The many moods of Mani...

the hero of the Ashram. You can sort of see it here if you look closely and carefully - Mani has dreadlocks - the Sisters said that he had them from the time he was a pup. Once, when he was jumping on one of the Sisters, she caught them and kind of hung on to them to save herself from falling, and they came off. But they grew right back! It's absolutely amazing.....and of course Mani thinks he's king of the Ashram!!!

It's Holi...

today. Last night the effigy of Holika was burnt, amid shouting and bollywood music and generally a lot of noise.

Coming back from morning devotions at dawn this morning, we caught a glimpse of the full moon in all its glory.

A peaceful view...

from the School...

You can see the Satara range.....it was a misty day today - beautifully cool and misty after the rains.

The brothers' ashram at Darshini...

This is a very peaceful place. The ashram had very, very humble beginnings.....the buildings as you see them have been built over the years with donations.

The Chapel is a wonderfully peaceful place to be in. It is at the highest point of the hill on which the ashram is built. Life revolves around this Chapel. The sisters too come here once a month for Intercessory prayers, devotion and for a community Church service.
There is a Library, an office, rooms, a home for the senior brothers who are unable to serve as actively as they once did, and a dining room among other buildings in which their outreach work is carried out. They have their own dairy, and have cultivated a lot of their land. Every day extra food is made, just in case anyone drops in....and there are always people who drop in to receive succor from the brothers, and rest in the peace of the ashram.

 I love the Chapel bell - it has the most beautiful sound as it calls everyone for prayers or for the Church service.

The grounds are kept clean.

The tree in bloom is one such - there are many all over the large compound.

 In one of the houses near the ashram hospital live the two nurses who assist the resident doctor treat the village people. They have learnt not only the local language, but the local dialect as well. They have to fight against superstition and local customs in order to treat the people but they do it all cheerfully, and relentlessly and without ever giving up. These people are in one word - amazing.

The school in Bhatiya...

Children are children everywhere - sweet, innocent and friendly - a truth that was borne out forcefully here in this small school.

The children sit on mats. The lady in the orange-ish sari is the sister who is in charge of this school.


The class in progress on the right is class 5 - the senior most class.



When we got to the school, Sister left her bag inside and we set out into the village. She said this was her first task - to go from house to house calling the children. She talked to the men and women, exhorted them to send the children to school, talked to them about cleanliness and even about drinking. It seems that the two 'evils' that plague that village are cards and liquor. She told me how she went up to card players and took away the cards, and I actually saw how a group of young men saw us coming and took to their heels!!!! About liquor too she openly and frankly talks to the women and men. Of course the men promise not to drink, but the women look so resigned. It's such a poor village. Sister was telling me how the brothers helped build many of the houses. There is no work except during the harvest season. So, sometimes, whole families move around to neighbouring places taking up construction work or the men go as truck drivers - it's heartbreaking to see tiny children without clothes, just standing around.

While we were there, the results of the sarpanch were announced and once again the same man was elected, only because he had distributed a lot of money and booze. It was not hard to infer that no benefit would filter down to these poor poor people to raise them up from this dreadful poverty.

There are 5 teachers. They walk from their villages which are about a kilometre away and bring kids from their villages too to this school. Sometimes, one teacher or the other goes with Sister on her rounds, other times she goes alone fearlessly. She knows all the villagers and the children by name!

The village...

the brothers of the Darshini ashram helped build. In fact, many of the houses were built by the brothers from the ashram funds.

         



 Check out this house above - it's so beautifully decorated.

Goats and cows are part of life here.





I was told that the houses are all built on one side of the road or the t, in this area or in that area according to caste.

On the way to Bhatiya...

a village near Darshini - where the brothers' ashram is - where the ashram runs a school up to class 5.



We got off a bus here and then the sister who runs the school and I walked down this tree-lined road. From the main road, we turned off onto a narrower road.

Wide open spaces marked the countryside with the odd mud house here and there. There was this lovely monument all by itself among the bushes and shrubs. Looked very dramatic!

There was a mela (fair) in Bhatiya. In an area full of huge trees, these people travel from far off places and hold a mela in the various villages dotting the countryside. Everything, but everything is sold here - from huge trunks and safe boxes to everything one would need in a kitchen, clothes, cosmetics, clayware.....you name it, you get it......even furniture which is made right there in front of you, and of course the inevitable Ferris wheel and merry-go-round.