Thursday Tidbits

Posted on March 30, 2017 under Thursday Tidbits with 5 comments

 

“ Misty, water colored mem’ries, of the way we were.”

The Way We Were . Barbra Streisand

Memories accumulate over the years and one hopes when all is said and done, that the good outweigh the bad. The brain seems to have an infinite number of gigabytes and from time to time, will instantly recall events from 50 years ago. For me, hearing an old tune will evoke vivid memories. “ Hey Jude” or “Whiter Shade of Pale” instantly takes me back to high school dances at the Parish Center…. waiting for the last waltz.

So what, pray tell, does this have to do with my second ayurvedic massage? Those of you who read this column regularly will recall that my first massage in India ended up in bloodshed. http://www.week45.com/a-well-oiled-machine/

The Bed and Breakfast at Stella Maris now offers massages as a value added proposition. A man with 13 years of experience has joined the staff to provide comfort for weary travelers. The B@B is owned by the Daughters of Mary and virtually everything they do, is centered around spirituality. So it was no surprise that Sister Archana volunteered me (!) to be the recipient of the first massage, accompanied by a prayer offering, to officially open the massage room.

The ceremony took place just after dusk and before supper was served. I expected a blessing followed by a photo op of me ( partially clothed ! ) lying on the massage table. I reckoned that 15 minutes should do it nicely. I arrived a few minutes early to chat with Shaji. The room had a few religious symbols and candles… and incense. I looked at the massage table and my jaw dropped slightly as I saw a cotton loincloth.

At 7:00, four Sisters arrived plus a handful of the staff, who all crowded in to a small space. It was 29 degrees. No air conditioning. I immediately started to perspire and it wasn’t because of the oppressive heat. I was wondering about the photo op… and the loincloth.

Prayers commenced. “The First Sorrowful Mystery.” Everyone dropped to their knees. And just like that, I was transported back in time to 39 Hillcrest Street fifty or more years ago when the ten of us hit the hardwoods every noon hour to say a decade or two of the rosary. Because of our proximity to Morrison School and Antigonish High, we were able to go home for a full dinner at midday. Once the meal was dispatched, we would gather in the living room and grab prayer beads.

At 7:40 prayers ended. Beads of sweat took on a whole new meaning. My stomach was rumbling and I was anxious to get the photo done so that I could eat supper. I soon found out that there would be no photo taken but that I would have the first “ ceremonial massage” to officially mark the opening of the massage center. To my enormous relief, the Sisters and the rest of the entourage left the small “ easy bake oven.” It was more like Dante’s “Inferno.”

At 8:45 it was over. “ You need to let the oil sink in for another hour “ said Shaji. He told me to get dressed ( shorts and a t-shirt ) and to go and eat my supper…lathered in oil. I entered the small dining area and the four Sisters were just finishing their dinner. I looked like some zombie from a horror movie. “ Sorrowful Mystery” took on a whole new meaning.

I am happy to report that the massage was excellent and that I didn’t receive any injuries to my body!

Have a great day.

P.S. Help build an indoor washroom for 25 orphan boys. We need $700 more to start the work. To donate go to http://www.week45.com/supporting-the-daughters-of-mary-in-india/

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Thursday Tidbits

Posted on March 23, 2017 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Hauling the boat to shore by hand

 

People power.

Despite its reputation as an emerging economic superpower, there are many signs that India remains in the old millennium. And this is not necessarily a bad thing. How do you keep 1.2 billion people gainfully employed?

Those of us from Western countries have watched the dizzying advances in every industry. Yes, we can make things quicker, cheaper and faster but at what expense. And what about quality? Countries like China are one step ahead of us when it comes to inexpensive, mass produced items.

Because of global competition and thirst for profitability, every company is forced to find efficiencies and in many cases it comes at a cost in the labor market. While not wanting to single out any one industry, we need to look no further than the forestry industry in Canada to see how mechanization has put many people out of work. A job that may have taken weeks by a small crew of men can now be done in hours with a single operator using sophisticated equipment.

India does things the old fashioned way in many of the towns and villages. Every day while walking, I watch the progress of several construction projects. These are incredible labor intensive operations. All of the work to prepare the foundation is done manually. Picks and shovels are still used to prepare the footings. The cement is mixed by hand and transported, bucketful by bucketful to be poured. Very often the wet cement is put in shallow steel containers and the women carry these on their heads.

 The scaffolding is comprised of long wooden poles strapped together with natural raw material. All of this work is carried out in blistering heat. I saw one man carry a 50 kg bag of dry cement up two flights of stairs. It is mind boggling. And a few days ago, here at the convent, four sinewy men moved an old generator that must have weighed a ton. They did it the old fashioned way, slipping steel rollers underneath and moving it a few feet at a time before taking the back roller out and bringing it to the front. It was 36 degrees with high humidity at the time. They moved it a quarter of a mile away.

The fishermen are also amazing to watch. There always seems to be a hefty swell on the Indian Ocean and the crews on the boats are standing the whole time they are on the water in vessels open to the elements. When they get the boats to shore, it usually takes about 8-10 men to haul them out and up on the sandbar, once again using a roller technique to move the boat a few feet at a time.

Ditto for farming. Very labor intensive.

There are many, many examples where a job at home done by one person is done by several people here. A few weeks ago, I found a bakery that makes great stuff and it’s very cheap… a deadly combination for someone with a sweet tooth! There are two people behind the counter. The first person waits on you and the second person packages your goodies. On the other side of the counter, there are two more people. One guy writes the amount of the purchase on a tiny slip of paper. The other guy records the amount in a journal. You don’t get your purchase until you pay the man at the front of the store. He also records the purchase in a journal.

The same thing happens in restaurants. It is not uncommon, even in the smallest of eating establishments, to have 3-5 people waiting on your table. They can’t do enough for you even though it seems like a bit of overkill… until you realize that this is just the way they do things.

And as I mentioned in a story last week, Pothy’s department store must have 200 employees. I’m not exaggerating. There is a sales clerk every 30 feet or so.

Maybe this is why there`s no big rush to have everything modernized. If things became mechanized in India quickly, it could cause massive unemployment. So, while it looks a bit archaic, everything seems to work and the craftsmanship is second to none.

While I love the food and the weather, the best thing about India is its people.

Have a great day.

 

 

 

 

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Thursday Tidbits

Posted on March 9, 2017 under Thursday Tidbits with 2 comments

Gracie’s new chair

 

“ Some days are diamonds…”

Some Days Are Diamonds. John Denver

I’m still trying to process the events of yesterday afternoon and evening as the Sisters hosted their first International Women’s Day celebration. Approximately 500 Indian women in saris arrived and marched through the streets of Kanyakumari with placards. A stage had been erected on the grounds of the convent and there was a full program of events including speeches, dance and music. My friend Carol ,from the B@B, was the guest speaker and she exhorted the women to move forward boldly in their lives with confidence, in the knowledge that anything is possible.

The Sisters took this opportunity to start passing out a few of the new wheelchairs and wheelchair tricycles with money donated from people like you. They decided to give one of the wheelchairs to a young woman who lives at another convent just down the road from here. She is paralyzed from the waist down. She lives with the Sisters and is an expert seamstress. It was determined that only four wheelchairs were needed at the leprosy community so they decided to give the fifth chair to Gracie.

 They wheeled her to the stage in her rickety old wheelchair. The seat is made of wood. Neither she nor I knew that she was getting a gift from Canada. We both shed tears and embraced as she was helped from the old to the new. It was one of the most joyous and utterly surprising moments of my life. When the event was over, Gracie was swarmed by well wishers.

The gentleman from the leprosy colony who received his new wheelchair handed me a letter after getting his chair. It was written in Tamil but required no translation. His hug said it all.

The M/C made a big deal about the wheelchairs and the water taps and the kindness of strangers.

Oh yes. I was asked to sing a song to close the event. I sang “ Let it Be” with a chorus of 14 young noviciates. They had never been on a stage before let alone sing for 500 people.

I won’t soon forget this day. I was so proud to be a Canadian.

As most of you who are reading this know, I am working with the Daughters of Mary. Much of my work has to do with raising money to support the various projects that they run. I am also working with the Sisters to come up with innovative ideas so that they can eventually become self-supporting. We are looking at reducing electricity costs by installing solar panels. With 320 days of sunlight and technology that has proven effective ( you can see it in the dramatically reduced power bills ), the savings can be directed towards program costs.

There are still several other projects that require a financial boost and I am asking those of you who might still want to contribute to go to my website and follow the fundraising link: http://www.week45.com/supporting-the-daughters-of-mary-in-india/ Actually, you are on my website right now so save yourself a trip and check it out now.

Have a great day, and thanks again for your generosity of spirit.

 

Mariyappan sporting his new tricycle

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