Sun 14 February

I am up with the larks today as I need to dress up in a Kerala settu mundu and attend a Hindu baby's "templing" ceremony.

Before I go I need to buy an arm's length of strung jasmine flowers for my hair.


Dr. Veena, my Ayurveda doctor, has invited me to attend the Hindu equivalent of a christening. It's called "chorre oune" and literally it means "first cooked rice". I meet her at her house and she fixes up my outfit so I look right! The settu mundu is actually a gift she gave me on my last day, so I am delighted to be able to wear it (with the correct colour of sari blouse) to show my appreciation.

Friends and family have gathered for the event, celebrated in a charming Devi temple tucked away in a residential area not far from their home.

I am honoured to be invited. Normally Hindu temples are out of bounds for non-Hindus.

Behold the classic Indian baby - Gowri - a nickname for the goddess Parvati.

She is 6 months old and until today has never set foot in the temple before. Today she will eat her first solid food and become
fully 'human'. It's almost as if she were still a 'deity' in some respects and therefore shouldn't attend the temple.

The ceremony will mark the beginning of her eating solid food at home as well.

And she is such a "polite" infant, never crying or making a noise. Here she is sitting on her grandfather's lap on the floor of the temple, wrapped in a cloth of "gold".

(R) She has just had some cooked rice inserted into her mouth against her will and she is not keen to swallow at all!

This is repeated time and time again, as every member of her family takes a turn at 'feeding' her. She remains calm and respectful, humouring this strange insistence she has a taste of chili, cooked rice and chopped banana....


It all happens early in the morning before the day is too hot and the temple gets too busy. It's a very happy time and I get given a full tour of the temple (no photographs allowed). I cause a bit of a sensation with the other devotees.

By the time it's all over, I am too late for Mass. I nip home and change and head off to visit Sr. Annie at the nursing home. Thankfully she is much improved since last week. At her bedside I meet another fascinating person - James Shelton.

We get chatting and he and his wife invite me back to their place for lunch. I get to meet their children and I listen to some English reading. Another happy episode.

Oh and I forgot to say, James has a motorcycle and offers to drive me all over.

I am a bit reticent because of the seeming  inconvenience to his family, but he insists that because I am a friend of Sr. Annie's and because she was so good to him, he would like to offer some kindness in return.  Eventually we decide he will take me to the Boat Club!

This turns out to be a large park by an estuary with an astonishing array of sculptures.

The day is hot and not that comfortable for wandering about a park but it certainly bears remembering for another time.

The ride on the motorcycle is of course the highlight of the whole adventure for me!