11th March

Hi, I don't know where the past three weeks, since my last blog have gone. Life is just busy. It's good but busy.

The five taking their Board exams have finished so I am spending time with them reading and speaking English. Also helping them improve their computer skills, especially in Word, so they can type articles and letters. They have to wait till June for their results.

St Michaels Children have finished their annual exams so off school awaiting reports next week and then another week off before the start of the new school year. So keeping them busy improving mental maths and English.

And during Lent we are having a mid week service as well which needs music and practising. Sundays after church is taken with cricket, basketball and badminton. They have also dug up all the potato crop, cultivated the ground and planted more vegetables.

So I am fine - just not having much time to blog or put photos up but will try to do so.

But now its lunchtime before the usual afternoon, 2.30 violin class, 3-6 Centre, 6 violin class and 7.00 p.m dinner and then help with homework. The days just fly by.

21st February

Today the children attending St Michaels school had their first annual exam. They go on for the next three weeks, so lots of revision.

At the moment though it is Taekwondo time so I have a few minutes to put up some more photos.

Betty Jo, one of the members of the group from Western North Carolina, brought "Alcohol paining". With special paper and paints put on a drop of paint, and a drop of alcohol on top and then blow you can make interesting pictures and patterns. Here she is showing Priyanka what you can do.

Here is Anita with here finished picture of flowers.

Priyanka intent on her artwork. Betty Jo ran a couple of sessions while she was here and the children had some spare time and they all enjoyed it. She has left the supplies with me so I can do it with them in the future.

There was quite a group having a go.

At the Tribal Awards there were only a couple of tribes dancing and entertaining.

One of the groups and their drummers perforning.

They also performed just as musicians. The man on the right singing and playing an aektara. Another one string instrument, this time bowed.

This one is a gourd with a skin and a stick with the one string and a short bow, making a very different sound to the one by the temples which was plucked and had a drum like end.

This dance depicted the sowing of seeds by the dancers on the left and the ones on the right have bird scarers.

19th February

Hi, I have a few moments so will put up a few more pictures of my trip to Bishnapur last week.

This is the large gateway to where there are a few temples in one area. All the temples as for Radha and Krishna.

Further out is a smaller gateway, taken from the large gateway,which used to have deep water between them.

Lalji Temple

I somehow missed the name to this temple

Then a little further along is Jor Bangla Temple built in 1655

This temple is also known as the temple of two houses, as it is two identical buildings side by side with a dome that joins them together. This temple is covered in pictures telling stories. Here are just a few.

People in a boat - I'm not sure which way you read the stories, round or up and down but the carvings are still very good and clear in the main.

Elephants are part of the story too.

Every wall was just covered with different pictures of different sizes.

Outside this temple was a man playing a string instrument, known as an aektara (aek - one, tara- string) a one stringed instrument. Now this was different to the aektara that I saw at the Tribal award ceremony.

This one as more like a drum end with the string between two rods.


We then travelled by minibus to the last one we saw which was Shyamrai Temple built in 1643, also known as 5 dome temple as it has five domes on the top.

This was also covered in carvings and pictures.

The idol of the god would be behind the door mesh in the centre.

A circular designed panel, as I said different shapes.

After lunch we visited a saree factory, making silk sarees.

There were six of these looms in a small building. The thread is so fine and the gold just glistened.

Just down the road is a large canon.

It's barrel is 3.8 metres in length and the diameter of the muzzle is 29.2 cm.

An interesting day.

17th February

Well time has vanished. It has been very busy here but now calming down. All our guests that were staying have now gone back to their respective countries.

The children at St Michaels are studying hard as their annual school exams start on Friday and they need to achieve 40% to move on into the next class.

We also have 5 hostel children taking their board exams which start next Monday, their main exams like our GCSE's but all compulsory subjects and have to pass every one for their certificate.

Thanksgiving weekend was good and busy and I will put more about that as I have time and sort photos.

I'm going to start with a day out last week. We some of the guests I went to Bishnapur, about a two hour drive from here.

We first stopped at Bishnapur Mission High School which was started by the Methodist Church in 1880.

 When we arrived the children were all lined up and gave us a warm welcome.

Most of the children come from poor backgrounds. They were treated to storytelling by Canon David Truby and Rev Steve Bennett as they told the story of Zacchaeus.

So here Steve is standing on a tree to see Jesus, David in amongst the children as the crowd. One of the masters translated the story. He decided even though there was a good big tree there safer to just use the chair.

We were then given refreshments in the Headmasters Office before heading off to the temples with two of the masters who could tell us more about them.

 It was a beautiful warm sunny day as you can see. It's not been like that the last couple of days, overcast and wet in the afternoons but today better with a breeze.

This temple is called Rasmancha and has many archways, a double set all the way round with a space for the idol of the God which is no longer there. These are all under the Archaeological Society of India who maintain and look after them.  Indian residents can get into them for 5 rupees but foreigners pay 100 rupees. It seems extortionate but it is only about £1 and we saw them all for that, each card being stamped as you visited them.

The children said they had visited here last year and enjoyed going in and out of the  arches.

And also carvings on the outside

It was built about 1600 and the roof is stepped. A big building but you cannot enter it you worshipped the god from the outside.

Time has run away and its lunchtime so hopefully I will get some more info and photos us tomorrow.

February 4th

Today is Saraswati Puja - the God of Learning so many of the children have gone home for a few hours to celebrate with their families. Other children are playing games and amusing them selves.

Some of the girls playing Junior Scrabble.

Last week the children played at the Opening service of NEYA (National Ecumenical Youth Assembley). Youth here is 20s-30s and it wa good to see so many together from all over India. 2014 is also the centenary of NCCI  (National Council of Churches India).

I knew that the children were supposed to be playing at the Opening service but it was only with 24 hours notice that I was told which songs they wanted. Luckily they were songs I knew and I arranged them and the children practised very hard and played well.

 Practising in the Cathedral before it started.

Dr Mike Sabback has been here with his team doing the Festival of Joy in 6 different places and on Saturday he did another day of minor operations and four of the hostel children had little operations. Please pray for them as they recover and they heal.

Already friends from around the world have started to arrive and many more will over the coming days and also from across the Diocese.

The girls also danced at NEYA a welcome dance in classical Indian dance, this is their finishing pose. (I just tried to load the video but it wouldn't!)

Evenings in the hostel are spent practising dances for Friday for the Inter Cultural Programme and four hours of each day practising music for the weekend.

They are doing well in learning to play other styles of music as they learn some classical pieces and traditional pieces from around the world to entertain at the Garden Dinner Party on Friday.

Last week I also visited St Peters School as one judge for their Inter House English Elocution contest for classes 3-6. There were individuals from each house and also group recital - it was the first time they had done this. There were some of a very high standard and some where nerves got the better of them forgetting a few lines or speaking too fast but they all did well for a first time. The school auditorium is vast. (so I didn't take any pictures)

This is Sunday - I checked all their violin dress, to make sure they all had all they should. One boy has lost his shoes though!! Anyway it was then wash it all ready for the weekend when it will be needed so here are some of the girls washing their white blouses, red blouses and black skirts and then some of the older girls did a long stint in the sewing centre yesterday ironing it all. Now it is back in the red holdall in my office ready for them to wear this weekend.

Well it's coming up for lunchtime again.

29th January

Time is just flying. It is very busy here.

Sunday was Republic Day so we had the hoisting of the flag and prayers at 7.00 am. and a special sweet.

Father Sam is explaining about Republic Day, this was the 65th Repbulic Day since theys adopted their own Constitution in 1950, even though they became independent in 1947. I needed to learn this in advance, so had looked it up on the web, as I was preaching on Sunday in the Cathedral and the theme was "Prayer for our country"

The special sweets being handed out.

Last Thursday was the Inter Sports meet with all 6 children's centres coming to St Michaels School Ground.

The children of Durgapur giving a Taekwondo demonstration.

The children from the different centres lined up for the March Past.
I had rehearsed the opening dance with the Children and I was also called on to do the Opening Prayer. I then had the job of putting the medals on trays ready for presentation and was also called on to present three sets.

All the children then went back to the compound and the hostel area and were given lunch before they returned to their homes, for some it is three hours travelling each way so they were given breakfast when they arrived, a bread roll, banana and sweet.

I have already arranged 16 pieces of music for the children since I came back. It is a very busy 10 days or so. Yesterday The National Ecumenical Youth Assembly 2014 opened with a service here, about 800 youth are staying in the school. I knew we were to play at the service but until 24 hours before I had not been told what. So Monday 2.00 p.m. I am told, I arranged the music and and the children practised three new hymns they did not know. Luckily I did know them and we were ready for a service at 2.00 p.m.

 So here we are practising and ready. The Procession was to leave St Michaels School at 1.30 and arrive at the Cathedral for 2.00 p.m. - they eventually got there to start at 4.00 p.m.!!
So they had a long practice of other music as well as we waited.

The girls were then dancing a classical Indian welcome dance at the next programme which they wanted to start more or less on time, having run 2 hours late so they had to change and be made up quickly.

They all did a fantastic job both playing and dancing - I'd also been supervising practices of that in the evenings.

Their final pose of the dance, I have videoed it for them as they requested.

I ended up on the front row so had a good view.

Well lunch time now - more soon.

Cellos

Here is the morning group of cellists playing.

Sanju, Januna, Parbati and Joydev as you can see in the newly decorated hall in the hostel and with new curtains.

I will take a picture of the other two in their next class.