(no subject)
Holi is a holiday celebrated in Northern India to welcome spring. It is basically the coolest and most fun holiday EVER. On the night of Holi we decided to pretend we were in North India for a few hours, and headed to the roof of our director’s apartment to see what the holiday was all about. Under the full moonlit sky we threw tons and tons and tons of all different coloured powders on one another. Attacking from behind… rubbing powder all over people’s arms… and messing it into their hair. By the end of the night we were all different colours. Actually, due to our late realization that the dyes are quite permanent, we continued to be multi-coloured for a couple days thereafter.
I’ve been busy with family life lately. One night my four sisters brought me out to experience the movies. We watched a Tamil film which they said was boring, but I enjoyed - the plot line was so simple and slow that I could even follow it, despite the language. Films here are quite readable - there are always five songs, two sung by the girl, two by the boy, and one with the both of them. The story line is always the same too. It is (almost… 99%) always a love story. There are always barriers to the love. In the end, the stars overcome the barriers and become a couple. On another night the lights went out and we ate by candlelight and then headed up to the roof of our house. They opened up another section of the roof that I had never been to before. We sat, chatting, playing tricks on one another…then we gazed at the stars. A few nights later I cooked up some pasta with a homemade tomato/chunky veggie sauce with olive oil, basil, and lots of veggie goodness. I thought it was delicious. They said it was real good … but I think they think it lacked a whole lotta spice. Man, everything is spiced here. Even the popcorn at the theatre was super-hot … not to mention the potato chips and even mangos (yup, they add chili powder!).
On another night we headed to one of the host family’s houses for a 1st birthday celebration … and first birthdays here are quite the celebration. First birthdays are a chance for everyone to gather together and celebrate the new life. There were about 100 people in attendance. First there was a short service (they are a Christian family), and then short speeches from family members. Afterward there was a cutting of the cake, and then an incredible buffet dinner chock full of yumminess - masala dhosa, chappati, vegetable gravies, cauliflower fry (my ultimate favourite), chutnies… and the list goes on. People here know how to do their celebrations rights.
About 1 ½ hours outside of Madurai is a village that is currently hosting a 40-night drama event. For forty nights there are all-night performances of Hindu myth. The performances start around 10 or 11 at night, and last until sunrise, around 6 in the morning. One night we were able to attend the performance accompanied by some super-hospitable friends who grew up in the village. Though we only stayed until about 1am, it was an incredible time watching the acts, hearing the music, seeing the dance, and listening to the singing. There were hundreds of people in attendance. All of us sat on the ground in front of the stage. The loudspeakers were so loud. The sound, the atmosphere, overwhelmed my body.
Our independent study projects are coming to a close. Over the past few weeks I have talked to a couple of NGOs in the area - but the absolute most interesting part of the project was my short visit outside of Madurai to Kovilpatti, a small town located about 2 hours south of here. Kovilpatti is the “Matchless City for Matches” - the heart of the match industry. It carries a large concentration of child labourers so I decided to head down there to see what I could find.
While there I got to talk to lots of families who have working children, as well as to school-going children and children working in the match factories. Most of the children I talked to were right around 14 years old, not considered children in the eyes of the state, but most had only completed their schooling up until the 5th standard. India’s constitution declares that all children should attend school (free and compulsory) until the age of 14. At the same age, at 14 years, children are allowed to enter the more dangerous factory employment (previous to this age they are, by law, not supposed to work in more dangerous sectors… for the “safer” jobs there is not minimum working age). It seemed that although schooling is supposed to be achieved up until the 14th year… by 11 kids usually drop out and move into the match industry. The main reason in the area for dropouts is lack of transportation, birth of a baby sibling, and heavy syllabus load that does not prepare them for a more hopeful future.
I also got a chance to visit a match factory to see how matches are made. The first part of match production requires 52 small wooden sticks to be placed in a frame, which is then topped with another from requiring placement of another 52 wooden sticks. This process continues 52 times, creating a full frame of wooden sticks, which is then dipped into a special mixture of chemicals. The frame then is placed outside, in the hot sun, to dry. After drying of the chemical the sticks are placed, through rapid process, into a matchbox, each box containing one row of matchsticks, 52. After placement in the box the boxes are labeled and taped shut before behind stacked together and bound for transportation and sale. The process of match making requires workers to have extremely quick hands and a high tolerance for sitting positions.
While at the match factory I asked if I could take pictures. They were super-excited about the digital camera and had me take pictures of all of them at all of their stations. They pointed where I should take the picture next, I took it, and then showed them themselves on the screen. The laughed, clapped, smiled. At one point they pointed to a woman filling the frame with sticks. Across from her was a young boy… perhaps just 6 years old (the only one in the factory that I believe was under 14 - though there were a few that were probably right around 14 or 15). I snapped the picture. I showed her the result. I then showed the accompanying NGO worker I had with me. “Child labour, bad, child labour,” she said. She insisted I erase it - understanding through my broken Tamil and her broken English. I asked why. I’m not quite sure she understood. I followed her request and erased the picture. Later I asked why I had to erase the picture, somewhat surprised that a worker from an NGO fighting against child labour would have such a request. I asked if the government found out if the workers would get in trouble. She said that that was what is was. I’m not quite sure she understood my question.
Otherwise, it’s been getting sooo hot here! Everyday has been in the mid-30s … not yet hitting 40 yet (I don’t think). For you Canadians… you know how hot that is (or at least you may be able to imagine). And for the rest of you all, we are talking temperatures in the mid-90s. In the heat of summer (May) it is common for temperatures to read up to 110-115. Whew.
Less than two weeks to go. I can’t believe the pace of this semester. Over the next little while we will be having a family picnic event filled with lots of fun games - from scavenger hunts to relay races and from sari-tying contests to kolam contests -, finishing up our papers, heading to a cool hill station, Kodai, for a few days for presentations and relaxing with the group, and then spending out last days here with our families, each other, and the city. I’m not at all ready. I can’t even think about leaving the people that have become such a part of my life … not knowing when I’ll ever see them again.
But, then it is off to the Himalayas (accompanied by my dad - which I am psyched about) for some cool temperatures and peaceful Buddhist settings for a while… a bit more traveling at the end in Tamil Nadu … and then, if I don’t get sucked into staying here for part of the summer… I’m heading back to the States. Now, that may be one of the hardest parts of the year.
love,
meg
I’ve been busy with family life lately. One night my four sisters brought me out to experience the movies. We watched a Tamil film which they said was boring, but I enjoyed - the plot line was so simple and slow that I could even follow it, despite the language. Films here are quite readable - there are always five songs, two sung by the girl, two by the boy, and one with the both of them. The story line is always the same too. It is (almost… 99%) always a love story. There are always barriers to the love. In the end, the stars overcome the barriers and become a couple. On another night the lights went out and we ate by candlelight and then headed up to the roof of our house. They opened up another section of the roof that I had never been to before. We sat, chatting, playing tricks on one another…then we gazed at the stars. A few nights later I cooked up some pasta with a homemade tomato/chunky veggie sauce with olive oil, basil, and lots of veggie goodness. I thought it was delicious. They said it was real good … but I think they think it lacked a whole lotta spice. Man, everything is spiced here. Even the popcorn at the theatre was super-hot … not to mention the potato chips and even mangos (yup, they add chili powder!).
On another night we headed to one of the host family’s houses for a 1st birthday celebration … and first birthdays here are quite the celebration. First birthdays are a chance for everyone to gather together and celebrate the new life. There were about 100 people in attendance. First there was a short service (they are a Christian family), and then short speeches from family members. Afterward there was a cutting of the cake, and then an incredible buffet dinner chock full of yumminess - masala dhosa, chappati, vegetable gravies, cauliflower fry (my ultimate favourite), chutnies… and the list goes on. People here know how to do their celebrations rights.
About 1 ½ hours outside of Madurai is a village that is currently hosting a 40-night drama event. For forty nights there are all-night performances of Hindu myth. The performances start around 10 or 11 at night, and last until sunrise, around 6 in the morning. One night we were able to attend the performance accompanied by some super-hospitable friends who grew up in the village. Though we only stayed until about 1am, it was an incredible time watching the acts, hearing the music, seeing the dance, and listening to the singing. There were hundreds of people in attendance. All of us sat on the ground in front of the stage. The loudspeakers were so loud. The sound, the atmosphere, overwhelmed my body.
Our independent study projects are coming to a close. Over the past few weeks I have talked to a couple of NGOs in the area - but the absolute most interesting part of the project was my short visit outside of Madurai to Kovilpatti, a small town located about 2 hours south of here. Kovilpatti is the “Matchless City for Matches” - the heart of the match industry. It carries a large concentration of child labourers so I decided to head down there to see what I could find.
While there I got to talk to lots of families who have working children, as well as to school-going children and children working in the match factories. Most of the children I talked to were right around 14 years old, not considered children in the eyes of the state, but most had only completed their schooling up until the 5th standard. India’s constitution declares that all children should attend school (free and compulsory) until the age of 14. At the same age, at 14 years, children are allowed to enter the more dangerous factory employment (previous to this age they are, by law, not supposed to work in more dangerous sectors… for the “safer” jobs there is not minimum working age). It seemed that although schooling is supposed to be achieved up until the 14th year… by 11 kids usually drop out and move into the match industry. The main reason in the area for dropouts is lack of transportation, birth of a baby sibling, and heavy syllabus load that does not prepare them for a more hopeful future.
I also got a chance to visit a match factory to see how matches are made. The first part of match production requires 52 small wooden sticks to be placed in a frame, which is then topped with another from requiring placement of another 52 wooden sticks. This process continues 52 times, creating a full frame of wooden sticks, which is then dipped into a special mixture of chemicals. The frame then is placed outside, in the hot sun, to dry. After drying of the chemical the sticks are placed, through rapid process, into a matchbox, each box containing one row of matchsticks, 52. After placement in the box the boxes are labeled and taped shut before behind stacked together and bound for transportation and sale. The process of match making requires workers to have extremely quick hands and a high tolerance for sitting positions.
While at the match factory I asked if I could take pictures. They were super-excited about the digital camera and had me take pictures of all of them at all of their stations. They pointed where I should take the picture next, I took it, and then showed them themselves on the screen. The laughed, clapped, smiled. At one point they pointed to a woman filling the frame with sticks. Across from her was a young boy… perhaps just 6 years old (the only one in the factory that I believe was under 14 - though there were a few that were probably right around 14 or 15). I snapped the picture. I showed her the result. I then showed the accompanying NGO worker I had with me. “Child labour, bad, child labour,” she said. She insisted I erase it - understanding through my broken Tamil and her broken English. I asked why. I’m not quite sure she understood. I followed her request and erased the picture. Later I asked why I had to erase the picture, somewhat surprised that a worker from an NGO fighting against child labour would have such a request. I asked if the government found out if the workers would get in trouble. She said that that was what is was. I’m not quite sure she understood my question.
Otherwise, it’s been getting sooo hot here! Everyday has been in the mid-30s … not yet hitting 40 yet (I don’t think). For you Canadians… you know how hot that is (or at least you may be able to imagine). And for the rest of you all, we are talking temperatures in the mid-90s. In the heat of summer (May) it is common for temperatures to read up to 110-115. Whew.
Less than two weeks to go. I can’t believe the pace of this semester. Over the next little while we will be having a family picnic event filled with lots of fun games - from scavenger hunts to relay races and from sari-tying contests to kolam contests -, finishing up our papers, heading to a cool hill station, Kodai, for a few days for presentations and relaxing with the group, and then spending out last days here with our families, each other, and the city. I’m not at all ready. I can’t even think about leaving the people that have become such a part of my life … not knowing when I’ll ever see them again.
But, then it is off to the Himalayas (accompanied by my dad - which I am psyched about) for some cool temperatures and peaceful Buddhist settings for a while… a bit more traveling at the end in Tamil Nadu … and then, if I don’t get sucked into staying here for part of the summer… I’m heading back to the States. Now, that may be one of the hardest parts of the year.
love,
meg