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Published: January 7th 2013
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7 January 2012
Before anybody mentions the spelling and punctuation, we are writing so much in the short time that we have, we don't always have time to proof read. Sorry!
After an epic breakfast with Mithra (about seven courses of Indian food, including two sweet courses!) we are sent off on the bus back to Mangalore. It is an emotional farewell and as soon as Emily starts crying, me and Nicola follow! I hope this shows our hosts how much we have appreciated their hospitality. They have looked after us so well that I have already told my mum I want to stay here! To thank Mithra, I gave her some Kendal Mint Cake, a Cumbrian slate coaster and a postcard of Ullswater. I also left a letter and some Blackpool Rock for Geethra, my ten your old friend, in the hope that she will write to me. Mithra gave me a beautiful candle made in Udupi and a book about acupressure, something she is very enthusiastic about. And if I can look that good at 73, I will be too. I might even take up her early morning yoga habit! Mithra has asked me to
come back for a honeymoon one day and I hope that I will see her again.
In Mangalore, we are taken on a tour of the city. First stop, a Church, hand painted inside by one man. It took him two years and five months to complete and the attention to detail is stunning. Unfortunately we can’t take any photos in most of the religious places here so you just have to take my word for it. We are then taken up endless flights of stairs to the top of the tower of the adjoining school. The winding and wobbly stairs are worth the panic as we see panoramic sights of Mangalore. It really is a beautiful city. We take in the ship building yard, hospitals, busy streets, apartment blocks, and even some very dodgy health and safety on a nearby building site!
We go onwards to two temples. Here, we have to sip holy water, have a powder applied to our heads and contemplate the rituals before walking out backwards. Many people come here each day to worship. Some believe that one of the shrines will boost fertility and we see women praying there. The second temple
is busier and brighter. It was built by a lower caste to offer an opportunity for everybody to worship. In the past, only higher castes of society were allowed to enter some temples. At the temple, children swarm round us, asking where we are from. They want to have their photo taken with us and then see it on the screen. These are not poor children. They wear nice school uniforms and are from middle class families. However, this area does not see many western tourists and they are fascinated by us and our pale skin. It feels strange to be the minority for once. Some of the children follow me into the temple asking for English coins. None of us have any but they are happy with the Rotary pens I give them. An older lady also asks us for English coins for her collection.
After lunch with Devdas and his family, we head to a school for children with disabilities. The school does not receive any Government funding and they are hoping that Rotary International will help to fund a new school bus for them. There are 90 children here of different ages. Some board here but
others travel miles to come and the current school bus is insufficient. The children are amazing and welcome us with music and garlands of flowers. We also have a bindi applied and a flame ritual is carried out by the school prefect. Inside the classrooms we are met with happy and well behaved students. Each class has no more than eight students and they are each involved in different activities. In one of the classrooms I am moved to tears by a girl, no more than six years old, as she greets the principal of the school. It is clear to see that these children are well cared for and are learning new and useful skills here. The money which Rotary could donate would perhaps be a small amount at home, but here, it really could achieve a great deal.
My second host comes to pick me up and take me to his family apartment in a nice residential area of Mangalore. Punit is married to Rupal and they have two children. Dev is 12 and Rahul is ten. They have a lovely home and welcome me with yet more Indian hospitality! This will be my home for the
next four nights and I’m keen to get to know the family. They tell me that they married 16 years ago. It was an arranged marriage and they met one year before the wedding. Rupal moved from Bombay to be with Punit and his parents, who live in a separate apartment in the same block. The children go to a nice co-ed school and take part in lots of extracurricular activities. They also love cricket! I get them on side by mentioning that I know that India beat Pakistan last night. (Mitra and Mr Shetty made a lot of noise during the game!)
Punit and Rupal take me to see a nearby Church which is more than 300 years old. There is a wedding taking place and Punit explains that his brother married a Christian girl from India and they had a wedding which celebrated both of their faiths. The day started with a Hindu wedding like we have seen this week, and ended with a Christian service in this very Church.
We go on to see the old port and I ask them to show me the local fire station too. This is partly because I am
interested in these things and partly to impress my dad, a former fire-fighter at home. There are about five machines here to cover the Managlore district of 600,000 people. At any time, there are 15 men working in the station and each machine needs a team of seven. They work twelve hour shifts here for 15 days at a time. They let us come inside the new and very modern building and explain that when somebody dials 101, it comes directly to the station. They ring a bell on the wall only once (They show me how this works!) and the fire-fighters can be in the machines and on the road in 50 seconds. I am surprised that they have to dress in their full uniform, minus the boots, as soon as their shift starts and ready to respond at any minute. Surely this must be hot and heavy? But it all makes sense when I see their uniform....a brown shirt and brown trousers. Not exactly safety gear! There are very few fires in Managlore and sometimes they sit and wait days before a call out. On the way home, we stop off for some coconut milk. Once the coconut
is dry of milk, it is split open and the inside is offered to me. I willingly eat it when Rupal explains that it is good for your complexion!
Tracy x
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Lynn Clark
non-member comment
Loving the read!
Hi Tracy - just catching up on your blog as it's my first day back at work today! It's great to keep up with everything you're doing and it sounds absolutely fantastic. We knew you'd love it and that they'd love you too - what's not to love eh!! Keep posting - speak soon and take care, Lynn x