It seems like only yesterday we were arriving for the first time at the farm (having walked up the road for a couple of kilometers through dozens of trucks in a traffic jam at midnight to have dinner) and now we are coming the last time for breakfast before work at the site. An incredible amount of work has been accomplished, especially since the ten of us on the team comprised the greatest part of the work force. The only other persons (the professionals) were Ramish and Pappu the two brick masons, and their helpers, as well as two boys mixing the masala. So if you take about sixteen laborers and give them a vacant plot of land, with only a perimeter trench dug, and at the end of the week of work one sees that the footings and foundation have been laid, and two side walls and the front wall have all been completed, laying one brick at a time, to a height of seven feet, it is not too shabby an accomplishment. We moved approximately twenty thousand bricks, passing them one or two at a time in brick lines. We carried and passed literally hundreds of basins of rock, crushed stone, sand, rough masala mix and finer masala mix. We invited several of the locals to join our brick lines or the masala lines, and many did – from those who were only about four years of age all the way to the local camel driver, who I would guess to be in his fifties.
We finished breakfast and most of us walked again from the farm into the village to the work site. What is great fun for each of us is the fact that over the week we have been working, several of the villagers, old and young alike, recognize us and many call us by their pronunciations of our names. Crissie became Cushie; Elias became Eeliahs; and so on. I think each of us will miss the interaction with the children (the ones who were well-behaved) as well as the adults – the camel driver, the tailor, the Imam, the wife of the head of the Panchayat (whom the ladies met and really enjoyed), the teacher at the Rotary Computer Training Center, some of the students from there, the man who sits each morning and makes rope, the omelet guy and so many more. Also, it was so gratifying to notice that in the passing of the week, nearly every woman and teenaged girl has refrained from covering her face when we come near them. That shows such a level of trust, having been built beginning in 2007 and continuing today.
We were eager to work on the project, but also just as eager to continue to build upon the sustainable relationship with Chahalka. Sean had brought a gold soccer ball, I had brought some nerf baseballs from the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red sox affiliate in Portland, Maine) and Cassandra had brought a jump rope. These were the items we brought with us that morning, although we had lots of other trinkets and gifts to share with the villagers. At late morning, Sean and I returned to the bus, he picking up the soccer ball, as well as a couple of Frisbees, and I grabbed a half-dozen nerf balls. It was time to see if we could REALLY create some chaos at the site. Cassandra and Nancy taught the kids to jump rope (mostly the girls); Sean took some of the boys to the far end of the neighbors property and kicked and passed the soccer ball around; and I learned a bit about pitching the nerf ball to some of the teenaged boys who were able to drive it quite a distance. As I may have mentioned previously, this kind of ball worked very well with playing cricket, especially around young children, because nobody could get hurt, even if hit with the ball. Lots of kids joined in the fun while adults, including several of the women, sat along the perimeter of the new playing field, and watched the fun. I had also brought along a number of tiny bottles of bubble liquid (similar to those given out at wedding receptions) and immediately had a crowd of little kids gathered around me while I showed them how to blow streams of bubbles that floated like iridescent orbs, until poked by a tiny child. To see smiles being born on the faces of children as they look fascinated with how these bubbles float by them, is worth all of the aggravation – well, almost. The difficulty comes when one of us tried passing a trinket to a particular child. At that moment, dozens of flailing arms and hands appear from nowhere. I got a bit tired of this exercise in frustration and when one boy of about ten grabbed the bottle of bubbles from the hand of a four year old, I grabbed his arm and made him give it to the younger child. How long this new owner would hold on to his prize is another story, I am sure.
Relaxing lunch back at the farm and then back to town for a few hours more work, before we were to meet with the members of the Panchayat at the home of the Sur Panch (spelling?) We learned that panch is five, and I guess it makes sense, therefore, that Panchayat is comprised of five elder men of the community. I am sure each of us was looking forward to passing out gifts to the children, particularly those who had pitched in and helped us during the week. Sanjiv’s warning aside, we were confident we would be able to distribute the gifts in an orderly manner. NOT SO!
We arrived at the home where this was to occur, and chairs had been set out in the yard. The members of the team sat down, followed by the members of the Panchayat. Similar to the previous year, each of the men on our team was turbaned by one of the elders – a huge compliment and show of respect to us. The ladies were invited to leave this area and to go inside the home, where the wife of the Sur Panch treated them to tea. They were each given a lovely head shawl. In the meanwhile, one could almost cut the tension with a knife outside in the yard. The children had all seen us arriving with a suitcase and a couple of carton boxes and some bags, as well. The children knew there were goodies inside. Cassandra had brought about a hundred baseball hats from the Fisher Cats of New Hampshire; I had brought more nerf baseballs from the Portland Sea Dogs; Sean and Kim had brought tee shirts from some teams, including the Olympics, from Canada; Chris had brought some soccer balls; Cassandra had soaps and lotions for the ladies; and the list went on and on. Unfortunately, when one shows the least amount of weakness or gives the tiniest impression that a gift might be coming, one is read like the proverbial book, and chaos erupts. So it was today in Chahalka. Suffice it to say that the decision was made to give all of the items to the teachers at the local school and have them distribute them to the children. Unfortunately, those kids who do not attend the government free school will not receive gifts, but this might encourage more kids to go to school and remain taking classes for the six years. Right now, there are about 300 students with only two teachers. And we think we have it bad with our crowded school class enrollments.
We boarded the bus, and not without some difficulty, and took one last ride back to the farm for dinner. Again, Sandoo and Dinesh, under the watchful eyes and guidance of Jyotsna and Oli, prepared another feast for us. We enjoyed sharing stories amongst ourselves, but the best one was how Sanjiv and Jyotsna met and got married. If you ever meet Sanjiv, take the time to have him share this wonderful and heartwarming story with you. Boone and I think it would make a wonderful BOLLYWOOD epic. Stay tuned, folks, one never knows…
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