Report of 10 Dec '08

Hello from the Banyan -

It feels good to sit down and write. Hope all of you are well. The Banyan is limping back to normalcy after getting flooded out of the central office (all employees then proceeded to work out of our transit care facility, Adaikalam, where waters receded fairly quickly), and after collectively grieving the victims of the terror attack. The Theosophical Society held an inter-faith service where members of Zoroastrian, Muslim, Christian, Jain, Hindu (just to name a few) .. faiths came together and prayed. A representative was quoted in the paper as saying they had also prayed for the young terrorists, who were also victims of the system of terror. I found this magnanimous and probably unique to us - I didn't notice any publicised prayers in the U.S. for the perpetrators of 9/11. It is correct that the young terrorists were also victims: brainwashed from a very young age to hate India, recruited from impoverished families with the promise of several thousand rupees going to their parents on their deaths, indoctrinated to kill as a way of gaining salvation - all these are to be bemoaned. As I watch our 2 teenagers, and realise that the terrorists were not much older, I do feel a sense of sadness that young passions, so easily directed towards doing good - a sterling example being Vandana and Vaishnavi founding the Banyan at ages 21 and 22 - were misdirected towards annihilation.

The Banyan continues joyously. Ms. B, the lady who was locked up by her husband for 20 years and was rescued by her niece and brought to the Banyan, started to get an attitude change. She is recovering very well from a broken bone and was in the sick room. One day, she started to say things like "I am not like these people (the other patients), my father is of the artisan class, we don't accept money, blah blah." I felt my ire start to rise and asked her if she was aware of the circumstances from whence she came; I truly don't like to harp on the past, but I absolutely detest holier-than-thou speeches. So, before I blew up, I told the lady that all, including staff, were equal at the Banyan and hastily called our able occupational therapist, Harini, who has been dealing with this patient; Harini also doubles competently as a psychologist and she told the patient similar things. I requested that Ms. B be moved out of the sick room for the good of all concerned and on my next visit, she was not there, having been moved to the dorms.

I also go to Kovalam, our seaside facility. The need for a doctor in that community is acute, and I love practicing with the non-mentally ill. One of my patients was a young, beautiful, Muslim lady complaining of body pain and I enjoyed talking to her. Women in that community work non-stop, carrying water from the neighborhood tap, hoisting babies on to their hips, taking care of parents-in-law, etc. This lady, Ms. S, also mentioned an old childhood injury which had not been tended to, and I would like to get a physiotherapist to Kovalam to help manage such issues. All in good time. I love the senses of humor of the patients, and have a great time tending to the ill and injured - who, amazingly, keep said senses of humor intact through these conditions.

Some magnificent interactions last week. Cynthia Scherr, a friend from Lady Doak days and now in Oregon; her children, Kathryn and Derek; and her husband, Stuart Meyer, spent 3 days in Chennai. Naren and Navin were deputed to show the teenagers around, and Scott and I hung out with Cindy and Stuart. It was great fun, we recharged in the fine fashion that friends yield, and all 4 kids had a blast. Coincidentally, David Gere showed up one evening then, too, to check on his "Make Art, Stop Aids" project. Cindy and David were Oberlin-Shansi reps at Lady Doak and American Colleges respectively, and had much to catch up on. All 4 of us enjoy hanging out with David, whose perspective, love of India and our kids, and senses of mission and humor enliven the time together.

Naren's band, Blue Light Daze, was one of several to play at a Bhopal protest concert last week and all 7 of us (the Oregon guests included) attended. It was fun, and Blue Light Daze's pic was in the paper yesterday. Naren bought 7 copies, and my mother asked for 1. Navin is cramming for exams; we were privileged to get our neighbor Usha's help in teaching him study strategies. Usha is a wonderful sort, and we rely on her for all kinds of assistance. We will see what the grades show. Scott is in Trivandrum this week, and the boys and I have hung out together. Yesterday Naren remarked that it would be wonderful to sire children of 8 different faiths by 8 different women, and asked what I would do if that happened; I told him I would ensure that it did not happen again and there was a lot of banter. No topic is taboo at our table, which I am grateful for. During the course of the conversation, there was some discussion about best days in our lives, and I told the boys that the days they were born were easily at the top of our lists.

Unw -

R