So this is Christmas

Dec 25th. We attended mass at the local church from 10.00 to 11.30, where some lovely corals were sung and a nice homily was delivered by the pastor, who reminded us that 'a bad day was a good day in disguise' (Christopher Reeve). On we went to the Halfacres (our nephew and niece) for distribution of gifts and dinner. There were so many gifts, that it took us over an hour to distribute and appreciate them - both the recipient and the giver enjoyed this activity. Remember we have one grandniece (Olivia Rose 12) and three grandnephews (Harvey, Oscar and Joseph - triplets 10, so there was much excitement- the essence of Christmas is children and from them, an experience of pure love and pristine happiness. Then children grow up and become teenagers and adults and their sense of wonderment and joy is replaced with judgment and cynicism. Too bad, but that seems to be the way of life.
We also had our son Julian and his girlfriend Julie which made the party complete. After many a wee dram and many a tot, we had lunch, prepared by Julie Halfacre, our niece. Here we are at Chez Halfacre's where we had a traditional English Christmas dinner. After dinner we had a quiz on soccer, Coronation street (a British soap) and English politics - my contribution was nil ! Finally around 7.00pm we wound our way back to Squirrel's Nook after a wonderful Christmas. I write this sipping mulled wine and feeling that 'all's right with the world'
Dec 27th. Today we attended the famous 'after Christmas sales'. One has to be strong and fit to participate, let alone benefit from these sales, as there are hundreds of persons, all very seriously trying to find a bargain. The stereotype of a very polite Britisher was exploded; although to be fair, there were as many east Europeans, Indians, Arabs and islanders as there were British. Really not much to buy - London and Europe are very expensive as compared to the US and the variety is limited. We end up buying a few odds and ends and quite a lot of interesting combinations of biscuits (cookies) and chocolates (candy) - condiments are probably the best buy in the UK (excluding the beer and single malt, of course)
We travel home day after tomorrow and just yesterday some Nigerian tried to blow himself up in a plane bound for the US, so the airlines and national security have already stipulated more detailed checks of international passengers. More suffering with questionable results. In the hysteria over providing more security, we are failing to improve security and are just spending a lot of time and money on sophisticated devices. We must adopt an ABC approach and identify a small number of 'A' terrorists and would be terrorists, track them relentlessly and only do random checks on everyone else. Obviously I am hallucinating in thinking anything like this can be observed. Enough - next blog in the US of A

More snow and gridlock

Tuesday 22nd
Yesterday 21st we went out with friends to a local pub for food and a few beers. While there, it began to snow and over the next hour we had a couple of inches. This was enough to bring the entire road, rail and air systems to almost complete stop. It took us over an hour to travel a couple of miles - with gridlock at every roundabout. Then after meeting other friends at the local mall, we tried to take a bus back home to Purley at 7.00pm, and waited for over half an hour in vain, only to be rescued by my bro-in-law who drove down to pick us up (either the buses were stopped or they were all stuck somewhere). This morning's Daily Mail (for one) had 3 inch headlines, "WHY CAN'T WE LEARN TO COPE IN SNOW?" Ah well!
We are out again this evening (you think we would have learned our lesson by now) this time for Vietnamese food in Clapham Jn with Paul and Etsuko Mongomery
Today 23rd we went to a pub in Epson Downs and celebrated my sis-in-law's birthday - see what a big gang we were

Its snow in London

We arrived here on Tuesday 15th night and on Wednesday morning it began to flurry and everything came to a sort of halt. Of course by midday it had cleared. We went into London on Thursday, and, after lunch at M&S with Hazel and Helen, walked down Oxford Street and Regent Street looking at the window decor and the street decorations. Quite festive. We ended up at Trafalgar Square where we heard carols in freezing temperatures. After an hour, we quit and came back to Croydon where we had dinner with Nigella and Brian Kennedy at 'Tiger Tiger' a pub with very, loud music and a curry special - a curry and a drink for £4.99. I had a Madras curry and several lagers - Kronenberg followed by Stella's - beer in the UK is robust, unlike our watery US beers. Then on Friday it really snowed -two to three inches - and everything really came to a halt. Here is what 'Squirrels Nook', the quaint cottage where my in laws live, looks like. We cancelled our program to go into town and hung out at home the whole day, so I got caught up with this blog. Our niece and godchildren came over and hung out for a while and enjoyed them. Tomorrow its carols at St Paul's cathedral and I am looking forward to that.
Sunday 23rd. Attending the family service carols service at St Paul's cathedral was a wonderful experience. St Pauls holds over 2000 persons, we went early and were among the first in, so we had a place very close to the choir, under the dome's massive cupola. I was in awe of the grandeur of the size, the stonework and the painted ceiling. St Pauls was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in the mid 1800's, but service at the site has been going on since AD 604 (per the cathedral's brochure). The choir was Cantate - young men and women - the only choir to win a gold medal at the World Choir games in 2008. The conductor was Michael Kibblewhite, one of the UK's best known choral directors. With this ensemble the singing was exquisite. But enthralled as I was with the music, I was even more impressed with the service, where the dean asked the audience not to quieten their children, because God was a little child and he proceeded to hold a little child above his head and asked all parents who had little children to do the same. He then asked the audience to observe a few moments of silence and listen to the 'sounds of the children'. It was magical; silence punctuated only by children's cries, and calls and murmurs.
Today we went to a local church for a children's Christmas celebration - another wonderful fulfilling experience. Over 50 children, including our grandniece and three grandnephews, participated in singing Christmas carols, reading appropriate passages from the bible and enacting the Christmas story. Another exquisite, soul uplifting experience. Christmas seems to be quintessentially English, and they seem to celebrate it so uniquely, with such a pronounced focus on children

Christmas in the UK

We have been to the UK at least 2o times in the last 30 years, and yet, we have never spent Christmas in there. So this year we decided to be with family and friends in England and are quite excited to be doing so. We want to spend a typical English Christmas and we perceive this to mean English church services and carols at St Pauls and Trafalgar square. We also want to see the lights at Oxford and Regent streets. I read somewhere that the theme this year is Dickens so I want to see where that leads us

Back Home

March 8th
Ellen has not been to well and after a setback in Kolkata has struggled through our trip. Maybe the tour has been too long. In Singapore she shows signs of more fatigue and I decide to cancel the rest of our tour (Cambodia, China and Hongkong) and return to the US
We fly back via Hongkong - 14 hours with a 13 hour time difference, in our favor! We come back to have our clocks put forward, so we loose an hour of the 13 gained!. Ellen is more comfortable at home, but we will check her out thoroughly. Health is an all consuming priority

Thanks for following us and your many comments. The most memorable events of our trip are all associated with the affection and kindness we received throughout our tour. We are truly blessed to have the quality of friends that we do. We are still in one piece and inshah allah hope stay that way for a while

Singapore and the Far East

February 28th Singapore
The first thing that you notice in Singapore is the cleanliness and seeming absence of pollution - noise, dust and auto fumes. The trees and grass are green (not brown with dust). We travel 18 Kms to the house of our friends (Anil and Ritu Mehrotra) without a single traffic jam (an incredible experience after traffic jams on every journey in India)
March 6th.
I continue to be amazed at the efficiency, orderliness and discipline of the Singaporeans. And they appear to be very honest and civic minded. My friend tells me they are conditioned by rigid rule enforcement - Singapore is a 'fine' city and one is fined for every infraction, even petty ones like crossing the road at a non crossing spot. I sat in a bus tour and observed about 100 persons pay their fare using an electronic card - so easy to cheat - but did not see a single defaulter. I think Singapore must rank as the most efficient, the cleanest and the most orderly city in the world. I go around trying to find defects in their system and cannot!
Finally I discover that they do not have any provision for seniors; seniors have to live with their children or have to be financially capable of looking after themselves. Discussions with several persons confirmed their thinking that an individual must prepare for his senior years and those that do not have to pay a penalty!
We attend a night safari and a laser show. I to on two city tours. Really the first touristy things we have done on this trip. I eat an incredible variety of food including Katong Laksar - a spicy, seafood soup; Fish head curry - a spicy, south Indian style curry; Carrot cake - neither carrot nor cake, but a radish and egg concoction; Black pepper crab; Fish ball noodles; and many other delightful dishes. Eating food is a Singapore occupation and I fit right in!
The name Singapore comes from Singa - lion and pura or city. The symbol of the city is the Merlion - a mythica,l hybrid lion and sea monster - and here is one of the best versions of this icon

Kolkata aka Calcutta

Feb 1st. We arrive in Kolkata and take a prepaid cab to the Birkmyer hostel on Middleton row. We lived in Cal for five years before emigrating to the USA in 1976. So many memories (of my well spent and misspent youth) come rushing back - filtered and muted by the passage of time. Am back in the Anglo-Indian world and for dinner we have Tomato soup, Beef Jalfreize, boiled potatoes and bread and butter ! Walk a few hundred yards to Park street and look at Mocambo, Mags, Trincas and have a cup of coffee at Flury's. Make contacts with all the movers and shakers - Barry O'Brien, Michael Robertson, Philo Eaton to name a few. Will be having many lunches and dinners over this next week and living in a different world (with quite some time spent in the charity CTR projects)
Thursday 5th. Have now spent 5 days in Cal and they have been very busy, but for the most part gratifying. Cal is as dusty and dirty and congested as Delhi. The whole city seems to be surviving on a quarter or less of its basic requirements- space; road capacity; electricity; water; housing; etc. It has to explode and collapse into chaos- a view confirmed by some caring residents of the city. Almost every road is jammed at all times and journeys of a few miles can take hours and one ingests huge amounts of dust and exhaust fumes. But off this topic that so dominates my daily living experience

We spent a day with CAISS - the Calcutta charity that administers our senior pension program and our day scholar education program. I meet and spend quality time with the leaders of the group. We dine with them and one of their committee members cooks an excellent panthey cowsway. They are so dedicated and sincere that I feel humble but exhilarated in their presence - these are some of the few on whose shoulders the world rests.

We spend a day with Loreto Entally an orphanage where we have 40 sponsored girls. We order a Chinese lunch for all of them and they love it. Chat a lot with the sisters -more folks on whom the world rests
The central issue with both these charities is that over 90% of their funding comes from abroad. We inform CAISS that unless they do something drastic, as our generation passes on, their funding from CTR will cease (as our children are really not involved) and poor AI seniors and children will be stranded. In the case of Loreto there is almost no alumni support! Closely related to this issue of funding is the lack of local support, particularly in the form of donations. Almost every organizer and leader I speak to informs me that the Indian and Anglo-Indian culture does not include giving to others. This is not an abstract concept, but a hard reality. I request these organizers to lay aside their politeness and their sensibility and discuss this issue openly. Awareness is first step to any possible change in behavior !
I welcome your views on these observations. We must start an international dialogue and include Indian Anglo-Indian community as well. I talk to many Anglo-Indian leaders and they also shake their head and confess that the Anglo-Indians are not inclined to be charitable to their less fortunate brethren!

I have detailed discussions with Barry O'Brien, the West Bengal MLA, on this topic and other issues related to the future of Anglo-Indians. I find him refreshingly open minded and full of energy and ideas. We promise to partner on mutually beneficial community projects
I will post photos when I get to Ketti in a weeks time, as I write this from a hot and crowded internet cafe
February 18th We have left Cal and travelled through Bangalore, Yercaud and are now in Ketti a town in the Nilgiri hills, close to Ootacamund

Bangalore - We have a pleasant stay in Bangalore, meet many Anglo-Indians and witness a pension distribution in the slums of Lingarajapuram. Like Delhi and Kolkata, Bangalore is bursting at the seams, and, apart from the omnipresent filth and debris, there is huge dust, noise and gasoline pollution. Travel is an exercise in endurance.

Yercaud - 3500 feet. Travel 216 Kms (135 miles) in 4 hours, up the Shevroy hills to Yercaud to my old school Montfort. I am going back for the first time in 56 years (unbelievable). I am so excited to see familiar sights - the hairpin bends, the big lake, the coffee plantations, the orchards - all having some significance to my school days. Montfort is an oasis of peace, cleanliness and tranquility. There are over 1000 boarders (versus about 400 in my time) and many new buildings have been added, but, what impressed me the most, was that many of the old trees - pines and gul mohars - have been preserved. The school has grown without destroying these monuments to the past and it shows there can be growth without destruction. One pine tree was about 20 feet when I was in school and it is now about 150 feet (well 56 years of growth!).

Given my experiences so far, my expectations were low, but I am so impressed with the state of the school - it is clean, neat and quiet. The principal has worked wonders - he is a martinet, but this means well justifies the end. It helps that the weather is a cool 60 F. We spend a pleasant couple of days and proceed by road to Ketti .

All through my travels my adverse comments on the physical conditions of India represent only one aspect of my experience. We have also been pampered and looked after throughout our stay; a form of life the we have almost forgotten (certainly not used to). We have had servants in attendance meeting every form of creature comfort. For example in Kolkata we had Giasuddin, a bearer, who could get us almost anything at a moments notice - tea, food, washed clothes, newspapers, beer. Ellen had a pedicure and massage in the room. Of course our beds are made, our rooms swept, the bathrooms washed and we hardly ever lifted a little finger. Such lovely, utter decadence in this the 21st century. And this lifestyle followed us in Bangalore, Yercaud and now in Ketti.
Another aspect of our experience has been the easy friendship and fellowship that has been extended to us by so many on a day to day, hour to hour basis. Of course we (me particularly) are lapping it up. Carpe Diem

Ketti - 6800 feet

Laidlaw College, where my bro-in-law Winston Gardner is principal, has a beautiful campus, lined with tall eucalyptus and pine trees. There are about 600 boarders, and, like Montfort, the school is immaculately clean and very quiet.

I play golf at the Wellington military course and at the Ootacamund club - climbing up and down incredibly steep slopes like a mountain goat, only this one pants and puffs - enjoying the majestic sights and the tranquility of the scenery. I do not disgrace myself and the Kingfisher 19th hole helps to soothe my aching limbs.We eat royally pampered by my sis in law Joan. Ah that one can live this sort of life indefinitely!

Chennai Feb 23rd

We leave the cool climes of Ketti and fly to Chennai - many degrees hotter (it was 97F yesterday), but much cleaner. Must comment that flying in India has been a very pleasant experience and the airlines and airports have been efficient and courteous. I have a whole series of meetings planned here - both to cover our charity projects and to meet budding writers. Meet and have dinner with Harry MacLure editor of 'Anglos in the Wind' and his wife Jillian - lots of stuff to discuss as Harry and I have similar interests.
Chennai 27th - We have had a hectic 5 days in Chennai, starting with a writer's meet, where 25 AI and interested writers gather to talk about our next book 'The Anglo-Indian Woman' and discuss the five book CTR has published. There are several youngish men an d women and this is encouraging
I visit Tea Cup Ministry, Vine Trust and Smile Cares - all organizations administering our CTR programs. It is quite emotionally draining to see the poverty and the degrading conditions under which many of our community live (my coordinators take me to several slums to see how the seniors live). There are occasions of joy too, where children sing and Sharon Emmett of Smile Cares arranges a wonderfully enjoyable evening with seniors and children.
This is the end of our India trip and I leave with such mixed feeling.
Clearly there is no more hospitable country - where one is treated with such affection. I cannot think of one instance - and this is not just the Anglo-Indian experiences - where anyone was rude or disrespectful to us. These are kind and considerate people on an person to person basis.
Having said this, one has to be aware of the huge poverty that hangs over everything - far more unsettling than the filth, the noise and the pollution. There has been progress, but in my view, this has not reached the common man, who is still in a primitive struggle for survival.
I don't know what can be done. No one seems to have a good handle on eradicating poverty. In my simplistic view I see the middle class being disinterested and uninvolved in the poverty around them. But I must accept this is a superficial view and almost unfair to the group that we spent so much time with and who have lavished so much time and care on us
In the final analysis the problem is too large for me to understand let alone suggest solutions. We have to do what we can at a micro level and let go of the rest. Inshah Allah.

Oh INDIA

Delhi 15th of Jan. Coming back to India is always a shock to me, no matter how much I prepare myself. I review the comments I made when I visited in Jan 06 and find nothing seems to have changed. Road conditions are chaotic; garbage and unfinished construction debris and is strewn on almost every surface; there is little grass and the dry season has made the whole area very dusty so that there are no green trees or leaves - they are all brown. Power outages are constant - 8 to 10 hours a day ; the city is running out of water; everywhere there is quiet desperation in the faces of the millions of city dwellers - all battling for life at Maslow's first level of food and shelter. Anyone who lives here has got be very tough - physically, mentally and emotionally - to survive the constant daily struggle for seemingly everything. I am with middle class friend and ask many questions of 'why' and 'how', but there are no answers, only wishes and hopes.
The middle class (about 20%) have benefited from the economic boom of the last decade and they live fairly comfortable lives with servants, enjoy a good social life and eat well. Not many of them appear to be involved in the plight of the poor and I cannot blame them because they are very concerned with their own grasp on the slippery economic pole.
We have all our meals with old friends and it there is an abundance of affection and fellowship. The Indian cuisine is excellent and very affordable and we enjoy the exotic tastes of kebabs, biriyani, curry and rotis

Lucknow 23rd - It is now the 30th and I have spent a week in this very relaxed city - what's in a weeks delay in posting this blog? We have been having diners with friends almost every night. Here one is invited at around 8.00pm and dinner is served around 10.00pm - giving me most uncomfortable nights - but this is a small price to pay for the delicious food we eat. In the afternoons my friend Rajanish and I sip gin and tonic - an old British planter drink - and follow it with a light lunch and a power nap. Some life eh?
My visit is following its usual pattern: in the first week I am outraged; by the second week the sheer load on my senses dulls them. I start to see the conditions around me, but they do not register as strongly. By next week I will probably be as immune to my conditions as most of my friends are - it is a reflex mechanism to maintain ones mental balance. Lets see.
I continue to ask questions about India's plight without getting many answers - corruption and hindu culture are the common reasons cited
We leave for Calcutta tomorrow. Our visit to India has an interesting pattern. In Delhi and Lucknow we spent our time with our Indian friends; from Calcutta on, most of our time will be spent with our Anglo-Indian friends and on our charity. The twain does not seem to meet!

Jan 31st Today is my birthday, but I am too old to tell you how old I am! Lying in bed this morning, I thought I may not have made a full disclosure of the life I am leading - particularly since I bemoan the condition of India. The fact is I am living and eating in very colonial conditions, far from the madding crowd. In Delhi we frequented the venerable Delhi Gymkhana- in Lucknow it is the Mohamed Bagh (with the Army Surla club thrown in for good measure) - both shadows of its British grandeur, but still impressive with liveried bearers and portraits of the imperial past. Otherwise our friends live in very upper middle class comfort, and we enjoy their unlimited hospitality. So there we are - the spirit is soaring, the flesh is weak. On to Calcutta - I mean Kolkata

A Quick trip through London

Jan 8th to 13th - On our way to India we stopped off at London for a few days to see family and friends. This was our first trip to London in Winter and it was cold and damp and deary. We spent most of our time in Purley where our relatives live and enjoyed our lovely grandniece and our triplet grandnephews. They are all into Wii and I had taken them a 'Big Brain' game that challenged them (and me!). We went into the city once and met friends, including Alison Blunt (Domicile and Diaspora) and Jayani (a research student)
I was also able to meet Glen Duncan the Anglo-Indian author of the best seller 'The Bloodstone Papers' in a local pub, where a few (!) pints of bitters ensured for stimulating conversation on race and ethnicity.

On the Road again

Jan 1st. Here is a photo of the family. After a hectic Christmas season - spent with many, many friends giving and receiving love and friendship - we are getting ready to hit the road again.

We are visiting India to check the CTR projects in Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai and also to see relatives and friends. The last time we visited India in 2006 I blogged our trip. This time we are going via London and then after India, we are going on to Singapore, Cambodia, China and HongKong. We have to pack in the next few days and this is a daunting thought - so many climate changes and presents for so many friends. We also have to set our affaris in order as we will be away for 12 weeks. I need to get into a Pooh frame of mind - detached calm, curious and just being. I encourage all to buy and read 'The Tao of Pooh' by Benjamin Hoff. I need to go back to it myself and savor the feeling of inner quietness it bestows on its disciples . So for the next week, while I am tearing around covering numerous household affaris for three month absence - travel final schedules, mail, TV, bills, newspapers etc - to survive, I must start to practice Poohcraft again

I hope you will enjoy our journey (as many of you did before). I see things from a different perspective. If Pooh prevais I will not whine too much!

Will post again before we leave - Jan 8th

Blair