shop and the women sweeping the streets. They’re interested as no one can possibly work out why the rich foreigner is carrying a tree and not using an auto rickshaw.

A wonderful young man, rescues me from the ordeal of the last stretch, stops for me to balance precariously on the back of his bike and gets me home.