Thursday 14 Jan

Today has got to be better than yesterday - an all time low. Babu and I are both burnt out chasing after Sr. Mercy's problems.

I start the day more slowly. I even find the road works on the way "amusing".

These are on the main road to the airport and the road is regularly tied up in knots, long trenches dug out of each side and traffic jammed both ways in the middle - not a pretty sight.

Thank goodness I am not doing the driving and use my time productively by taking some photos. Like this one of the local butcher's. Uggh!

When I finally get to work, I discuss things with Mercy and explore with her how she could delegate more. I focus on one or two things and she does the same. Some things fall into place. I get some photocopies of the "famous" minute book and get on with drawing up a de facto membership list. The certificated translation finally arrives with the correct date in it after 10 days of sloppiness and phaphing! An anti-climax after yesterday but still reassuring to know it's there!

I meet with Sr. Thressiamma and we go through the outgoing salaries - again! There are oddities and these need to be accounted for and the statements revised.

I meet with the part-time book-keeeper and explain the innovations we are planning at the CRC offices. I ask her if she wants to do more hours. She is keen. We still need an accountant but only one day a week should do it. That'll keep costs down and the book-keeper can brief the accountant which will save everyone's time.

Babu comes to take me out to lunch with Amja, (met her in Cochin a few weeks ago) who is in town briefly for a business meeting. She is out of sorts in her life and needs to talk. Babu takes us to an old haunt of his - the Kohinoor - where the fish curry is wonderful. We chat and cheer Amja up, then take her to the station. I need to get back to the office.

The rest of the day is easier. I don't get too worked up about things.

My perspective on life takes an amazing reality check when I witness this queue of poor people waiting to see a doctor.

I manage to take some quiet ME time in the evening.

Wednesday 13 Jan

The plan is that I should NOT be at work this morning when the Treasurer comes to sign the cheques. Babu has advised that I must keep my presence as secret as possible so the opposition do not use me as ammunition against the cause.

So at a very leisurely hour, I catch a ride with Babu and Tom G. (journalism posting) into town. We are dropping Tom off at the Press Club, but while we are there, we all go in and shake a few hands. I meet a few old Asian news hands and talk about Hong Kong. Reminiscing is good. The visit is short and sweet.

Next on my agenda is to pick up my new specs from Rose Optical. Babu is happy to drive me there and wait then drop me off at work. We always have plenty to talk about. I collect my "GUESS" frames and part with Rs 7,200 (roughly 90 pounds) - just under what I would pay in the UK. It is not the great Indian deal I imagined, but I have resigned myself to paying that to make sure I have a spare pair.

We buzz off to Cheru Resmi and I am very curious to know how the meeting went this morning. Out of the 9 cheques we wanted her to sign (max limit on any one is Rs. 50,000), the Treasurer has signed only 2 cheques. I suppose this is better than nothing. I urge Sr. Mercy to go to the bank straight away to cash them and start the repaying process, but somehow she is resistant to the idea and doesn't. Oh well! I really feel passionate about paying these people but she is afraid of getting it wrong or having so much money in cash about the place....not sure. There are things I am not party to.

I resign myself to writing two reports of our meetings with two helpful lawyers.

Next I get stuck into the De Facto Members List, but find the records in Mercy's files are incomplete. She says the official minute book is with the lawyer so I ask her to arrange for us to collect it so we can do this job properly. And also to chase up Hari for the certification. After a quick call, it transpires that Hari is waiting for our "advice" about what to do to correct the date (good grief!) and, more bad news, her lawyer has given the minute book to the court as evidence. This is a "bridge too far" for me and I snap. I hadn't realised how stretched I was with all this frustration.

I need to get home and clear the air. Poor Mercy looks distraught that I have got over stressed.

Get home and Babu wants to know everything, I get tense just telling him about everything and then he asks me to show him my new specs. I make the mistake of telling him how much I spent and then he goes ballistic. He is furious at the owner of the optical shop and calls him up haranguing him for ripping off his volunteers by showing them only the expensive range of frames. After several phone calls and much bad temper he has brokered a deal whereby I can return the specs and they will remount the lenses in cheaper frames. That's fine - but when will I have the time! Closure seems so far out of reach on so many things.

Babu is beside himself - so am I. Need to be alone somewhere and calm down a little. I could bite someone's head off right now.

The sewing machine I was trying to use this morning is now working - dear Babu, our cook, went off to find a new straight needle to replace the "bent" needle and fixed it all up during the day. He's a treasure. Should have asked him to get me some white thread too! Oh well. I'll make do with grey! Spend some quiet time repairing and ironing my trousers. That calms me down.

To placate Babu, I draft a letter he really wants to write to the Indian Express to create more job opportunities for the journalism volunteers.

I really don't fancy talking to anyone so have a very early night - asleep by 10 pm!

Tuesday 12 Jan

Another day on Arrears statements. This time I am working with Sr. Thressiamma. The day is exhausting in the heat but progress is being made.

I encourage Sr. M to contact the Treasurer (one of the enemies) and draft a formal letter inviting her to a cheque signing meeting. I make sure the statement is ready.

Wheels have been turning and we are to meet with a friend of Rajan's, a civil lawyer who will give us more insight into our case. A 7 pm we drive to Advocate Sudheer's home in North Trivandrum.

After a long session with him and his most sympathetic family lawyer wife Anitha, we feel encouraged again. Sudheer is reluctant to take the case on himself as he has not handled charitable societies before. He stresses that we need a very experienced civil lawyer who will be able to plead our case skilfully. He has a few people in mind. We will hear from him later this week.

Monday 11 Jan

Back to work this morning. I am energised after the weekend. I do a quick laundry and hang everything in the sun before I set off. Getting an auto is much easier today.

Sr. Mercy is back from her trip to the mother house in Tamil Nadu. Instead of supporting her and strengthening her, they have given her more things to worry about. She is exhausted from the sheer weight of responsibility, and feels very alone and under attack. I comfort her as best I can and we make a list of jobs to do. One of mine is to prepare a statement of all arrears due since September. I need the help of Sr. Celine who has the budget lists.

There is some confusion in the sisters' minds over what we are claiming in the statement. They feel safe sticking close to the budget entries, but REALITY is quite different. The money donated is used for the correct heading but often three people carry out the duties of one job title and some of these people also do other jobs. So what I really want to know in the end, is how much do we owe and to whom. This is not so easily itemised. But we make a start.

I need to get familiar with the structure of this organisation and sit down with Sr. Mercy to make an Organisational Chart. Getting the hierarchy straight takes some time and there are overlaps and doubling ups! I haven't the computer skills to make this drawing.... but am working on it.

The need to pay people is becoming more and more of a hot issue. Daily, people stream in asking for money that is simply not there. Sr. Mercy is paralysed, the bank manager won't let her take any money out of the account because he is afraid of adverse consequences and she is afraid to ask the Treasurer to sign a cheque or two because she is afraid of how the other side will twist this information.

I am holding the line for Mercy by constantly going back to the two judges' written orders. I urge Sr. Mercy to contact a new lawyer to intervene for us to clarify the situation. Her own is lethargic and un-proactive in the extreme. Has handed the file to a junior lawyer who is all at sea, and has not been able to do the simplest thing to assist her cause. As an example, we asked him a week ago to certify the English translation of the bye-law, this should have been a 48 hour turnaround). It has been handled by some clerk called "Hari" and an external person. We get the document back after 5 days and the date is wrong - 3 Dec 2010!!!!! instead of 6 Jan 2010. Are they doing this on purpose to help the other side? How did Hari allow that? I pick up the mistake after it has been through 3 people's hands. This needs to be redone after a week of being processed. We are tearing our hair out. Shoddy careless work everywhere. Grrr!

I make an impassioned plea to Babu to find someone we can talk to. He has been thinking along the same lines and is ready. He finds us someone, within an hour. We are to meet Advocate Rajan (a family friend of B's) tonight at Babu's house and get some advice on what is realistic for us to expect, what we can do, what needs to be done next etc.

A most unassuming Rajan arrives on his scooter with his two school kids. He's picked them up from music lessons. They all tumble into the house and we flush the kids upstairs to play Jenga with Big Tom. Downstairs Sr. Mercy, Babu and I talk to Rajan. After an hour of chat and going through all documents, we finally feel we are talking to someone competent and fired with virtuous indignation at what has been happening. I can see Sr. Mercy visibly relax and start to smile again. He has given us hope and courage to keep going.

Sunday 10 January

Taking it easy this Sunday morning in Alleppey - truly enjoying being away from the hectic pace of life in Trivandrum. I have left my computer there and am enjoying having the time to read - the guide book, of course, but also, a fascinating book which is exercising my mind "The Argumentative Indian" by Amartya Sen.

The two Toms - Cheria "little" Tom ( R) and Valia "big" Tom (lower down) - get up late. They are still suffering from jet lag, I imagine. When I suggest we go to the beach for a quick swim before check out time they leap from their beds and we are on our way. It has rained this morning and the air is quite cool and damp. This is a refreshing change.

The beach is truly lovely, a wide white expanse of lovely sand - pretty clean actually - a pair of lifeguards and clusters of people around. Men start to gather near where I am about to enter the sea so I leave my bag safely next to a white skinned lady reading her book - and leap into the sea fully dressed in my churidar. The water is warm and blissfully wavey. I am finally having a swim, after more than three weeks here! The water is very salty and the sensation of buoyancy is tremendous. More local men gather on the shore to watch and stare. When I climb out of the sea my outfit is pretty figure-hugging and they must be gratified. Frankly I don't care! I am covered in cloth so have observed conventions.

Our time on the beach is pretty limited and we need to get back to shower, change and check out. We clamber into a rickshaw all soaking wet but euphoric. The driver doesn't seem to mind.

After a quick lunch in town we make our way to the station and hope for an earlier train than we had originally anticipated. The weather is cloudy and it looks like more rain is on its way.

We are in luck! Within minutes, a train pulls in: the Nizamuddin, running 7 hours late. The train we were supposed to catch is 6 hours delayed. We climb onto a sleeper car and try to find a suitable corner to set up camp. The carriages are filthy with rubbish and food strewn everywhere, but we are hardy travellers now so sweep the seats clean and get on with it.

Reading passes the time and when our carriage empties we all lie down and even manage to doze off.

Alexis leaves the train at Kollam - he is on a mission to meet up with Dr. Ajith in Kallamballam and must change to a bus at that point.

We remaining three trundle down into Trivandrum, catch a rickshaw and are home before we know it. Babu greets us at the door with a big smile. It is good to be home!

Saturday 9 January 2010

Early start - we're off to Alleppey for the weekend, to do the Kuttanad backwater trip we all have heard so much about.

So we catch a train bound for the North - a sleeper class carriage - along with families boarding it for the next few days as they make their way up to Delhi! Yikes! We are glad our trip is only 2.5 hours long and we feel its great value at a mere 101 rupees (roughly £1.20). We make ourselves as comfortable as possible, shifting around when someone arrives who has reserved the seat we are occupying!

Both Toms are still very jet lagged and so they curl up and manage to sleep most of the way. The other passengers are very curious about us and stare a LOT. We carry on a few light conversations but on the whole there is too little English and we have no Malayalam.

The Indian railways are the largest employer in the country and you can easily see why. It is a form of transport that everyone uses and has great respect for.

Views from the window are fascinating and there is plenty to distract the eye and mind.

The trains have funny names like Nizamuddin and Jan Shatabdi as well as the more obvious ones like the Mumbai Express.

We get offered everything from chai and coffee to puris, vada and other exotica by tartan shirted chaps who wander up the train shouting out their wares as they come through.

The Kuttanad backwaters are probably Kerala's most famous attraction. They link a whole network of rivers, canals and lakes that run parallel to the coast from Kollam to Alleppey and further North.

We start to see some of these waterways quite

soon from the train window.

We have chosen to explore the Alleppey end and NOT do the expensive rice barge trip but a

more eco-friendly and shortened version mentioned in the guide book. We hope we won't be disappointed.

Alleppey arrives soon enough and we are collected by an auto sent by our hotel - the Palmy Residency. We come into town and startto understand why this is called the Venice of the India - canals everywhere and bridges.

It is quite lovely in a very old fashioned sort of way.

There are wonderful old boats moored or plying the water - ferries, cargo and pleasure craft.

We venture into the main downtown area across the ladder bridge. The two Toms need to get their money changed and then we grab a quick lunch "thali" in the Hot Kitchen restaurant.

We are in the centre of the bazaar, beside a busy temple, and there is plenty going on. Alas, we have little time to spare as we have fixed our backwater tour to start at 2 pm.

A rickshaw takes us through the back streets to a small creek covered in water hyacinths. We walk along the retaining wall of the canal following a guide.

Sure enough, it takes us to our boatman "Raju" - who awaits us smiling and greeting us with rather good English. "You come looking" - "I take picture"?

The deal is he steers from the back, one of us sits in the front and paddles and the other two sit under the canopy and relax.

We set off in this eco-friendly dugout canoe and spend the next four hours exploring the narrow and not so narrow waterways.

We are not alone by any means but we are not really bothered by the big boats.

We tend to stick to the peaceful shady sides and stop when we feel like it. It feels good not to be making a loud engine noise, not to be polluting the water with oil and fuel. It is good to hear the birds singing and the people chatting on the water's edge.

There is so much going on: washing of all

description - dishes, clothes, bodies -

children swimming,

grannies paddling loads of this and that, the fishmonger peddling his wares calling out from his boat as he approaches each little house,

a little girl fishing very solemnly.

The houses are perched on a narrow strip of land between the waterway and the acres of paddyfields behind.

Each house seems to have a garden space and a few banana or coconut trees, maybe a hen house or a cow house. A public path winds its way along the front of the house facing the water where a dugout canoe is moored beside the washing steps.

The pace of life seems delightfully slow and yet purposeful, the neighbours friendly and chatty, the children happy and playful. Idyllic really!

Raju steers us over to the bank every now and again and moors the boat.

He has something to show us - rice paddies or animals, a small tapioca plantation and banana trees, a magic rose, a mango tree with minute mangoes just appearing, an ylang ylang tree with a very strong scented blossom. Large kingfishers flit across our bows.

We even go for quite a lengthy walk out to some houses built on individual islands on the edge of a lake. And others that "will be" islands when the heavy rains come and flood the rice plain. He is very chatty and knows the facts and figures of the local economy - enough to answer all our questions.

On the return journey we stop for a tea break at one of the many riverside shops. The neighbour's daughter comes out to chat to the boys and practice her English. She is doing her B.Com. at the college in Alleppey.

The sun is going down as we return to our destination. And as Raju has predicted we witness the birds all flying home to roost in the trees and the bats gradually emerging from their nests and flying off over the paddyfields in search of fruit and other delicacies.

We are truly delighted with our day, which has been greatly enhanced by Raju's knowledge and guiding. Four hours well spent and eminently to be recommended for future visitors - and in many ways, it was enough.

Home for a shower, change and off to the Harbour restaurant on the beach, a 10 minute rickshaw ride away. We want to check out the scene and are hoping for some good seafood. We are not disappointed and even make time to run out to dip our toes into the sea. We vow to return the next day!

Friday 8 January 2010

And now for something completely different?!

This morning, I am to make my way to Sri Gokulam Medical College, a huge medical empire North of the city to meet the Director, Dr Manoj, an influential friend of Babu's to talk about possible future ventures. My own personal interest is in Ayurvedic medicine and my aim is to explore the Ayurveda Department, consult a doctor for my own health and receive an appropriate treatment, all the while keeping my eyes and ears open - what I call "the guinea pig run".

As it happens the two other volunteers Alexis and Tom are doing medical postings and are going there as well. It's an early start. We need to have left the house by 7.25 am and catch a ride to the bus pick up point near the University. Babu, of course, supplies the taxi ride and when we arrive finds someone else waiting at the stop to befriend us and make sure we get to where we need to go.

The hospital and college are 30 km outside of Trivandrum - over an hour's bus ride away through morning traffic. SGMC have their own bus (very like a school bus) and it collects staff from TRV and every village and hamlet between there and the college. The journey is colourful and we pass many humorous scenes, signs and people, the bus picking up speed and increasing its musical hooting sounds as we leave the city sprawl behind.

It is a bit of a visual shock to arrive at the medical facility. It is a huge campus built far out in the countryside with massive six storey imposing white concrete buildings suurrounded by banan tress and rubber pantations. The staff bus makes several stops to drop people at appropriate locations. Our bus stop friend advises me to stay on till the last stop and he then escorts me to the Ayurveda Department.

I am met by Dr. Dinaraj, with whom I spoke yesterday. He takes a very brief history - after all I am not ill - and asks me what my health situation is at the present moment. He then passes me over to a lady doctor Dr Sushamma, whose grasp of English is virtually non-existent. She listens and tries to communicate but we need to speak through Dr Dinaraj. They both concur that after a short tour of the department I am to have an Ayurvedic massage. I am quite happy with that.

I am taken in charge by two massage therapists dressed in beautiful green saris. I can't help wondering how they are going to cope with the oils and the energetic movements required wearing these! But they do - with grace and vigour. Somehow without any English they get across to me what I need to do: get undressed (I then stand around looking awkward), they hand me a rough rectangle of cotton cloth with two strips almost ripped off that I am to use as ties round my middle the large section is to "hide" privates Amazon Indian style. I am amused by this process as they have already seen what I have got! Anyway I comply!

Next I am invited to climb up onto this huge panchakarma wooden "bed" and sit while they dribble and rub a red oil onto my limbs. 40 minutes later and I have had every square inch of me thoroughly oiled and massaged having adopted every position form sitting to lying on back on side A then front then side B. I am slipperier than a wet eel sliding around on this wooden slab - thank goodness there are a few handholds. I cannot say that this is a relaxing procedure.

Above my head throughout has been going on a three-way conversation between the two therapists and the doctor in Malayalam. I feel like a piece of meat and am none the wiser as to the name of the treatment or what it is for and what benefits I should look forward to experiencing! I make a note of this.

Finally it's over! And then the difficult task of removing all the oil under the shower without slipping, falling over and breaking my neck! Thank goodness there is a special soap that does indeed break up the substance quite well and within 20 minutes I am back in my clothes again. I am encouraged to have some "bedrest" in one of their VIP rooms and do just that, even falling asleep for 20 minutes. This is definitely worth it.

But not for long! Dr. Manoj has sent word that I am to meet him and so I pull myself together and make my way through this enormous hospital building to his office. He is a dynamic, young, well-travelled physician. He shares with me his vision for rejuvenation of the whole medical college in 2010, a meaningful anniversary. He knows there are problems with the Ayurveda Dept and wants to hear my frank appraisal of my experience this morning. I am not sure quite how much I should tell him so I start gently. But he wants more so I fetch up giving him the full 9 yards. He would like to appeal to foreigners and is prepared to invest what is necessary to make this happen. I feel a burden of responsibility to get across some important points.

In my view, there is a lot to do to bring up the level of English amongst his staff and to create a more inviting spa like atmosphere so that clients can feel reassured and relaxed. Ayurvedic medicine is called "country medicine" in Kerala, and I use this analogy to suggest more wood, natural handloom fabrics, and harmony in the general interior decoration. I mention the words 'Sarovaram' and 'FabIndia' and he gets the idea of what I mean.

I also talk about the accommodation and the surroundings of the hospital. Clients who come to stay for even some of the short treatments (5 days) will be "inmates" for some time and they need more creature comforts in their rooms. Another point, the hospital is in the depths of the country and yet all one can see from the window are huge building projects. I suggest some outdoor secluded garden space with a pond and maybe even a pool! Also some path blazing, creating country walks through the rubber plantations and over the hills? Patients will need something to do. He agrees with everything I say and makes notes. I cannot believe his receptivity.

After this very stimulating talk, I take my leave and make my way back to the Ayurveda Dept where they have insisted I must take my lunch. They are very hospitable and charming even if I cannot understand more than 10% of what they are saying. A patient wanders in and starts to chat with me - she is an English teacher and happy to tell me about herself and ask me about my reason for being there. She does some interpreting for me, which is very helpful indeed.

After lunch I insist on taking myself on a tour of the hospital and visiting my two volunteer friends in the Physiotherapy department. I must also meet the Executive Director of the Medical College and repeat many of the points I have explained to Dr. Manoj. Is this the man who will make all this happen? Who's to know.

Before I know it, 4 pm is here and the Gokulam day is over. It's time to get back on board the bus for the journey home. The boys share their day with me - Tom looks shattered but is smiling.

On the journey home I get a few shots of the Communist party posters which are everywhere in the city. The stylised red Hibiscus emblem is my favourite. The DYFI (Democratic Youth Federation of India - that means 'communist') Party conference starts today here in town and will run all weekend. We are to expect high levels of demonstrations and public manifestations - not only by them.

The bus happens to pass by the Communist party headquarters so I get a snap. Note the white strips of cloth strung along the side of the road - these are everywhere in the city - row upon row. Very eye catching!

The opposition also have posters around and Gandhi features prominently.

We get off at the main railway station and have a little explore in case we need to come here tomorrow! We take down some details about possible trains and move on. There are long queues in front of every ticket window - this is a good lesson in itself.

A quick cuppa and a snack in the spiral Indian Coffee House that is truly an emblem of Trivandrum and we make our way home.

Back at the ranch, a quick shower and change and we feel refreshed. There's a new face in town - Tom G. - a journalism volunteer who arrived this morning.

Friday night! We tell Babu we want to hang out at Kovalam Beach to relax and to get to know the new chap. He drives us out there - he needs a break too. This time we explore more of the back paths behind the main beach strip. We find a place with a first floor verandah and have a few beers and have a look in a few shops. I come away with a couple of bangles. It feels like a holiday!