The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
February 27, 2007
Beaver Presents: The Secret of the Saree (Bilingual Video)
My humble attempt at wearing a saree. Of course, when I got to the office, the ladies helped me out to fix it up a little !!!
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
February 26, 2007
Visiting Ghandiji's Home
I spent a whole day at Ghandi's Ashram.... If you don't know so much about him, you should read this.
I acknowledge that Ghandi has had his share of critics, some of them no undeserved (espescially the one concerning the impracticality of his position about World War II). He nonetheless was a fascinating figure who had a strong mark on history.
(MOVIE at the bottom of this post.)
Some great Ghandi Quotes:
- About his parents (click to enlarge)
- My life is my message
- If blood be shed let it be our own - Let us cultivate the calm courage to die without killing
- I will give you a talisman. When you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test : (click to enlarge)
- Event at the cost of death, truth should not be abandonned.
In his fight to for India, Ghandi wanted to create a place where the Satyagrahi (the partisans of the non-cooperation and non-violence movement) could embrace the philosophy of non violence.
The place he founded was Sabarmati Ashram, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
Check out all the pix here.
And visit his house:
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
I acknowledge that Ghandi has had his share of critics, some of them no undeserved (espescially the one concerning the impracticality of his position about World War II). He nonetheless was a fascinating figure who had a strong mark on history.
(MOVIE at the bottom of this post.)
Some great Ghandi Quotes:
- About his parents (click to enlarge)
- My life is my message
- If blood be shed let it be our own - Let us cultivate the calm courage to die without killing
- I will give you a talisman. When you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test : (click to enlarge)
- Event at the cost of death, truth should not be abandonned.
In his fight to for India, Ghandi wanted to create a place where the Satyagrahi (the partisans of the non-cooperation and non-violence movement) could embrace the philosophy of non violence.
The place he founded was Sabarmati Ashram, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
Check out all the pix here.
And visit his house:
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
February 25, 2007
The Streets of Ahmedabad... A Beaver Production
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
February 22, 2007
Ahmedabad in pictures
Here are some pix I took during my last weekend in Ahmedabad - includes some street scenes and a visit of Sabarmati Ashram.
Just click on the pic for the whole set ! (or on the Flickr badge on the right sidebar)
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!Just click on the pic for the whole set ! (or on the Flickr badge on the right sidebar)
The Beaver
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
February 18, 2007
Beaver Footprints
So I've posted several updates.... Basically the last of my adventures in Kolkata, before I start posting about my tribulations in Ahmedabad!!!
Here they are:
Upcoming posts (when I get back):
- the super-power of complaining (Beavers DO NOT thread lightly)
- Gandhi's Ashram - the pearl of Ahmedabad (in the footsteps of a legend)
- Exploring the deep Gujarat (Beaver is making her own way into the world)
Much love,
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Here they are: In order to be Indiana Beaver Jones, walking in sewage barefeet is part of the deal
- Beaver visits the simple path (Threading in the footsteps of an icon is also part of the game)
Upcoming posts (when I get back):
- the super-power of complaining (Beavers DO NOT thread lightly)
- Gandhi's Ashram - the pearl of Ahmedabad (in the footsteps of a legend)
- Exploring the deep Gujarat (Beaver is making her own way into the world)
Much love,
The Beaver
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
In order to be Indiana Beaver Jones, walking in sewage barefeet is part of the deal
Upcoming posts:
- visiting Mother Theresa's home
- the super-power of complaining
- Gandhi's Ashram - the pearl of Ahmedabad
One of the things I haven't done enough of since I've been in India, is blog about touristic or cultural highlights. Since I am travelling here for business - there is nothing surprising there. Nonetheless, I should treat my readers with these experiences, so I am starting with a flashback to Kolkata where I managed to do just a little bit of tourism.
I went to visit the Kalighat Temple in KOL just shy of two weeks ago now, with my friend and collegue P. and his lovely family. I didn't take my camera on tour with me since it is forbidden to photograph inside the temple - and I really had no clue what to expect in terms of herd phenomenoms.
Kalighat is one of the aspect of the goddess Kali (as in Kalimaa - Indiana Jones: Temple of doom.)
But stereotypes aside - it was much less scary then you might expect - and I did not have eyeball soup! It was quite an adventure though !
Kali (Sanskrit: Kālī, Devanāgari: काली) (Pronounced /kɑːliː/) is a goddess with a long and complex history in Hinduism. Although sometimes presented as dark and violent, her earliest incarnation as a figure of annihilation still has some influence, while more complex Tantric beliefs sometimes extend her role so far as to be the Ultimate Reality (Brahman) and Source of Being. Finally, the comparatively recent devotional movement largely conceives of Kali as a straightforwardly benevolent mother-goddess. (For more on Kali do visit Wikipedia's Article on on the matter.)
Anyway, I borrowed some pics to give you guys an idea.
We finally made it to the temple where just getting in was an ordeal. There were people, people and more people. I remember wondering where all the people were in Kolkata. Now I know. They are all at the Kalighat temple !!!
Once we'd pushed and shoved for a good 10 minutes (include 3 minutes of balancing the slippery floors and the flithy feet with unknown substances sticking under the toes), we made it inside and boy - was it a site. Scores and score of people there (like I said - it felt like the whole city was there) trying frantically to present their offering to the goddess.
The two things I saw that somewhat participated in the cultural schock (aside from the smell, the filthy feet and the massive amount of people there) was all the pushing and shoving. I even saw a guy threaten to pummel his friend with a coconut (presumably Prasad) and a woman nearly got her saree unrolled as she was exiting the temple!!! (Yes, a saree can be "unrolled" - for more details, click here.)
The priest starte the Puja (see below) with pressing his right thumb to our foreheads and annointing us with a red mixture. He then proceeded to some chanting which we were to repeat. Of course, being completely ignorant, I did my very best to repeat what was said. He concluded by putting his hands on our heads in a sign of blessing.
Pūjā (Devanagari: पूजा) (alternative transliteration Pooja, Sanskrit: reverence or worship) is a religious ritual that Hindus perform on a variety of occasions to pray or show respect to God (or gods). Puja consists of meditation (dhyana), austerity (tapa), chanting (mantra), scripture reading (svadhyaya), offering food (thaal) and prostrations (panchanga or ashtanga pranama, dandavat). The individual also applies a tilaka mark on the forehead with sandalwood paste, and then a vermillion (kumkum) dot (chandlo) in its centre. This signifies submission to the Almighty and also His Omnipresence. Puja is usually concluded with aarti to the Lord. (See the Full Wikipedia Article)
It was then time to push forward towards the idol to present the Prasad (specifically, the flowers) to her. I said present, but it was more like throwing flowers at a statue then anything else.
Now, I am betting that you wonder what the statue looked like. I was expecting something like this (based both on the Indiana Jones movie and the Wikipedia article) :
Instead - I saw this (more like - caught a glimpse of it):
India, I tell you, never ceased to surprise me !
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
- visiting Mother Theresa's home
- the super-power of complaining
- Gandhi's Ashram - the pearl of Ahmedabad
One of the things I haven't done enough of since I've been in India, is blog about touristic or cultural highlights. Since I am travelling here for business - there is nothing surprising there. Nonetheless, I should treat my readers with these experiences, so I am starting with a flashback to Kolkata where I managed to do just a little bit of tourism.
I went to visit the Kalighat Temple in KOL just shy of two weeks ago now, with my friend and collegue P. and his lovely family. I didn't take my camera on tour with me since it is forbidden to photograph inside the temple - and I really had no clue what to expect in terms of herd phenomenoms.
Kalighat is one of the aspect of the goddess Kali (as in Kalimaa - Indiana Jones: Temple of doom.)
But stereotypes aside - it was much less scary then you might expect - and I did not have eyeball soup! It was quite an adventure though !
Kali (Sanskrit: Kālī, Devanāgari: काली) (Pronounced /kɑːliː/) is a goddess with a long and complex history in Hinduism. Although sometimes presented as dark and violent, her earliest incarnation as a figure of annihilation still has some influence, while more complex Tantric beliefs sometimes extend her role so far as to be the Ultimate Reality (Brahman) and Source of Being. Finally, the comparatively recent devotional movement largely conceives of Kali as a straightforwardly benevolent mother-goddess. (For more on Kali do visit Wikipedia's Article on on the matter.)
Anyway, I borrowed some pics to give you guys an idea.
It started with meeting up with my friends to go to the temple. We met with the priest somewhere off the temple, purchased the offerings (flower necklaces to be undone and thrown at the idol) and left our shoe to the shoe-minders.
Offerings are refered to in Hindi as Prasad:
Prasāda (Sanskrit: प्रसाद), prasād/prashad (Hindi) or prasādam (Tamil) Prasadam (Telugu) is both a mental condition of generosity, as well as a material substance that is first offered to a deity (in Hinduism) and then consumed (Hinduism and Sikhism). Hindus believe that the prasad has the deity's blessing residing within it. In contemporary Hindu religious practice in India, the desire to get prasada and have darshan (cross referenced) are the two major motivations of pilgrimage and temple visits. (see the Full Wikipedia article)
In this case, the Prasad consisted of necklaces of flowers, and a banana-leaf cone containing 2 cookies, an hibiscus flower (symbol of the goddess) and popped rice.
Offerings are refered to in Hindi as Prasad:
Prasāda (Sanskrit: प्रसाद), prasād/prashad (Hindi) or prasādam (Tamil) Prasadam (Telugu) is both a mental condition of generosity, as well as a material substance that is first offered to a deity (in Hinduism) and then consumed (Hinduism and Sikhism). Hindus believe that the prasad has the deity's blessing residing within it. In contemporary Hindu religious practice in India, the desire to get prasada and have darshan (cross referenced) are the two major motivations of pilgrimage and temple visits. (see the Full Wikipedia article)
In this case, the Prasad consisted of necklaces of flowers, and a banana-leaf cone containing 2 cookies, an hibiscus flower (symbol of the goddess) and popped rice.
We then walked about 10 minutes to barefeet to the temple.
As you can see, the streets of Kolkata are sparkling clean, and it's completely logical to remove one's shoes 15 minutes before entering the holy place, so that one can enter the temple with scarily dirty (and itchy) feet. But anyway, in India, do as the Indians do. I am not complaining.
Once we'd pushed and shoved for a good 10 minutes (include 3 minutes of balancing the slippery floors and the flithy feet with unknown substances sticking under the toes), we made it inside and boy - was it a site. Scores and score of people there (like I said - it felt like the whole city was there) trying frantically to present their offering to the goddess.
The two things I saw that somewhat participated in the cultural schock (aside from the smell, the filthy feet and the massive amount of people there) was all the pushing and shoving. I even saw a guy threaten to pummel his friend with a coconut (presumably Prasad) and a woman nearly got her saree unrolled as she was exiting the temple!!! (Yes, a saree can be "unrolled" - for more details, click here.)
The priest starte the Puja (see below) with pressing his right thumb to our foreheads and annointing us with a red mixture. He then proceeded to some chanting which we were to repeat. Of course, being completely ignorant, I did my very best to repeat what was said. He concluded by putting his hands on our heads in a sign of blessing.
Pūjā (Devanagari: पूजा) (alternative transliteration Pooja, Sanskrit: reverence or worship) is a religious ritual that Hindus perform on a variety of occasions to pray or show respect to God (or gods). Puja consists of meditation (dhyana), austerity (tapa), chanting (mantra), scripture reading (svadhyaya), offering food (thaal) and prostrations (panchanga or ashtanga pranama, dandavat). The individual also applies a tilaka mark on the forehead with sandalwood paste, and then a vermillion (kumkum) dot (chandlo) in its centre. This signifies submission to the Almighty and also His Omnipresence. Puja is usually concluded with aarti to the Lord. (See the Full Wikipedia Article)
It was then time to push forward towards the idol to present the Prasad (specifically, the flowers) to her. I said present, but it was more like throwing flowers at a statue then anything else.
Now, I am betting that you wonder what the statue looked like. I was expecting something like this (based both on the Indiana Jones movie and the Wikipedia article) :
Instead - I saw this (more like - caught a glimpse of it):
India, I tell you, never ceased to surprise me !
The Beaver
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
Beaver visits the simple path (Threading in the footsteps of an icon is also part of the game)
Upcoming posts:
- the super-power of complaining
- Gandhi's Ashram - the pearl of Ahmedabad
The last night before I left Kolkata, I had the immense honor of being introduced to the Missionaries of Charity's motherhouse and to their working grounds.
Of the ignoramus reading this, the Missionaries of Charity are the order of nun, brothers, and lays that was founded by Mother Theresa. If you come from Mars and don't know who Blessed Mother Theresa is (or if you are from Earth and curious to know more about her life), click here.
Again, I was out of battery when I went, so I had to rely on Google to "borrow" some illustrations.
We started off by going to the house of Mother Teresa, and pay our respects to her tomb.
When one enters the home of the missionaries of Charity, there is a strong sense of peace and devotion. Anyone can only be humbled by the generosity and the dedication of the M.O.C. Just to see how dedicated one must be to be a M.O.C... here is the path they must take.
Once we were done, we were allowed to see Mother Teresa's room, although pictures were not to be taken. It was a simple, humble and very small room with a sober bed, table and chair. A crucifix adorned the room. Nothing schocking from the woman who adopted the simple path.
THE SIMPLE PATH
In one of the rooms, a little boy, maybe 18 months old, took a liking to me. He would just talk to me, and thrown his arms open at me. Most of the children I met were eager to be held, curious of my difference, and expressing a very important need: love.
I fell in love and got my heart broken countless times that night. I wanted to leave everything and adopt as many of these little ones as I could. I wanted to give them a home. But quitting would have made giving them a home difficult, aside from the fact that I am a gipsy at that moment. I don't even have a trailer !!!
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
- the super-power of complaining
- Gandhi's Ashram - the pearl of Ahmedabad
The last night before I left Kolkata, I had the immense honor of being introduced to the Missionaries of Charity's motherhouse and to their working grounds.
Of the ignoramus reading this, the Missionaries of Charity are the order of nun, brothers, and lays that was founded by Mother Theresa. If you come from Mars and don't know who Blessed Mother Theresa is (or if you are from Earth and curious to know more about her life), click here.
Again, I was out of battery when I went, so I had to rely on Google to "borrow" some illustrations.
We started off by going to the house of Mother Teresa, and pay our respects to her tomb.
When one enters the home of the missionaries of Charity, there is a strong sense of peace and devotion. Anyone can only be humbled by the generosity and the dedication of the M.O.C. Just to see how dedicated one must be to be a M.O.C... here is the path they must take.
Aspirancy--6 months.
Postulancy--Up to 1 year.
Novitiate--2 years. First vows are taken after this.
Juniorate--5 years. Vows are renewed each year.
Tertianship--The 6th year of vows, after which final vows are taken.
Once we were done, we were allowed to see Mother Teresa's room, although pictures were not to be taken. It was a simple, humble and very small room with a sober bed, table and chair. A crucifix adorned the room. Nothing schocking from the woman who adopted the simple path.
THE SIMPLE PATH
The fruit of silence is PRAYER.
The fruit of prayer is FAITH.
The fruit of faith is LOVE.
The fruit of love is SERVICE.
The fruit of service is PEACE.
Once that was done, we visited the largest orphanage in Kolkata, where we met the children that are fostered by the M.O.C. It was just rooms and rooms full of children, babies, toddlers, boys and girls, healthy, ill, handicapped, happy, sad, indifferent, but all lively and beautiful because so full of life.
In one of the rooms, a little boy, maybe 18 months old, took a liking to me. He would just talk to me, and thrown his arms open at me. Most of the children I met were eager to be held, curious of my difference, and expressing a very important need: love.I fell in love and got my heart broken countless times that night. I wanted to leave everything and adopt as many of these little ones as I could. I wanted to give them a home. But quitting would have made giving them a home difficult, aside from the fact that I am a gipsy at that moment. I don't even have a trailer !!!
The Beaver
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
February 17, 2007
Invited to a wedding next week !!!
Dear Colleagues, Friends, team members,
Here is a time for some good news and some celebrations. I am getting married on 22nd of February, 07.
I cordially invite you and your family to come and grace the occasion.
Venue is in Ahmedabad.
Wedding time 1 pm - Lunch 1 pm onwards
You are not just invited but most expected at the function. Looking forward to see you all.
I CAN'T WAIT !
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
Here is a time for some good news and some celebrations. I am getting married on 22nd of February, 07.
I cordially invite you and your family to come and grace the occasion.
Venue is in Ahmedabad.
Wedding time 1 pm - Lunch 1 pm onwards
You are not just invited but most expected at the function. Looking forward to see you all.
I CAN'T WAIT !
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
February 13, 2007
Indian Headlines - Food for thought
These are some headlines of 
and
on January 26th 2007. Just to give a quick idea of some of the headlines people read here, everyday.
Leopards in the valley
Girl Trampled
Yoga in School
Life sold on Internet
Western wedding in India
Traffic terror
Soccer Giants
No Bail for blogger
Proud to be Indian
Night trials
Legal Conundrum
Beat up by lawyers
The Killer Bribe
Another day in Paradise
The Beaver
and
on January 26th 2007. Just to give a quick idea of some of the headlines people read here, everyday.Leopards in the valley
Girl Trampled
Yoga in School
Life sold on Internet
Western wedding in India
Traffic terror
Soccer Giants
No Bail for blogger
Proud to be Indian
Night trials
Legal Conundrum
Beat up by lawyers
The Killer Bribe
Another day in Paradise
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
February 12, 2007
Safe in sound in Gujarat
I am now in Gujarat, 2 KM away from Gandhi's ashram, where I hope to lay my hands in hommage to the man who shaped India.
Hopefully I can update some more soon. In the meantime, I am celebrating the return of....
*DROM ROLL*
Hortense la chouette !
If you read french, do pay a visit. Her blog is a pleasure for the mind, the heart, and everything inbetween!
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
Hopefully I can update some more soon. In the meantime, I am celebrating the return of....
*DROM ROLL*
Hortense la chouette !
La cachottiere est revenue il y a deja un mois ! *pant* *puff* Now I have to rush and read up since she has been back since the beginning of the year !!!
If you read french, do pay a visit. Her blog is a pleasure for the mind, the heart, and everything inbetween!
The Beaver
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
February 03, 2007
In my last life, I was....
THERE IS A MOVIE HIDDEN IN THIS VERY VERY LONG UPDATE.
THERE ARE ALSO PICTURES AND A FUN TEST TO TAKE !
Otherwise, be patient and hear about my field trips to North and West Bengal from these last two weeks...
For West Bengal pics click here.
For North Bengal pics, click here.
The whole thing was an ordeal to be honest. It started on Sunday - my colleague (let's call her June) and my 2 local counterparts (let's call them Bob and Patel) drove to the Kolkatta airport to catch our flight to the Bagdrogra air base.
Of course, nothing ever is THAT simple. So it started off with us having to wait an extra hour, with me undergoing a particularly thorough security check (oh boy do I hate those). We finally got on the plane, which took off. Everything seemed to be going well (at least this time I had made the flight) - but my proverbial bad karma caught up with us.
The poor landing conditions in Bagdogra - apparently there was too much fog - scared the pilot. He turned the plane around after having hovered over the base for 2 hours (it's typically a one-hour flight) and took us back to KOL. By the time we deplaned, found a car, underwent the long drive back with the mandatory 5 long stops in traffic, I got back to the hotel, disgruntled and disgusted that I had lost a sunday afternoon in KOL for no good reason.
Anyway, the next day we tried again and succeeded. I count myself lucky because some people had been trying to get to Bagdogra since Saturday!
Upon arrival, we greeted the staff of the office and even had a long sit-down with the local Bishop. That man made a memorable impression on me. Such a lovely person, well spoken, invested in his diocese, and so very aware of the local issues. I will remember our conversations very fondly. Some topics that were touched on:
- Elephants are a nuisance in North Bengal. One even disturbed an outside service, sending the priest to run for his life !
- The main livelyhood in the area is the famous tea gardens which produce the well known Darjeeling tea. Most of these tea gardens are owned by private owners and the conditions of the workers (most of which are form the Ranshi area) are not in conformity with international labor standards. Additionnaly, their income is directly tied to the productivity of the garden - so they are the first to suffer from the weather's inconsistencies.
Basically, I was going there to meet with our local counterparts and evaluate their systems. As part of my work, a whole day was spent out in the field visiting the small local organizations who actually channel the ressources (in this case, the food) to the people it is destined to (in this case, children from the tea garden families.) The first place I went to was Julilee Memorial School - the children were, of course, absolutely beautiful. They also were very shy since they had never met a foreigner before. After a shortwhile, they loosened up though, as you can see here :
The children also presented their Indendence Day program which I filmed... so here it is !
The second school I went to was actually an orphanage. I visited the facilities and met the children. They were also very shy, but the group picture I took seemed to really have made their day :
It was very touching - but also saddening because the public agency that is currently feeding these kids is ending the program in four years. And when you see the children and their caregivers, you do understand that the need is not going to go away in only 4 years.
Thankfully, there was, again, a beautiful sunset to soothe my soul on the way back:
At the hotel, an alternate reality was waiting for me. The Sao Paolo soccer team was staying on my floor ! It was like living in a Brazilian dorm !
I got back to Kolkata just on time to go out with June for dinner - but not before i got the famous Mohindi tatoo done !
That feeling was intensified this week after I visited two other schools in the Baruipur region (in West Bengal). They were much poorer than those I visited in the North. Both schools were in fact nurseries, and again I had a chance to meet the beautiful children who attend at the first one:
Because it took us too long to reach the second school, the survey team actually got there after the children went home, but the teachers were waiting for us and gave me a presentation of their teaching techniques. All the teachers are mothers who have children in school and reconverted to teaching.
Although the schools were very poor, it was so touching to see how the teachers had really invested in creating activities and materials to really engage the children in their learning process. It was also very appeasing to to see the Bengali countryside and village scenes.
Now I'm back in Kolkata and slowly coming back to my normal state. The daily drives to Baruipur have, I must admit, really taken their toll on me....
Now for the big reveal :
In my last life, I was...........
A Friendly Alien
You scored 36 alien-ness, 28 mythical-ness, 52 angelic-ness, and 16 regal-ness!
Have you ever seen the Steven Speilburg film E.T? You also are a gentle being from another planet, where you have spent most of your previous incarnations. The strife and violence on earth hurts you. Your only wish is goodwill and kindness to mankind. You have a talent for healing - both plants and animals - and should consider some study in this area.
At best you were gentle, gracious and radient.
At worst you were indescive, aloof and clumsy.
In this lifetime you have gifts of diplomacy you should put into use! You'd be wonderful at running a country but are too gentle to promote yourself in election. Be assertive. You're a lovely human being.
This test tracked 4 variables. How the score compared to the other people's:
Link: The PREVIOUS INCARNATION Test written by Fyrdancer on Ok Cupid
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
THERE ARE ALSO PICTURES AND A FUN TEST TO TAKE !
Otherwise, be patient and hear about my field trips to North and West Bengal from these last two weeks...
For West Bengal pics click here.
For North Bengal pics, click here.
The whole thing was an ordeal to be honest. It started on Sunday - my colleague (let's call her June) and my 2 local counterparts (let's call them Bob and Patel) drove to the Kolkatta airport to catch our flight to the Bagdrogra air base.
Of course, nothing ever is THAT simple. So it started off with us having to wait an extra hour, with me undergoing a particularly thorough security check (oh boy do I hate those). We finally got on the plane, which took off. Everything seemed to be going well (at least this time I had made the flight) - but my proverbial bad karma caught up with us.
The poor landing conditions in Bagdogra - apparently there was too much fog - scared the pilot. He turned the plane around after having hovered over the base for 2 hours (it's typically a one-hour flight) and took us back to KOL. By the time we deplaned, found a car, underwent the long drive back with the mandatory 5 long stops in traffic, I got back to the hotel, disgruntled and disgusted that I had lost a sunday afternoon in KOL for no good reason.
Anyway, the next day we tried again and succeeded. I count myself lucky because some people had been trying to get to Bagdogra since Saturday!
Upon arrival, we greeted the staff of the office and even had a long sit-down with the local Bishop. That man made a memorable impression on me. Such a lovely person, well spoken, invested in his diocese, and so very aware of the local issues. I will remember our conversations very fondly. Some topics that were touched on:
- Elephants are a nuisance in North Bengal. One even disturbed an outside service, sending the priest to run for his life !
- The main livelyhood in the area is the famous tea gardens which produce the well known Darjeeling tea. Most of these tea gardens are owned by private owners and the conditions of the workers (most of which are form the Ranshi area) are not in conformity with international labor standards. Additionnaly, their income is directly tied to the productivity of the garden - so they are the first to suffer from the weather's inconsistencies.
Basically, I was going there to meet with our local counterparts and evaluate their systems. As part of my work, a whole day was spent out in the field visiting the small local organizations who actually channel the ressources (in this case, the food) to the people it is destined to (in this case, children from the tea garden families.) The first place I went to was Julilee Memorial School - the children were, of course, absolutely beautiful. They also were very shy since they had never met a foreigner before. After a shortwhile, they loosened up though, as you can see here :
The children also presented their Indendence Day program which I filmed... so here it is !
The second school I went to was actually an orphanage. I visited the facilities and met the children. They were also very shy, but the group picture I took seemed to really have made their day :
It was very touching - but also saddening because the public agency that is currently feeding these kids is ending the program in four years. And when you see the children and their caregivers, you do understand that the need is not going to go away in only 4 years.
Thankfully, there was, again, a beautiful sunset to soothe my soul on the way back:
At the hotel, an alternate reality was waiting for me. The Sao Paolo soccer team was staying on my floor ! It was like living in a Brazilian dorm !
I got back to Kolkata just on time to go out with June for dinner - but not before i got the famous Mohindi tatoo done !
That feeling was intensified this week after I visited two other schools in the Baruipur region (in West Bengal). They were much poorer than those I visited in the North. Both schools were in fact nurseries, and again I had a chance to meet the beautiful children who attend at the first one:
Because it took us too long to reach the second school, the survey team actually got there after the children went home, but the teachers were waiting for us and gave me a presentation of their teaching techniques. All the teachers are mothers who have children in school and reconverted to teaching.
Although the schools were very poor, it was so touching to see how the teachers had really invested in creating activities and materials to really engage the children in their learning process. It was also very appeasing to to see the Bengali countryside and village scenes.
Now I'm back in Kolkata and slowly coming back to my normal state. The daily drives to Baruipur have, I must admit, really taken their toll on me....
==========================================
Now for the big reveal :
In my last life, I was...........
A Friendly Alien
You scored 36 alien-ness, 28 mythical-ness, 52 angelic-ness, and 16 regal-ness!
Have you ever seen the Steven Speilburg film E.T? You also are a gentle being from another planet, where you have spent most of your previous incarnations. The strife and violence on earth hurts you. Your only wish is goodwill and kindness to mankind. You have a talent for healing - both plants and animals - and should consider some study in this area.
At best you were gentle, gracious and radient.
At worst you were indescive, aloof and clumsy.
In this lifetime you have gifts of diplomacy you should put into use! You'd be wonderful at running a country but are too gentle to promote yourself in election. Be assertive. You're a lovely human being.
This test tracked 4 variables. How the score compared to the other people's:
Link: The PREVIOUS INCARNATION Test written by Fyrdancer on Ok Cupid
The Beaver
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
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