As to why this didn't upload the first time - the clue's in the drumming.

So my first blog was for those who don't know me, to give an idea of what makes me tick.

Here's my update to date…in two parts. A summary for those pressed for time, and an extended version if you need a reason to ignore your work/washing up/TV for a moment or two.

Summary:
Flight all good. Swine flu being ridiculously hyped – heat-detecting cameras to catch those with a temperature etc. Good to see Sodagar and family again. School development coming on ace – classrooms on third floor finished along with science lab and computer room. Foundations complete for community centre, sports area has its first covering of grass.

Farming situation in Punjab and Haryana pretty much screwed – too many farmers living beyond their means, relying on produce from soil becoming ever more over fertilised and destitute.

Election time in the state. A pretty impassioned affair. Fisticuffs and ridiculous accusations abound, but thankfully only one death.

My Laptop causes quite a stir. Play murder ball and Frisbee with kids on first day. Hope jet lag will be gone by this evening.

Peace. One Love.
x

Extended version…

Initial attempts to head off proved abortive – the plane switching from Birmingham to Heathrow and back again. Finally the plane decided it preferred Heathrow and the Airways of the British.
So off we (Janet, Mota and I) went and arrived at the (in my opinion) overly ostentatious Terminal 5 building. In a rather sinister use of technology, they now have a 'car finder' facility, which tracks down your number plate, this despite at point having been asked to enter your vehicle's registration – hints of bug brother are worrying.

After the usual ridiculous security checks, complete with facial photography of every passenger and anal searches for the usual toothpaste disguised as…toothpaste, I found my way to gate 42 via the duty free shop. Clutching a new digital camera courtesy of The Gap Community centre in Warwick and an external hard-drive so I can edit up some video for y'all, I was forced to swallow a 'shapers' sandwich from Boots. I'm sure it will shape me superbly, given that it contained about 24% of my daily fat intake – not bad for a low fat sandwich.

On the plane I was sat next to a young blonde lady just out of uni, visiting India for the first time and travelling alone. Rather her than me! Warning her that 'single white western female' is sometimes mistranslated in Bharat Mata Ki as 'whore', seemed to put her mind at rest, so I moved on to reassure her about the high logic and organisation of the Indian road system…not such a good idea as it turned out, for she had been in a car crash a week earlier and was still a little nervous. Nothing that a heart and gut wrenching taxi ride from the airport wouldn't cure I reasoned to myself.

The world has officially gone swine flu crazy. Not content with rolling out untested vaccines containing live bird flu (with patents US666 and EU666 in case you needed another reason not to let your children near a vaccine) the PTB have now established heat sensitive cameras at Delhi airport immigration. Given that I was carrying my own weight in hand luggage and, expecting it to be cold on arrival, was wearing a jacket, my body temp was pushing the mercury. My prodigious sweat turned swiftly cold when I was called back to stand in front of the camera for an extended period to ensure I was not a danger to humanity. Quarantine beckoned like a gaping chasm of bulls**t, but eventually the masked denizens were satisfied and I was free to sweat in the queue for passport control.
The minor mishap of the wheels breaking loose from my main luggage could not dampen my delight at seeing a friendly face waiting with a sign that read 'Mr George – Leamington spa'. I'm no nearer knowing the gentleman's name, but he was without doubt the best cricketer I encountered during my last trip – the universal language of sport is yet to find an equal.

Arrival at BKIT house was delayed to allow time for my first meal on Indian soil at a service station. Whereafter the remaining journey became far more soporific than the plane had ever been. It was superb to see Sodagar and his family again. The guy's a proper warrior disguised as an understated, yet very respected and reliable community member.

We headed straight to the school, which is looking excellent. The community centre has full foundations, the sports area has a nascent covering of grass and the upper class-rooms on the third floor are now finished, along with the science lab and new computer room.

Over dinner I shared my first drink for about 6 months. It will be another 6 months before I have another – suffice it to say that one pint and a glass of whiskey was enough to leave me feeling a little half cut. I remained sufficiently lucid to enjoy a good conversation with Pawitar – Sodagar's brother in law from Coventry. It was of great benefit to be able to ask in English some pertinent questions about the state of the local area and community and receive articulate answers.

Sadly Pawitar painted a more bleak picture of the farming situation than I had supposed it to be - innumerable farmers indebted beyond their means, borrowing from avaricious loan sharks against the coming crop. Soil so destitute that ever more fertiliser is applied to achieve the expected yields. It would only take a wholesale crop failure and the rate of farmer suicides would soar beyond its already stratospheric rate. Never has an example of alternative and productive practice such as the community centre might provide been so needed. The challenge that must be faced is finding a way to allow the soil to recover and help it do so in as swift and as natural a way as possible, whislt providing an income and livelihood for those affected. The size of this challenge is made all the larger by the fact that so many rely on each year's crops for their very sustenance.

I do perceive one beacon of hope however. On the journey from the Airport there were frequent adds on the radio for an organic food company. The burgeoning growth of India's middle classes perhaps offers the opportunity to present organic food as an essential lifestyle choice to those with a sufficient disposable income. Of course in a perfect world everyone would be eating locally produced organic food etc etc…but one must work from the point of the present reality and start the snowball of change rolling with whatever impetus lies at hand.
Always one for the bigger picture and idealised vision, I imagine the community centre possibly serving as the hub for an ethical organic produce distribution co-operative, a focal point from which any organically produced food in India's bread basket can find a consumer.

Back to reality and George's time at the school…

Yesterday was election day across a number of states including Haryana. Voting is taken fairly seriously over here, despite the prevailing opinion that most Indian politicians are in politics simply to make as much money as quickly as possible. Today's papers report that only one person died in the numerous skirmishes that occurred on polling day. Would that western nations sought so passionately to hold their governments to account. Were it so, perhaps the string pullers of the special alliance might not be profiting so handsomely from their disguised-as-war smash and grab raids on the opium and oil of the middle east.
The fervour can be taken to ridiculous lengths though – Sodagar has emerged from the day being accused of coercing votes because he was kind enough to give his elderly and immobile aunt a lift to the polling stations. Needless to say he is not losing too much sleep over the threats of his accusers.

Two nights of failing to fall asleep before 3am are not yet taking their toll, but may do if the trend continues.

I am enjoying the use of the family scooter. Those who know me will attest that any form of propelled transport will always put a smile on my face. I scooted happily to school this morning to begin my tenure officially. My Laptop has been the cause of as much fascination as my white skin – especially among my fellow teachers. The kids have been introduced to a Frisbee today, and to my childhood game of Murderball – not quite so vicious as it sounds, requiring simply the lobbing of a football at your opponents legs.

That's pretty much it for the now folks.

Love to all, and keep being the amazing souls you are.

Peace.
X

p.s. any questions, just ask.

P.S. for those who've been arsed to read this far, i might as well add a little more - today murderball has offcially been establishing itself as the game of choice. I have been getting down to some serious Hindi learning and my virile legs have been the cause of much conversational amusement.

i ran a kind of freestyle english conversation class with the students today. the first phrase we shared was 'why are you laughing?' - tum has kyon rahe ho - to which i discovered the answer - mari tenge chuje jase hai - 'my legs are like a chicken's'

quality!

photos still to follow.

massive love.
xx