"Your mother say I is good"

First, a disclosure. At the risk of relinquishing my cynicism and sounding like a Disney movie: I love these kids with all my heart. I'm not sure when exactly they began stretching my heartstrings into all sorts of unfathomable directions. But somewhere along my daily (no, hourly) pilgrimage between copy machine, first aid kit, library, supply cabinet, infirmary (the floor of my office), lab, and playground, I was hooked.

You can, therefore, imagine my feelings when my favorite person on the planet (aka my mom) came to meet some of my other favorite little persons on the opposite side of the planet.

She eagerly sat with students who were struggling over their journal writing. After they had finished, the kids she had tutored proudly ran back to me with reports of her praise. "Your mom help me tomorrow again," said Shaktivel. "Your mother say I is good," crowed the bespectacled M. Vijay.


My mom with (left to right) Vijayalakshmi, Christraj, his sister Sagayamery who is playfully (?) pushing him, Monica (in the back), Theerthi, and Arunachalam Peter. Don't you love them just for the sake of their names?

 

 

Unforgettable, that's what you are

My birthday was certainly "unforgettable in every way." I am at a loss to describe the sensation of magic and wonder that trailed me throughout the day.

Permit me to borrow words from my mom's family blog entry:

"Celina had an absolutely amazing birthday. Every 10-20 minutes, all day long, a child or staff member gave her a letter or little gift. I have never seen such an outpouring of love on such a scale."

It was true.

One of the housemothers, Saraswathi, insisted on painting my nails. Does my face say it all? I wasn't sure I dug the ruby red...
Anjali and Kala both gave me the blue bangles on my wrists.

Dear Mira (who cleans the volunteer hostel) arranged the coiffure, resulting in more flowers than hair!

Many, many children brought me notes and letters carefully folded inside handmade envelopes. I opened them to find their little treasures: plastic gemstones, safety pins, a miniature necklace, a two-rupee coin. Their thoughtfulness overwhelmed me.

Later in the evening, the volunteers and my mom (who is behind the camera) gathered for a little party: Shaun, Chris, Audrey, Robin, Steele and Sarah. Sarah donated her very last brownie mix (only available from the States) to the cause. Considering that and the fact that we don't have ovens, it was greatly appreciated!

Just chillin' with my boys

Since my mom was here, I now possess a handful of "candid moments" snapshots from the school day. This about sums it up: two kids trying to read to me at once, another petitioning for permission to trade in his glue stick (which he won for good behavior) for a pen, a fourth complaining about some grievance, and a fifth just along for the ride.

What's funny is that I'd consider this a relatively quiet moment. At least I'm sitting down!

Hurray for my special guest

Allow me to belatedly add a narrative to render my pictures even more riveting.

Yes, dear reader, I've had a special guest in town (or shall we say "in village"?). Even though my mom has already been here several days, I can't quite believe it's true. It still surprises me every time I encounter her in the school hallway or library. "You, and here?" I guess I've never seen her in India before. Let's call it a felicitous incongruity.

Besides (obviously) being thrilled with her company and her support, I'm delighted with how helpful she is with the children. Many situations arise during the day involving students who refuse to cooperate/need special attention/are fighting/cannot work on their own. Today I simply handed them off to her, all the while counting my lucky stars and hoping she'd stay forever.

And she fortuitously arrived just in time for our annual science exhibit: it was a grand occasion. Here's the crew, all adorned in Jasmine wreaths. Voila yours truly, Chris (long-term volunteer helping at the clinic and hostel), Steele and Sarah (directors), and Shaun (dance master).

And this is the other side of the room. We initiated the day with memorized speeches about scientists and  a science contest.

The fabulous duo cuts the ribbon, which is strung across the entrance into the exhibit area.

 

Speaking of fabulous, the sixth through ninth graders had been fabulously diligent and displayed fabulous projects. I was fabulously proud, especially considering everyone's lack of experience, the absence of parental help, and the fact that we are right smack in the middle of nowhere.

Later in the afternoon, we took a trip to Pondicherry. It's a fabulous seaside town which I love, among other reasons, for serving as the setting of the opening chapters in Life of Pi. These dear people absolutely wanted to be in this picture.

Happy Birthday, Mariambee and Anita!

Today Mariambee is turning nine. Here she is with her brother, Basha. I know that I'm not supposed to have favorites, but that's really not possible! I felt an immediate connection with these endearing personalities. They come from a begging background, and Basha has psychological damage and learning disabilities. But he's also bright and inquisitive. We read together every day after school, and I always look forward to it. Mariambee is as sharp as a whip.

It's also my friend Anita's birthday. She was at Rising Star last year on February 10th. Here's the picture which I pilfered from her 2010 blog entry:

This all has a lot of meaning for me in retrospect, because it was pictures like this that inspired me to come to India. Thank you and many happy returns!

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?