Fulbright and More!

Ramesh Lands the Fulbright!

We have received news that Ramesh has been awarded the 2007-08 nine-month Research Scholar Fulbright Award for his proposal on rural telecommunication networking in South India, and its implications for e-governance. Very exciting, indeed! However, we have been reading that the government of India (GOI) has been notoriously slow in approving proposals of research scholars, in particular. Last year's awards were not approved until 9 months later. The GOI is just flexing its bureaucratic muscle as foreign nationals bring their research expertise to India The U.S. State Department has since made much noise, and we hope that this year's awards will be approved with alacrity. Nothing is final until the GOI approval. Ramesh will visit the US in June for about 10 days to attend the Washington, D.C. orientation provided to Fulbright awardees, (Kannan, you may meet him there if you go too), and perhaps visit our friends in CT.


Rajani in School's Annual Play

Wednesday, the 21st of March was a big day for Rajani, and her school of 72 children. Everyone had been working hard these last few weeks to put together a performance of songs, a play (where Rajani was the "sky maiden"), and a dance. Parents were not allowed to take pictures as professional photography was arranged. As soon as I get them, I'll be sure to post a few.

The DVD will make precious material to embarrass many a children on their wedding day! Children as young as 2 and 1/2 were on stage, crying, one picking up her dress and showing off her colorful underwear, another refusing to wear the bottom half of his outfit, and yet another (who was a cloud) refusing to let go of the mike. It was hilarious altogether! Rajani appeared to enjoy dancing to "para bailar la bamba" the most, twisting and shaking her hips, leading with all the moves, a big grin plastered on her face! Not one of the children forgot his or her lines. They all did a great job!

She is making good progress in her classical music lessons with Usha Padmanaban, who happens to be my CT music teacher's very own cousin. I am putting up two recordings, one of her school song and another of a recently mastered classical composition. Check out http://ramyasemail.googlepages.com

News of Akbar

We were encouraged by the vet to give him a summer haircut in March, in preparation for the sweltering heat that is to come in April, May and June. I foolishly dropped him off at the vet's with express instructions to leave his face and tail alone. When I picked him up, 600 Rupees later, he was a more like a plucked chicken or a new born rat, rather than my regal, gentle, handsome boy! His face and tail had indeed been done, while possibly being held down by one boy, while the other whizzed by his eyebrows with a shaver! He has since been so stressed out that he has refused food, lies around curled up on our bedroom carpet (a space he has assiduously avoided since his arrival here!) and has been trembling at the touch of a human hand! Gosh, what they would say, if they could speak!










Nonetheless, as the days get warmer, I am sure he will be grateful not to be wearing his Alaskan coat.

"These are a Few of my Favorite Things.."

With the arrival of the warmer months, a couple my faves begin to make their appearence: "malli poo" (no, not dog do-do - this is Tamil for a divinely fragrant flower, the jasmine), and mangoes.

As I go about my routine some mornings, I feel this is exactly the way I had imagined my life in India would be. And guess what? It is because it is just slightly warmer than is comfortable, and there is the fragrance of jasmines in the air. Something about that fragrance harks back a time that I don't even know exists, but it just does. I don't know if it is the crowded railway stations, the jostling of shopping on Ranganathan Street, the vision of women circumbulating Kapali Temple, or strains of old Tamil songs wafting through the window. I take a deep breath and fill my lungs with the evening air, fragrant with jasmines. I can look forward to this for many more months!

My mother-in-law says that one should not buy mangoes till the Tamil New Year Day - April 15th. The mangoes are still green on the trees right now, inviting monkeys and stones from youngsters wandering on the streets. There will be several varieties of mangoes, from the green pickling kind, to about a dozen varieties of sweet fruit. Rajani keeps an eye on the mango tree at her school, collecting grape-sized fallen ones in the hope that they will turn yellow, sweet and juicy!

But what is ready right now, within arm's reach from my southern balcony are the neem flowers. They are frightfully bitter, but filled with all the goodness that the Neem is famous for, (and that pharmaceuticals are so anxious to patent. No, I won't get on that soap box now!) Ramesh would, as a child, lie on the branches of the neem tree in his back yard, snacking on its tender leaves and flowers. We use the flowers in a sweet chutney, a speciality for the new year meal, and dry the flowers and roast them in ghee to add to a wonderful rasam (a brothy soup).

More on the freshness of fruit and veggies in my next post. Appo paakalam! (see you then!)