Posted on November 24, 2016 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

The women of the world. Doing the heavy lifting.

“ What is the biggest problem facing Canada? “

This question was posed by a grade 10 student from a high school in a rural Indian village. After being lobbed some really easy questions about where I was from and how was I adapting to the food, this young man at the back of the room caught me off guard. If I would have been quicker I would have responded, “ The United States,” just to see if they would understand the nuance of a remark like this.

My answer?

Canada’s shameful treatment of its First Nations people. I didn’t go into a great amount of detail nor will I expound in this space. Those who read my articles regularly know that my purpose in writing is primarily to entertain. There are enough other forums for people to express their opinion on weighty matters. I’m sure if I polled 100 people, I would likely get 100 different answers.

I promise (?!) that this will be my last comment on the demonetization crisis here in India. If you haven’t been following this, here’s a quick primer. Approximately 85% of all the cash in India ( and this is still a predominantly cash economy ) was held in two rupee notes: the 500 rs and the 1000rs. Our equivalent in Canada would be a $10. and $20 dollar bill. There are billions upon billions of rupees that people stash away ( including the Black Market – the primary target of this move ) avoiding the eyes of the tax man. On November 8^th. the Indian government declared these currencies worthless… overnight. You could swap them for newly minted notes but only in small quantities and for a set amount of time.

I will give you one concrete example of the magnitude of the problem. The bank machines will only dispense the new 2000 rs note ( $40 ) on a daily basis…. if you are prepared to stand in lineups for 3-5 hours ( in 30 + degree heat ) with NO Guarantee  that the ATM will have any notes left when you get there.

So, you finally get your first 2000 rs note and for lack of a better example, you want to buy some bananas from a street vendor who deals in small rs notes ( 10 rs is common ). So, he gives you 10 bananas for 50 rupees ( $1.00 ) and he is expected to give you back 1950 rupees in small bills? Not happening. These small merchants can’t sell their product. And the big guys are feeling it too.  Can you imagine going to Tim’s with every customer handing the clerk a $50. billl? They would run out of small bills very quickly…. which is exactly what’s happening at the local McDonald’s where I go for coffee. They have been turning away customers in droves although they are luckier than most because they take debit and credit cards, but only a fraction of the population has these.

Enough. It’s a complete mess and will take weeks if not months before the economy gets back on track. It is quite fascinating to watch it live. I was down to my last 90 rs ( $1.80 )  last Saturday before getting my hands on a fresh 2000 rs note. It was a very surreal feeling to not be able to get cash or buy anything at my local restaurants or from street vendors.

After considerable contemplation, I have decided to enter the convent. Now you stalwarts know that I never lie. Oh yes, I am a master of embellishment when telling a story but I refrain from outright lies. At the end of December, I will be relocating to a convent in the most southerly town in India called Kanyakumari. You old fogies can go look at your weather beaten atlases or an old globe (!) or simply Google it.

The pollution in Hyderabad has taken its toll and I’m going somewhere that has much better air quality… and it’s a five minute walk to the beach. I will be volunteering with a non profit organization run by an order of Catholic Sisters who still wear the traditional garb. I am hoping not to develop any bad habits. ( I can hear the collective groan! ). I expect that this will be a completely different experience. Hyderabad has been a wonderful education but my health comes first.

How many of you have ever watched Animal Planet? It is the only English language channel that I can get on my T.V. I am just about an expert on the animal kingdom!!!

Have a great day.

Posted on November 21, 2016 under Monday Morning Musings with 3 comments

Grade X English class

“ What is the biggest problem facing your country?” ( Canada )

How would you have answered this question if you were engaged in a lively discussion with a Grade 10 class in rural India? Please, do tell, and I will give you my answer when I post Thursday Tidbits.

There’s an old saying that goes something like this: “ You’re only as happy as your unhappiest child.” I’m not sure that I can draw a direct connection but I see something similar in India. The country is making giant strides economically but the government is very aware that the poor cannot be forgotten.

Last Friday, I spent another interesting and educational day in a small, rural Indian village. I travelled with colleagues from work to visit several sites where our group is doing field work. There is a concept in India called “ model villages.” With the Indian economy in transition, the government is trying to prevent small communities from getting lost in the shuffle. To that end, many towns and villages have been identified , where grassroots projects are being implemented. In many cases, the basics of life such as clean drinking water and proper sanitation, are top priorities. Partnerships are formed with government, the private sector and NGO’s , among others, in order to  empower local  people to take charge of their own destiny when the projects reach their conclusion.

I visited pre-schools, an elementary school and a high school. Our group also saw the new reverse osmosis water plant, the installation of solar street lights and a few of the 140 toilets under construction in villagers’ homes.

But it was in the schools where I felt most at home, having been a classroom teacher and principal in an earlier life. Of course, an aging , Caucasian from Canada is a curiosity so getting engaged with the students was hardly an issue. I had the distinct pleasure of spending about 20 minutes with a grade 10 class. I plan to go back there and spend a day. And yes, there were LOTS of selfies taken!

One more thing about the field visit. On our way home, we took a crossroads to pick up a colleague. It was quite densely forested. We came around a corner and there were a few monkeys on the side of the road. I have seen some before so this wasn’t that big a deal. But over the next 8 kilometers, there were thousands of them. I’m not exaggerating. I must find out why . Maybe they were looking for a cup of coffee too!

On Saturday, I was going about my business in the office ( they work 6 days a week and every other week, they get a two day respite ), when this distinguished looking woman was introduced to me. Caroline is a retired professor from the University of Vermont. She is here doing research on self help groups ( SHG’s ). We had a very spirited discussion, including her take on the U.S. election (!) and plan to get together ,as she plans to be here for several weeks. She thinks that she can find me a coffee maker,  in which case, I will immediately contact Rome and plead for sainthood.

Every day I learn something new. I was invited to attend a Satyanarayana Puja. It is a religious worship of the Hindu god, Vishnu. Satya means “truth” and Narayana means “ the highest being “ so Satyanarayana means “ the highest being who is an embodiment of truth.”  This was held at a private residence of some people I’ve met before. I took part in the worship which included the honor of receiving a red bindi on my forehead. This was followed by the most amazing assortment of Indian food… and a gift box of Indian sweets. I share most things in the office but I’m afraid that I will horde these!

And for those teachers out there, who may want to explore some post retirement options, I chatted at length with the owner of a private IB school. It is on the outskirts of the city, far from the pollution. Within a few years they expect to have several thousand students attend this brand new facility that opened last year. It will have everything,  including a 600 seat performing arts centre. They may start looking for foreign teachers in the near future. They will have a residence on campus for teachers from outside of the area, or indeed outside the country. I have been invited to come out for a day to share ideas and do a “ Canada class” including music from home. I’ll let you know what I observe in a future post.

Have a great week.

P.S. If you want to see history in the making, Google “ demonetization of the rupee in India.” ( or , putting the “demon in monetization”  ) It is a very chaotic place these days… and utterly fascinating. Donald Trump was page 14 news in the weekend papers, btw.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on November 20, 2016 under Storytelling with 2 comments

Our porter was an awesome guy

 

“ I hear that train a ‘comin, it’s rollin round the bend,

And I ain’t seen the sunshine, since I don’t know when”

Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash

There’s something magical about a train ride. When I was a child, passenger trains were a convenient and efficient way to get from small town to small town and city to city. It seemed like every community had a train station and every one of them looked identical… and they had character. A big thrill for those of us who loved hockey was to get on the train in Antigonish and travel to Montreal to see our beloved Montreal Canadiens. But sadly, times change and many of our people moved away to find work, leaving passenger train service all but extinct.

So it was with considerable interest that I was told that I would be taking a long train trip in Southern India as part of my volunteer work. I would be joined by a colleague from work who is from India, providing me great comfort , as my Hindi isn’t up to snuff.

It was also tinged with a bit of trepidation as I thought about some of the stories I had read about train travel in India. I imagined railcars packed to the roof with hordes of people, with fetid air and possibly even animals. However, India is an economy in transition and the fastest growing economy in the world and I was hopeful that the trip would provide me with many pleasant memories.

I got off to a very bad start. The night before the trip I was out with friends who helped me pick out appropriate attire to wear at an Indian wedding. We went for dinner afterwards and by the time we got back home, it was well past my bedtime. After a long and stimulating day, topped off with spicy food, sleep was at a premium. Truthfully, I barely slept. The thoughts of a full day at work followed by an  11 hour train ride were not pleasant thoughts.

The plan was to leave work, get to the station in plenty of time, have a leisurely dinner, board the train and have a restful journey. Sounds good on paper. During the day, I went and got some snacks at the grocery store just to make sure that we had something to nibble on. Just before the checkout, I grabbed a couple of old standbys: a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter.

We dialed up Uber and headed out into rush hour traffic.

The notorious crush of cars, taxis, buses and motorcycles moved along at a snail’s pace. The air seemed more polluted than usual and the incessant clamor of beeping horns brought on a medium sized headache . It’s somewhat disconcerting when the driver of the cab puts on the emergency brake in the middle of a major thoroughfare… four times. This means only one thing: gridlock.

After two long hours we arrived at the station. That’s when trouble struck. The Uber driver had lost cell phone service and couldn’t calculate the fare. I must tell you that my traveling companion is a strong willed, independent minded individual. I knew the driver didn’t stand a chance. It turned into an epic Mexican standoff with each of the participants holding their ground. Crafting the Middle East Peace Accord was looking like a better bet. Meanwhile, our window of opportunity for securing a much needed meal, had expired. And if I didn`t soon get food, I might expire too.

We entered the station, checked the departure board and made our way to gate number 5. Those of us with bad backs know that fatigue exacerbates the condition. With the extra bags of groceries, computer, suitcase and backpack, I had all I could do to navigate several flights of stairs, both up and down, to reach our destination

I was somewhat embarrassed that I could offer no assistance to my female traveling partner whose suitcase was the weight of two grown elephants.

Coming down the last flight of stairs, my heart skipped a beat. In what resembled the traffic mayhem that we had just exited, a throng of humanity clamored to get on the train. Our train was heading south. I thought, “Please let this be a north bound train.“ Not  a chance. I looked around to see where they kept the straight jackets. Mercifully, this was our train but it was not our car.

We eased down the aisle and after a seat swap, found ourselves sitting together eating the most wonderful peanut sandwiches known to mankind. And the two seats beside us remained empty for the first part of the trip. Whoever you believe your god to be, she was on our side as we had the luxury of space, something that seems to be at a premium in India.

The clackety clack of steel and rail lulled us into a state of peace.