David What's-His-Name

Yes, so David Archuleta has been visiting Rising Star. I confess to never having heard of him before coming to India. But Google and YouTube quickly informed me that he came in second on American Idol in 2008 and has since produced several albums.

The founder of Rising Star, Becky Douglas, has some pretty amazing connections. She also doesn't take no for an answer. This is how she managed not only to bring David and his mother to India, but also a documentary film producer and a Broadway dancer.

The dancer taught a select group of our kids a few numbers, which they performed on Saturday at the Marriott hotel in Chennai. This was remarkable for many reasons (children from leprosy colonies performing at a luxury hotel), including that they only had two weeks to hammer out the dances. David accompanied them on one of the pieces.

Last-minute instructions in front of the Marriott. Which one of these is unlike the others? The blond kid is the directors' child.

Trying out the stage before the show.

The kids did not know how to use the toilets! They assumed they were supposed to stand on the seat. The other funny thing was watching them marvel at the automatic hand dryer. They used it again and again and again.

Since a few people recorded the show, I'll hopefully be able to post more of that later.

But back at the ranch at Rising Star. I tried to snap a few shots without seeming overly obnoxious. Here we are playing Simon Says at recess.

What I love about this is that the kids have no idea who he is. Kanmani and Gokulraj race up to to every new volunteer like this. If he's not a Tamil movie star, they aren't going to care!

Admittedly I wasn't expecting much. But this guy is impressive. He's actually shy and modest. Today he helped me tutor kids in reading and writing an essay. When he arrived he wouldn't let anyone carry his suitcase for him. Last week he visited a leprosy colony and jumped at the chance to wash and bind the affected feet. He seems genuinely surprised and flattered at compliments.

Oh, and then there's his voice. Hearing him sing a cappella at close range makes everyone's hair stand up on end.

So does this make me famous?

Rohit and Gopinath, two first graders. Don't you love the Elvis oufit? 

Happy Pongal!

Pongal is an important festival in southern India. It celebrates harvest season by honoring the sun and livestock that made it possible.

Cows are sprinkled with milk, painted in bright colors, and endowed with special blessings.

The villagers all decorated their front yards with these beautiful Kolam designs.

We also chewed on chunks of sugar cane. If I had known it was a traditional part of Pongal, I'd have taken a picture!

Drumming in the new year...

Pongal is a time for feasting and visiting with friends and relatives. One of the housemothers, Rajakumari, invited us to her house in a nearby village. As always, the raw simplicity and meager living conditions were humbling.

This is where she grew up with her parents and sisters, in a single room dwelling. The hut to the right provides shelter for the cow and chickens.

How do they eat when it's raining?

Fueled by cow dung.

Rajakumar's parents left offerings for the Sun God; we were served the leftovers.

Gathering banana leaves for plates.

We were all embarrassing guests, the director's children, their tutor, and I. The kids picked at their food as politely as possible. I'll admit to not possessing the broadest palate in the world. In fact, I've largely surrendered to the recognition that everything here is either unbearably spicy, unbearably fried, or unbearably sweet. That's precisely why I had come prepared: my pockets were lined with small plastic sacks, into which I furtively dropped my lunch, piece by piece.

Desert fared much better!

Why not tuck your toothbrush into the roof?

Visiting Bethel Nagar, leprosy colony

The children have left Rising Star to be with their families for a few weeks. Those who are orphans are either staying with housemothers or with relatives.

Although I was in desperate need of a break, I do worry about some of the children. I've learned that we are not only dealing with leprosy, but also with the many attendant hardships: abject poverty, illiteracy, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, to name a few. Some of the children are not safe at home.

One mother told me that she had remarried, and that her new husband has threatened to kill her son from the previous marriage. That son is a Rising Star boy. I ensured that she not take him home with her, but leave him with a relative in another town. Still, I am anxious.

This woman's tale was so tragic that three times my translator wept and was unable to speak. Many of the details were lost to me. But I understood that both her husbands were alcoholics, and both beat her when they came home drunk. In fact, halfway through our conversation (which lasted two hours), her younger son burst into the room, sobbing convulsively. After he finally calmed down, we learned that he had searched all over campus for her. Because she was in my office, he had been unable to find her. He then concluded that she must be dead. His father had so often threatened to beat her to death, and now he thought it must have happened.

Women like her have few options where there are no living parents, no social services, and no money.

Despite all of this, I found hope in my recent visit to Bethel Nagar.  It is the cleanest and best organized leprosy colony in this area.

A Rising Star medical team pays visits to a dozen nearby leprosy colonies. Routine tasks mostly include cleaning and binding affected fingers and toes. Nearly all the patients have been healed of leprosy, meaning that it cannot spread or harm new parts of their bodies.


Patients awaiting treatment.

I was eager to see some of our Rising Star kids at home. Nandakumar rode up to me on his bike.

Here are most of the the children at Bethel Nagar, all of whom attend Rising Star. We've got Pavithra, Angel, Gracy, Revathi, and Ansari.

Ansari with his grandfather. Besides the extremities, leprosy also commonly wreaks havoc on the eyes.

Ismail and his mother.

Revathi with her grandfather.

Cute Rutish with his mom.

And finally, a traveling stunt woman.