Sad things greet you when you look beyond the bus that is threatening to kill you. Some people sleep on the traffic islands, some children come begging (and can then be seen to give their procured goods and money to a Fagin character in the background).
From the trains you can see men defaecating, but oddly enough, this seems to be quite a chatty, communal time. The train facility dumps its effluent straight onto the line anyway, so not much difference in the end (those of us with Delhi Belly got quite chatty too as we kept bumping into each other on the frequent trudges to the toilet).
More offputting was the sight of rats happily frolicking on the railway lines, but this was made up for by seeing a couple of elephants frolicking in some fields outside Delhi.
Attempting to use squat toilets while suffering from the runs and wearing floaty, Indian costume is a bit of a bother. I am full of admiration for Indian women, who always look totally composed and almost regal, while I have been dragging various bits of my clothes back out of the U bend only just in the nick of time - I have been keen to avoid being strangled as the scarf disappears into the sump of the train.
When we were staying in Poona there were pigs wandering around, and ferral dogs with their ribs sticking out. At night you could hear when the dogs formed packs to hunt some poor pig, the squealing was something out of a horror movie. Cows wander around freely too, but they seem quite relaxed and can be seen drinking from the taps in the street (that the locals also drink from).
The mosquitos haven't been as bad as the midges I have become aquainted with on trips to Scotland, but it's quite hard to remember to take the anti-malaria tablets when on the move so much.
The food is delicious, really simple rice and dhal for most meals, but all home-made from local produce. It is interesting to see the chippatties being cooked, I think I've forgotten how to use a knife and fork.
The children we have been working with are delightful, and so enthusiastic about anything we do. The people running the charity here are inspirational, and as is often the case, inspirational people attract other incredible people to work with them - so all the charity workers we have met have been amazing. The work they are doing to help the children here is so valuable, literally changing the lives of many and saving lives with the AIDS awareness project they are also running. One memorable moment was going to watch some beautiful Indian women dressed in elegant red sarees peforming a play about AIDS in a truckers yard, where oil tankers were coming and going, interspersed with ox drawn carts. The sight of the elegant women bravely tackling such a sensitive issue in front of the tough truckers was very moving. It was made all the more fascinating when one of the women couldn't then sit in the minibus home next to a man - but had been party to a condom demonstration in the yard. Whoever had the idea to promote AIDS awareness to truckers is a genius, as the drivers are encouraged to spread the word at each truck stop they go to - spreading the knowledge across the whole of India via the transport network. As they say in the charity office, the battle for AIDS will be won or lost in India.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment