Titagarh
What a day! Definitely our busiest so far, jam-packed to the brim! We kicked it off observing a 7am intensive karate session with an even more intense sensei. Breakfast revealed that the Traitors had attempted to murder Michael in the night. Fortunately for him, he and Eva had won the award for ‘Best Lesson’ voted for by the children of Udayan Vidyala, and therefore had immunity with a shield. We then ate our breakfast (toast, bananas and a side of curried chickpeas) and said a bittersweet goodbye to our friends at Udayan. Many a young man shed a tear for Isa. After this, our two-hour journey began.
Loaded in with the students on their way to school. Dropping them off, we were reminded that most had never had a parent drop them off at school. It seemed the whole school gathered at the gates to see the fuss caused by the new glam-mums on the school run. We then carried on our way to Titagarh to visit the Gandhiji Prem Nivas Leprosy Centre, a leper colony and health care centre founded by Mother Theresa. The colony offers a safe place to live, work and receive health care for those who would otherwise suffer exclusion because of the stigma associated with leprosy. We visited the factory and saw their workstations, kitchen gardens and wards, opening our eyes to the reality of leprosy. Whilst there we met some parents whose children attended Udayan, one now a police officer and another currently attending nursing college. We also met a former pupil, now 30, healthy and with a 9-year-old daughter attending a local school – something she never believed would be possible.
The leprosy centre was built on the railway line as lepers were not allowed to walk along public roads until 1990. Therefore, the only way to get there and back was over a wide berth of train tracks. We watched one go past with people hanging out of open doors – a truly Indian scene.
We finished the rest of our journey into the city avoiding cows, goats and tut-tuts and made it to the Fairlawn Hotel. We survived a near miss involving a tarantula on the bus* before all having our first proper showers (no more buckets for a few days) and got even more glammed up to go for dinner in an empty restaurant – the locals don’t eat out until 10pm! We then headed back to the hotel, passing by the markets, approached by beggars and a screaming tea salesman.
At this evening’s ’round-table’ suspicions for Isabel got her wrongfully banished from the game where she revealed herself as a ‘faithful’. We finished the evening chatting and giggling about life and love, before retiring to our air-conditioned suites more grateful than ever for the comforts our privileged lives have made us accustomed to.
*It was NOT a tarantula.
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