Hi Everyone –

First, many thanks again to those who left comments or emailed me. And my apologies for not doing more writing lately. It's been difficult to get computer time and to transfer photos—ah technology! But the computer guy arrived yesterday, and things should be a little swifter from now on. For the moment – here are a couple of Chennai 'snapshots'.

Snapshot 1: Dancing at the Handicapped Home

4 Feb 2006 – I am with Share and Care, the organization I am in Chennai to help for this month. It's Saturday; we get up early to go to the Medical Camp that they hold every few months for the polio-affected girls they shelter and care for (write-up on this pending). Anyone from the local community can also take advantage of a free medical check up and prescribed medicines. ('Camp' here means a one of two-day event, held in a local facility, usually something to do with free assistance.) After observing how the camp is run, I am invited by Maria, one of the handicapped girls to come and sit in their area.

In about an hour all the other invitees arrive, and Mary, a girl with an interesting and heartbreaking background who is not handicapped, begins to lead a few of the girls in a seated dance. It is Bharat Natyam style, and as an old dancer, I find it fascinating to watch. One of the girls in particular is very good, with excellent hand mudras and attention to detail. She’s the one in pink with glasses in the photos below. A few songs later, someone asks them to demonstrate the yoga they do every morning. We see an amazing display of flexibility and work as the girls go through a chant, some pranayam (breathing), and a few basic seated postures.

After tea, Mary puts on some lively Bollywood tunes and begins to dance free-flow. She is a little uncomfortable in front of the crowd, but clearly wants to do this. And she is encouraged by everyone. A young man, who is part of the team from Xansa – a software company that has recently donated computers, cutting and folding machinery, and medicines to the projects – joins Mary, and they dance free style together. I can't help it, the dancer in me joins in, and I provide a few moments of hilarity for the girls. They find all the free style dancing amusing.

The dancing ends, and after prolonged good-byes we leave. A moving and happy-poignant afternoon.

Snapshot 2: Meeting Success

10 Feb 2006 – I am sitting a writing, waiting (lots of waiting happens) to go to the hairdresser to get a haircut. A young man, R, appears at the doorway, announced by Ruku, the young mentally handicapped woman who lives and works here as a servant. After a moment of confusion, Carmel recognizes him and very heartwarmingly invites him in and has him sit next to her. She tells me that R, now a healthy 33 year-old and successful in business, was one of the boys she had rescued from nearby slums 22 years ago. Thanks to the generous donations of a woman from France, R received a good education. He is now happily married with two children, and is doing very well. Carmel asks about his grandmother, whom she remembers as the one family member who came to visit him as a young boy. He replies that the grandmother has died some time back, but his father is still around and doing much better than he was back when Carmel had to come to his rescue.

It was moving to see R's expression of gratitude, which was written all over his face in the happy and genuine smile that returned over and over.

Life – it just keeps HAPPENING.