A helping hand

May 24, 2025May 24, 2025 SFLeave a comment

I led an unusual cycle tour today on Srirangapatnam.

Four teenagers, ok one isn’t yet but no one would know. Were invited to join me for a cycle tour ostensibly to better understand how to be a guide.

My objective which alines with my latest thinking on how we might better prepare young people to be more rounded and better active citizens as they mature.

I’d hoped that the day’s adventure would help improve their confidence, communication and assertiveness.

Big ask but a tiny step.

Coincidentally Kaveri asked me why a horse had blinkers. I lost no opportunity to use the analogy in how it’s important for them to get a wider view.

I delivered the standard tour with more emphasis on how they should manage it, rather than the content.

SB the ever present aid and family member was her usual great support.

After the tour we visited the recently opened car museum

The museum included a similar Mercedes to one I owned in the 90s, my wonderful inactive Ambassador and a candlestick telephone like one at home.

…

I’ve invited them to continue with this journey, if they wish, so that within a year ( much less!) they should be able to lead a tour.

Who knows where it might lead —- greater personal competencies at least.

If it happens— I’m open to them leading tours and maybe taking over and expanding. I have absolutely no expectations.

They’re all very different characters but of course, all have potential.

I was happy with the day.

Who adopted who?

May 19, 2025 SFLeave a comment

… or who’s the boss? Well nobody really.

I refer to how kaveri (age 11) who in a little over three years has matured mentally, physically and socially. It is, of course, a very significant stage in life.

Kaveri (age 11) today with her mum Chandrika at a wedding of a member of the extended family in the village

As you can see she now almost as tall as her mum (age 29?).

I’m proud of her and the little help I’ve been able to be.

Early days, just a little girl, shortly before her eighth birthday.

On reflection, she’s always been quite ‘together’ for her age.

Off to school with her auntie (aka sister)

She’s just about to start her third school since I’ve known her. I’ve promised that Manjula’s Mysore will continue to support her education up to university and maybe beyond.

…

Kaveri, Lucie and I

I’m — as Kaveri puts it — one of her nine mums.

CANDO custard pies.

May 17, 2025May 17, 2025 SFLeave a comment

Getting people to work together and actively engage in their locality is a critical part of participative democracy.

In the 90’s I was asked to focus on the town of Holmfirth in West Yorkshire to consider how individuals and local organisations could work together to service and support each other.

As the project developed I was interviewed by a local reporter.

I was asked what initiatives would we establish and what projects are likely to work. “We don’t know until we try. We’ll use action research, suck it and see.”

“So,” said the reporter, “it’s as if you’ll throw a series of custard pies and see which ones will stick?” .

I like the analogy.

That’s about it. Spending time on research is too slow, it’s best to dive in there, changing and adapting as you go along.

We also brought our Internet workshops to the town A great success wherever we introduced it, including to young people in Leeds and veterinary practices throughout the U.K.!

Footnote.

Background

Representative democracy is our current system but wherever possible we should be participative, helping people be active participants and not passive recipients of the decisions others make on their behalf.

Voting is necessary but what does it mean on a day to day basis? it might involve single issue campaigns, volunteering to serve, joining measures the council’s introduce to garner your opinion.

The council/local authority/corporation called Kirklees Metrolotian Council I worked for, in West Yorkshire, brought in great innovations.

As well as reaching out to engage we tried to support people to have the confidence and competencies to take their part.

That was over thirty years ago and such experiments are struggling as the government role is decimated.

More clutter?

May 16, 2025 SFLeave a comment

Of course not 🤔🤭🤫

I bought the moon, water (aka as Earth) and sun a few years ago from Etsy.

Since then I’ve been looking for the full family group, to make my imagined set. It’s small but to get them all together and with such detail, particularly on their faces, is great

They’re for use as props for an adapted story.

I’ll adapt another tale with this Ashoka Column. An unplanned purchase.

The storyteller in me is happy, as is the shopper and the gatherer of clutter.

More to come ..

Remembering MAnjula

May 9, 2025 SFLeave a comment

The house hosts her presence in every room (and outside).

Sowbaghya and I have kept the Bed and Breakfast as she envisioned it and even have a library named after her.

Our guests love meeting her. she even gets mentioned in our guest book

images of MAnjula and Lucie decorating the fan switch!!

At least once a year I bring out this image in memory of my beautiful MAnjula. It’s just for a few days. I started by cycling her around Mysore, at other times she’ll be in the memorial garden we created for her in the park or resting in our drive. Otherwise she’s stored in the Garage.

Unfortunately, you can’t please all the people all time. Some people you never can.

My insensitive neighbour complained that the image of MAnjula was outside and should be indoors. It’s a Hindu rule. I know there’s no such rule or if there is it’s often not followed. People remember their loved ones with posters around the streets or images in the newspaper.

He represents the brahminical elitism that can sometimes rear its ugly head (read your ‘games people play’). He’s even complained about the boys and girls sitting on the park benches that I’ve installed. It’s as if the Firangi (foreigner) is responsible for people’s behaviour. His prejudices are mildly entertaining but we generally ignore him.

As AI tells us on the internet

The saying “Guest is God” (Atithi Devo Bhava in Sanskrit) is a core principle in Indian culture, emphasizing the importance of hospitality and treating guests with respect. While the saying is rooted in tradition and spiritual significance, the reality is that it’s not always a practical or realistic expectation, especially in modern life.

You could say that ….

Kaveris next Big Step

May 9, 2025May 9, 2025 SFLeave a comment

Kaveri’s mum Chandrika has decided to change her school.

We understand that she’s missed Kaveri as the school was residential (what they call hostel here) and she would only see her maybe once a month

But it worked. Kaveri settled in and made great friends amongst the one hundred students.

We’ve seen real progress: my hasn’t she grown?

.. Physically, socially and mentally.

We can feel the confidence and assertiveness, developing strong relationships, being theatrical …

But it’s her mum’s choice and it’s a big step.

Kaliyuvamane, her current school, is an open school following its own structure and curricular with students passing their tenth standard (around age 15 or 16) exam to rejoin the mainstream school system. It’s been a success and made a big difference for Kaveri, for many reasons and especially the consistency and continuity. Being a residential school has actually helped.

Kaveri with other students and Trishalla one of our supportive
network

Hence the big step to be changing school and rejoining a private school —one that follows the state curricular— at age eleven.

This one is a day school so Kaveri will be moving back home. That’s the bit that I worry about, without making too fine a point about it.

Guests from Mysore Bed and Breakfast with students at the school.

So it’s going to be very different for Kaveri and we’re gearing ourselves up to guide and support.

Let’s See …

… as MAnjula, would say.

Thanks to the rest of the team from India and from around the world including:

Ilaria, Sarvesh, Sowbaghya, Mo, Trishalla, Lucy, Maria, Eregowda…

Kaveri with Radhika her auntie/sister who’s been a great support.

and many of the guests of Mysore Bed and Breakfast for your help directly with Kaveri and for your financial support.

…

On a personal level, My relationship with Kaveri has helped me manage my grief in losing MAnjula. It provides purpose and a refocus but as all my friends know it’s been quite difficult managing the family dynamics.

Manjula’s Mysore through its funding, and support from its directors Sarvesh and Stephen and its wider support network, sponsors and will continue to support Kaveri as long as we can.

Kaveri

May 4, 2025May 5, 2025 SFLeave a comment

It’s May and we’ve just celebrated Kaveri’ birthday.

She’s now 11 and she is a star

The past month’s activities included: seaside holiday, skating, swimming coaching and summer camp.

KaverI is now at her mother’s and we hit the uncertainty of whether Chandrika, her mother, will change her school. Kaliyuvamane the alternative residential school she’s attended for two years has helped her grow socially, intellectually and physically.

We can make either options work but the residential school has had the continuity that her home will not provide.

I worry that it maybe beyond Chandrika’s ability if Kaveri is shifted to the day school but we’ll do our best.

Meanwhile

I’m relaxing in Manjula’s Memorial Garden and toying with the idea of revisiting our memoir.

Can I revamp and rewrite? Do

I have the energy and the ability?

Experiencing Mysore

April 28, 2025April 28, 2025 SF2 Comments

Mysore is a connecting place, social entrepreneurs, community animateurs are forever initiating new ideas to bring us together.

Sriranjini Simha kindly invited me to experience mysore. Well I have been doing that for twenty years, initially on holidays and now as resident with our own business. But joking aside this was an invite to a new initiative that is actually called ‘Experience Mysuru’ and I’m so pleased I checked it out.

I’ve always thought that the Mysore city feels more like a village, by that I mean : it has an intimacy, interactivity, on a human scale. Well ‘Experience Mysuru’ reflects exactly that. Mysore has a well deserved reputation as a cultural capital that was fantastically represented last night..

The ‘showcase’ was curated to reveal through the senses of taste, hearing, smell, touch and sight and included: yoga and meditation, ancient board games, percussion, storytelling, dance, music and singing. To be more precise — Chande: the pulse of Karavali, Bharatanatyam, Carnatic music and Kamsale— come find out for yourselves what it is.

I can’t say performers, yes they shared, their skills, they entertained but it went beyond that. Each person introduced their activity to ‘get beneath the skin’ they fitted all this in to just 120 minutes and it was not crammed. It was exactly right, the timing, the diversity, the interactive-ness, the rich content, their expertise, I’ve got to know Mysore a bit over the years but this brought me to so many new layers and levels.

Well done team, we’re rightly proud of our heritage and this was a great way to share with young and old, local and not so local, and I’ll be back..

Who is this guy, who pops up everywhere? An active entrepreneur who’s become a good friend.

Great to catch up with established and meet new friends.

Thank you Kim Kanchana Ganga, Tanushri SN, Shrimathi and her team, Pranav Athrey’s-Pranav Athreya, Suraksha Dixit, Tejashri Murphy, Pushpa and her team… plus the managers and organisers behind the scenes that put it all together and made it go so smoothly…..

More info

http://www.experiencemysuru.in 

0091 8105318650

Info@experiencemysuru.in

@experiencemysuru.in

The venue was the amazing The Heritage House in Saraswathipuram

…

I’ll write separately about Mysore – Mysuru, about the city’s name and history but this is not the place.

Our annual trip

April 19, 2025 SFLeave a comment

I’m away with Kaveri for a few days with Naveen and his mum Sowbaghya.

Manjula’s Mysore supports their education and now we’re on holiday together.

Shabaz, our wonderful friend always on hand to make it a great success.

This might become a new thing!

If we don’t get lost

Button Madness

April 14, 2025 SFLeave a comment

A new summer school holiday activity — Button Masala.

Incredible creativity and innovative design from cloth, button and rubber band!

A great addition to the swimming, summer camp, reading, storytelling, crafts, skating, seaside, badminton, cycling, TV and phone that’s become a staple of Kaveri’s school holiday