Monday 3 September 2007

Frank, Eve and Susan's Story.

Monday morning was originally scheduled as a free morning and having met the children from the Alpha India orphanage the day before, Frank, Eve and Susan planned to visit them. In fact, we were invited to lunch. The first problem was how to get there so Frank asked at the travel desk. Should we take a taxi? Oh no, we can take the hotel limousine and their chauffeur for only 2,000 rupees for the day, that's about £25.
The journey was a surprise, our driver was so attentive and every time you raised a camera he would slow down and open the window. Somehow it seemed the highlight of the trip.

The traffic in India is something to behold. They might drive on the right side of the road, that is the left, but other rules seem few and far between. They travel only inches from one another and just weave in and out of lanes as they please. Everyone sounds their horns. In India it is just a warning to say I'm here. Most of the public transport in the City is by Auto-Rickshaw and it seems everyone has a motorbike.

Traffic appears from any direction and no one wears a crash helmet. Apparently there was a law but local politics decrees that it is not enforced.

It is an anomaly that there are so many billboards advertising things that very few can buy.

Not a very good photograph, but everywhere you look there are people living under shelters on the street.

On our way to the orphanage we wanted to buy the children some sweets. Our driver took us out of the City before stopping at roadside shops. Here you could buy anything.

Pamela sent us on a mission to buy some poles for the flags Sally uses in jailbreak. We couldn't take them on the plane. So our driver called in at various hardware shops on the way. When he explained what we wanted, the shop keepers would dive into piles of junk to try and find us what we wanted. After several stops it seemed we weren't going to be able to get anything until at last under a pile we found one that would do. Immediately the town stopped and we were asked to wait 5 minutes and sure enough after 5 minutes we could see a motorbike making its way down the road with every size and length of pole imaginable.
After all our adventures we were quite late arriving at the orphanage in Salamangam village and it took a while to find the right place, but when we arrived we found ourselves in an oasis of peace in the countryside of India. All the squallor of the City was left behind. Suresh came out to greet us and after giving our driver some money for his lunch, (the custom apparently), he promised to return at 2 O'clock. We were introduced to the children and I suggested they take us on a tour of their home. They divided into three groups and one of us went with each.

My group wanted to show me a tank where they were breeding fish.

And then to show me their play equipment. How many children can you get on one swing?

They showed us their rooms, one for the boys and one for the girls. They just sleep on mats on the floor.
This little girl is the latest arrival. She has only been there eight weeks and when they showed us a photograph of when she arrived, the difference was remarkable. There was a quote in the paper whilst we were there, that India will never be independant until it eradicates its poverty. I see places like this as the only hope for India. These children are not all orphans but they have been rescued off the street. Some still visit their parents in the holidays. They are being educated and learning a different way of life. The Alpha India Foundation will care for them for life and find them work and a home. They are being given a great start in life.

This is the story hut and we were the first to use it. It was a bit of a shock to realise that we were expected to tell a story and lead the children in devotions. They sang to us and we sang to them.

Isn't their house fantastic amidst all that poverty. We enjoyed our trip to India and I wouldn't have missed it for the world, but this is the only place in India I have a desire to go back to.

Eve's group saying their goodbyes. We had a wonderful lunch. After all the curry for breakfast dinner and tea, they cared for us by making us chips with our chicken.

The journey back was just as eventful. We had to get back for our rehearsal or else we would have stayed longer. Here is a mother with a baby on the back of a motorbike. I think six was the most we saw on one bike. Our driver didn't know where St Andrews Kirk was but Suresh explained to him before we left and we arrived just before the rest of the choir. It was hard to make him understand that he could go because we didn't need him any more. we gave him 1.000 rupees tip for giving us the most wonderful day.
Frank, Eve and Susan.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The Alpha India Foundation is delighted to view such favourable comments about the children and the work of the Foundation
Anyone wishing to have futher information on this work can email
rogerandpearl@talktalk.net or
telephone 01202 690014

AIF Trustees