Still day one, rolling on without sleep still, 20 hours since landing. Somehow India just carries you along in its endless stream of life. Chennai airport arrivals area not best place to spend the night but found chennai central station this morning for (on time) 07.50 express to katpadi junction (£1 fare – 2hr ride). Many maimed beggars all over the station concourses, and people laid out sleeping everywhere across the concourses (many seem to live there others just early for trains). Certainly no attempts by security guards to hide rough sleepers from view as in uk – they outnumber non rough sleepers I expect. Met at katpadi station by Kalish from MBKGP orphanage – wonderful welcoming friendly face after long journey.
MBKGP (Mudhiyor Balar Kudumba Grama Pannai family village farm) is an amazing place. I was greeted by lovely Daniel the director and Anita who seems to keep everything and everybody going somehow. MBKGP currently has 230 orphan children (most have a parent outside who couldn’t afford to keep them or other dire circumstances) and 8 ‘mothers’ who care for c.10 children each (a few have 1 child here of their own) and 15 or so ‘grandmothers’ who also arrived destitute having either suffered abuse or lost husband and not able to be kept by their families. An American lady is here doing interviews for global ministries so I hope to discover more of all their stories soon from her – most of the adults can only speak a very little English (a great deal more than my Tamil) but just faces seem to reflect a lifetime of intense experiences. This is an incredible place where inter generational support, interdependence and mutual care and love seems to hold everybody together as a huge family.
Nursery and reception years school on site with children then walking up to the linked Kings secondary school up the road where they are educated in English (by rote and with a bit of old-style ruler discipline) and come out with great qualifications (big focus on science) and most go straight into jobs at the huge CMC teaching hospital in Vellore. MBKGP remains their home if they want (and I think most do) for life and they can come back for weekend visits when they like. There’s also a bakery run on site (delicious breads – all sweet to taste as most things in India which aren’t hot curries it seems) which also sends supplies to Karigiri hospital too. Breakfast, lunch and dinner all curry! Delicious – though think I may crave bran flakes in mornings soon,