Travelogues  
India Revisited – 11

More and more people are now aware of its existence and send their handicapped children for help to the school. It was an emotional tour for us as we saw some determined children doing feats they had practiced with dedication and perseverance. A girl with cerebral palsy particularly impressed me with her skill of being able to thread beads with her toes. She had no use of her hands and her neck was fixed in an extended position and she could barely see the ground in front of her. Yet, she never seemed to have any doubts about her abilities. Proudly, with a smile, she showed off her skills. Many of the retarded and handicapped children (it is not a school for physically handicapped children with normal intelligence) were so happy to see us and could not contain their glee. Yet they seemed to be much disciplined and showed a lot of interest in wanting to learn the basic skills they were being taught. It was heartwarming to see the love and kindness being so openly dispensed in this school for the less fortunate segment of our society.

Beautiful Minds

Disabled and neglected, yet with a brave countenance,
She stares with imploring eyes: begging for love, and sustenance.
Her purity and beauty are transparent,
Yet to most, the encumbrance is repugnant,
No crimes are committed by these innocent children,
Still, why does society treat them as its burden?

Shortcut to Calicut

After attending some of the family get together affairs in Mangalore we drove to Calicut, a city in the Malabar Coast of Kerala. (Yes, we did hire a Toyota Qualis, again.) The drive took between five and six hours, certainly not a short drive. There are train services to Calicut from Mangalore that also take five hours but we were warned that the train was infested with cockroaches. I know my wife and daughter would rather die (or kill someone) than have an encounter with a roach. To avoid this potential criminal act, I decided to go by road. It was a good decision as the car came in handy for our transportation within the city of Calicut.

On the first evening we went to the beach where the Portuguese adventurer Vasco da Gama had first landed in India in 1498. The people seemed to be ignorant of the history of the beach or of the erstwhile adventurer called Vasco da Gama. There is not a single write up or monument at this site. It is not a very clean beach, much polluted with plastic and Styrofoam. People fully clothed in saris, salwar-kameez or long pants and shirts, were everywhere, enjoying the cool breeze. We were similarly dressed (a common garb of beach goers in India), as if we were going to a dinner party. Some of us braved to dip our ankles in water but the two kids in our group made sure their little rumps got wet. The sunset was spectacular, with the fishing boats silhouetted against the amber sky. Flocks of birds speckled the sky in perfect formation returning to their nests.

The next day we drove to the top of the mountains of Wayanad. Kerala is a beautiful green state with mountain ranges and rain forests reminiscent of Neria. We feasted on the expansive scenery and cooled off with cold beer and wine. After lunch, some of us got into paddleboats in a peaceful lake with sprinkled lotus flowers and fresh scented air. That night we had a nice New Year’s Party with some Western music and dancing,.

The Return

We took the Toyota Qualis back to Mangalore in a death defying drive. I sat with my eyes closed, not merely to shield them from the blinding headlights. I was not going to be an eye witness to any poor soul getting crushed under our car.

We spent a day packing in Mangalore (no small task, I assure you). We watched some more shenanigans of Rahul, and watched the beginning of the fourth cricket test match. Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman played glorious innings (India would eventually amass a massive total of 705 for 7 before declaring and the match would end in a tame draw.) A day later we boarded the plane to go to Mumbai with heavy hearts (and suitcases), after saying tearful goodbyes. We had an uneventful return to the U.S.     

– Neria Harish Hebbar, MD
March 28, 2004

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