India 2007
Goodnight from India
Our last day in India was peaceful and inspirational, giving us a chance to reflect on our wonderful journey. We met Brother Gaston at his Ashram out in the beautiful Bengali countryside where mentally challenged women and orphaned children…
Trekking through the Sundarbans
Over the past three days we have travelled, mainly by boat, around the Sundarbans which is a world heritage site and the home of about 250 tigers. The islands are located off the West Bengal bay. We have experienced extreme weather conditions ranging from monsoon rain to glorious sunshine.
Fiesta at Udayan
This morning began with an early start where we attended Mass t the Motherhouse and visited Mother's tomb to pay our respects. We all found it very moving and the Sisters' singing was beautiful.rnrnLater in the day we were collected by Ramod, one of the original children from James' first group of 11 little ones, to attend a celebration of our visit at Udayan. Also present were a number UK Friends of Udayan: John Coo, Justin and Caroline Coo, Keith Bashford, Anne King and Polly Pearce. We were greeted with garlands and a reception party of little children who took great delight in throwing flower petals over us as part of their welcome!
Asha Bhavan
Today we visited the Asha Bhavan Centre, which a home for physically challenged children. We were warmly welcomed by the children and their founder, Sukeshi Barui, with a rose and anointing on the forehead with a tikka. rnrnrnrnWe were given…
Asha Niketan
Our day began at noon after a very leisurely morning relaxing in the lounge. We travelled by taxi to Asha Niketan, a L’Arche community founded by Jean Vanier. rnrnrnrnrnrnIt is a home for the mentally disabled where they make handcrafts…
Udayan – Day 2
Today we have had the most remarkable day at Udayan. It began at 7am, when we had couscous for breakfast. We were then given the opportunity to help in a boys’ IT class, using the computers sent over from St. Joan of Arc. They are all…
Tour of Kolkata and Udayan
This morning was very special as we made our first journey to Udayan; we were warmly welcomed by James and everyone. James firstly introduced us to some of his main helpers telling us a bit about them. Many of them are former boys of Udayan who have returned as workers.
Kolkata
This morning we attended a service given by the Reverend James Stevens (founder of Udayan) at St Andrews Church. As we write this message we are sitting in the tropical courtyard under the palm trees at the Fairlawn chatting to James and his…
Namaste (greetings) from Kolkata
Last night we travelled on the overnight train from Varanasi to Kolkata, an experience we won’t forget! We arrived at 9.30am and were greeted by our porters - it’s amazing how they can balance two of our heavy suitcases on their heads! You’ll be pleased to know the sun was back, which brightened our spirits even more.