Island Trust's Community Care Centre for HIV/AIDS infected people

On Thursday, 10 June, Dr. Sheila and I went to Island Trust’s Community Care Centre in Ooty, a center for people suffering from HIV and AIDS.  A doctor sees these people at the center, and some of them live there or spend several days at a time for treatment.  The regular doctor was away, so Sheila came to fill in.  I drove her there (but that’s another story).

Jerald Anand and Dr. Sheila at the front door of the center

Mrs. Puwaneswari Packianathan, the Counselor (and backbone of the Centre)

Jerald Anand, Coordinator

Mrs. Packianathan in the Counselor's office

Some of the stats

Since most of the patients are day laborers, when they have to spend overnights at the center, they don't eat until they go back to work and get paid.  So, when they leave the center, Mrs. Packianathan gives them one of these bags, containing lentils, beans, rice, millet, etc.  She also provides transportation money, backpacks, and sometimes books for their children.  She also cooks greens for them.

The funding for the clinic comes from the government agency, TANSACS, Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society.  Anything not covered by those funds, the staff tries to solicit from individuals - like cataract surgeries, cardiac surgeries, any treatments outside their funding.

The center has two floors.  The ground floor is reception, counseling office, etc.  The upstairs is the residential care part.  While we were there, two young women came and met with the coordinator.  One thing that is common in the rural villages is that the infected wife gets thrown out of the village to fend for herself.  Mind you, her husband has infected her and has been sick for years or may have died.  But SHE gets thrown out because somehow they reason that she has been unfaithful to her husband and is therefore a slut.  Needless to say, they have absolutely no clue about HIV and AIDS.  So, Dr. Sheila can do outreach and education in Badaga (tribal) villages since she is a doctor and she speaks Badaga.

There are no pictures here of patients for privacy reasons.  The patients staying at the center are incredibly sick and ematiated, since they don't get diagnosed until they are extremely sick.  One woman's husband had died 17 years earlier, she had been so sick for the last ten years she took her 12-year-old daughter out of school so she could go to work supporting the family.  She works construction which means she carries pans of rocks and dirt on her head to the men on the construction sites.  She was there looking after her mother. 

Badaga Shivalingam temple in Coonoor

I took this exciting picture from the street before entering. Never knew it existed.

The line to the temple starts on the left, circles all the way around, ending where the lady in red is standing.

After the visit to the Shiva lingam, you receive prasadam (a mental condition of generosity, as well as a material substance that is first offered to a deity (in Hinduism) and then consumed. -- from Wikipedia) at various places, going to sit for a short period on the hillside above.

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This temple only opens one day a year, and that day was yesterday. My friend, Sheila, took me upon our return home from the clinic yesterday. I never knew this temple existed, and it's within easy walking distance of the house. Very special.

Humility in a Climate Age - Paul Wapner

Tikkun offered the following article and welcome clarifying perspective by Paul Wapner, director of the Global Environmental Politics program at American University. His most recent book is Living Through the End of Nature: The Future of American Environmentalism (MIT Press 2010).

http://www.tikkun.org/article.php/may2010wapner

The Nilgiris Dioica Tree

This is the tree I have been doing yoga under, and I am in love with it. The sign on the tree says it is a Nilgiris Dioica Tree. The genus listed took me to the Omnu from South America. This is how Wikipedia explains it.

The ombú is a massive evergreen herb native to the Pampas of South America. The tree has an umbrella-like canopy that spreads to a girth of 12 to 15 meters (40 to 50 feet) and can attain a height of 12 to 18 meters (40 to 60 feet). The ombú grows fast but being herbaceous its wood is soft and spongy enough to be cut with a knife. Because of this, it is also used in the art of bonsai, as it is easily manipulated to create the desired effect. Since the sap is poisonous, the ombú is not grazed by cattle and is immune to locusts and other pests. For similar reasons, the leaves are sometimes used as a laxative or purgant. It is a symbol ofUruguay and Argentina, and of Gaucho culture, as its canopy is quite distinguishable from afar and provides comfort and shelter from sun and rain. The fireproof trunk also stores water for the large fires.The tree is categorized in the same genus as the North American pokeweed. The species is also cultivated in Southern California as a shade tree.

It is my understanding that the Taj Hotel was originally lodging for the monks at the very old All Saints Church next door and that some of these exotic trees were planted then.

These are spider plants someone planted around the base of the tree. Isn't that gorgeous?

See how branches that look like roots grow up out of the bigger branches? It's like an upside down banyan tree.

Bharathanatyam recital - Malavika Sarukkai

Malavika Sarukkai

Bharatanatyam (Tamil: பரதநாட்டியம்) is a classical Indian dance form originating in Tamil Nadu^{[1][2][3][4][5]}, India. One of the oldest of the classical dance forms in India, it is also known as the fifth Veda. Bharatanatyam is usually accompanied by the classical music. It has its inspirations from the sculptures of the ancient temple of Chidambaram. Bharatanatyam, as the name depicts is the combination of:

BHA- Bhava (Expression), RA- Raga (Music) and TA- Tala (Rhythm) Bharatanatyam is a traditional dance-form known for its grace, purity, tenderness, and sculpturesque poses. Today, it is one of the most popular and widely performed dance styles and is practiced by many dancers all over the world.^[6][7][8]i

Sunday night, the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Nilgiris Kendra, presented Malavika Sarukkai, one of India's best Bharatanatyam dancers.  I had never seen anyone with Malavika's skill and experience dance before.  She also spoke about what she was going to dance for us, so I had a good idea what I was watching.   She named her performance "Dvipravaha - The Sacred and the Secular."  The music was gorgeous too.  I was in heaven.  I went with my friend Sheila, my landlady, and two of her cousins.  Met Rose from the Earth Trust event yesterday, so we sat together too.  Sigh.

Honoring Tribal Healers

Earth Trust Nilgiris chose World Environment Day to hold a ceremony honoring tribal healers here in the Nilgiris. Vanya Orr, the Project Director, spoke eloquently about the plight of the world and its degraded environment due to poor human stewardship, and how much the world needs the knowledge of our indigenous healers. The event took place at the Women's Hostel of the YWCA in Ooty.

Malathi (R) gave me a ride and brought her friend Rose (L). Rose is a newly retired English Lit professor who does oral history work in remote tribal areas. She's very knowledgeable about tribal life, and it was really a privilege to get to know her.

Earth Trust's Sevakumar starts off the event. At the table are Malathi Mittal, a board member, Vanya Orr, and other dignitaries who work with tribal people.

This was the first healer to be honored. Each healer had a chance to speak.

Three Toda women singing for us

One of the women healers getting her trophy

One of the male healers

At the end of the ceremony, the healers were encouraged to bring any treatments they knew of to the panel of botanists, etc., so that trials could be done on their medicines. There was also discussion on how to get access to native plants in the forest from the Forest Dept. employees, etc. Apparently the Forest Dept. is giving away some land to tribal people, and Vanya was encouraging them to take advantage of that and to show how native plants can thrive on these small plots. Needless to say, the discussion is much larger and I didn't get a great deal of it because I only understand English.

It was a very encouraging event and discussion over lunch was stimulating.

Our governments have committed more terrorism on humanity than the Maoists have Arindam Chaudhuri, Editor-in-chief, The Sunday Indian

This was an editorial in The Sunday Indian's 9 May edition.  It's true here in India and is true in Nepal.  It's the kind of truth we don't hear much.  Refreshing, but tragic.


Our governments have committed more terrorism on humanity than the Maoists have 
Arindam Chaudhuri, Editor-in-chief, The Sunday Indian

http://www.thesundayindian.com/09052010/storyd.asp?sid=8857&pageno=1