Began the day with chapel service at Gurukul, with student leading and preaching and then all stay on an hour where his fellow students critiqued his service and sermon, and then teaching staff followed. Really interesting (the poor bloke really struggled with English though – must be so hard)
Lecture on dalit theology with the 4th years and then was taken, by a Catholic working in a Lutheran Slum Women project, off to a slum area about 1hr out of central chennai. A large group of the women there had all dressed up in bright saris and gathered in school/project hut to greet me as special guest again and through translator tell me a bit about their lives and ask about mine (nobody can ever understand that I’m not married, me included! and don’t wear colourful saris and jewellery – I always feel particularly plain amidst everybody and even in the slums these women were looking so smart). The support work is with huge numbers of people in these communities – about 2,000 here – and focuses on women (helping setup finance cooperative, self support group and health care, 2 toilets so far, goat breeding beginning (good price for selling at market etc). Seemed very well led project where t
local women really lead things now – and laughed and bantered so much that you’d think life was easy for them. Big focus of the project is to support children and their education – many now go to schools. I saw the ‘new’ computers they have – probably dating from 1970s I reckon and can’t imagine they are going to grind into much action sadly but they hope to teach the children some basic computing soon too. 
Was really good to meet and chat to people in the slums rather than just look and wonder how people live at all there. Conditions awful of course (including stagnant swamp which govt won’t clean up) but was invited into some homes which are kept so well in circumstances and was just amazed at the fun and laughter between the women as we wandered and they introduced me to people. Clearly their care for each other is great. also told that when men come in from outside (or husbands) attack any woman they get together and collectively defend her now, think they used to be too sacred (understandably!)
Throat has played up and I’ve had no voice today and feeling pretty ill in fact so have rested since the slums. Joseph thinks throat might be dodgy water related (apparently there’s a racket in filling and sealing water bottles with dodgy water so I need to be more careful where I buy bottles). Will hopefully be normal again tomorrow (it’s tomorrow and feel much better) otherwise will see dr before overnight train down to dindigul tomorrow night.
India2015 