Tamil Nadu 2006 |
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Week 1 pt 1Feb 5-7, 2006 |
At Heathrow and checked in. Upgraded to Business class so the omens look good for the trip. Cold and frosty here, 32°C at the other end.
Arrived at the MSSRF at 5:15 am. My neighbour on the plane insisted on bringing me here when there was no one to meet me at the airport. Two hours of driving round the back roads of Chennai in the dark asking huddled groups of people if they knew where MSSRF was. They all said they did, but the answer was basically "It's not here..." (Many of them are shivering round wood fires to keep warm. It's 25°C, quite chilly from their viewpoint.) We did eventually find the Foundation and I am ensconced in a very comfortable suite of rooms. My friend from the plane, Rajesh, has also invited me to his engagement party on Friday, which if I can find it will be quite wonderful.
I have met Raman who runs the Foundation and I have had a quick look around. Very impressive ecological construction with solar power (easy in these latitudes) and rainwater harvesting, which is good sense in the hot dry season here.
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Mangrove seedlings being raised in the greenhouse. Plans are to restore and extend mangroves along the shore for coastal zone protection. Areas which still have mangrove swamps were unaffected by the tsunami in 2004 |
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Entrance to the guest house where I am staying. Very comfortable and airy. Air conditioning in the rooms, but I am always happier with a ceiling fan, which is swirling away above me. |
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Back in the tropics! Plants and birds always astound and thrill me. Bird life around here seems predominantly Indian crows and doves. No kites so far. |
I have just had an hour's briefing on the history of the Information Village project, which is the work that originally attracted me here.. The concept is now being taken up nationally with the plan to role out a similar system to all 60,000+ rural villages in India by 2007, the 60th anniversary of Indian Independence. I also took part in a short live video conference with one of the Knowledge Resource Centres which is about 450 km away. A combination of system time lag and my own jet lag made it very difficult for me to follow the conversation, but I did my best.
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The "Tamil Nadu Garden" divided into several different areas to represent the different ecosystems in Tamil Nadu |
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The video conference room. You can see me on the right hand screen photographing the setup. The Village Knowledge Resource Centre is on the left hand screen, but the speaker had left by now |
Much quieter today. Was introduced to Dr. Swaminathan today, the founder of this institution. He is a quietly spoken man, 80 years old I believe. I hope to speak to him in more detail, but he made me very welcome.
It's spicy curry for all meals, strictly vegetarian and no alcohol. I should be quite thin and healthy by the time I get home. Brief foray out in an "auto" to get some cash. The ATM works and I can't help feeling a bit more relaxed now that I have more than 80p in local currency in my pocket.
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View through the "auto" window. Three wheeled rickshaws. What looks like a hand brake leaver is really the manual starter. The inside rear view mirrors are curious. I think they are for keeping an eye on the passengers. |
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Near the ATM machine. It sounds feeble, but I didn't have a
clue where I was. I had watched landmarks on the way and managed to walk
back without getting lost. This is more the India I know. This is a new temple being built. There were several small temples around this area, full of incense, flowers and priests The red and white striped walls are very common on Hindu and Jain temples. |
I have decided to eat out for a bit of variety and walked back into Adyar (the place I didn't know where I was earlier) to do some shopping and buy some dinner. I skipped the "Hotel Traffic Jam" because it just sounded weird. I gave the "Hotel Runs" a wide berth and settled on "Shakes & Creams" (?) where they did a very good curried chicken (I have been told forcefully that that is the correct expression, not chicken curry ever) for 62 rupees (about 50p). Hope I don't die to regret it.
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One of the joys of the tropics is the fruit,
especially bananas. I know we get them at home, but we don't really. Until
you have had them ripe off the tree you have never really tasted a banana. These little ones are favourites, known as "cute bananas" in my family. Delicious and being ready wrapped, one of the safest foods you can find anywhere. |