A light wavered.
It didn’t go out as she’s very much with me.
Today on the fifth anniversary of losing her —- physically yes —- but not in any other way.
We remember Manjula
A meal is prepared including all her favourite things.
We offer it to her and by praying to her God we help her spirit find her way to the next incarnation.
After a cycle tour I sometimes meander (MAnjula would call it a ‘rounding’ ) through the countryside exploring new places.
After today’s tour with Anni and Sankar I passed through Channahalli, one of my favourite villages, rediscovering another trail only to stumble across newly painted sculptures.
Crazy colours which usually seem to be the original stone colour, they caught my eye.
They’re ‘hero’ stones often a strip of three images. The hero in battle, the celebration afterwards and Pooja to god, usually shiva.
Fab
Lucie from Normandy is a workawayer staying at Mysore Bed and Breakfast and finding time to visit Kaliyuvamane to share her language skills.
The first coat of the new colour.
Lucie and Billet-Doux have taken to walking with me in our park at ten each eve.
A new friend has appeared. After a few false starts and falling over I’ve now managed to photograph her.
She calls out. A sort of sophisticated cheeping sound and flits closeby seemingly sitting intentionally in locations on our route.
Or I’m assuming the best and maybe she wary of the ginger hunter by our side.
Our most popular cycle tour is on Srirangaptnam, the capital of Hyder Ali and his son Tipu’s empire for forty years until 1799.
Tipu’s Summer palace is his wonderful guest house on the island. It’s beautifully painted carved wood with fascinating murals of the second war of Mysore. One of our most regular guests Anna took these great 👍🏽 photos on a recent visit.
previously photographs were not allowed.
After the cycle tour many guests stay on island for lunch and to visit the palace.
I’m helping out at Kaliyuvamane, the alternative ‘free’ school where Kaveri attends.
Our morning session with members of the teaching team
Then I was hijacked by Kaveri and some of her classmates
to cover a lesson as their teacher was on leave
Did someone set me up?🤭🤔🤪
It was an education! To put it mildly. I now promise to properly prepare for when a similar situation arises again.
I’ve facilitated workshops for adults for many years — that’s nothing compared to working with young people.
I realise what a challenging job the teachers have and how difficult it is to make a class interesting and responsive to the diverse needs of the students. ….. as a one off, let alone day-in-day-out!!!
Well done all.
It was a fab day, helping me realise I’m right to support Kaveri and now the school itself to meet the needs of 100 children.
All in Manjula’s name
We were ‘frozen’
With Kaveri, auntie, uncle and Sally
The morning after lie in, enticing her with fave fruit.
Here to prep the cycles for a student tour in two days.
I’m now sitting on the most unusual steps by the bathing ghats, which are featured on our Srirangaptnam tour.
With various characters walking by
I was previously innocently sitting at the bottom of the tree.
A wanderer asked where I was from and then … am I a bachelor. No reward for guessing what that means. I’m married whilst pointing to manjula’s tattoo.
Useful.
I’m appreciating wonderful views, whilst trying to ignore, in both locations, the wafting aroma of the evidence of defecating in the outdoors.
The juxtaposition of India.
We had a great tour last week, Brits, birds (they’re twitchers) and not especially smelly
Another tree bites the dust without any heavy rain or wind but it’s the one next to it they were proposing to cut down
Here’s evidence, if we needed it:
1 the current team failed to spot which tree would fall next, their approach is random
2 in any case, it’s difficult to predict which trees will fall but it’s impossible without some expertise
3 we need some expert knowledge, supervision and accountability to target which trees are fundamentally weak and stop the unnecessary felling of trees
I have no idea where the railing is there. It’s not managed.
Me and MYCycle 