Knock knock
Who’s there?
Mary?
Mary who?
Mary Christmas.
Ho Ho Ho it’s really Father Christmas the bringer of gifts.
Kaveri thought she knew Father Christmas after recognising his bangles SAPA video
Mysore Storytellers Network together with SAPA organised a Carol singing event.
Oy, stop eating me.
I’ve just got back from walking Lucie and couldn’t find the kits anywhere.
I’d left the garage door open so they had access to the yard.
Eventually I found one of the whiteys and slowly they began to appear from their hiding place under the washing machine.
I think something scared them and mum wasn’t here.
Now they’re relaxed and we’re bonding through biting.
They haven’t worked out eating their soft solids (meat or fish) without sticking their nose in it. …. hence the dirty nostrils.
We’re all ok now.
For the Manjula’s Mysore team who helped create the event on Manjula’s Birthday
And a reunion of our holiday in Kannur
And our chance to celebrate MAnjula together.
STOP PRESS CHECK THE VIDEO
Manjula’s Mysore is now the name of the new business. and we’ve already done a few things…
A fun day of activities for forty young visually impaired women on what would have been Manjula’s 49th birthday. Please Check the video created by Faizan.
We’ll always do something on her birthday
Created a garden in the park opposite.
A holiday in Kannur for our extended team
Reopened mysore bed and breakfast and mycycle tours. This month the MCC : Mysore City Corporation issued a business licence and so we’ve officially welcomed our first guests.
The new business has allowed Stephen to get a business visa, to continue to stay in India. So far he’s not been able to get an OCI (overseas citizen of india) and most importantly it’s another way to celebrate MAnjula
Manjula’s Mysore is a three year project to do good as MAnjula would have wanted
… when the warriors ask the gods to bless their weapons
In our case the scooter, Enfield and Ambassador
Carefully washed beforehand, so that’s at least once a year.
In the midst of the puja, horned beasts invaded, we have no weapons and in any case they are goddesses . So we peacefully asked them to move along.
On completing the puja, my role was to ride each vehicle to squash the limes, the goddesses returned to eat the offerings.
All the local traders (Hindus anyway) and neighbours got in on the act.
This morning
My brain was missing again
I let Lucie out the front door
There was the bag of kittens on legs waiting for me
Poor billet-doux was in shock. Ran away but was stuck
Trying to get through the gate to escape the black monster.
The bag of kittens squeezed through. I only hope there’s no long term damage.
She’s due within days.
On Manjula’s death anniversary in March and at this time of year we especially remember MAnjula and feed her spirit. Others will remember their own relatives.
It’s the equivalent of All Hallows’ or the Mexican Day of the Dead. Here’s a bit about the Hindu version.
Close friends who could fit it in amongst their own rituals helped by preparing food and joining the puja.
Vasanth and his family and Satish together with Sowbaghya made all the preparations: the food and puja.
Then waited outside to give her time and space to enter the house and feed.
Making plenty of noise as we re-entered so she could quietly retreat.
Only then could we eat with our Special guests Ina, Rhadika and Kaveri.
Then it was time to relax and remember, sharing Manjula’s trademark happiness.
Somewhere to stop, read, reflect and remember.
The opportunities are not only in the library itself, but every space in and around our house offers a place for quiet reflection or when it’s not so quiet, meeting old and making new friends.
Join our family, including the birds attracted to the greenery bursting from our house, our pets… Lucie, billet-doux and
…. our garden.
Originally in pots on our roof, it’s now shifted to the park opposite with granite benches or hammocks available from the house.
Please come and enjoy.
Have we got it right? As in this article on how to nurture a personal library, “according to Cicero, if you have a library and a garden, you have everything you need.”
A critical (focussed on wish fulfilment) part of our growing team set out on a search today
Satish was captain, Sowbaghya was translator-leader-investigator, Stephen was only half there.
Behind the scenes were Sarvesh (the facilitator) and Radhika (auntie) offering support.
The subject was an increasingly well known girl.
I returned to Mysore almost three weeks ago and last week went to visit kaveri.
I was a bit confused finding their house but eventually got there with the kind help of a shopkeeper.
Only to find they’d moved. What?!
They’re estranged from grandmother, grandfather, auntie and uncle who live in a room opposite our house who had no idea where they’d gone. The area yes, but the specific house, no way Jose. To top it all chandrika’s phone wasn’t working, so they weren’t contactable.
So what to do?
Rhadika knew she was at school through a friend who’s sister attended the same school. She couldn’t help on action day as she was ill.
So SB volunteered for mission impossible.
To Infiltrate the school.
The aforementioned team set off across the city after sorting out the confusion of where and what time to go to find Kaveri as she finished her school day.
The white old man waited discreetly in Satish’s auto rickshaw. It’s not done for old men to be hanging around school gates, even in India.
Got her
She arrived at the auto, with a steady stream of her friends passing by with her declaring ‘foreign uncle,’ as if this was the necessary proof as previously they hadn’t believed her.
Any low profile was lost.
But what a result. We’d found her, went to their new home, met up with mum and dad got agreement for her to spend the weekend over with us and the about to arrive Ina.
She’ll also stay with grandma on the Saturday
So my reward is seeing my adopted granddaughter and we’re tentatively building bridges between family break up.
Triple Result
I’ll often joke to our guests that there might be a knock at the door….
Well there was for…,
Jony, Sue, Chris and Ruth
It wasn’t the secret police but a return visit from me.
Jony kindly put me up after passing through WOMAD on my tour of the south west that included Dorset, Trowbridge, Kingsclere and Bath.
…
I was also hanging out with other critical friends in Kingsclere.
At the home of Stephen who edits
After Dorset I was
At Ruth’s in Bath and reading from her latest book of poems, all about India….
I think I’ll export some to India
…..
Thank you all for you care and kindness
I’m so happy to have created something special with MAnjula which continues to grow our wonderful family.
Check out the next posting to see how we continue to celebrate Manjula and continue to grow our family.
Me and MYCycle 