2016 August

 In August it was a celebration of the Tribal communities and so as many of the children are tribal they all dressed in tribal dress to play in the cathedral, including me.

The wearing of a a saree tribal style is different to the usual style. There are over 40 ways to wear a saree.

They also sang a tribal Christian song which their warden Dipty taught to them and Sanjay accompanied on drum.

With the monsoons we get terrential rain for a few hours and by the cathedral turns into a pool. Becomes very noisy with frogs but I did get this nice reflection picture of the cathedral in the evening.

August 15th was Independence day and as usual we had the flag raising early in the morning along with prayer. The children then had a day of activities from 5 of the centres.
Including art, quiz, dance and singing.

Singing in the Cathedral.

Dancing with a theme and the DCSDC took the theme of antitraffiking.

August was also one of the exam days and here they are practising with the pianist before their exams later at the YWCA.

Sleeping as they wait for exams as they left Durgapur at 5:30 a.m. and exams were at 1.30 p.m.

Sleeping in the minibus on the way home after all over.

2016 updates

As I returned in June I had to prepare the string players and choir for 2016 Foundation Day for St Michael's School, Durgapur, the string orchestra ready to play for the service in the Cathedral.

The St Michael's School Choir and string players practicing for Foundation Day Service.

Then they pack up from the cathedral and set up in the school auditorium to play processional and recessional and accompanying the choir for the programme in school. A busy morning for the choir and string players.

Foundation Day was the start of the school Golden Jubilee Year celebrations and they held an inter school arts festival so this is one of the dance entries. There was also solo and group vocals, Indian instrumental and Western.

This is Priyanka playing in the Western Music section and she won.

In September 2016 the Diocese held a felicitation programme when a church member in Bankura was elected to West Bengal Government. This picture is us opening the programme with a song.

After various speeches then the strings played a varied programme.

Classes have continued throughout the year and this is three of the younger players in their class last autumn. They have now progressed so that they play in the cathedral on some occasions.

This is Millie practising with the pianist for her Initial exam last July, she passed with merit.

Puja practising with the pianist. During 2015 and 2016 they have taken 57 music exams and have achieved 24 distinctions, 22 merits and 11 passes, a wonderful achievement. These are very long days, usually leaving Durgapur about 5:00 a.m. to meet pianist and then take exams before returning.

The return to Durgapur, no energy left.

7th September 2014

Well I've been back 12 days and life has been very busy. The children have already done two excellent programmes. Last week they did a farewell programme for the Girls and Boys Brigade party from Nutthall, Nottingham who had helped with building the eye hospital in the mornings and doing activities with the centre in the afternooon.

Here they are all saying what the trip has meant to them.

The 25 of the children played as a string orchestra 'My heart will go on' from Titanic and there wee tears in their eyes. They played very well. They danced and sang and said poems and Archana Dey was MC.

And here they are about to leave with Bijoy who was driving them to the airport. Many tears flowed on all sides.

This week was Teachers Day so they did another programme. The children put it together themselves and wrote the script and prayers and I just oversaw the practices.

Saraswati on the left who danced and Jamuna and Sumita who did the welcome ceremony all dressed in saris.

Priyanka (violin) and Anita (viola) playing a duet of 'I just can't wait to be king' from the Lion King and Sanjay acting as page turner. Unfortunately he was unable to play as he injured his wrist and I have made him wait for it to heal. He did sing a duet with Anita.

Sanjay and Anita doing their duet.

The little ones also took part

They are all building confidence in taking part in these programmes, also day children not just the hostel children.

After the closing song Rita Dutta spoke and thanked them and said how much they have grown and developed to put on a show and to perform with the confidence they now do compared to the children they were when she first took them into the centre.

This is the dance teacher and the children that took their dance exam when I was here in April with their certificates, they all passed First Class.

August 27th 2014

I have arrived safely back in Durgapur. Things keep moving on the 10 bed eye hospital is well on the way being built, it's just outside my room window so no longer can I watch the vegetables grow or the birds in the tree but it will be a valuable resource as they do cataract operations every month.

Well the chidren have played really well while I have been gone andthere is a programme to do this Friday so lots of practicing, music, singing and dancing.

I have had a really warm welcome back, the children just kept telling me they missed me, so it's good to be back.

Better do some work now. 

June 3rd

Hi I've found a  few minutes to post a blog while three of them are learning to tune the instruments. Their task to tune all 32.

Time has flown past and i am in the last week of my present stay. Still lots to do!!

But here are some photos from over the last few weeks.

This is Easter Sunday morning, my musicians dress in red as its a celebration and Sanjay, Papu and Rohan - with a broken arm he did the day before dressed in white for their baptisms.

The baptisms were done by the Bishop and were the first in the Cathedral. They were done with the font at the back of the church.

A hot day and no power - off for six hours, so no fans. Luckily it was a day where there was a little breeze so we are sat outside the offices both with laptops on our knees and as usual children interested in what we are doing.

The weekend after Easter 13 of them took dance exams so for over six weeeks with different events happening I supervised dance practices when ever we could fit them in and especially in the evenings.

Practising the routines for the exam they had a lot of moves to learn and just some are chosen.

All dressed and ready to go to the dance exam, I went with them and then Raja met us there as it was nearer his house. Five did the first exam and eight there second exam.

The older girls doing their dance exam, just to a wood block beat. They all passed and Manju with outstanding.

The younger ones including Shyamol who also all passed and Priyanka with outstanding.

May 1st is Foundation Day for the Durgapur Child Study and Development Centre so even though it was hot we did a big programme on the basketball court. Here all the hostel children along with three of us on the guitar are singing the opening song, From the rising of the sun.

Some of the Diocesan staff and day students during the opening prayer.

The older girls doing a Bengali dance and as you can see they have decorated for the occasion.

Some of them did a drama.

Some recited poetry in Bengali.

Sanjay was a student here when the centre opened eight years ago and told about what a difference it had made to his life. He has just had his board exam results and passed with 2nd division. Anita and Jamuna alos passsed but with 3rd Divisiion. All have enrolled now for Class 11. Iswar has passed his Class 12 exams and is preparing to go to college.

Got to go now will try and do some more this week but now centre time - 80 children running around outside my room.

15th April

Happy New Year

Today is the Bengali New Year and it is the year 1421.

So a holiday for the children from school. At the moment they jut never seem to be in school. There was one day last week when all went to school except the 5 waiting for their Board exam results.

We are into Holy Week, on Sunday they processed from by the Hostel to the Cathedral waving palm leaves. On the Saturday afternoon evening many of the children had helped to decorate the cathedral and made all the palm crosses from the fresh palm leaves.

We are having services every day in the Cathedral so there has been a lot of music to prepare and to practice for this week.

The St Michaels children have all started in their new classes and the school has a new Principal so new homework regimes and they have different books to the ones that have been used for the past years except for maths. It is good to read some new stories.

This week I am having to start classes even earlier to get them all in as I cannot do a class at 6.00 p.m due to Cathedral Holy week services so making the day even longer.

Well just about lunchtime and then class 6 for the day before centre and evening service. I'll try and get some photos done this week too.

28th March 2014

Hi Folks

I really don't know where the time is going. But it seems to be flying past.

Last Friday I went with Rita Dutta and the five children that have done their Board Exams to the cinema and saw a Hindi movie. I could understand most of it as a lot of English in it and then just follow the acting.

Saturday morning I set off for St Michaels School after taking morning music classes with 12 St Michael Pupils to act as Guardian and collect all their report cards. Some have done well, others not so well but they have all been promoted to the next year, three with warnings though. Their were some strange looks from some parents as this white woman walked around the school with 12 Indian children. As I said to the children I will have to change the song to "twelve Little Indians".

Saturday evening I went out in the minibus with 11 of them to play a programme at a Pre Schools Annual Function.

It went well. Raja also came, he took the photo. We both asked to hand out certificates and medals for their prizes. The little ones danced and sang as well. I was not out in the green room with my musicians but the little children were fascinated by the instruments, especially the cello, which of course, even lying down was bigger them most of them - 2-4 year olds.

All the children bar two are off school at the moment so I have been doing mental arithmetic and tables with them to try to improve their maths and also written and spoken English. Next week the Bengali Medium schools go back and then they have a set of exams. St Michaels children start their new academic year on 7th April.

Hopefully life will quieten a little then as only the older five here and  work with them on reading and speaking English, using the computer and guitar.

The weather is getting hotter, I'm glad of AC at night. With fans the days are ok.

Sundays still seem to have big basketball matches, as well as cricket and badminton.

Here are a few photos that I haven't had time to put up before.

One Saturday and Sunday it was harvest the potatoes - so all hands to the potato field. Gradually the store room began to fill up.

Now some are being stored upstairs as well.

Sunday afternoons the children are also often playing on the play equipment by the Diocesan offices.

They have great fun.

As I said some of the older girls are learning guitar as we fill their time while they await their results.

Well everyone is arriving for centre time now - it will be very warm doing Taekwondo today. I think I will be sorting music in my room - cannot see the desk at present!!