Dramatis personae
Today we'll experience some of the Christmas spirit in rural India, visiting villages with names like Jamgubr, Chitapari, Batriata, Podia, Missiguda and Mundiguda. Here we'll take part in their Christmas programs, learn a Koya dance or two, and even can sleep a night curled up beside the fire looking up at the stars. But first it may be helpful to give brief dramatis personae:
· Dr Iris Paul: Indian doctor who has worked here for over thirty years.
· Remo: Dr Iris' oldest son, a 27yo in the Reaching Hand Society administration.
· David P: Dr Iris' next son (adopted), a 17yo just returned from boarding school in Madras.
· Mary: Dr Iris' adopted daughter, a 15yo just returned from boarding school.
· Volunteers: Matt (NZ doctor); Gerdein (Dutch nurse); Sami (USA biologist); Dave (Aus accountant); Charlotte (NZ medical student); Rebecca (NZ medical student).
· RHS Staff (male): Sapan (driver); Antony (engineer); Laban (manager); Probakar; Rameesh
· RHS Staff (female): Joti; Sabita; Shanthi (Sapan's wife)
· Children: Emmanuel (1yo); Ruth (4yo); Esther (6yo); David (2yo); 'Pinky' (7yo).
Recent News
Today, like last week, I went along to Sabita's church with the other volunteers. As you would expect it was a Christmas service, and we shared some Christmas carols with the congregation. The guest speaker did his best to help us follow what he was saying. Afterwards all us volunteers enjoyed a cool drink and bikkies with Sabita next door. In the afternoon we had the big Malkangiri Christmas program, so we hastily practised up an Oriya song to sing. It was set up at the front of the half-built hospital with a sound system, colourful backdrop and even a makeshift curtain! After greeting the special guests the program began. First up was some Oriya singing, followed by a talk about Christmas. Us volunteers then sung a few songs in Oriya and in English. Then it was the children's turn to shine, and they put on a great performance of a drama based on the Book of Life, showing various people living good lives then getting turned away at the gate of heaven. Only the poor beggar avoided being carried off over Satan's shoulder, he got the royal treatment of a choir of angels instead.
Christmas Programs
Last Sunday afternoon I set off with Dave, Sapan and Dr Iris to Chitapari village for the first of many Christmas programs. After driving the rough dirt roads for about two hours we arrived at Chitapari and found the local RHS staff set up and entertaining the children. A simple but colourful cloth canopy was set up outside one of the local Christian’s houses. His 'front yard' was packed hard with dry cow dung, a process that must be repeated every three days to prevent cracking up. The results is much like a hard dry cricket pitch - though the key wouldn't find its way in too easily. Under the canopy some woven grass mats placed on the hard packed ground and about thirty children were sitting together on the mats. Behind them a group of about fifty adults mingled, watching the proceedings. From around the corner of the house the smell of goat curry and dahl drifted, as they were cooked over small open fires for a meal later in the night. Adjacent to the house a small banana plantation stood, all the trees quite young and not yet bearing fruit. Rameesh, a young RHS literacy worker was teaching the children a song in Oriya. Since the children are illiterate they learnt the song by repetition. After taking a walk and returning an hour later, I was amazed to hear them still enthusiastically repeating the same song, slowly getting the hang of it.
As the night descended the crowd grew. The small petrol generator was now pumping away, providing power for the two fluorescent lights and the simple microphone system. I realised that without electricity the villagers only business in the night was to sleep. Revving the kids up further the RHS staff led them on a march through he village, singing, dancing and beating away on a bongo drum. If anyone hadn’t known there was a Christmas program on, they certainly did now. By the time we got back to the canopy the crowd had swelled to over 150, about 75% of the village's population. The evening started with some formalities. Dr Iris, Dave and I were all greeting with a garland of flowers around our necks. I had read that when receiving a flower garland it is appropriate to humbly remove in from your neck and hold it close by. This routine of greeting the guests with flowers was to be repeated at every festival I attended. Though I felt a bit uncomfortable receiving all this undeserved attention I gradually appreciated the cultural reasons and felt quite honoured. The program continued with singing and bible readings. After a few words from one of the RHS evangelists it was time to bring on the food.
It took little time for the villagers to arrange themselves in rows ready to eat. Sitting cross-legged on the cow dung ground the steaming rice was brought around on washed banana leaves. The dahl and goat curry was then distributed and we eagerly dipped in. I frequently saw the children running back to their houses carrying food to share with the rest of their family. In all the tribal communities everything is evenly shared and there is no such thing as a personal gift. This attitude of servanthood is in direct contrast to the Hindu villages and towns where the policy is simply to serve yourself, and results in pushing and shoving rather than patient waiting. As I watched the children eat I saw many of them making very slow progress. Dr Iris explained that with a diet of one rice meal a day, this was luxury for them and they wanted to savour every mouthful. Many of the children had swollen tummies from protein and energy malnutrition and my heart went out to them. Here is a people who work so hard slaving away on the land and yet are unable to adequately meet their families’ most basic need - food. The food was finally packed away and the entire village gathered around the TV we'd brought in. The plan was to show a video on Jesus, but unfortunately the VCR refused to work despite our best efforts. In the end we left the village, driving in to the night with the sound of singing and dancing in the air.
Clinic and more Christmas
Monday brought with it a busy morning in the clinic and I was happy to set out again in the afternoon for the second Christmas program. This time about 16 RHS staff and volunteers piled into the medical van (no, the van is not big - we were just very squashed) with a couple of motorbikes leading the way. After two hours we reached Jamgubr, a Koya village in which Sameesh has relatives. Here a children's literacy program has recently started, and during the evening program the first group of students proudly received stainless steel cups in recognition of their work. Here in Jamgubr the set up was very simple just a few mats on the open ground and the generator powering the fluorescent bulbs and old tape recorder. As the RHS workers set up, the tape recorder blared out some Christian songs in Oriya and a few villagers energetically danced around. After songs from RHS staff and us volunteers, the staff presented an interpretation of the Prodigal Son story. The villagers watched in fascination and amusement as the son took his father’s money had hit the town with some newfound friends. They watched him waste away his money on drink and finally be deserted by his own friends. They sat enthralled as the son then pleaded with some pig farmers who finally consented to letting him look after the pigs (portrayed wonderfully by some local boys), before finally coming to his senses and returning home to his father and angry brother. The drama concluded with a song, and a few of the tribal men (including one hilarious old blind man) joined in the dancing.
After handing out some nibbles to the patient and very grateful crowd the villagers gave us a show of their own. Dancing with their arms draped over each other’s shoulders they villagers sung and moved together in a tight writhing circle. Pulling Probakar and Dave into the throng we joined in the dance and soon found ourselves in the middle of the chanting mass. After half an hour the villagers were ready for another dance, and the young adults quickly assembled. Standing in a long chain they all linked hands with the person two in front of them and two behind them. Here in the tribal villages the unwed men and women treat each other as siblings since any marriage will be with someone from another tribe. Because of this there is not the distinct male/female separation as in all Hindu societies. I watched with interested as the leader of the 'snake' began swaying to the music. The entire chain followed in perfect step, keeping time with a loud captivating chant. Slowly the snake began moving, each member gradually increasing the length of their step. The snake lunged in as every left foot came down and the strides continued to lengthen. Just when it seemed they could not go any faster the leader turned sharply and the chain curled quickly into a coil. Still maintaining the steady rhythm the chain moved backwards straightening the coil and they were ready to start again. After watching for a few minutes I couldn't stop myself from joining in. Latching on to the end of the chain I quickly fell into step. As I lunged in and stepped out I felt the enormous power as our steps turned into strides, and our strides into bounds. Caught up totally in the momentum I followed the movements like in a trance. I finally unlatched myself, and with shaky, adrenalin pumped legs, a heaving chest and a stupid big grin on my face I faced the congratulation and laughter of the watching villagers and RHS staff.
It was close to midnight by the time we’d packed and were ready to head home. The van however, had other ideas. Despite Sapan's best efforts the lights refused to work, and since the dirt tracks of Orissa have no streetlights we decided to settle down in Jamgubr for the night. Fortunately someone had brought food and we all sat around the fire to eat. The rice had been individually packed in tight banana leaf packages and had held its heat well. Sharing around the dahl and chicken curry we ate and watched the fire's dancing flames. As the staff and volunteers headed off to empty huts and the medical van, I settled down with some of the RHS guys on mats beside the fire. Looking up at the stars I soon drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately Monday night turned out to be one of the coldest yet, and though my body and legs were cosy, my sandal-clad feet were soon freezing. I spent the rest of the night manoeuvring my feet close to the fire and drifting in and out of sleep.
Village mornings
Awaking at 5am, with the first rays of light, I took a bit of a stroll around the village, and used their 'bathroom facilities'. Already there were villagers carting wood and tending to their animals. One man opened a wooden animal shelter and I smiled as I saw two grey hairy wild boar step out with their boarlets looking just like in the Asterix books I'm such a fan of. By 6am we had set off back to Malkangiri. Fortunately the Tuesday clinic was not as busy as it usually is so I wasn't too rushed getting down there to start. It turned out to be quite a relaxing day and I enjoyed a stroll through the expansive and colourful marketplace before returning home to catch up on some sleep.
Clinic
The clinic on Wednesday was interesting but not too busy. After three cases of malaria, including one pregnant woman, and a boy with a broken clavicle the day seemed almost over. However, the first man with malaria had rapidly deteriorated, had a temperature of 39.5C and his blood pressure was dropping rapidly. Quickly setting up a makeshift drip, we pumped in a litre of saline and glucose solution. By early afternoon he had improved greatly and was ready to go home. Closing the clinic it was time for us to set out for another Christmas program, this time at Batriata, some three hours away. A combined Koya and Kondoha village, the program was much like the previous ones I'd witnessed. This time the canopy was set up in the middle of a huge bare field and about 100 people were assembled. The music, drama and dancing all went down a treat and after eating some nibbles the people drifted away. Sitting around the fire we ate our rice, dahl and curry before heading back for the long drive to Malkangiri.
On Thursday morning we set out for the clinic a Kalimela. Unfortunately we saw only two patients before the electricity was cut off. Since this meant the X-ray and ultrasound facilities were made redundant we decided it was not worth staying around. Driving a further hour we arrived at Podia where a daytime Christmas service was taking place. It was a very big affair with many Indian Missionary Society (IMS) and district church leaders in attendance. The drama of Jesus' birth was presented beautifully with angels, choirs and a real live baby Jesus (albeit a female one). After eating we spent some time with the local RHS evangelists. Sitting in one room of their two-room house we shared tea, bikkies and some songs with them while Sapan refuelled the van. Arriving back in Malkangiri at around 7:30pm, it didn't take long before I was in bed and asleep.
The RHS family
Friday began with prayer until 11am, which was followed by a few hours to catch up on washing and cleaning. David and Mary, Dr Iris' two adopted children, had returned from boarding school down in Madras early Friday morning. But it was not until they woke in the afternoon that I was able to meet them. Dressed in western-style clothes, they were more comfortable speaking English than anything else. They had both come from tiny tribal villages but they had obviously fully integrated into the western life of the big city. In the late afternoon we set out once again to a Christmas program, this time at Missiguda. The RHS staff had already fully set up and the program was soon underway with music, food and finally the Jesus video (which worked correctly this time).
On Saturday we saw only a few patients in the morning. The Balimela clinic had been cancelled since we were going to Mundiguda in the afternoon. Leaving soon after lunch we visited Tula first. She is continuing to show physical improvement, though her bilirubin and nitrites levels had risen slightly. Leaving her with fruit and medicine we returned to the van, knowing that we wouldn't be back again for around three weeks. Continuing on to Mundiguda the Christmas program was quickly underway. Set up in the middle of a paddock the 140 odd people were Hindus from the town, and there were no tribals. The differences were immediately apparent. During the singing and the drama put on by RHS staff and many of their students the crowd was polite and encouraging. But as soon as a few of the younger students started reciting bible verses the crowd became very inconsiderate. When the program finally ended snacks were handed out. Unlike the patient tribals the people here crowded in like they were starving refugees after UN food packages. The work here in Mudiguda has received much opposition, but still the literacy and evangelist work continues.
Today I'll be going to a Christmas service in the men's prison here in Malkangiri then attending another program at the local mission school. Tomorrow is of course Christmas so they'll be more programs to attend. Then on Wednesday (Boxing Day) I'm off to Bangalore with Remo and Dave for a Christian Students' Conference for a week. The Reaching Hand Society will have a small stall set up there to attract young students out to Malkangiri. As I won't be taking part in the conference I'll probably get to look around the city a bit and maybe even make it out to the nearby National Park.Best wishes to you all for Christmas and I hope the New Year in fantastic, leaving you with lots of great memories. Thanks for the prayer and the emails, and farewell for 2001!
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