<p>mini…Thankyou so much for all of your wonderful posts. I have read each and every one and will read them over again. Your words are allowing me to visit a country I have longed to see and your generousity is so inspiring. Please consider continuing this thread with all the wonderful experiences you have had.</p>
<p>Thanks. I just got back from the wedding! The Christian-Muslim affair. Didn’t see the ceremony (which happened before the reception everyone was invited to. 1,000-1,500 people, held at Loyola College. Every form of dress, from dhoti to full head-and-body covering for Muslim women. Muslim caps, and Gandhian threads. Jeweled saris, and very simple ones. Both veg and non-veg foods served. No mentions of gods of any variety. Then we drove back through town, through the jewelry center, and down a street that would have looked like a stretch of fifth avenue (if it wasn;t for the occasional cow). </p>
<p>And of course EVERYONE knew Krishnammal. We had to sneak out the back before she was mobbed. <a href=“http://www.opusprize.org/winners/08_Jagannathan.cfm[/url]”>http://www.opusprize.org/winners/08_Jagannathan.cfm</a></p>
<p>What a pleasure to read all this! Thank you for the gift of your time.</p>
<p>I’ve enjoyed these posts so much and I was happy to see that you will be going back!</p>
<p>A Special Treat</p>
<p>This is the day I leave, but that’s not what I want to write about:</p>
<p>I woke up this morning, with a veritable army of people banging on things, and carrying bags of cement on their heads to the first and second floors. Sathya is turning her house into an “ashram”, a meditation and retreat center (and a place for travelers like me), but finishing the job has been very slowgoing.</p>
<p>And then I recognized some of them. They are from Karunganni! This is one of the Dalit villages in which we are building 25 houses, with financial support from Passports with Purpose. 15 of the houses are done (except for the painting). So six of them, including the village headman, have come to complete Sathya’s house in a crash-building effort. For free, of course - no money will change hands, though the kitchen is hopping! It’s like a barn-raising!</p>
<p>I better go back upstairs and pack before everything is totally covered in dust (from the building) and smoke from the kitchen!</p>
<p>I will miss your posts Mini. Maybe you could share some other experiences about your trip once you are home. Have a safe flight home and easy time with jet lag.</p>