Anne Lind

Heading Home

2011-11-07T07:35:00.000+05:30

It's Monday morning here, our last day in India for this trip. On Saturday we went to Meerut for the day to visit our friends the Lals. We have done the trip frequently by car or taxi, and it is a long, noisy drive. So this time we decided to go by train. The Shatabdi that we normally take to and from Dehra Dun stops in Meerut, so we got outbound seats in the morning and inbound in the evening. The morning train leaves at 6:50 AM. We like to travel by Metro, but the trains only start running at 6 AM and we had to change at Rajiv Chowk. So instead, we left the hotel about 5:45 and walked toward the main street that runs under the Metro line. We found an auto rickshaw right away and headed off to the Ajmeri Gate entrance to the New Delhi train station. It took about 15 minutes. The station has 16 platforms and our train runs on Platform 16. The main station entrance is near Platform 1, which means that you have to walk up a long stairway and across a long bridge over all the lines. So it is important to remember to tell your driver that you want the Ajmeri Gate entrance, from which you can walk right onto the correct platform.

We arrived at Meerut about 9:00 and Anju and Sandeep were there to meet us. We had a very quiet day with the family. I was in the middle of a fierce cold that I picked up somewhere in Delhi. Brij is recuperating from a bout of bronchitis (we knew it was bad when he thought it was too much trouble to go upstairs to watch a cricket match on TV!). Dan went out and got a haircut at his favorite barber who gives a good head massage; he was asked why it had been so long since he had been there. Brij made his excellent aloo parathas for breakfast, served with fresh dahi.

I napped a bit between breakfast and lunch. Anju cooked a wonderful lunch with meat curry, biriani, aloo ghobi, and chapatis.

The evening train comes through about 9:15, so Anju and Sandeep took us at 8:45. We hopped out of the car and only waited on the platform for 10 minutes or so. Once we got to New Delhi, we quickly found another scooter rickshaw and were back at our hotel before 11:30. A long day, but always a good visit.

This morning (Monday) I checked in online for our flight tonight. It is always good to be heading home.

Sidewalks

2011-11-04T10:23:00.000+05:30

When we first began staying in Karol Bagh, four years ago, most of the streets were badly paved, with messy gravel/dirt areas at each side. During this time there has been a sidewalk upgrade project on most of the streets, with curbs added. However, most people still walk in the street with the traffic (cars, trucks, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, ox carts...). These pictures might show you why.

Karol Bagh at Night

2011-11-03T09:24:00.000+05:30

We are staying in an area of the city called Karol Bagh. It is an area of many, many hotels and lots of shopping. Going out after dark is a feast for the eyes. Some of these pictures aren't as crisp and clear as I'd like, but it's actually what it looks like.

BonLon Inn with Diwali lights

Fancy shop

Street flower vendor

Food shop near the Metro -- good gelato!

Jewelry store

I like Kate's - the Bling Store for Diva's! (not my apostrophe)

Another hotel lit up

Mother Dairy - Delhi chain, landmark for the street BonLon is on

Inside Roopak's spice store -- a mixture for every conceivable dish!

Need a scooter? Get one here.

Shoe stalls along Ajmal Khan Road

Produce shop -- Dan tried for bananas, but gave up as it was too busy

State Emporia

2011-11-02T09:41:00.001+05:30

One of the shopping areas in Delhi that we've always enjoyed is on Baba Kharak Singh Marg, one of the radial roads out of Connaught Place. There is a different shop for each state in India, far too many to go to all of them in one day. I hadn't been there for some time, and one of the changes is that, although each one has its specialty items, more and more crafts are similar. I presume that is because with modern transportation and communication, there is a spreading of information across the country.

The first one as we headed out from the center of the city was Delhi (a city-state, the capital area similar to Washington, DC).

Many of the shops had a Ganesh (elephant god) statue near the entry. Ganesh is often used as a symbol of beginnings, or welcoming.

The salesman in the jewelry section was happy to see Dan, who has been a former customer. Unfortunately for him, we came away from there empty-handed this time.

In the Assam shop, we enjoyed these red and white cloths. The weaving was on a simple lightweight cotton and they came in many sizes.

Many of the shops had piles of colorful clothes.

Kashmir is famous for its carved walnut objects, as well as papier-maché. This desk caught my eye because it is taller than usual.

Imagine my surprise when the salesman lifted the top and opened the sides to reveal a complicated set of cubbyholes. Perhaps a bit of overkill, even for someone who likes to be very organized!

The Rajasthan Emporium welcomed us with a display of brightly colored statues.

To read about our lunch and see pictures, go to my new blog here.

Travels

2011-10-31T09:11:00.001+05:30

On Saturday morning we finished packing up, sent our trunks to the attic, and had a last lunch with Bhavenesh in the school dining room. At 1:30 we went down to the gate and met our taxi. We have two fairly large suitcases and our backpacks. After a lovely tea in Dehra Dun with Ajit and his sister, we boarded the Shatabdi train for Delhi. Riding through the night we caught many glimpses of Diwali lights still decorating homes and villages. The most common sight was strings of vertical lights lined up from roof to ground floor on buildings tall and short. Some were festooned in loops. Unfortunately, photographing these from a moving train in the dark was totally impossible.

When we arrived at our hotel, the Bon Lon Inn ("A Little Bit of Heaven") in Karol Bagh, the workers all greeted us as familiar customers (although the last visit was in May). The manager apologized that we would be in a small room for one night but could move into a larger room first thing in the morning. We were so tired that we were happy to fall into any bed (and these are comfortable, with mattresses that actually give a little when you lie on them). Sure enough, we moved next door right after breakfast. We are on the top floor and it is quiet, except for the pigeon roost at the top of our window. But they are only noisy during the day. I wouldn't exactly call this a "large" room, but with our suitcases tucked into the closet, we can get around. We have two armchairs with a small table between for our simple meal once a day (cheese, crackers, fruit). There is also a tiny desk with a chair right in front of the bathroom door. Dan has managed to set the air conditioner at a setting that doesn't get too hot or cold (not a simple proposition!).

On Sunday we didn't do much of anything, preferring to get settled and loaf. We left about 4:30 to try to get to Greater Kailash Market and the FabIndia stores there. That involved a 10-minute walk to the Metro station, two changes of lines (blue to yellow to violet), a cycle rickshaw ride to the wrong market, a scooter rickshaw to the right one, and then a scooter rickshaw to Defence Colony. We did find the FabIndia, but I couldn't really get into shopping, although I did buy an aqua linen shirt. We walked through the home furnishing stores: lots of beautiful things but none we wanted to buy.

At Defence Colony, we found the Swagath restaurant where we met our friends Momo & Tsering, their son Siddarth and his girlfriend Rachita, and Glenn for dinner. A pleasant time for all, with a variety of dishes including Mangalorean prawns and fish kabobs. Glenn is flying out today.

After we parted, we caught another cycle rickshaw to the nearest Metro station. By 9:00 the crowds had thinned out and it was a pleasant ride back to the hotel. The front car of each train is for ladies only, and I've appreciated not being crowded into the men!

Today: Dilli Haat and I promise some pictures tomorrow!

Diwali

2011-10-30T10:30:00.000+05:30

The week following the Centennial celebration was a bit of a letdown for me. I was pretty well exhausted from all the activities. On Tuesday I went into the bazaar to get my permanent crown installed (I'd had the temporary one for about 3 weeks). My appointment was at 4:00 and I enjoyed the walk through the bazaar both ways. The following day was Diwali, and people were out in force, doing their last minute shopping. Diwali here is even bigger than Christmas in the US in some ways. People get new clothes and shoes, purchase appliances, buy sweets to give to everyone they know, and celebrate with fireworks of all kinds.

Appliance store with TVs, washing machines, fridges, etc.

Roadside stall

Fireworks stall - one of many

Festive store selling decorations and posters

Ram Chander store with marigold Om

Sewing machines out in front of shop (hand-propelled)

Sweets for sale

Sunday Brunch

2011-10-29T11:46:00.000+05:30

The rest of the WOSA Centennial weekend went by in a blur. Saturday was a mostly open day and I took the opportunity to stay home and rest. In the afternoon we had a choir rehearsal for the Sunday service. In the evening a dinner was held at Rokeby Highlands at the top of the hill. It was quite chilly, but there were several fires at which we could warm ourselves. There was a lot of dancing, eating, and visiting. I didn't take any pictures as it was so dark and I didn't want to impose on the party with my flash.

Sunday we had a service in Parker Hall. There weren't too many people there, but those who came enjoyed it thoroughly. Eleanor and Amitavo played a violin duet for the prelude and postlude. The choir sang "How Can I Keep From Singing," one of my favorites. Four alumni gave short reflections on how Woodstock influenced their lives. Other alumni and former or long-term staff read the scriptures and led the prayers.

Following the service, we headed to Hanson Field for the alumni cricket match. For those of you who haven't been here, it is below even the lower dorms. We had a box lunch. The entire class of 1981 came, with some of their members joining in. There were two sides, led by Tom Alter and Brij Lal, who were probably the ones who first brought cricket to Woodstock in the 1960s. Everyone who played seemed to have a great time. And in the end the two sides were tied (after 20 overs each). Dan was wicket keeper for his team and took some falls, as well as a ball in the chest when he was batting. But he was OK other than some stiffness the next couple of days.

The final event was an optional dinner at the Tavern. About 14 people showed up and enjoyed themselves. I did remember to photograph the food, but the pictures didn't turn out!

Choir rehearsal

Sunday service

Box lunch area

Tom & Brij

Tom, Brij & Dan (notice Dan's shirt from the World Cup Finals)

On the pitch

Teams preparing

Spectators

Dinner Sunday evening

More Celebrations

2011-10-28T11:39:00.000+05:30

After lunch, Friday got even busier. The Mela was held in the Quad from 3:00 to 6:00. Vendor stalls ranged from food to handicrafts to books. Following the Mela, the advanced student recital was held in Parker Hall. Many students and visitors attended the recital, and they still had time to get down to Hostel for the Pool Party and dinner. The dinner had stalls serving many Indian food items, made fresh right in front of us. Yum!

Bake Sale

Cushions

Doughnuts

Himalayan Weavers shawls and bags

9th grade hot dog stand

Jewelry

Living Tree recycled paper products

Toys from Employees' Wives

Pakoras

Pay to pie someone in the face!

Victoria & Elizabeth in the Quad

Quad view from above

Mr. & Mrs. Stanley with South Indian textile items (jholas are all gone!)

Students in pool

Dosas

Allo tikki

Fresh jalebis

Alumni visiting

Roti

Salads

Friday

2011-10-26T09:23:00.000+05:30

Friday morning we had an all-school assembly in the gym. Students from all grades attended; the Junior School on the side bleachers and the Senior School on the main ones. Guests were on chairs on the floor.

Abhra greeting some of the alumni

Senior School behind guests

Honoring 15-year plus staff members

Abe and Bethany with Eleanor rapping Shadows

After the assembly was over, our volunteers took the visiting alumni for tours of the school. One group went to the dorms on the lower level, but others did not. We headed out Tehri Road to the Hanifl Centre for lunch. Even the older ones made it very well. (It's about a kilometer and slightly uphill.)

It was pleasant to sit around the grounds at Hanifl eating our box lunches.

The class of 1951 were celebrating their 60th anniversary of graduation.

After lunch Krishnan Kutty, Director of the Hanifl Centre, talked about outdoor and environmental education and how important it is.

Thursday Evening

2011-10-25T10:54:00.000+05:30

Following the WOSA Centennial Registration, everyone gathered in the Quad for the Welcome Dinner hosted by Principal Eleanor Nicholson. The current Woodstock staff were invited to come and interact with the alumni visitors. It was very festive, if a bit chilly.

Dr. Eleanor Nicholson welcoming one and all.

Pandit Ajit Singh performing on the Vichitra Veena with his tabla player from Mussoorie International School. Dan the chela (student).

In two weeks the fall school musical, "Brigadoon," will be performed in Parker Hall. We were treated to a 15-minute sneak preview.

Lillian Skinner Singh, class of 1939, cut the 100-year cake.

WOSA Centennial Begins

2011-10-22T14:22:00.001+05:30

Wednesday evening was the real beginning of the WOSA Centennial celebrations, but I was here in Mussoorie prepping, so don't have any photos from the Bollywood dinner. There were about 50-60 people in attendance.

Thursday afternoon we had set registration from 5:00 to 7:00, but we expected a lot of people to come early. So about 2:00 we set up our tables just inside the Woodstock gate. Two people from the business office joined us to take in any money and process credit cards. We took a mug shot of each person as they arrived and got their name tags. (And yes, they started coming in before 3:00.)

The Quad was being prepared with golden streamers overhead and the class flags hung from the balconies. It was interesting watching them string up the streamers. First they strung wires across at about six feet, added the streamers, then raised the whole apparatus up and out of the way. It was breezy most of the time, so the fluttering gold was very attractive. Some of the students were eating their lunch outside in the sunshine when I took this picture from our balcony.

A special banner was made and hung on the pushta just inside the main school gate.

Here I am with my two volunteers, Lois and Beth. Both were former students and now adult friends, so it was great they could both be here to help out.

Here's the registration table with the main gate in the background. Lois checked them in, the two men from the business office took payment (if they hadn't paid in advance), and Mary Ina (another volunteer) gave them their name tags. We had a student photographer called Fuse (his full Thai name is quite unpronouncable) who took a photo of each person.

Beth was at the last table where they had to answer a few questions and pick up their packet of schedules and nice Woodstock water bottle. While we were there it got dark and cool. The sunset and the winterline were right behind us.

Next: dinner and entertainment in the Quad

Improvements

2011-10-20T11:28:00.000+05:30

Over time, I have posted quite a few pictures of pushta-building going on around the hillside. Especially following the monsoon, a lot of repair work needs to be done. And in some areas the old pushta has simply disintegrated.

Just below Landour Community Hospital, there has been major ongoing work for several years. Part of the new pushta is finished and looks good. The next section, to the left, will probably remove the shack that is hanging precariously above the road.

At the corner on the road between the hospital and Springview, they have finished the work we watched last year. The new path is quite pukka; we went up it last weekend to visit a volunteer doctor and his wife.

Not related to pushtas, but here is a photo of some gorgeous begonias right outside the Media Centre, the 1993 building above the Flagpole area.

Happy Birthday

2011-10-18T12:04:00.000+05:30

Today (October 18) is my mother's 90th birthday. We had a celebration party for her in August, when many family members could be there.

Here is a picture taken early this year of my mother with my sister Kate, who worked in the dorms at Woodstock from 1978 to 1981.

Final Readings from Writers

2011-10-17T12:43:00.000+05:30

The last session at this year's Mussoorie Writers' Roundtable consisted of three authors reading from their works. All three had spoken at sessions earlier, so were becoming familiar.

Bryan Powles, chair of the English department at Woodstock, introduced the speakers. The first was David Davidar, who had spoken the previous day on the need for editors. As he worked for Penguin for many years, he knows a lot about publishing. He read from his latest book, "Ithaca," which was inspired by a poem by Cavafy. You can read it here. The novel is about publishing (no surprise), centering around a small company in London, which he calls Litmus. The parts he read introduced the main characters. It sounds like a good read, especially for lovers of books.

The second reader was Palash Mehrotra, who happens to be the son of Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, who spoke in the first section. He read from his book of short stories, "Eunuch Park." These stories have a variety of settings. The one he read, "Nick of Time," was about Indian students at Oxford University and was quite humorous.

Raj Kamal Jha read from his latest book, "Fireproof." It is set during the 2002 Gujarat riots, which were sparked by a burning of a train and resulted in Hindu-Muslim rioting and more than 1000 deaths. It is written from the point of view of a man who finds an unfinished child's workbook after the riots and tries to find the child to finish the work. It is set in a terrible time and situation but the writing is very affective.

Friday night out

2011-10-15T10:24:00.001+05:30

This was a really busy week and I realize that I only posted three times. So I decided to go off schedule and post on Saturday. We usually get out to the bazaar for dinner on Wednesday or Thursday evening, but this week we didn't make it until Friday.

Dan had a squash match (which ended up not actually happening...) so I walked in by myself. I stopped to buy a couple of felt-tip pens and they were Rs. 2 each! (That is about 4 cents.) I hope they'll work long enough to make name tags at the Delhi event next week.

My Kindle has stopped working, so I stopped at the Tilak Memorial Library which I joined a couple of years ago. I paid up my dues since April (Rs. 125 -- just over $2.55 for the past five months). And I found a book -- good thing I had a flashlight, as the English bookcases (glass-fronted) are quite dark.

I went on up the Kulri hill to the Cambridge Book Shop, where I got another book that looked interesting. When I came out, Dan was standing on the street talking with Mr. Mishra, whom he had just met. Mr. Mishra is retired and spending his time working for the good of senior citizens in Uttarakhand. Dan had come in on the scooter as he got a late start. It made for a quick trip home after dinner.

There is a new restaurant next to the bookshop called Moti Mahal. It is part of a large chain in many Indian cities. (But not related to the original Moti Mahal in Daryaganj, Old Delhi, that we used to like to go to.) It was completely empty while we were there (7:00 to 8:30). Our food was obviously freshly cooked, as it took an hour. The inside wall of the entrance area is completely covered with stones.

There was a small TV showing a cricket match, so Dan was happy. I was glad I had my library book, which I was able to start right away while we waited. For starters we had paneer tikka, large cubes of Indian cottage cheese roasted in a tandoor, with pieces of onion, tomato and green pepper. Delicious, and there is some left for today.

Our main dishes were stuffed potatos and chicken karai. The potatoes were stuffed, cooked in the tandoor, and then sliced. You can see the pile of sauteed onions as well as some capsicum (green pepper).

The chicken karai had a nice gravy -- again, lots of onions, tomatoes and peppers. It went well with the tandoori roti. (We've grown to prefer the tandoori roti to naan, which is so heavy. The roti are whole-wheat chappatis, but cooked in the tandoor, so hot and light.)

The bill came with the usual tray of toothpicks, saunf (fennel seeds), and sugar. You take some saunf onto your palm, add some sugar, and chew it up. It is common for the sugar to be large crystals like these. The fennel really cleans out your mouth after an Indian meal.

Science and Spirituality

2011-10-14T08:31:00.000+05:30

The first speaker on Thursday morning was Alan Lightman. I mentioned that he read from his book "Mr. g," on Wednesday afternoon. He talked about science as part of our cultural heritage. It produces new ideas and artists them jump on them. Scientists are interesting people with a different worldview from artists. He talked about how to have good nonfiction scientific writing: just like fiction, it needs clarity, emotional pacing, and meaningful language. Use good metaphors and numerical analogies (comparing the nucleus of an atom to a grain of sand and the Taj Mahal).

Scientific information is often incorporated into fiction. He suggested a limit of no more than 150 words on technical topics before returning to the main story. He read a passage from "The English Patient" where the bomb disposal expert is defusing a live bomb. There is a lot of technical information in the passage but it is written in a way that doesn't detract from the story the author is telling.

Bill Aitken is a very interesting man. He hitch-hiked from Scotland to India in 1959 and stayed. His most popular book is "Footloose in the Himalaya." He also wrote "The Nanda Devi Affair." He said that English is a very limited language when it comes to spirituality, which is the inmost part of ours selves.

Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, who read the poems of Kabir on Wednesday, believes that spirituality and established religion are very separate things. He talked about several different poets and how they approach spiritual topics in their poetry.

More about Writers

2011-10-13T08:18:00.000+05:30

It is a very busy week here (my excuse for missing a couple of days). We are in the final throes of preparation for the WOSA Centennial celebration which begins next Wednesday. You'll hear more about that later. I have two more posts about the writers' talks, but today I have a few pictures for you.

On Thursday we were at the Hanifl Centre for Environmental Studies and Outdoor Education. It is a beautiful facility on the site of Ashton Court, one of the Mennonite properties that was deeded over to the school. Many students attended on Thursday (all the seniors plus some others, I believe). This shows them sitting outside waiting for the program to begin inside.

A formal portrait of the writers plus the organizers. Left to right: Lalitha Krishnan, assistant to Steve Alter, curator of the Winterline Foundation for the Arts; Mehrotra senior; Lightman (leaning down); DeSouza; Mehrotra junior; Aitken (front); Davidar; Jha; Steve.

I like this one even better; I took it as they were gathering and waiting for the photographer. You can see how much they enjoyed interacting with each other.

Cambridge Book Shop set up both days; Wednesday in the Quad and Thursday at Hanifl.

Poetry and Prose Under the Lyre Tree

2011-10-10T11:37:00.000+05:30

Wednesday afternoon following tea, three authors read from their writings under the Lyre Tree. They were introduced by David Anderson, Senior School Head, who compared prose and poetry to walking and dancing, an enchanting image.

Eunice DeSouza is a poet who lives in Mumbai. She read from her recent collection, "Necklace of Skulls." Her poems were short and very humorous. Her topics ranged from parakeets in her flat to her Catholic mother.

Arvind Krishna Mehrotra was the only repeat reader from last year. He has translated the "Songs of Kabir," a well-known 15th-century Indian poet. The New York Times reviewed it last May. He is an excellent reader and is a poet in his own right as well as editor of a number of books. A quote that stayed with me: "The mind is a knot that is difficult to untie."

The third reader was Alan Lightman. He is the author of the well-known book "Einstein's Dreams," an imagining of Einstein's many dreams about the nature time as he worked on his theory of relativity. Mr. Lightman is both an astrophysicist and a writer, and teaches writing to scientists at MIT in Boston. He read from his new novel (to be published in early 2012), "Mr. g." He believes and is an excellent example of the idea that rational and intuitive thought can co-exist. "Mr. g" explores the creation of the universe in unlimited possibilities -- and in a humorous way.

Mussoorie Writers Roundtable

2011-10-07T09:28:00.000+05:30

Last year at this time I enjoyed attending the sessions of the Mussoorie Writers Festival, focusing on writing and nature, especially mountains. This year the festival was scaled back to a roundtable, with only four sessions given by seven authors. The full programme and bios of the authors can be found here.

On Wednesday morning the Quad was full of teachers and parents. It was the end of Quarter Break and parents could meet with their children's teachers to discuss their reports. In the afternoon a number of the classes were given permission to attend the opening session of the Writers Festival in Parker Hall.

The first session was titled "The Craft of Writing." Three authors spoke.

Raj Kamal Jha is the Managing Editor of the Indian Express newspaper in Delhi. His novels include "The Blue Bedspread," "If You Are Afraid of Heights," and "Fireproof." His talk focused on the difference between writing and editing. He is an editor during the day and writes novels at night. One of his main points that resonated with me was that there is a constant denial of the other side, whatever that may be. Editors force us to ask questions and look at the other side. We should all search for the editor within and force ourselves to listen to others.

Palash Krishna Mehrotra is the author of a book of short stories, "Eunuch Park." His talk was about the difference between fiction and nonfiction. He had some interesting opinions, including that fiction comes out of the writer's own experiences, researching doesn't belong in fiction, novels should not try to correct social wrongs, and you shouldn't burden fiction with facts.

David Davidar is author of the well-known "House of Blue Mangoes," "The Solitude of Emperors," and the newly-published "Ithaca." He worked for many years for Penguin Publishing in India, Canada, and International. He is an editor as well as a writer. He talked a bit about the digital revolution, which he compared to Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. In the beginning story-tellers were the only method of sharing stories; the printing press made a gap between author and reader. Now ebooks are closing that gap. Books are being published without editors to impose quality on them.

Steve Alter is the curator of the Winterline Foundation for the Arts at Woodstock School, the sponsor of the festival. He is a well-known author of ten books, fiction and nonfiction. He is responsible for starting up the Mussoorie Writers Festival about five years ago, and it has become an almost annual event.

Connections

2011-10-06T09:46:00.000+05:30

One of the most enjoyable things about our relationship with Woodstock School is the myriad of connections with people of all kinds all over the world. We have met people from many different countries and backgrounds.

I thought I'd tell you about a few of the one-step removed experiences I've had. This was sparked by a casual conversation with a visiting author at dinner the other night. Somehow Elvis came up while we were talking and it turned out that he had met Elvis in person when he was a teenager. Even though I'm not a rabid Elvis fan (I do enjoy his early songs which take me back to my own teen years), the discussion of his experience was interesting.

One of our current staff members is closely related to Dame Judith Anderson, the famous actress. I know her best through her portrayal of Mrs. Danvers in the movie Rebecca. A glimpse into a life shared with Hollywood notables of the 1950s!

An older friend, from the class of 1940, has written a book about his father who was a Methodist missionary in the 1920s. He and his wife worked in education and hygiene in a small town. He developed a simple septic system for the school houses and introduced it to Gandhi, who used it in his ashrams. I have a photo my friend gave me of his mother with Gandhi and his wife Kasturba. (His father took the photo.) The book is Gandhi's American Ally: How an Educational Missionary Joined The Mahatma's Struggle against Untouchability, available on Amazon.

I have run into Woodstock-related people at airports in the US and overseas. I know some alumni who like to wear a Woodstock School T-shirt when traveling in case they connect with someone else who is related to the school.

These are just a few instances of the world-wide reach of this place.

Misty Days

2011-10-05T12:59:00.000+05:30

Usually once the monsoon is over and the rains have stopped, October is full of beautiful, sunny fall days, turning chilly in the evenings. This year the mist and clouds have hung on. Some days there are patches of sun, especially in the mornings, but overall it has been a bit depressing, as we can't see much off the hillside. But it is beautiful!

This view was taken to the east from Rokeby above the Chukker.

Towards Woodstock Villa on the way back from the bazaar

Several langurs in the misty trees off Zigzag path

This large bull langur was eating from a bush beside the path on my way down from Sisters' Bazaar. As I neared, I thought he would move away, but instead he just stared at me. I stepped back a few feet to wait a bit. Just then some people came up the path below and he jumped into a tree. I've learned not to trust solo male monkeys of any kind....

Bazaar Signs

2011-10-04T11:38:00.000+05:30

Many visitors to India have made a point of photographing unusual signs (you can Google "india english signs" and find lots of them). Last week I took several in the bazaar that struck my fancy.

This tailoring shop specializes in "peeko" which is hemming of a dupatta, a long sheer scarf. (I just learned that from my office-mate Monica.)

Hotel Camel View might seem like a really odd name for a mountain hotel; there are no camels anywhere around. But there is a hill called "Camel's Back," and it must be visible from this hotel.

In India, jewellery means gold and precious gems. This place is advertising its imitation items.

An "English" wine shop sells foreign-style beer and liquor (not necessarily imported, although there might be some). A "regular" wine shop sells local hooch, which is not always safe. The licenses are good for one year.

Produce Shopping

2011-10-02T14:40:00.001+05:30

Friday I walked into Kulri to see the dentist again. As last spring, I am having a crown put on while I am here. See here for my experience at the Oral Health Resort last May.

On the way home, I stopped to replenish our fresh food supply. Back in the 1970s we usually bought from the Sardarji, who had a shop near the Landour Chowk. Since then, he has moved toward the Clock Tower and carries a wide variety of goods, even French wine! (You have to ask for it.) His son now runs the shop a lot of the time, but I always like it when he is there.

I got some nice crisp Golden Delicious apples. They even had a sticker on them, similar to the ones we see in the US. These didn't have the code number on them, but I've seen some with the same numbers we use; it must be a worldwide system. The apples are sitting on our marble countertop in our kitchen.

I love guavas, but Dan doesn't. I get four at a time and stew them with a small amount of sugar. They are seedy but delicious. You can eat them raw but I like them stewed.

This is the first papaya I've gotten this year. The Sardarji assured me that it would be ready to eat on Sunday, so I'm cutting it up today. The two small lemons will add zest to the flavor.

Below the hospital is a small bazaar where the Tehri bus stand is located. There is a small restaurant/shop there called Sugar and Spice. They sell pillows covered in nice printed fabric and some clothing. They also have a bakery, so I got some flaxseed whole wheat bread. It isn't very tall, but it is very tasty. And they gave it to me in a small cloth bag. All this for Rs. 50, just over a dollar.

Dinner Out

2011-09-30T08:45:00.000+05:30

Last night was our weekly dinner out in the bazaar. This time we went to the Tavern, an old favorite. We ran into another couple from the school and ate together. This gave me lots of food to photograph!

There is a new sign at the Tavern entrance. I'm not sure where the slogan "A belly full of fun" comes from... The entire restaurant is on the second floor, above a row of shops.

Before the food comes, a tray of three accompaniments is on the table: pickle (achar), onions in vinegar, coriander chutney.

The other couple were there before us. Ray's dinner came first: chicken jalfrezi with roti.

Next came Julie's vegetable biriani with yogurt on the side.

Dan had chicken biriani, but it really looked just like the vegetable. There were pieces of chicken in it, but not particularly visible in the photo. I had the Florentine chicken sizzler. Two small pieces of chicken, breast meat attached to a bare wing bone (for a handle?), stuffed with a small amount of chopped spinach mixed with cheese. The very hot sizzling plate was covered with a large cabbage leaf. A pile of mixed vegetables was on the left and French fries on the right. The vegetables included peas, green beans, cabbage, and small pieces of cauliflower and broccoli.

The walk home felt good after all that food. It is beginning to get chilly in the evenings; my light shawl was very welcome.

Ladies' Rooms

2011-09-28T15:37:00.001+05:30

If you have not spent any time in India, you may find this post a bit strange. You need to know that topics that are taboo in most western societies often come up in ordinary conversations here. The frequency and variety of intestinal distress symptoms are discussed quite casually. With the addition of water purifiers in all staff homes, it appears to me that dysentery is not nearly as frequent as it was back in the 1970s. (In fact, I've only been sick here twice in the past several years, and Dan not at all.)

When we were here on staff, there was one ladies' room available at the Quad level (not counting student toilets in the elementary classroom areas). It opened right onto the Quad and impatient female staff members could occasionally be seen waiting to get in.

One of the renovations that was done about ten years ago included removing that room and building a three-cubicle ladies' room at the back of the Quad. A great improvement! The pictures below are meant for old-timers who remember how it used to be (!)

"New" stairs and purified water fountain where old ladies' room was

Stairs and entry on left to staff dining room and ICT (formerly music offices and internal wooden stairway)

Gents and Ladies rooms in back of Quad; the office on the far right is Mr. Chopel's, who handles passports, visas, and foreign registrations.

Looking down in front of Mr. Chopel's office is the back entrance to the Health Centre

Sunday Brunch

2011-09-27T16:09:00.001+05:30

On Sunday we were invited to a brunch at Eastwood Cottage, on the old Methodist estate below the back school gate. Marney is a new staff member in our office, specializing in social media. She and her husband and child invited a group of about a dozen or so. We had a very nice time eating and visiting with the others.

Marney cooking bacon in her kitchen

What a spread - omelets, pancakes, bacon, cinnamon rolls, tomatoes!

Several folks eating in the living room. Notice the boys gathered around the video game console in the background.

Abhra and Sandy with Tara -- the boys were playing the video games

Writing Workshop

2011-09-26T09:05:00.000+05:30

Some of my faithful readers may remember my many posts on last fall's Mussoorie Writers' Festival. This year's gathering is a bit smaller, and will take place on October 5-6. It will be more of a roundtable than a festival; details are here.

Last week we were treated to a preview with author Merryn Glover Appleby. Merryn is a 1987 graduate of Woodstock. She was in my son's class in elementary school, and is a published writer of short stories and plays. Read more here. On Thursday she worked with high school and lower school students, reading from her writing and talking about the process. After school she gave an open seminar, billed as a writing workshop. At first I said I wouldn't go, I'm not a writer, but then I decided that it might be helpful for me. More than a dozen staff and a few students showed up. She read us a story and then had us write for two minutes beginning "I remember..." It was excellent and inspiring. After we wrote we each talked about how we did it. It ranged from going full blast on one topic to so many ideas flitting inside that the person couldn't decide which to choose. It was excellent and inspiring.

Merryn reading

Participants

More participants

Merryn & Namgay, student journalist

Dinner Out

2011-09-23T09:03:00.000+05:30

Now that we were feeling settled in our apartment, we were ready to begin our routine of eating out in the bazaar during the middle of the week. I decided that walking to the middle of Landour would be far enough for me this time. (I was extremely exhausted last weekend when we went all the way to the Cambridge Bookshop at the top of Kulri Hill.) In the end, I did well and didn't even have to stop once on the walk up Mullingar Hill. So next week, on to Kulri!

We often have our first meal out at the Golden Restaurant. It is right at the Clock Tower site, across from the new shop Ram Chander opened across the road from his old one. The proprietor welcomed us, obviously remembering us from our former visits.

I set my camera on the table to be sure to remember to photograph the food for you. (Too often I dig in and later remember!) We had our favorite starter, paneer pakoras. These are cubes of paneer (fresh cheese pressed solid) dipped into besan batter (chickpea flour) and deep fried. As the proprietor saw me pick up the camera, he quickly added his menu beside the pakoras so it would show. I was delighted, and told him it was good advertising.

Oops, we served the food onto our plates before I got back to the camera. We had chicken do piaza (double onions) on the right and aloo gobhi (potatoes and cauliflower) on the right. Tandoori roti on the side.

Last year I wrote about the Landour Clock Tower, more than a century old and a major landmark. It was taken down to be rebuilt but municipal bickering and other delays left it a bare spot for many months. On the weekend we saw men working excavating down for the new base. However, work has stopped again and the hole is surrounded with barricades. We are hopeful that it will be rebuilt soon!

Wednesday

2011-09-21T16:15:00.000+05:30

It is late afternoon on Wednesday here. Many of you are just starting the day. My day began with three Skype calls -- two for WOSA-NA business and one with my son. Amazing to talk to (and see!) people across the world.

Today was a teacher in-service day for all staff. Students had the day off -- it was supposed to be a fair-weather holiday but announcing it ahead of time lacked the excitement of waking up to find there were no classes. In the past, as the monsoon was ending and people were despairing of ever seeing the sun again, a bright day would dawn, the Principal would get up and decide it was the day. We have fond memories of day hikes and other special activities on an unplanned day in the middle of a busy life.

This afternoon a special tea was put on for the staff. Many were sitting outside in the Tea Garden under the Lyre Tree.

Monica and Neva from our office were admiring the beautiful baby.

Administrators and teachers relaxing

Choice of tea or coffee; unusual in the afternoon

Sandwiches, samosas, and gulab jamans on a nearby table. Who needs supper after that?

Moving In

2011-09-20T08:13:00.000+05:30

By Monday morning most of the school board members had left and the guest apartment we are to stay in was vacated. Sunday evening we packed up our suitcases (a bit lighter now, having delivered some of the gifts and school items we brought along). Monday Dan arranged for a car to meet him at Suncliff (well, as close as possible, still leaving a rocky path to traverse carrying the bags). We were able to get into the apartment by the end of the day, around 4:30 or so. It was nicely cleaned and set up and we were happy to settle back into it. Today (Tuesday) we will get our trunks out of the attic and then we'll have our Indian clothes and household items that we leave here.

This photo is the stairway to the third floor of the Quad. The apartment is where our dear friend Diana Biswas lived for many years, and visitors still call it "Mrs. Biswas's place." There is also a third level across the Quad where the music rooms and some Lower School rooms are; elsewhere the buildings are two floors. (The Health Center was on the top floor there for many years. The sick students who could actually make it all the way up probably weren't terribly sick!)

Dining area and kitchen (quite roomy!)

Living room area

Monday Morning

2011-09-19T09:14:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends -

It has been extremely busy and I haven't posted since Thursday. I promise a post on Tuesday! This is a quick post to let you know that we didn't feel the earthquake here. All is well for now!

Walking Home

2011-09-15T09:13:00.000+05:30

This first week is pretty crazy for us. The Woodstock School Board is meeting, so there are lots of extra people around, and the staff are even busier than usual. I have a lot of work to do with the WOSA Centennial that is happening October 19-23, but most of it will have to wait until next week.

On my walk home yesterday afternoon I took a few photos of the monsoon foliage. Ferns and moss I know, the other plants are familiar, but not known by name to me. The ferns are browning, which means the end of the monsoon can't be too far away.

In Mussoorie!

2011-09-13T16:50:00.000+05:30

We had an uneventful trip all the way from Chicago to Mussoorie, just the way we like it! We were delayed taking off in Chicago by an hour, but it didn't really affect us much. We both slept on the plane and arrived in Delhi about 6:15 PM. By the time we got to our hotel, we were ready to crash for the night. We spent Sunday mostly lounging in the A/C hotel room, as it was hot and very humid outside. We did manage to get over to Karol Bagh and our favorite Gujarati restaurant for dinner.

As we boarded the Shatabdi train, we remembered that it was just a year ago we were unceremoniously dumped from the train at Saharanpur and managed to snag a taxi to get to Dehra Dun the long way around. Fortunately, although the monsoon has been fairly strong, there were no washouts and we arrived promptly on time. We came straight up the hill by taxi, stopped at the school to pick up my walking stick, and drove on out Tehri Road. We are staying the first week with our friends Peter and Karen at Suncliff. This house is about a 10-15 minute walk from school, towards Oakville (where we stayed one spring), but not as high up or as far east.

Today I spent in the office, getting caught up on what has happened and meeting the two new staff members. Dan was happy to pick up the motorcycle and get it going.

The monsoon is nearly over (they say) but here are a few shots of how the mist looks. It was raining lightly when we arrived, but today has just been heavy mist and fog. The first is the top of the path between Tehri Road and Suncliff. The second is the front of the house, but not the part we are in (there isn't a good way to get a shot of it!).

Heading Back

2011-09-04T17:08:00.000+05:30

After what has felt like a really busy summer, we are almost ready to head back to India. The last week is always filled with similar things -- pulling out the suitcases and assembling things to pack, getting a haircut, cleaning out the refrigerator, suspending mail and other services, and more.

We seemed to be on the move a lot this summer. My mother spent two weeks with us. She was a bit apprehensive, but it went well and she was happy to see many of her friends from Topeka while she was here. We drove to the WOSA/NA reunion conference in Fort Collins, Colorado, near the end of July. Following an intensive weekend of meetings and socializing, we drove up to the Grand Teton National Park area. We spent a week in a rented house with our daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and two of the grandchildren. We enjoyed seeing the mountains, doing a bit of hiking, going white-water rafting for the first time, and just spending time with our kids. At the end of August, we had a party in Indianapolis to celebrate my mother's 90th birthday (actually in October, but this timing worked best). About 40 people came from all over to honor her and we had a great time.

A few weeks ago, I realized that I take lots of pictures in India and talk about the things we see and do, but say almost nothing about our life in Goshen, Indiana. It is beautiful here, in a very different way from the Himalayas. So I drove around and took a few pictures to put up here before we leave.

Ripening corn with farm silo in the distance

Soy beans

Farm tree with corn in background

Typical farmhouse with pond

Another farmhouse; notice how much lawn is mowed!

Silo and barn

Sweet Corn Charlie's farm market (with friend Bertha from swimming)

Truckload of sweet corn to be bagged (we eat this every week we can!)

Charlie's grows lots of good melons, too

Delicious vine-ripened tomatoes

My family roots go way back in Goshen. This house is where my father grew up in the 1920s and 1930s. I don't think it has changed very much. It is about three miles from where we live now!

The house my mother grew up in has been remodeled extensively but relatives still live there. My grandfather began farming the place when he was 14, around 1910 or so.

Much of the farmland in this fertile area has been built up with housing developments such as this one. In fact, the house we live in is on a former corn field.

And to close with a bit of whimsey, I though you might enjoy this duck family who appeared in our front yard during a rain earlier this summer.

Going Down Day

2011-05-22T07:56:00.001+05:30

Each semester there are two major travel events for students at Woodstock. Coming Up Day at the beginning and Going Down Day at the end. When the majority of students were from mission families stationed in small towns across northern India, these travel days sometimes meant two or three days on a train before arriving at Dehra Dun. Parents took turns chaperoning the students. Each person had a tin trunk with their possessions and a "bister," a canvas-covered bedroll containing bedding both for use on the train and in their dorm room once they arrived. Some had musical instruments and other assorted paraphernalia. You can only imagine the "tamasha" (somewhat chaotic major event) of corralling 20 school-age kids who were excited to see each other after the long winter break or eager to get home and see their family after a session in boarding.

Today Coming Up and Going Down are still major events, but very different. Very few people travel by train. A large number of students fly to/from Delhi and are brought to Mussoorie by bus. Students who live in Delhi or other areas within driving distance are driven up by their parents. Teachers chaperone parties to and from Delhi. Cars and taxis drive to Ridgewood where luggage is unloaded near the dorms instead of being carried by coolies from the Picture Palace bus stop.

Today (Sunday) is our Going Down day. Yesterday we packed up our trunks with clothing and some household items we have collected here. They are stored in the attic of the Quad. Three of the bearers who work here came about 4:00 and stowed it all away. We also packed up our suitcases -- we actually managed to have only one each, so no extra luggage fees going back. It seems we always have more than one bag per person on the way coming out, as we bring quite a lot of stuff for other people as well as for ourselves. We are leaving at 12:30 to have lunch with our friend Ajit in Dehra Dun, then catch the 5:00 Shatabdi Train to Delhi.

Last night was the second of the two Spring Concerts. Over two nights we heard three choirs, four string groups, and four bands. It was the first time all groups performed -- for some years, the beginning ensembles played earlier in the week at 4:00. It did make for long evenings -- two hours on Friday, two and a half on Saturday. But it was fun to see how well many of the groups are doing. Dan accompanied the beginning string groups on the piano and guest-conducted one piece with the Advanced Orchestra. After the concert last night, we hosted a gathering for all the music staff in our apartment. We used to do this regularly when we worked here, but it hasn't been happening in recent years. They all seemed to enjoy themselves, so maybe they'll continue it. The last people didn't leave until 11:30. And we got rid of all the food and most of the drinks!

So long for now. I'm not sure if I'll post from the visit to England on our way home; maybe after I get home and get my iPhoto up and running. We'll be returning to Woodstock in September.

License Plates

2011-05-18T08:03:00.001+05:30

License plates on vehicles in India are different than those in North America. When you purchase the vehicle, you get a registration for life and it stays with the car despite ownership. The first two letters indicate the state of origin. The type styles vary depending on the dealership. This car is from Delhi. Around Mussoorie, we dread the influx of Delhi-wallas on the weekends.

This car is from Kerala, in the far south. I'm glad I didn't have to drive it all the way up here!

A yellow license plate signifies a taxi, truck, or other vehicle for hire. The approximate age of this one is easy to figure out, as when this state became independent of Uttar Pradesh in 2000, it was first called Uttaranchal.

In 2007, the state name reverted to Uttarakhand, as the area had been known for many years. This scooter has a slightly italicized plate.

Sunday WOSA Tea

2011-05-15T19:56:00.000+05:30

Computer update: I have a new hard drive, borrowed a startup disk and am back in business. However, only mail and internet work, as I don't have application disks to install software. I am using iPhoto on Dan's laptop in the meantime. Everything else is fine and can wait until I get home at the end of the month.

Every spring the graduating seniors at Woodstock are inducted into WOSA, the Woodstock Old Students Association, at a special tea. The first such tea recorded was in 1911, and we are celebrating the first 100 years of WOSA with a special event October 19-23.

Today was the tea for the class of 2011, Luminescence. It has been the custom for many years that each class has a special class word. Some years in the past it was a made-up word, but recently the classes have been choosing words that have a special meaning for them. Each class has a flag and the recent custom is that the flag is revealed at the WOSA tea.

In the morning all the Development Office staff were busily hanging flags from all the balconies around the Quad. By the time we were finished, it looked great. Here are a few views:

Just before the tea Dan was chatting with Saroj, long-time teacher and friend.

Two members of the class of 1950 were in attendance, including Bhavenesh, who welcomed the seniors into WOSA.

The staff band played before the tea and for several numbers during the program.

Students at the tables during the program.

The 2011 class flag unfurled by the two class governors. It is beautifully quilted.

In the evening, after all was still, I took a brief walk. The moon is almost full, shining over the quiet Quad.

Morning Sounds

2011-05-12T08:43:00.000+05:30

The Woodstock campus is a mountain-side bird sanctuary. I am not a good bird-watcher; I am usually still trying to find the bird by the time someone else has spotted and identified it. My mother is especially good at it; she is a long-time member of the Audubon Society. In the early mornings when it is just beginning to get light, the Himalayan Whistling Thrush sings. There must be a nest in a tree very near our bedroom window, because I often hear it--and it's loud. I have timed it as long as 10 full seconds, although 5 to 7 is usual. Click on XC19596 below and then the arrow to play this recording I found online.

XC19596
Blue Whistling-thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) by David Farrow from Bhutan

Shortly after the whistling thrush sings, the muezzin calls the Muslim faithful to early morning prayer. We also hear it in the early evening.

(Link) View more Human Sound Clips and Voice Sound Clips dddd Before long, we hear the thundering sounds of monkeys running across the tin roof of the Quad. Fortunately, I am usually able to fall back asleep after enjoying the first sounds of the day.

All of this is in sharp contrast to our home in Goshen, Indiana, where we hear a few cheeping birds but mainly the sounds of machines -- cars, trucks, planes, lawn-mowers, etc.

Tuesday

2011-05-11T08:38:00.000+05:30

My mind is being stretched without pictures to rely on as a starting point for a blog. Yesterday was a fairly ordinary day in the office, people coming and going, meetings happening, and a quick rainstorm in the early afternoon.

Woodstock is getting a new principal this coming year -- Dr. Long is currently at United World College in Maharashtra. He will finish his contract there in December and come to Mussoorie. Yesterday was the first time he has visited since we arrived and I was pleased to have a chance to meet him. He was meeting with a core group who are working on updating the next strategic plan for the school. (Some of you reading may have participated in focus groups last winter leading up to this.)

I believe that I mentioned earlier that my primary project this time has been organizing a big celebration we are having here in October. It will be 100 years since the formation of our alumni organization, WOSA (Woodstock Old Students Association). We are planning events between October 19 and 23 and hope to have many alumni attending from all over the world. It will be the first time we've been able to do online registration and payment for an event at the school.

One of the major events we are planning is an alumni cricket match. Our friend Brij Lal was cricket coach for many years, and he and Tom Alter (well-known cricket fan) will be in charge of the match. We've invited all the past cricket players we can find. [I went through yearbooks from 1968 to the present to find the names.]

Monday Evening Sewing Group

2011-05-10T09:49:00.000+05:30

For the past few weeks I've been invited to a weekly gathering of staff members who do sewing-related crafts. The group meets in different homes and the host provides soup and bread for a light supper. I finally got there last evening. There were only seven of us this week, but it was interesting to see what everyone was working on. I took my knitting, a sweater that is nearly finished -- I just put the ribbing on the V-neck last night.

I walked up to Upper Woodstock with Judy. It is one of the closer houses to the school, straight up from the back gate. I didn't count the steps, which seemed to go on and on. I use a walking stick here and it is especially helpful on steep paths and steps, none of which are evenly spaced.

Judy was knitting a sweater. Sue is a quilter and was finishing up a king-sized quilt for her son. The living room was full of her work -- lots of crazy quilting on pillows and throws. She uses mostly Indian cotton print fabrics and it was all beautiful. Bethany is making a crazy-quilted teddy bear similar to one Sue had. Melinda bought a Kashmiri embroidered runner and is adding family names to the branches to make an anniversary gift for her parents. Julie was working on a crazy-quilted neck pillow but spent much of the time in the next room ironing her pieces. James makes stuffed animals without patterns. He was working on a tyrannosaurus rex. The body was done (including a zipper for the teeth in its mouth) and he was making the legs. Quite amazing.

An enjoyable evening with good company! And I was home by 9:00.

Bad Start to Week

2011-05-09T08:17:00.000+05:30

Dear Faithful Readers -

Bad news. My Mac laptop hard drive has crashed. If I were smarter, I would have my backup drive here. I usually bring it, but for some reason it didn't happen on this trip. I am unable to access my pictures or any other files. Dan is working at getting some things off the damaged drive with some success, but it won't be easy to get at them. I am using an older PC at work so will be fine for that. But I suspect my blogging will slow down a lot--and it will be less interesting without photos.

Yesterday was Mother's Day, although it isn't celebrated all that much here. We walked into Kulri Bazaar and onto Camel Back Road, where we had lunch with a former student at his Filigree Hotel. Faisal graduated from Woodstock in 1979 and moved back to Mussoorie after college and marriage. His family has a small hotel. It is in a beautiful location -- less than 5 minutes from the bottom of Kulri Hill. It looks out over the hills and mountains to the north. There is an interesting view of Landour Hill from a side we rarely see. It is difficult to identify buildings from there, but the TV tower clearly shows where Sisters' Bazaar is. The snow-capped mountains are not in evidence much these days. Even with almost daily storms, the dust and haze obscure them. But we know they are there...

Doma's Guesthouse

2011-05-06T08:38:00.000+05:30

Last fall I posted some photos of the work being done to prepare Momo and Tsering's new guesthouse. They brought in painters from Nepal who decorated the whole place. Last evening we walked up above Mullingar Hill to take a look. The outside is very colorful.

The front door has wonderful guardians. The stonework on the lower right is a small waterfall. By the look of the bottom step, you can see how many Mussoorie buildings deal with the slope.

The dining room has a nice decorative painting all around the top of the walls. The light fixtures are twine wound around and stiffened into a globular shape.

By the time we left it was dark and the effect of the multicolored lights was quite spectacular.

Elections

2011-05-05T08:48:00.000+05:30

A major event in the Senior School is the current student body elections. Last week they set up debates in the Quad during tea time. Lots of earnest speeches promising to do their best for the school.

Yesterday these booths made of black fabric and posts appeared in the morning. It took a while to figure out what they were for--polling booths! During the lunch hour there were students lining up to vote. It was all very orderly and well-organized. One of the things Woodstock values is the nurturing of leadership skills, and this is an excellent demonstration.

More Miscellany

2011-05-04T08:24:00.001+05:30

Last week I wrote about watching the Royal Wedding in the Lyons Staff Lounge with other staff. I didn't have any pictures, but Immu took some and sent them to me this week. I am in the far right rear with my chin on my hand.

This little shop is right below the hospital, across from the majority of the shops in that small bazaar. I think good luck might be helpful in patronizing it.

Walking through the bazaar to the dentist's office on Monday, I passed quite a few Jains walking along. The stricter members of the sect wear face masks to avoid unintentionally breathing in an insect and harming it. I've heard that some are so careful of harming a life that they wear no clothes and carry a broom to sweep away the area where they walk.

The area below the Oral Health Resort is a meat shop. I remember buying bacon and ham there 40 years ago. Now they specialize in chicken as well, and evidently sell it already cooked tandoori-style. Why the name of the shop is Georgy Porgy, I've no idea! The men are congregated in front of a tiny shop selling a variety of keychains that can be personalized. The actual meat shop is to the right and can't be seen in this photo.

As I stood outside waiting for Dan to pick me up on the motorcycle, I observed this small shop. It is probably only about 3-4 feet deep and 6 feet across. I didn't see any paneer tikka in the middle of the day; maybe it is mostly available in the evening. I think they sell a lot of drinks, though.

Dentistry

2011-05-03T08:45:00.000+05:30

All my life I have dreaded going to the dentist. In fact, I dread it so much that it is almost never as bad in reality as it has been in my imagination. Growing up, we went to Dr. Bechtel in Goshen, whom my mother knew from school. He was very nice but I almost always had to have a filling each time I had a checkup. Now those old fillings, many of which have been replaced, are resulting in a need for crowns; there's not enough tooth left to fill. My first crown was done here in Mussoorie around 1978 by Dr. Gandhi. It is gold, which wasn't so outrageously expensive then. At my last checkup my Goshen dentist (Dr. Bechtel is long gone) advised me to get a crown on a rear upper molar. Since I was ready to leave for India, I thought I would look into getting it done here. Dr. Gandhi's practice was taken over 30 years ago by Dr. Thakral. Many of the people at the school go to him and recommended him highly. So I made an appointment. It took three visits -- one to check it out, one to drill and put on a temporary, and the last (yesterday) to put in the permanent composite crown. And all of this was at 1/10 the cost of the same procedures in the U.S.

Dr. Thakral's office is right at Windy Corner at the top of the Kulri Hill. These signs are on the outside and above the entrance. It was nice to know that I was going to a resort for this work. The office is up one flight inside the entrance. (I never saw or heard of Dr. (Mrs.) Thakral.)

At the top of the stairs there is a small waiting room. Magazines help to pass the time, just like we expect in the U.S.

The door to the surgery is closed. Dr. Thakral's assistant comes out every now and then and takes the appointment card so they will know who is waiting. It is very quiet; the assistant doesn't speak, he just reaches out his hand and you are supposed to know to give him the card. (I didn't realize this the first visit and didn't have it with me.)

Inside, the dentist's small desk area is surrounded with awards, degrees and citations. Every surface in the surgery is covered with small tchotchkes. The assistant tried to step out of this picture, but I asked him to stay.

The main surgery (there is a second, but I never was in it) has the usual instruments you would expect. Unlike our U.S. dentist, they still use a spit sink. The drill was a modern high-speed one (thank goodness!). Notice there is a large window with a small veranda.

Once you are lying in the dental chair, you see this angled mirror mounted on the ceiling. It looks out onto the hillside below the office. Although everything in the mirror is upside-down and backwards, it gives a wonderful view of the villages and fields. This view combined with listening to music on my iPod helped me get through the less-pleasant parts of the experience.

The top center of this picture is the back side of the office/veranda seen from the road below. It gives you some of the effect of the building in this steep town -- the office is up only one flight from the street above, but about four flights from this road.

More Food

2011-05-02T09:04:00.000+05:30

When in doubt, write about food... One day last week I took my camera to lunch in the school dining room. Here is the student area:

Adjoining it with a large open doorway is the staff dining area. Some staff eat in with the students, but most (especially teachers) are glad for a break. It is pretty noisy as there is no door between the two areas. About 10 years ago the divider was removed. Now I've heard they are talking about putting a door back in.

On this day one person just had the vegetable curry with rice.

Someone else chose the divided tray and had the fish curry, rice and vegetables, and sliced cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes (it looks like he preferred cucumbers over the others!). Both the fish curry and the veg curry were very good.

Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T17:03:00.001+05:30

No pictures -- you can find them everywhere online. It's been interesting here. A lot of us watched from the early phase of the royal arrivals at Westminster Abbey -- online and on the TV just outside our office. At teatime we went down to the staff lounge/tea garden area where the TV was better and more people were watching. We had cucumber sandwiches and real strawberries and cream with our tea!

Quite a conglomeration of people watching the whole ceremony -- English, Australian, Indian, New Zealand, American, Canadian, you name it. Talk about a mixed-up cultural event!

If you get to watch it or the reruns, do enjoy the music. It was quite fabulous.

Roadside

2011-04-29T12:29:00.000+05:30

Traffic and transportation are continual sources of amazement, horror, and delight in India. First-year staff members Abe and Bethany have a great video on their blog of merging in traffic. If you are interested, visit http://bethraham.wordpress.com/

Heading out the back entrance to the school (behind the dining hall and kitchen), one evidence of great change is the scooters and motorcycles parked there. It seems the majority of Woodstock employees ride to work. Just a small item showing the growing prosperity here. (Not that there are not plenty of problems and people living in absolute dire poverty.)

At the bottom of the ramp behind the school is this water tank. With exposed pipes everywhere on the hillside, it's no wonder that there are breaks now and then. Notice the faint red spot near the bottom.

All along Tehri Road (and much of the Dehra Dun-Mussoorie road) there are splashes of white paint with a red spot in the middle. Presumable the white paint will reflect at night and keep drivers from running into the khud (hillside).

Is there a tree where there should be a warning sign? Just use the roots that are sticking out.

The "Top" Shop

2011-04-28T11:47:00.002+05:30

A favorite shop in Landour right near the Clock Tower site is often called the Top Shop. Woodstock students bought their wooden tops there for many years. I don't see students using them much these days, but in years gone by, all boys had top spinning contests.

The owner, Vinod, is used to seeing us (especially Dan) a lot. He has so many interesting things and is very knowledgeable about them.

These are just a few of the various boxes, old and newer, that are available. We purchased several boxes last year for Christmas gifts.

In the back area of the shop, there are many piles of china objects, probably mostly left from the British Raj times. There aren't complete sets, but I've always thought it would be neat to buy a selection of these China plates (mismatched, of course) and set a lovely table with them. However, I don't need more dishes, and I wouldn't want to ship them back to the US.

Here is another cupboard with lots of small china and metal objects.

At the front of the shop, the countertop is covered with so many different items, from a tiny "Aladdin's Lamp" to Buddhist and Hindu statues.

Chukker walk

2011-04-27T09:22:00.000+05:30

The road at the top of Landour hill is called the chukker (chaker, other variant spellings). It goes the length of the ridge from Char Dukan on the west (Mussoorie side) to Sisters' Bazaar on the east (Jabarket side). There are two circular back chukkers that meet at Kellogg Church near the center of the hill. The road up to Char Dukan from Mullingar is having its side railings replaced. For many years knee-high stone and cement walls have bordered the road, but there are many places that are crumbled. They are gradually being replaced by a taller, stronger steel railing. I don't know if they will make it safer; it seems that cars never go over the side of this road, narrow as it is.

Heading around the back side from Char Dukan, these men were digging a ditch, I believe in preparation for more pushta work, a constant chore.

The road is quite narrowed by the piles of gravel and stone waiting to be used.

At the furthest back (north) point, this structure is the "New Lal Tibba." Years ago a high point above Sisters' Bazaar was named Lal Tibba and people would climb up there to see a view of the high snow-covered peaks to the north. When a TV tower was built there in the 1970s, this structure was built. There is a binocular on the top that you can pay to look through and see the snows. The day we were there the haze was heavy and no peaks could be seen. But tourists come anyway.

This railing along the back chukker must have been put in years ago. Over time, the road has been paved and built up and the railing is now so low that it can do no possible good.

This gate to a property also has been lowered over the years. It makes an odd sight.

After passing Lal Tibba it is much quieter. On the north slope of Landour hill, the deodar forests are beautiful and peaceful.

Vegetation

2011-04-26T12:09:00.000+05:30

This weekend we were out and about on the hillside several times. The tiny "pushta daisies" are in bloom all over.

In some areas they are surrounded by sorrel that has tiny pink buds.

Yellow climbing roses are in many locations -- not very fragrant, but beautiful.

This tree at Char Dukan appears reminiscent of a flame-of-the-forest tree, but these are new pinkish leaves on a walnut tree, not blossoms. Very striking.

Thanks to Steve Alter for helping me identify some of these plants.

Miscellany

2011-04-25T08:29:00.001+05:30

This oboe quintet was practicing Thursday after school, with Megan (teacher) standing at the left. The advanced student recital auditions are coming up soon, and I'm pretty sure they were preparing for that.

Saturday evening was the Junior-Senior Banquet, an annual festive affair. The tables were set out in the Quad. The waiters were gathered to receive their instructions before the arrival of the older students.

A red carpet was laid along the main entry to the school. The first place after arrival was a drinks station. As the couples and stag groups arrived, they were announced over a loudspeaker. It was fun to look down and watch them. I wanted to get pictures of the kids all dressed up, but it was too dark by 7:00, when they began arriving. Following the dinner, they adjourned to the gym for a dance.

Coming up the hill from Picture Palace to Landour, we passed the usual small shops laid out on the side of the road. However, there were no obvious shopkeepers. As I passed a park bench against the railing, I heard giggling and talking. Three children were crouched under the bench (which you can barely see) with umbrellas to keep the sun off. When I stopped and pulled out my camera, they popped up, grinning, hoping to be in the picture. I can confirm that the sun was very hot in the afternoon walking back from Kulri!

Old Pushta

2011-04-21T08:57:00.000+05:30

Last fall I wrote several posts about pushtas, the retaining walls that are everywhere on the Hillside trying to hold back the inevitable landslides. Walking along the Chukker last weekend I saw this older one that is going to need to be replaced before too long. The house above is pretty close to the edge; the owner would be best served to replace the pushta before it falls during a monsoon.

This close-up shows the loose stones and bulges that are gradually eroding it.

Just where Zig-zag path heads down near Sisters' Bazaar, we saw a rare object that used to be common. This is a kundi, a deep basket with a cutout and a seat for a rider to sit in. Back in the 1940s and 50s it was common for young children to ride between home and school in a kundi on a coolie's back. Even older people occasionally rode in them if they were on crutches or couldn't walk for some other reason. When I saw this and pulled out my camera, the coolie/owner called and wave to us from a nearby bench. He seemed happy that I wanted to take a picture. I wonder where he was going -- I haven't seen anyone in a kundi for over 30 years.

Alumni Visitor

2011-04-20T08:48:00.001+05:30

Last week we had another visitor. Rahul was a student when we taught here. He graduated in 1971. During January of 1971 we visited Baroda, his home town, where we stayed with his classmate Bharat and visited Rahul's family one day. Although it's been 40 years, we have fond memories of that visit, when Dirk was about 21 months old.

After his arrival, Rahul posed with the full office staff, including the three volunteers.

Friday evening the Principal hosted a dinner for Rahul with senior management and others who had known him. Here he is with Ajay, a member of the same class of 1971.

Dan and Rahul enjoyed catching up on old times. They both played cricket.

Of course you expect a look at the food! It was a lovely Indian dinner. And there were three desserts! Cheesecake, mango mousse, and sevai (warm noodles in cream, much better than it sounds). Yum.

Langurs on the Big Tree

2011-04-19T10:03:00.000+05:30

Sunday afternoon we walked down from Sisters' Bazaar on the Zig-Zag Path that I talked about earlier. There is one extra-large old tree just below Zig-Zag House that has always caught my eye. During the monsoon it is spectacular, with ferns covering all the old twisty branches. This time as we came down the path, we saw a group of young langur monkeys frolicking in the tree. These monkeys are beautiful, with their gray fur, black faces, and white fringe. Their tails are very long and it is fun to watch them jumping through the trees.

Here is the tree from the path just above it. You can just see the monkeys on the lowest branch.

My new camera has a better telescopic lens than my old one, so I was able to get the monkeys playing with each other.

More of the same, a bit closer.

This one came right up to the path to take a look at us.

As we walked on below the tree, this older monkey sat on a Woodstock School property marker and watched us.

Here's another view of the tree from the lower path.

Dinner at the Tavern

2011-04-18T08:47:00.001+05:30

On our weekly evening bazaar outing, we went to the Tavern. It is a restaurant that has served Woodstock staff and students frequently since its opening in the 1970s.

On the way we passed a wedding band heading to Library Bazaar.

Before our meal arrived, the condiments came. They were: onions, achar (Indian pickle), and coriander chutney. Dan is especially fond of these onions. Frequently they've been soaked in vinegar and are slightly pickled.

Dan's dish was paneer sauteed with vegetables and a very small amount of gravy.

I was feeling nostalgic, so I had the American Chop Suey, a favorite from over 30 years ago. It consists of light crispy Chinese noodles, sauteed vegetables and chicken shreds in a sweet and sour sauce. All topped with a fried egg. I have no idea why this is called American; it's like nothing I've had in the States. There is also a Chinese Chop Suey on the menu; I think it has soft noodles. Chinese food in India is a particular cuisine, not that much like China, or so I've been told. Of course Chinese food in America isn't very authentic, either.

While we were waiting for our meal, I enjoyed watching the clothing shop proprietor across the street and down on the main level (the Tavern is on the second [English/Indian first] floor. A customer looked at more than a dozen shirts and jackets, then left. The shopkeeper refolded each item and replaced it in its plastic bag. This is a common sight; if you are shopping, you can expect to have many items pulled out and shown to you. If you don't buy one, they don't seem to be upset by the mess.

Basketball

2011-04-15T09:05:00.000+05:30

Last week I wrote about the pep rally for the Win Mumby Tournament. The tournament was quite an extravaganza, with three days of games culminating in the men's and women's semifinals on Saturday morning and the two final games in the afternoon.

Friday afternoon and Saturday morning I helped Immu set up and run a satellite souvenir store. We were in the squash court near the entrance to the gym. We didn't have a lot of business, but had a great time visiting with some of the visiting team players from other areas. They liked being able to buy Woodstock-logo items!

For the semifinals Saturday morning the bleachers were well filled.

The Woodstock boys played well and eventually won the tournament. Our girls were knocked out and the Welham Girls from Dehra Dun won.

The electronic scoreboards were impressive. The Win Mumby Gym certainly is world-class.

Playground

2011-04-14T09:08:00.002+05:30

Yesterday I talked about the weather. It was a sunny and beautiful morning. The day was lovely with a few clouds floating around. Suddenly about 7:30 PM there was thunder and lightning and a pouring rain with more hail. This morning it is lovely again. We are heading into the bazaar for dinner tonight so let's hope that was the last storm for a while!

While the sun was shining yesterday, I thought you might like to see the elementary playground. It has always been in the same place, tucked into a corner between the Quad building and the descent to Tehri Road. It is now the path students take to the Health Centre, which is just off the Tea Garden. (Maybe I'll attempt a diagram one of these days for those of you who haven't been here.)

The old-fashioned merry-go-round and monkeybars are gone and in their place is a newer style of climbing apparatus smilar to what you would see in North America.

I'm not sure, but this may actually be the same swing set as in years gone by. Does anyone remember?

Kids still enjoy swinging! Notice the teeter-totter to the left of the swings. These are now rare sights in the US; they've been removed for safety reasons.

The Quad has several Four-Square courts painted. These boys were playing before the morning bell rang to start classes.

Weather

2011-04-13T08:44:00.002+05:30

I've written before about how changeable the weather is in Mussoorie. We basically have three seasons -- monsoon from late June into September, winter from October through February, and summer from April to June. You might notice some missing time that could be called spring or fall. April and October are generally the best months for visiting -- sunny pleasant days, cool evenings. However, sometimes things go awry. We expect to have stormy weather during the two equinoxes in March and September. These storms are usually accompanied by thunder and lightning and, often, hail.

This year we arrived on March 28, expecting to have finished with winter. In fact, the first couple of weeks were quite nice. But this week has been wild. Sunday we woke up to find it cold and there was rain off and on all day. I took a pass on our lunch in the bazaar, but Dan went. I was really glad I had my long underwear and wool sweaters.

Tuesday it was even colder and raining almost all day. It was quite windy and in the late afternoon there was even thunder. We heard the hail starting about 5:00 and I went outside our apartment to get some pictures. We are on the third floor of the Quad (Mrs. Biswas' old apartment for those who knew her). Just outside our door is the roof of the veranda below. The eaves were full of hailstones.

The roof across the Quad was also covered. That area, formerly the young girls' dorm, is now the Lower School Library and computer classroom space.

Looking down on the Quad, the roof over the walkway was also sprinkled with hail. If you were to walk around that corner at the top of the photo, you would be ready to walk up the ramp to the high school or to visit the Business Office (in the area that used to be the Music Cells).

This morning (Wednesday) we woke to a beautiful sunny day. It's still cool, but likely will warm up nicely. Maybe we are finished with bad weather!

The sun was bright on Midlands when I went out.

Trees, Part 3

2011-04-12T08:26:00.000+05:30

Continuing the theme from yesterday...

Those of you who are familiar with the WS campus will be able to follow along as I left the back gate and headed back along Tehri Road toward the bazaar and the WS front gate.

Last spring I did several blog entries on pushtas, the retaining walls that help to hold the mountain up. Our campus has many of them! When they are building a new pushta or repairing an old one, a good attempt is made to keep any trees that are growing on the side of the hill. Our area is a preserve and no trees are allowed to be cut. And of course the roots help keep the mountainside together as much as possible.

This tree is below the back entry pathway.

Looking up toward the back corner of the Quad.

This pushta is fairly new, I think. Unfortunately, the tree doesn't look at all healthy.

I especially like the outline of the branches of this one.

The building in the back is the front of the Vera Marley Library, which projects out from the older High School building. Nice flowers are blooming in the pots now, making the entry to school quite lovely.

Looking down from the entry area -- how do these survive??

Looking up "Jacob's Ladder," the steep way into the Flagpole area and entrance to the High School.

In the background is the ramp that goes from the Quad up to the Gym and the High School.

Trees, Part 2

2011-04-11T10:25:00.000+05:30

Friday's post on Trees had several pictures of branches of just one tree. Some people have commented that they were interesting "trees," but in fact it was just one. Today's pictures are all of different trees. I walked out the back entry to the Quad and around on Tehri Road to the front gate. So all of these are on school property and very close to the main building.

In this picture you can see the back entry to the school. This tree is growing below a pathway going up to a storage shed above the cement at the top of the picture. It is tenacious, but appears to me to be in danger of washing out one of these years.

Looking down toward the road from the back entry path, there are many trees clinging to the steep hillside.

This view is coming around the corner below the school (the Lyre Tree is at the top of this corner).

More trees who thrive even in such adverse conditions.

Trees

2011-04-08T11:52:00.000+05:30

The other day as I was walking along Tehri Road between the school gate and Woodstock Villa, I noticed an especially gnarly tree growing just below the road. The more I looked at it the more interesting it became. It set me off the next day looking for interesting trees to photograph on my daily walk. Warning: this may develop into more than one post!

The first photo is the fullest view I could get of the whole tree from the road.

The next few shots are closer views of some of the branches. During the monsoon, they are covered with moss and ferns. Now you will see some dark pieces of dried-up growth hanging from some of the branches.

One more view of most of the tree.

Pep Rally for Win Mumby Tournament

2011-04-07T10:12:00.000+05:30

Yesterday was the opening day of the annual Win Mumby Basketball Tournament. Nine boys' teams and eight girls' teams are participating. Many of the schools are in Mussoorie or Dehra Dun, but some are from as far away as Delhi, Patiala (in the Punjab), and Nainital (another hill station). This is the second tournament that has been held in our new gym. This gym was dedicated in the fall of 2009. If you are new to this blog, here is my post about that event. The games continue through Saturday, with the semifinals in the morning and the final in the afternoon.

We hosted a pep rally for the whole school and the visiting teams after tea (4:00).

"Palma non sine pulvere" is the school motto -- "Palms come from striving." A nice banner for this, the 11th tournament, was below the permanent motto hanging in the gym.

Dr. David Laurenson, Principal, and Ajay Mark, Head of Athletics, officially opened the tournament and welcomed the visitors.

Our students and staff filled the main bleachers.

The Jazz Band performed before the rally got started.

A group of high school girls performed an energetic dance with elements of gymnastics.

Grades 3 and 4 performed an interesting dance, too.

At the end the group lay down on the floor and formed a large W (for Woodstock, of course!).

For the singing of our school song, "Shadows," and our fight song, "Cheer for the Brown and the Gold," the words were projected on the displays near the ceiling. Our fight song uses the tune from Notre Dame; a probably apochryphal story has one of our students arriving in the US only to find out that Notre Dame had stolen "our" song. If you search "Woodstock School song" on YouTube.com you can listen to several different renditions at reunions and gatherings.

The Tiger mascot suit made its debut at the Gym Dedication 18 months ago and is brought out on suitable occasions. The kids love the Tiger! You can see some of the school teams on the side bleachers in this picture. They filled both ends of the gym.

Visitors

2011-04-06T08:49:00.003+05:30

Monday morning two visitors arrived at Woodstock. One is Li Chu, who manages the alumni database and comes regularly to train the office staff in its use.

The other is Malcolm Russell, a member of the class of 1944. He left Woodstock in 1940, when his father, a United Church of Canada missionary doctor, moved the family back to Canada. He is a very interesting man. He studied violin here at Woodstock and remembers his teacher very fondly. He later switched to viola and is looking forward to talking about that with Dan. He was very happy to hear that our daughter is a professional violist. He ended up with a career as a choral singer, partly at least with the CBC, and doing carpentry on the side.

It is interesting to talk with Malcolm about his memories. A lot of them are faded after 71 years, as is to be expected. On his first day, he spent a lot of time in our office looking at the Whispering Pine yearbooks from his years in school. He also had a tour of the school buildings. We recommended that he take a rest after lunch, as the altitude and vertical walking were taking a toll. However, he told us on Tuesday that he couldn't wait and had walked out to Oakville (where his family had stayed when on the Hillside) and back before going for a rest. I just hope that I am as fit and determined when I am in my 80s!

Tuesday I had lunch with him and he said he had been down to the dorm areas in the morning. Again, that is a fairly major walk for someone not used to our hills and altitude. When I left him he was on his way back to the Principal's Cottage, where he is staying. His visit here is a result of a mutual friend of his and the Principal's.

Zigzag Path

2011-04-05T10:21:00.000+05:30

Saturday afternoon I took a walk from the school up the Zigzag Path. Zigzag is the main path that goes from Woodstock to Sisters' Bazaar. It begins just near the flagpole and literally zigzags its way up.

From the back of the kitchen there is a path that goes up to Tehri View and across above the new gym to connect to Zigzag. This picture is the roof of the gym with Witch's Hill in the background.

Redwood Cottage is the first house along the path.

Here, looking down you can see some of the zigzags.

These markers for the boundaries of Woodstock property are all over the hillside.

I couldn't resist a close-up of a rhododendron; most of them are too far away to see the individual flowers well.

In some areas the steps are very high; it's nice to see these little half-steps that make it easier.

Zigzag House -- did the house or the path get the name first?

Shanti Kunj -- a wonderful name for a house -- "House of Peace."

Near the top there has been a lot of recent work on the path -- it's quite built up with new layers of dirt and gravel. In fact, the inside ditch is several feet deep in some places.

Friday Dinner

2011-04-04T08:57:00.000+05:30

On Friday evening I was invited to a dinner at the Marks'. They live in Palisades, the house just below the school gate where we lived from 1975 to 1980. The dinner was in honor of a visiting former staff member, Kermit Gingerich. His daughter, Kim Gingerich Brenneman, was in the class of 1979. She leads a semester-long tour in India for Eastern Mennonite University about every two years. The Marks were friends and neighbors during one of the Gingerich's several times serving at Woodstock.

It was a fun evening with lots of good conversation (and food). And what a treat to see how nice our old home looks; the Marks have done a lot of good work in it.

Outside the house, they have put a garden inside some old pillared archways that they got from a village.

Kermit in the living room. The doorway behind him leads into the downstairs bathroom and to the upstairs.

The dining room.

The kitchen. It wasn't this light and well-done when we lived there!

The dinner was delicious -- lamb kofta, dal, two kinds of vegetables, deep-fried okra strings, cold beets, chappatis, and a special Kumaoni-style yogurt (raita).

Earlier on Friday the group from EMU came to the school to have a tour. Immu and I each took a group of 12 around to the high school, gym, music department, and lower school.

Lunchtime Walk

2011-04-01T08:53:00.000+05:30

We are staying in a guest room in the Quad at the school, which means I only have to go down a flight of stairs and around the corner to get to the office. It is very convenient, but not much exercise. So I have determined to walk daily, at least as far as Hanifl Center and back, preferably even more. That's about a mile and a half, taking me about a half hour. It's a very mild uphill on the way out, down on the way back. I've been doing this just before I have lunch. If I am energetic enough, I will also take a walk in the late afternoon.

This picture is a reminder of what the road and mountainside is like here. Not much level space!

Yesterday I remembered to take my camera along to capture one of my favorite sights -- the fabulous rhododendron trees that bloom here in March and April. These are much larger than the standard bushes we have in North America and the blooms are all pure red. It is near the end of the season.

Along the way I saw two cows who looked well cared for. Although they wander the hillside foraging all day, they do belong to someone. On the way back I saw a group of schoolboys who were moving the cows along with switches, presumably toward home -- or perhaps just for something interesting to do.

Cricket, Part 2

2011-03-31T13:56:00.004+05:30

Well, yesterday was the semi-final match between India and Pakistan. All news outlets in the country were focused on the match. The prime minister of India invited the prime minister of Pakistan to sit with him (the tension between the two countries is ongoing). From 2:30 on when the match began, everyone in school was watching if they possibly could.

A large screen was set up in Parker Hall so students and staff could watch. Some teachers dismissed their classes so the kids could see the match. There were also a number of staff members in the Lyons Staff Lounge area near the Tea Garden.

When India won, around 10:00 PM, there was much yelling and shooting off of firecrackers. I could hear it easily in my room. Dan only saw the beginning and end, as he was traveling to Meerut in preparation for going to Mumbai for the final match on Saturday. A dream come true for him, and having India actually in the final match is the icing on the cake!

This view is from the side balcony; you can see the large screen.

Many of the students had Indian flags painted on their faces.

Staff as well as students were engrossed in the match.

Some students hung an Indian flag off the front of the balcony.

Cricket

2011-03-30T06:56:00.002+05:30

If you are in the U.S., you are probably not aware that the quadrennial Cricket World Cup is going on right now in South Asia. Cricket originated in England and is played primarily in Commonwealth countries. It is by far the most popular game in India. When you go through the countryside on a train or by car, you will see children (mostly little boys) playing cricket everywhere, with whatever they can find for a makeshift bat.

Traditionally, cricket test matches last five days, consisting of four innings, each team batting and bowling (pitching) twice. For World Cup Cricket, the match is one day, with one innings and a limited number of overs (six bowls or pitches). The first team bats until the overs are completed or it is out and the second team bats until it is out or has more runs than the first team. (I'm sure you can find a more comprehensive description online if you are interested.)

The World Cup matches have been almost daily since starting the second week of February. They generally start around 2:30 PM and go until 10:00 or so. Matches have been in South Asia -- India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Pakistan has a team but could not provide the level of security needed to host matches. Last night was the first semifinal -- New Zealand lost to Sri Lanka. Today is the biggest match of all -- India vs. Pakistan. It is being held in Mohali, near Chandigarh in the Punjab. It is not very far from the Indo-Pak border. Security is very tight and we have heard that scalpers are selling tickets for one lakh and more (about $2400 or so).

Dan came to India in February to watch the matches live on TV with his friend Brij. They got tickets (regular price!) for one match in Delhi which they enjoyed very much. Brij is in Mohali today to see that match. And the two of them are going to Mumbai Thursday to see the finals with their friend Tom. Dan became a cricket fan when we taught at Woodstock in the 1970s -- Brij was the coach of the school team. So this visit has been a long-awaited pleasure for him.

I just learned this winter that Comcast/Xfinity is now broadcasting the Neo Cricket channel, so I suspect there may be more cricket in our future!

Weekend in Meerut

2011-03-29T15:17:00.004+05:30

We spent Saturday and Sunday visiting our friends the Lals in Meerut. We've been friends since we were next-door-neighbors in 1969 and our oldest children were toddlers. Dan has spent the past six weeks staying with them while watching World Cup cricket matches. It was mostly a quiet, relaxing time, especially as I was recovering from my jet-lag.

Sunday for lunch we went to a favorite spot of theirs that makes chole-batura, a popular street-food meal. Chole is a chickpea curry and batura is a deep-fried bread made of white flour, somewhat similar to a poori (whole-wheat flour) but puffier.

View from the back seat, Dan on left, grandson Jason in center, and Brij driving on right (remember, driving is on the left side of the road in India --- usually!).

The Chole store at the side of the road. It's a popular spot.

Baturas frying on the left, newly cooked ones on the platter.

Condiments served include pickled carrots and green chilis and onions.

The eating area is crowded and not considered suitable for ladies, so Viola and I sat in the car and waited for a plate to be brought to us. While waiting, this cow brushed right up against our car.

Here is the plate. Notice it also includes two gulab jamuns for dessert. Jason ate batura pieces from both of us in the back seat.

On returning home, Brij parked the car in the front area of their house. It's hard to imagine how it fits in there, but it does. He has mastered the skill of backing in perfectly, with the right side of the car almost touching the wall (the side mirror is folded in). He then has to move into the passenger seat to exit the vehicle.

Supper in Delhi

2011-03-28T17:41:00.004+05:30

We spent only one day in Delhi before leaving for Meerut. We decided to pick up a few things for our supper and eat in our hotel room, rather than going out. There is a nice sweet shop not far from the hotel and we got 2 fresh samosas (triangular fried pastry dough stuffed with potato and pea curry), an onion kachori (also fried dough but stuffed with onions; dal is more common), and a special lassi (sweet yogurt drink) topped with thick cream. We also got two loose-skinned oranges (yes, they are ripe even though they are green) and a few bananas. The little bag is a chutney for the samosas. I have to say I had one samosa and a few spoonfuls of the lassi below the cream, plus the fruit. It was enough!

Friday in Delhi

2011-03-25T19:09:00.002+05:30

Sometimes we stay several days in Delhi, but this time we are leaving after one day. I slept pretty well (with a little medical help). Our room at the Bon Lon Inn is quite comfortable. The fan keeps it cool enough without the A/C. The weather is very warm, but still bearable.

The hotel room includes a buffet breakfast. Poories, allu baji (potato curry) and hard-boiled eggs. Toast is also available, as well as juice and tea. I chopped up my egg and had egg curry with my one poori.

We went out for a walk in the bazaar. The sweepers had already been at work sweeping up debris of leaves and garbage on the sides of the streets. Someone else will come along and load this stuff into a cart and haul it away.

The vegetables on this cart all looked wonderful and fresh. Even broccoli was available.

We made a quick late-morning trip to FabIndia where I found two nice tops to add to my collection. They are shirts that will work well both here and in the US. After noon we stopped by the Subway restaurant owned by our friend Vinay. It turned out to be at the far opposite end of Karol Bagh from our hotel, so we had a good walk. He was on his way from home, so we waited and had a good visit with him. After a rest in the afternoon, we took the Metro to Janpath and the Tibetan shops to visit our old friend Doma. Her grandson Tashi now runs the shop most of the time, but she was there today. Always good to see her.

Walking back to our hotel at dusk, I took this photo of the sign for our hotel. We are off on the 7 AM train to Meerut tomorrow morning.

Travel Karma

2011-03-24T21:47:00.002+05:30

I have always hoped to be upgraded to Business or First Class on one of my many long-haul flights. Unfortunately, that has never happened :-( Once we got into Economy Plus on British Airways thanks to a friend of a friend who worked for BA.

For this trip (nonstop Chicago to Delhi) I had signed up for an aisle seat at the end of a 5-seat inside row (777 configuration is 2-5-2). As I checked it throughout the last week or so, the middle 3 seats were empty and I had visions of being able to lie down to sleep. It was still open before my swimming group Wednesday morning, but when I got home they had filled up. There was an aisle seat open on an outside row nearby, so I switched my seat. (I figured it would be better to have one person crawling over me than 2 or 3!) As we got onto the plane, I noticed that the seat next to me was empty. Before I knew it, they were closing the doors and no one had arrived. So I had a double seat to myself, plus two sets of pillow and blanket. I was able to get my feet off the floor and (sort of) lie down to sleep. Plus I just didn't have to deal with another person in those close quarters. It turned out many of the center seats that had looked filled were actually empty, too, but I was happy with my double. I went to sleep shortly after takeoff and didn't fully wake up until we were about 6 hours away from Delhi. (13+ hour flight). I missed dinner (no great loss) but they left me a snack pack so I had something to eat when I woke up. However, the apple in my handbag was the best-tasting. They served us breakfast about 90 minutes before landing -- veg cutlets and paneer tikka with fresh fruit. Sorry, no pictures.

We landed about 8:00 PM. My India cell phone still had a charge and I called Dan. By 9:00 I was through Immigration, Baggage, and Customs, met Dan outside and we got into a prepaid taxi. It's not even 10:00 and I've had a shower and unpacked the little that is necessary for the next two nights. Now I'll find out if I'll sleep...

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T23:41:00.002+05:30

This Christmas season finds us in the cold, snowy midwest. where December temperature averages have consistently been well below average and we've had some snow each day except three. But we are cozy in our house and the roads are always passable (midwest drivers are used to snow and enjoy mostly flat, straight, plowed roads).

As is our pattern, we spent two months in India in the spring and again in the fall, volunteering at Woodstock School. During the summer, we visited both our children's families, attended the Woodstock School North American reunion in Washington, DC, took a two-night getaway to Mackinac Island (a long-time dream of mine), and a long weekend in Las Vegas for me to celebrate with my three sisters; we are now all in our 60s. On our way to India in September, we spent a wonderful week in London with good friends Nina, Mahesh and Dhruv, who moved there from Bangalore in July.

We had our last visit to Neah Bay, WA, to visit Dirk and Tracy and family in January. In the summer they moved to Spokane, where Tracy commutes to work on the Spokane Indian Reservation. They are enjoying the amenities of city life after living so remotely for so long. Seth and Jasmine are at the local Community College and Maya is adjusting to a high school that is larger than the town she lived in before. We enjoyed visiting there in August and we're spending Christmas with them, this time traveling by Amtrak. (A different experience from Indian trains; some things better, some things not as good.)

Anjali and Domingos also moved this summer, to Virginia Beach, where Domingos is posted at the U.S. Naval School of Music. However, he spent most of the fall in an officer training course at Fort Lee near Richmond. Anjali has been building free-lance performing opportunities in the area as well as some substitute teaching in the schools.

While we are in Goshen, we live a pretty quiet life. I continue to attend a water aerobics class 5 days a week at 8:00 AM, enjoying both the exercise and the people I've gotten to know there. When the weather allows, I cook dinner for Dan's father (now 92) and friends Mary and Verna Oyer on Mondays. I visit my mother (89) in Indianapolis regularly. Dan exercises 7 days a week and enjoys racquetball. He broke a bone in his right hand in June, which cut out his racquetball and bicycling for most of the summer.

We were fortunate to see most of our extended families over Thanksgiving -- the Linds at our home on Thursday, and Lehmans in West Lafayette on Saturday. We have had many family members and friends stay in our home during the year and we are always happy to have them (and you!) here -- even when we are in India.

We are grateful for our wonderful families and friends and hope to see many of you in 2011.

Comfort and joy to you and yours,
Anne (and Dan)

Happy Diwali!

2010-11-05T08:44:00.004+05:30

Today is Diwali, the celebration that rivals a combination of Christmas and New Year's in the west. The school is closed for the day and there are firecrackers going off most of the night.

This is our last day in Mussoorie. We will be leaving in the early afternoon to catch the train to Meerut to visit friends for the weekend. We fly out of Delhi late Wednesday night and arrive home mid-day on Thursday.

Thanks for reading my blog. I expect to begin again in early April when I return.

Pushtas

2010-11-04T08:33:00.003+05:30

Pushta is the Hindi word for retaining wall. Living in the newest mountains in the world (which are still moving), there is a lot of need for them around this area. The first photo shows what most of them look like after surviving a monsoon.

This is a place that didn't have a pushta before the last monsoon, but will probably get one soon. You can see how crumbly much of the hills are.

This is a brand new pushta on the back side of the chakkar, not far from the new Lal Tibba overlook. The holes allow water to drain out during the monsoon, helping to prevent bulging and breaking.

This is the same place, showing how the construction looks.

Here's a longer view; this is one of the biggest pushtas around.

Here are the men working on it. Every stone is painstakingly laid by hand. If the rocks are too large, they are hit with hammers until they break apart.

In this photo you can see the pyramid shape of the pushta from the side.

The large one below Landour Hospital is making good progress. It is quite far out from the side of the hill; it looks like they are doing that to widen the road (you can see the crumbly edge of the road at the top of the work area).

Tuesday Miscellany

2010-11-02T09:06:00.005+05:30

Today, a few pictures that I've downloaded because they are interesting, but they aren't held together by a theme.

These rugs airing on the fence just before Mullingar must have been from a hotel or some establishment other than a home. I hope no one trips over that hole!

At the end of every restaurant meal, the bill comes on a tray with saunf (fennel seeds) and sugar to mix together and chew. It clears the palate very well. The sugar is often like this, in very large crystals.

Along the back side of Kulri hill, you can see why there are sometimes breaks in the water lines...

Right near the hospital tea shops, I looked down to see this boy trying to retrieve a red sweater that had fallen from the road. The perspective is a bit difficult, but the stone wall at the bottom of the photo is vertical. The whole area was extremely steep and it was fortunate that he didn't slide further down the landslide. People on the road kept throwing stones at the sweater on a ledge, trying to knock it off (he couldn't have reached it). Eventually a large rock did dislodge it, fortunately not hitting the boy.

Here is he is with the sweater, trying to climb up the steep side of the landslide, which was loose dirt and gravel. He did make it, with his family helping him over the fence at the top.

One of the most interesting things here is the phenomenon of the winterline. It is caused by refraction in the cold air. The line is very distinct and is not a horizon. I'm told that there is a place in Switzerland where it also occurs. The sunsets are very colorful. A photo like this is a classic in the albums of almost all winter visitors to Mussoorie.

More Picnic Photos

2010-11-01T09:26:00.002+05:30

Today, a random selection of photos from the picnic. This is the farmhouse just above the fields where the oxen were plowing. Definitely vertical acreage!

Mr. Chopel took a walk up toward the farmhouse and purchased two large pumpkins from the farmer. On his return, Immu helped him with the pumpkins so he could get back across the creek. This is the same man who saved another staff member's life at a previous picnic. That one was held on the Yumuna River and many went tubing. One man who couldn't swim slipped out of his tube and got caught in the swift current. Mr. Chopel jumped in and managed to drag him to safety. He won a national award for bravery that year. People still talk about it.

Nasturtiums growing in the garden.

A vine that climbed up and into the opening at the top of the gazebo.

Pretty pinkish-red flowers. Maybe someone else can identify them.

Playing badminton without a net in the open area.

Strawberry plants in the garden!

I kept hoping someone would take the challenge and climb this tree with the rope ladder, but I don't think anyone did.

Picnic lunch

2010-10-30T10:02:00.004+05:30

We were well-fed at the picnic. Soon after we arrived we were served coffee, tea, and lemonade (made from their own limes). In one of the flower beds I saw this stalk of celery growing. Evidently they are working hard to grow some unusual things and to use them in the food they serve.

With the coffee and tea, we had some nice vegetable spring rolls.

About 12:30 two of our visitors were served their lunch, as they had to leave early. Phil and Alan had plans to climb Witches' Hill during the afternoon. They made it up, around, and back down, and then Alan met Dan to play some squash. He's an active guy!

Here is a full plate showing the lovely rice pilau, dal, subzi (vegetable), and tandoori roti.

Rice and dal in serving line.

Subzi and rotis in warming containers.

Tandoori chicken.

Sitting in the yard eating lunch.

For dessert we had vanilla ice cream with bitter orange sauce, absolutely delicious. I ended up leaving before teatime, but I'm sure it was something good!

Picnic, pt. 2

2010-10-29T09:50:00.005+05:30

Once we had arrived at Brentwood and been told the schedule (coffee and tea first, lunch at 1:00, tea at 3:30), many of us headed off up the hill or across the stream.

As I headed up the hill, I saw several of our taxi drivers sitting in a nice field in the sun. It looked like they were playing Parcheesi.

At one point the path was quite overgrown; a bit higher it widened and looked passable by a 4-wheel-drive vehicle.

A tree on a bluff.

A view ahead. Notice the white gravel on the path ahead.

I was with Ben, Mark, Annie, and Abhra. Phil had left earlier and was on his way down when we met. We visited for a while, then I headed back down with Phil.

The day was clear and views were gorgeous in every direction.

This view is looking down at the Brentwood facility on the left. The taxis were waiting for us to depart later in the day.

Tomorrow: lunch

Staff Picnic

2010-10-28T13:59:00.003+05:30

This week has been Activity Week for most of the school. Grades 6 and up have left the campus, most going on hikes and other outdoor activities. Even the young students here have gone off for day trips and camping overnights. That leaves the support staff in the various administrative offices, including ours (Development and Alumni Affairs). On Monday I was happy to hear that there is an annual picnic for the support staff during this week. So yesterday at 9:00 many of us were at the school gate to pile into at least eight taxis for the hour-long drive to Brentwood Sanctuary. I hadn't even heard of this place, but many others had been there before. The drive went all the way to the west through Library Bazaar and down the Kempty Falls Road. A few kilometers above the falls, we turned off onto a non-metalled (read unpaved) road that went another couple of kilometers to the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary part is for the Himalayan Quail, last spotted in 1876 in this area. We arrived to find two buildings, one containing about 4 rooms with attached baths, and a number of tents set up for overnights. There was a very large grassy area, a stream, and other amenities. The owner of the Tavern restaurant also owns this property. It isn't advertised, but by word of mouth many schools and other organizations in Mussoorie know about it and have activities there.

One of the first things I saw was the double swimming pool. It didn't seem very clean and the water was icy cold; no one went in.

As I walked onto the grassy area, I saw two little rivulets running into the stream below. They were small enough to just step across. The ground was very wet all around.

The stream had lots of rapids and small falls; it was beautiful, as was its sounds. Later they put on some loud music with a speaker sitting outside; we got them to turn it off -- we were there to see and hear nature, not loud music!

As we arrived, we could see some farmers plowing their fields with oxen right across the stream. Each field was terraced and very small; one looked about 5 x 15 feet!

As I was watching, the farmer tried to turn a corner too sharply and one of the oxen went down. He managed to loosen the yoke fairly quickly and the ox was soon up and working again; it didn't seem to be hurt.

Later we saw them set loose to have their lunch at the edges of the fields.

Tomorrow: more pictures of the picnic

The Last Word

2010-10-26T11:39:00.002+05:30

Finally, more than two weeks later, the last of the Writers’ Festival posts! As I said in the beginning, the entire event was fantastic. I hope you’ve gotten a little taste of what those of us fortunate enough to attend were able to hear. I’ve provided quite a few links to information about the presenters and some of their organizations for your exploration.

The last session was actually titled “The Last Word.” As had the morning session, it focused on conservation, sanctuary, protecting nature, especially the Himalayan Mountains near where we live here.

Prerna Binda, who spoke on tigers to the children on the first day, talked about the power of words, and what “wildlife” actually means. Her book The King And I: Travels in Tigerland celebrates the tiger, worries for their future, mourns their passing and hopes that they continue to rule the wild, forever. She mentioned so many writers who have written books and articles about conservation and wildlife and ended with these words: “Write and Spread the Message.”

Jim Curran, who spoke earlier about conquering fear, showed slides of many of his paintings of mountain scenes. Rather than trying to duplicate photographic-style pictures, his mountains are stylized and give the sense of what it might be like to be there.

The final speaker of the Festival was Shailaja Bajpai, an Indian Express journalist whose novel, Three Parts Desire, is due out later this year. It takes place in Delhi, New York, a small town in Uttar Pradesh, and an unnamed hill station -- and sounds like one I will enjoy reading!

Bazaar Visit

2010-10-25T09:24:00.004+05:30

No matter how often I go into the bazaar, I always see something new and different that I never noticed before. I’m not sure if I’m not observant enough or if it’s just that most places are so small that it’s easy to miss them. Sunday afternoon I kept my eyes open and my camera at the ready.

I've seen this framing shop on Mullingar Hill frequently, but yesterday it was decorated nicely -- maybe in preparation for Diwali next week.

On the hill into Kulri after the clock tower, a new ditch has appeared.

At the lower end of the ditch is this sign -- "Sawadhan -- Caution" then seewar karya pragati per hai -- sewer construction is on (meaning, not transliteration). I presume the small lettering is the authority in charge.

Also on the hill down toward Kulri; how can such a tiny tea stall make enough to stay in business?

Fish shop; the muchli-wallah told us it is from the Yamuna River near Dehra Dun and was delivered fresh that morning.

Another tiny restaurant -- I'm quite sure they aren't related to the larger Golden Restaurant near the Clock Tower.

One of several vendors laid out on the road selling plastic items -- toys and household goods.

And just below the hospital, a bit away from the regular food shops, is this meat shop. It says "Jhatka" above the picture of a goat and "mutton shop" below. The bird is probably a chicken. You can see the English words "Jhatka Mutton Shop" in the window.

Worldwide Woodstock Day

2010-10-24T08:30:00.004+05:30

We actually began celebrating WWD on Friday. The Development Office staff had lunch with the visiting class of 1960 at Rokeby Manor. Below is the group just starting lunch, with Immu taking an official group photo.

One of the two salads was tandoori paneer cubes on a green salad.

One of the two entrees was mustard chicken.

Jim Rugh, organizer of the 1960 reunion, with Abhra Bhattacharjee, Director of Development.

Friday evening about 6:00 a ferocious storm began. There was rain off and on all night, heavy winds, and thunder and lightning. Plus a severe drop in temperature. On Saturday some of the students and staff attended the Mussoorie Inter-School Sports Competition (formerly fondly known as "The Olympics"). We heard it was pretty cold out there, but we mostly stayed home except for a walk in the afternoon.

About 6:00 Dr. Laurenson called me to suggest that we sing some school songs at his house after dinner. I dug around in the office, found a copy of the "Hiking Song," and, after consulting with Chris by phone, printed off "Shadows" from the website.

There must have been at least 40 people attending the fine dinner at Dr. L's house, including the above-mentioned class of 1960, alumni who are currently on staff, other long-serving staff, and others. This is just a small group; many of these are currently on staff.

Chris (still a bit jet-lagged from his trip back from the US last week) and Monica -- Monica arranged the delicious dinner.

Sue Scott Swanson '67, Naz Nagarwalla '80 spouse and staff member, Bhavna Sarup, alumni spouse.

Tom Alter showed up, to our surprise and pleasure; here he is with Saroj Kapadia and Shonila Chander.

Chris talking to Mrs. Aurora and David Laurenson ready to say a few words to the gathering.

On the way home, we were happy to see a clear sky, Dehra Dun sparkling like jewels on black velvet, and a full moon. I hope you did something special to celebrate Woodstock on this special day. Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the founding of WOSA; stay tuned for some big plans!

Writers' Festival, continued

2010-10-22T09:20:00.005+05:30

On Thursday evening following the musical presentation, the authors (and Development Office staff) were invited to Steve Alter’s home at Oakville for dinner. Rather than a typical menu, there were cooks producing common Indian snacks, all set up outside on the veranda. Besides those shown below, there were chicken wings and a few other things.

Aloo Tikkis are a savory potato patty, fried on a large griddle. A serving includes a variety of toppings, usually including yogurt, tamarind sauce, and coriander sauce. Years ago, this was Dan's favorite snack (if I dare say that, samosas rank pretty high, too). There was a vendor right outside the Rialto movie theater where he usually got them.

Jalebis are too sweet for some people. The dough is drizzled into hot oil, in squiggly shapes. As soon as they are cooked, they are dropped into sugar syrup. As the squiggle is quite hollow, it fills with syrupy sweetness. When fresh and still warm, they are delicious. Serving them with dahi (fresh yogurt), cuts the sweetness and increases the nutrition.

Sweetened steamed milk topped with ground almonds was poured between pitchers to get it good and foamy, then served in clay cups. These used to be common at railway stations -- they are biodegradable and could just be tossed out the window without permanent littering. Sadly, tea shops at the train stations now serve tea in a little plastic cup -- with a teabag!

Friday Morning -- Mountain Messages

Toby Sinclair is an Englishman who has lived in India since 1977. The title of his talk was “Goddess in Despair,” referring to the Ganga (Indian word for Ganges). He was the producer of the film “Ganges” that was shown near the beginning of the Festival. He talked more about the river and some of the ravages it has suffered. In the 1960s the US planted a plutonium-powered nuclear spying device in the Nanda Devi sanctuary. It hasn’t been seen or tracked since 1968. Did it disappear into one of the Ganga tributaries? The Tehri Dam, in planning since 1972, opened in 2006, creating some areas of a nearly dry river below. The river’s greatest gift is its silt, which fertilizes one of the largest fertile areas in the world.

Bernadette McDonald, the biographer who spoke about three of her subjects earlier, talked about “Freedom Climbers.” It is about the golden age of Polish climbers, 1975-95. She told us about one particular climb two men did up a face in a heavy storm, when they ran out of food and fuel. The mysterious “third man” was with them as a sometimes malevolent, but mainly benevolent, force. A few quotes: “We were ready to die, but not ready to give up.” “You can’t attain enlightenment on a full stomach.” When they finally rappelled down, the third man was there helping them.

David Wagner, whose drawings from nature were on exhibit, talked about “Mosses and the Meaning of Life.” His love of mountains and nature gives meaning to his life. He has devoted his studies to the often-overlooked mosses and liverworts. David talked about his experiences with nature growing up here in the hills. He collected butterflies and ferns – even found new varieties of ferns that hadn’t been cataloged before. He had beautiful pictures of natural phenomena that showed things I had never seen before. He read a poem written in 1961 by Vera Frances, a long-time WS teacher, “I Have Loved Beauty.”

New Inn

2010-10-21T09:02:00.005+05:30

Wednesday evening we went for dinner at the top of the hill instead of in the bazaar as usual. I left around 4:00 as I wanted to stop along the way.

Just below the hospital a group of goats was being herded along. This is not all that unusual, but one of them surely looked like a sheep to me, and that was indeed unusual.

What do you think? Sheep or furry goat?

Then I headed on to Mullingar Hill and up the walking path toward the Chakkar and Char Dukan. Our friends Tenzing and Tsering are renovating an old building into a small hotel/inn. It is named for Tenzing's mother, Doma, also a long-time friend. They have brought in Tibetan painters from Nepal for the final decorating and it is quite amazing.

The front is decorated with a dragon (still to be colored) and the name.

Also on the outside is a statue of a monk. I couldn't help but smile back at him when I saw him.

This shows some of the ceiling of the veranda/hallway inside the building. There are six rooms; each opens onto the veranda.

Another ceiling view.

After I left T & T, I went up the longer driving road way; there is a walking path but it is very steep and I had plenty of time. To the right of this photo is a plant of stinging nettles. And they can really sting! I accidently brushed against one a couple of weeks ago and it stung right through my cotton shirt. To the left you can see dak (dock) leaves. They always grow nearby and if you rub the stung spot with a leaf, it will ease the burning sensation.

When I got to Char Dukan, I had a cup of tea at one of the tea shops, then headed on toward Rokeby for dinner. I was walking about the same pace as a little girl, Tanu. When I asked her where she was going, she said "cow." I thought that was a little strange, but we walked on together, chatting in my rather weak Hindi. (Where do you live, what's your name, what school do you attend) As we came around a corner I heard a cow mooing and remembered that there is a house just below the road that has one. Tanu had a small bag of food that she had brought to feed the cow. We said goodbye and she went down the steps to give the food to the cow.

Tomorrow I'll tell you more about Rokeby Manor, a recent renovation of an old boarding house. It is pretty fabulous now!

Music at Mount Hermon Flats

2010-10-20T08:50:00.004+05:30

There is a large flat area above Oakville on the Mount Hermon property. On Thursday afternoon we were treated to some musical performances in the open air. The hope was that sunset on the mountain ranges to the north would be visible, but there were clouds. It was quite cold, but there were some contained fires in the back that people could use to warm up a bit.

The opening performer was David Wagner ’63, who was to be a presenter the next day. He played music on his recorder that was reminiscent of the sounds heard back in the hills when he did a lot of hiking nearly 50 years ago. A hauntingly beautiful start to the evening.

Paro Anand’s mother-in-law is a lifelong singer who favored us with a selection of songs in Hindi, Kashmiri, and Dogri. This interview with her is from the Chandigarh Tribune.

The audience enjoyed Harshi’s singing tremendously. At the end of each song, she smiled shyly and cocked her head to the right.

Note: IPTA was the Indian People’s Theatre Association, the cultural wing of the Communist Party in India in the 1940s.

After Harshi finished singing, Pete Wildman of the Development/Alumni Office sang a few Beatles numbers. He was joined for a number by Eric Templeton, CNI pastor of St. Paul's, Christ and Hindustani Churches here in Mussoorie. Then Abe and Bethany Okie, new staff in the music department sang a number of rousing songs. They ended with "Mountaineers are Always Free," based on the West Virginia state motto. By the time they sang, it was too dark for my little camera to get a good shot.

Wilderness Not Wasteland

2010-10-19T10:32:00.003+05:30

The first session on Thursday afternoon focused especially on conservation of wild areas, particularly in the Himalaya.

Vance Martin of The Wild Foundation, talked about how we must work with nature, not against it. What we see is not as important as how we look at it and how we feel about it.

The Wild Foundation’s theme is “Nature needs half” – their global vision is to protect and interconnect at least half of the planet, land and water, to support life on earth. The wilderness is more important today than it was yesterday, and not as important today as it will be tomorrow.

Bittu Sehgal, editor of Sanctuary Asia, said that urbanites have “nature-deficit disorder,” echoing Sheela Jaywant’s poetic essay from earlier in the day. "Sanctuary believes that the survival of humanity and the natural world are intertwined, and depends significantly on the reversal of global climate change." Bittu has been instrumental in Project Tiger since its inception in 1973, and is an ardent conservationist.

Kate Harris is a young adventurer with an amazing story. Her presentation focused on her recent trip across the Norwegian Plateau by skis in January: “Fram Means Forward: Exploring the Contours of Cold.” She and her companion were looking for the edge of the world, with fantastic descriptions of the snow and the cold. Readers of adventure and travel will be hearing more of her in the coming years, I am sure.