Christmas at Panchgani - ATD

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The last few days have been quieter ones here at the Initiatives for Change (MRA) Asia Plateau compound near the bustling mountain town of Panchgani. It has been a special time of reflection and building of relationships for both of us. Alexia and I are sharing rooms with Anjali and Tim respectively, Anjali being the sister of my brother-in-law, Adam.
One memorable experience for me was attending a midnight church service at the small local Anglican Church in the town. The Church itself is a beautiful little building tucked away on the outskirts of town. Built in 1904, it has been lovingly maintained by the small minority community of Christians. The minister is a very passionate bloke. His sermon was full of conviction and honesty, even if it lacked a little in delivery and planning. Listening to the local school choir sing at 1 am on Christmas morning around a bonfire in the Church car park is an experience which will help me to remember Christmas 2008 for a while to come.
Later on Christmas morning we had a marathon game of Cricket on the oval which MRA shares with a local school. Alexia starred with both bat and ball in her first official game, showing that German/Cypriots are naturals at this most British of games. After a lunch which included Chicken (my first meat in India), we headed towards town with Anjali, as Bek was busy and Tim and Adam had been challenged to a supplementary game of Cricket by the Indian staff here at the centre. With Christmas strawberries in hand, we made it up to one of the five plateaus which rise majestically above Panchgani (panch meaning 5, gani meaning mountain). The view from the top was breathtaking, and contributed to some nice conversations, especially with the arrival of Tim and Adam from their Cricket game.
In the evening we enjoyed some food which was NOT curry for the first time in a fortnight, with some of the interns at the centre led by Bek, pulling together to make pizzas, momos and salads. The food was heaven to our tortured digestive system, with both Alexia and I very happy with the fact we had positioned our seats only metres for the buffet table.
Boxing Day morning Alexia, Tim, Anjali and myself were asked to make a short presentation about work we have done or are doing in our lives. Tim spoke about his work at the Bionic Ear institute and Anjali about her work in sustainable development. Alexia made a great presentation on her work in the squatter’s school in Kathmandu. It really got the interest of many of the interns and others in the audience, who were very curious about the great work that she and others did at the school. Overall it was a riveting morning of sharing and discussion, and I think everyone went away from the session feeling inspired.

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